Enchanting Her Alpha (Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance) (2 page)

I picked up the little fox and set her down on the workbench, where she curled up into a ball, her head on her paws as she blinked at me through the murky darkness. I took a deep breath to clear my head, committed Amma’s words of power to memory, and began the ritual. I recited the chant as I stared into the mirror, trying to keep my eyes relaxed. Before long they became unfocused and, in the flickering candlelight, something began to take form in the bottomless black of the mirror.

I stared transfixed as the cloudy glass cleared and the awful scene became clear. It was a girl, no older than me, running through the woods. She was looking over her shoulder every few seconds, her eyes wild with fear.  I could almost feel her terror as I watched her flee for her life from something I had yet to see.  I realized that my heart was pounding as I watched her catch her foot on an exposed root that sent her sprawling. She clawed at the ground in a desperate attempt to regain her feet, but it was too late.

I could feel her panic as together we watched her pursuer emerge from the trees. It held its head low, the tongue lolling out of its gaping mouth accentuating its large, pointed teeth. It almost seemed to be smiling as it approached her steadily, slowly, as though knowing that its prey was beaten.

I watched in horror as it loomed hugely over her, almost toying with her as she scrambled backward, looking for a way out or a weapon. Her hands closed over a sharp rock just as it leaped on top of her, knocking her back to the ground with an audible whoosh as the air left her lungs. She swung her arm up, smashing the rock into its head and drawing blood. The blow stunned the creature for a brief second before it almost casually lowered its head and tore her throat out.

“No!” I yelled. A startled Mynx jumped up and started screaming in her fox voice, bringing Amma running into the room. How many times she called my name before I finally responded I don’t know, but she was holding my face in both hands. Hers was only inches from mine, concern and deep relief etched upon it. I grabbed her wrists and croaked out, “It killed her! It ripped her throat out!”

“What, Nicole, what killed who?”

“A werewolf! A werewolf killed her!” I shouted back at her, anger and fear traveling down my spine. “It just ripped her throat out,” I repeated again, still trying to comprehend what I had seen.

“Who, Nicole? Who did it kill?” Amma appeared outwardly calm, but I could hear the anger and concern in her voice.

“I don’t know her; she’s not one of ours,” I answered recalling the face of the doomed girl. “She was about my age. I think she was an outsider, a civilian.”

I spent the rest of the morning with my grandmother and the other members of the Coven’s ruling circle, Drew’s dad Ben included, describing what I had seen. As I recounted my vision, I realized that I had seen the wolf just this morning with Brandon. Who was that wolf, and what did she have to do with Brandon? Both of those questions were good ones to ask him tonight.

The debate that ensued went on for over an hour, until Amma’s cool, calm voice silenced the others. “We don’t know if Nicole’s visions are past, present or future yet.” Amma was saying as I allowed myself to be pulled from my thoughts. “We cannot demand retribution for something that may not have even happened yet.”

Ben jumped in:“If it hasn’t happened yet, we still have a chance to save this girl. We can stop this before it happens.”

“The future, if this is the future, is not written in stone. We have no choice but to wait,” Amma replied with a finality in her voice that ended the discussion and the meeting.

It was resolved that, having no other recourse, we would wait and see what happened. I was now even more impatient to talk to Brandon, and could only hope that he would have some answers for me. I had never felt more frustrated or more impatient for night to come in my life.

After lunch, I returned to the stillroom, lifting Mynx up onto the bench again. Her watchful eyes didn’t move from my face. I returned, not to try my hand at scrying again, but to replenish our store of remedies, which had become low of late. There was something very soothing about using a mortar and pestle to grind herbs into a smooth powder, to be added to lotions or tinctures. I especially enjoyed learning how to combine the right herbs into soothing and powerful teas. I ground until my arms were sore, then went out into the herb garden to cut flowers and leaves for drying to replace the stocks I had depleted.

I cleaned the tools I’d used and left the stillroom, carrying the mirror upstairs to my room to store it. I was almost afraid to use it again. The vision was still rattling around my head and I knew that, if it came true, I had found my niche, my strength. However, I wasn’t sure I wanted it. What would it be like to go through life being able to see the future (if that’s what it was) and not be able to do anything about it? I could only think about the young girl, who could be losing her life at this very moment.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon in my room studying the Coven’s Book of Shadows, trying to learn as much about scrying and interpreting visions as I could. If I could find a way to control the visions, to slow them down and examine them, maybe I could be more effective than I felt right now.

I fell asleep with the book on my chest and a vivid dream flowing through my head. Brandon was looking at me from his Pack’s side of the dividing wall. He was standing upright, in human form, with his wolf’s head. The wolf I had seen with him, the wolf from my vision, was lying at his feet, staring at me with golden yellow eyes as though she was saying, “He is mine.”

Brandon was reaching his hand out to me, but seemed unable to get his feet out from under her. Our matching necklaces were reaching out to each other, and I reached out to him as well. Our fingertips were mere inches from each other, but we could not close the distance. We could not touch each other. In the background I heard Mynx’s foxy scream, warning me away and making the black wolf cock her head toward the sound. Mynx screamed again and the scene faded, and I awoke wondering whether it was a dream or another vision. I was being warned away, that much I knew.

I went into the bathroom to splash some water on my face before going downstairs to help Amma with dinner, Mynx on my heels. We ate the simple meal in silence, until I mentioned that I’d be spending the night at the island tonight. I told her I needed to think about what I had seen in my vision and see if I could gain any insight into it. Well, it was partly the truth.

When I returned to my room to gather the things I would need tonight, Mynx settled herself in front of the door, refusing to move. She was determined to prevent me from meeting Brandon, but not as determined as I was to go. My desire to see him went beyond any physical or emotional level; it was primal. I couldn’t stay away from him any more than I could stop my heart from beating. I didn’t care what he was, I was meant to love him.

When I finished packing I picked Mynx up, looked her in the eyes, and said, “You can’t stop me from going. I get that you’re only trying to protect me, but I have to see him.” I searched her eyes for understanding. She blinked at me, making a mournful sound and nuzzling against my neck. I knew she was worried, but I had to go. I had no choice.

************

I’d been there for over an hour now, arriving just before sunset. I sat on the shore, looking up at the stars as though they could tell me what was keeping Brandon. I waited a while longer before the chilly air drove me shivering inside to light a fire.

After pacing impatiently for a while, I lay down on the bed and stared into the flames, allowing my thoughts to drift back to the last time I’d been here. The warmth of the fire took the chill from my bones as I let my eyes flutter closed, imagining his touch upon my skin and the feel of his body curled around me, pressing against me so I could enjoy every hard line and curve of him. His lips were savoring the flesh of my neck and nibbling on my earlobe, his large hands were pulling me closer, molding his body to mine and sending heat rippling through me.

“Nicole.” My name slithered from his lips into my ear, and I slowly realized he was really here with me. “Nicole, wake up.” I could feel him lying behind me on the bed, and realized I had unwittingly fallen asleep for the second time today. I didn’t care, though; all I cared about was that my dream had come true.

I snuggled my bottom against him and turned my head up in expectation of his kiss. His cool hands slipped under my shirt and roamed over the soft skin of my belly, sending a shiver through me. He bent down to meet my lips and I inhaled the pure male scent that was his alone. Our tongues met in a joyous dance as his wayward hands wandered further up until each cupped a soft breast, thumbs stroking my nipples into hard sensitive points. I bent my arm behind me, tangling my fingers through his soft hair and pulling his mouth harder onto mine.

He pulled me onto my back, breaking our kiss as he pulled my shirt up and over my head. His eyes met mine for a brief moment before his head dipped down and he abruptly sucked a nipple into his mouth, making me cry out in pleasure. His tongue flicked rapidly over the captured peak, making my back arch in delighted surprise and pleasure. He kissed his way over to my neglected breast, and I took the opportunity to help him off with his shirt. The need to see his amazing body was overwhelming. His head dipped down again, distracting me momentarily with the talents of his lips and tongue.

When his mouth met mine again, I grasped the muscles of his shoulders and pulled him down to me. I needed to feel the hard angles of his chest against the soft give of mine, to feel his skin sliding over mine and to run my hands over his muscles as they undulated beneath my fingers. I spread my legs and wrapped them around him, anxious to feel all of him on me. When he ground himself against me, I couldn’t hold back my moan of pleasure.

He broke our kiss once more and pushed himself up until he sat back on his heels between my legs, smiling a devilish little smile at me. He slid his fingers under the elastic of my yoga pants and pulled them down, catching my panties at the same time. Pulling my legs up, he put them together and rested them on his shoulder as he slid my pants the rest of the way off. He kissed the back of my calves, then the back of my knees before laying one leg on each of his shoulders. His hands caressed my thighs while he kissed upwards from my knees, taking care to lavish the same attention on each thigh. He spread my legs wider until he was lying down between them.

I could feel the warmth of his breath on me, bringing forth a surge of moisture and desire. His eyes met mine as he kissed the inside of one thigh with soft, warm lips. He held that eye contact with each agonizingly slow kiss, placed carefully on each inner thigh until I was breathing hard from the anticipation of a new pleasure I never experienced before.

He watched me intently as he placed soft, wet kisses over the fleshy outer folds of my pussy, darting his tongue out and spreading my lips like the wings of a butterfly. He slid his tongue over my throbbing clit before sucking it gently between his lips, and I reached down to thread my fingers through his hair. The warmth of his lips and the gentle flicking of his tongue was like no other feeling I’d ever experienced. I sucked in a ragged breath when he slipped his tongue inside me and pressed his lips to mine.

“So good,” he moaned, “you taste so good.” His tongue returned to my clit and resumed its slow, rhythmic strumming as he used my own juices to work one finger inside of me. My pelvic muscles clamped down around the invading digit, and the resulting pleasure was almost unbearable.

I was moaning louder and louder; my only coherent thought was “Yes!”, and I said it over and over as he brought me ever closer to that wondrous peak. His eyes never left mine when I was finally pushed over the edge to freefall into orgasm.

He gave me one final kiss there before jumping up and removing his remaining clothing. I was still euphoric and trying to catch my breath when he nestled himself between my legs. I could taste myself on his lips when he kissed me, and was surprised by how excited it made me. He kept his lips on mine as he slid into me, breathing a satisfied sigh. I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him into me, holding him there and relishing the feel of him filling me. It was a heady pleasure having him inside me again, his generous girth setting my body aflame.

We’d barely spoken since coming together again, but our bodies moving in unison whispered the need we had for each other. Warm, panting breaths in each other’s ears and soft sounds of pleasure conveyed volumes to each of us as he glided in and out of me. My hips rocked up to meet him again and again, thrust for thrust as I strove to bring him with me to the pinnacle of pleasure. He pinned my hands at the wrist, crushed his lips to mine, and thrust deeply into me as I reached the apex of ecstasy, the heat of his release multiplying the rapture of my own.