Authors: Crystal Red
“You mean a couple
hundred years older,” Brandon said with a snort.
The witch walked up
to him and pressed her face to his. She jabbed a fingernail into his chest.
“Watch your damn mouth or you’ll be the first to die!”
Brandon ground his
teeth. “What is it with you? Why can’t you just let this go?”
“Because you’re
supposed to be with me!” Victoria stomped a high heel against the cement floor.
The creatures growled
at Brandon.
Victoria smiled and
patted them on their heads. “Easy, boys. Mamma’s going to take care of them
soon.”
“You won’t get away
with this, Victoria.” Kelsey’s voice lowered to a warning tone.
“Victoria, you know
this is never going to happen.” Brandon shuffled his feet. “You belong with a
wizard like your mother told you.”
“It’s too late for
me.” Victoria looked at Kelsey, then at him. “If that stupid alpha werewolf
hadn’t been there before me, we’d be together. Not you and Kelsey.”
“Maybe that’s a good
thing,” Kelsey said in a soft tone.
Brandon glanced
around the room. There had to be a way out of this. He didn’t know how much more
of this crap he could handle.
“It wouldn’t have worked
out either way, Victoria.”
The witch’s eyes
darkened as she glowered at Brandon. “And you think falling for a human is so
much better?” She sneered as she continued with her rant. “You put her life in
danger and her friends. Look what happened to her mother!”
“It was because of
you!” Kelsey’s eyes flashed with anger.
“You can’t prove I
had anything to do with your mother’s accident.” Victoria’s face reddened.
Kelsey rolled her
eyes. “You’re the only one with a wolf pack. How stupid do you think we are?”
“Shut up!” Victoria
shrieked. She marched up to Kelsey and slapped her across the face.
“You little…” Kelsey
sputtered as blood dripped from her mouth.
Brandon flinched and
his stomach clenched as anger swelled. Victoria had struck the woman he loved.
How
can I do this to Kelsey? I have to save her before it’s too late.
He ran up to Victoria
until he stood face-to-face with her. “You want to hurt someone, then do it to
me. Don’t take your anger out on her. She’s not the one who broke your heart. I
did.”
Victoria laughed in a
low and bitter tone. “Oh, please. Revenge is nice and all, but you did nothing
to my heart. A person would actually have to have one for it to be damaged.”
“How could I forget,”
Brandon muttered.
When the witch had her
back to Kelsey, she nodded for Brandon to push Victoria into the pot. He took a
deep breath and gave one hard push. Victoria screamed and flew into it head
first. A loud sizzling noise filled the basement. He and Kelsey choked as the
scent of burnt flesh permeated the air.
Relief washed over
him until the two wolves ran toward him. They howled and their red eyes glowed.
He spied the wooden stick Victoria must have dropped when he’d pushed her into
the pot.
The creatures
continued to creep closer, and he snatched up the stick. As they approached, he
wacked one of the beasts on the head with it. The other one whimpered and back
away. Brandon caught the other wolf off guard and slammed the stick onto its
head. Both animals lay on the floor, motionless.
“Are they dead?”
Kelsey’s eyebrows drew together. “Don’t you have to snap their necks to make
sure?”
“Yep,” he answered.
He walked up to the
werewolves and snapped each of their necks. Within a few seconds, ashes from
the dead animals bodies formed small piles.
He rushed over to
Kelsey. “Are you okay? Do you know where the key is?”
She shook her head.
“Victoria knocked me out and chained me to the wall. I woke up this way.”
“Oh, sweetie,” he
said in a tight voice. “I’m so sorry you had to go through this shit. It’s all
my fault. I shouldn’t have let you leave.”
“I’m not blaming you,
Brandon. Can you just find the key? We have to get out of here and call the
police.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “What the hell are we going to tell
them?”
“I have no fucking
clue,” he muttered.
Brandon ran over to
the desk and searched through each of the drawers until he found a set of keys.
He hurried over to her and tried a few until finally one unlocked the cuffs.
Her legs wobbled, and he caught her before she fell. He put Kelsey over his
shoulder and then rushed up the steps.
As he carried her
outside, he spotted Chad and Beth. Their complexions remained pale as they
stood on the dead witch’s front lawn. Brandon set Kelsey on the ground and
gawked at them. He held her against him.
“How did you know
where Victoria lived?” Brandon gaped at them.
Beth chewed on her
bottom lip. “I had Chad follow you. The police should be here soon, and the
fire department. We smelled the smoke. What happened?”
“Victoria kidnapped
me and wanted to have her two werewolves kill me. She had this wooden stick,
which she used to create a fire in a big black pot. Brandon pushed her into it
and then killed her pets. It’s over.” Kelsey forced a smile, even though her
lip remained puffy and dripped blood.
Beth walked over to
Kelsey and hugged her. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”
Police sirens blared
and red lights flashed as two squad cars arrived along with a large fire truck.
They were questioned
by the police. Brandon and Kelsey explained to them that Brandon’s crazy
ex-girlfriend had kidnapped Kelsey. They described how Victoria practiced
witchcraft and had pet wolves that she planned to have kill Kelsey and Brandon.
Despite the quizzical
looks the police and firemen gave Brandon and Kelsey, they believed them,
because all that remained in Victoria’s basement was a pile of ashes. It was as
if the witch had never existed, let alone her pack of werewolves, which really
worked for Brandon. The less the police knew about the unexplainable the
better. Now if only he could convince Kelsey to share his crazy world with him.
Chapter Sixteen
Kelsey crawled into
her bed and snuggled under the covers. Alone. She needed time to think. Brandon
had said he understood. No man had ever told her he loved her. So, why did it
feel so right? Sure she said it to him as well, and meant every word, but the
thought of forever with a werewolf still boggled her mind. If they got married,
would their children inherit a wolf gene?
I hope not. Brandon doesn’t like
this burden. What if there is a cure?
She shook her head. He’d received the
bite at sixteen. He wasn’t born with it. Their children would be human.
For once, she slept
well with only good thoughts and no worries on her mind. The next morning she
dressed and then sauntered into the kitchen. Her gaze met Brandon’s, then
Beth’s and finally Chad’s.
The scent of brewed
coffee entered her nose. She walked over to the counter and poured herself a
cup. “What’s up?” She grabbed the creamer out of the fridge and then added a
spoonful into the mug.
“We wanted to make
sure you were okay,” Beth said. “You went through a lot. I can’t imagine how
awful Victoria was to you.”
“I think we all knew
the truth the moment we met that bitch.” Kelsey sipped her coffee.
“I’m glad you’re
okay. So, are you getting hitched to Brandon?” Chad grinned, then sank his
teeth into a glazed donut.
Kelsey set her cup on
the table. She tottered as dizziness set in.
Brandon rushed to her
side and clutched her waist. “Don’t listen to him. I’m not going to make you
decide to run off with me into the sunset anytime soon.”
“Then what do you
want? I thought we agreed to date. Don’t you want something more someday?”
Beth chewed on her
lip. “Maybe we should leave them alone.”
“I like the sound of
that.” Chad winked.
Beth scowled. “That’s
not what I meant, you ass!”
“We’ll be next door
if you need us.” Chad placed a hand on her shoulder. “And if you guys do get
married, I want to be the best man at your wedding.”
“Of course.” Kelsey
smiled. “Thanks for being here for me.” She looked at Brandon and her heart
sped up. “For us, I mean.”
Once Beth and Chad
went next door, Brandon cupped her chin. “What I want,” he exhaled, “is you,
Kelsey. Forever. I never thought I’d find a woman like you. Let alone want to
make as my wife.”
His sweet words made
her heart melt. She needed him so much. He made her whole.
“We’ve been through
so much together in such a short time,” she murmured.
“Yeah, and we still
have so much more to go through. That is if you haven’t changed your mind yet.”
She laughed. “Why
would I do that?”
“You said you needed
time to think.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Can you still read my mind?”
“No, not since
Victoria died. The spell must have been broken when she burned in the fire.”
“Good. I like the
mystery better, anyway,” he said with a grin.
She inhaled sharply.
“All I need is you, Brandon. I don’t want some big fancy ring or promises of a
big expensive wedding. I love you so much. You have my heart. Forever.”
He placed a hand on
her heart as it pounded. His gaze swept over her in a tender gaze.
“Silly woman, I plan
on giving you everything you want and more. If a big diamond is on your list
and a wedding too, you’ll have them. I promise.”
“What about kids? Do
you want them?”
“It’d be fun to try.”
He gathered her into his arms and held her snug against him. “How many do you
want?”
“Three.”
He slid his hands
down to her ass and squeezed. “Practice makes perfect.” The tone of his deep
and sexy voice sent jolts of ecstasy down her spine.
“The counter?”
“Oh yeah.” He lifted
her red dress just enough so he could take her panties off.
She hopped onto the
counter with her dress hiked up to her hips. He handed her a foil package and
then stepped out of his Levis and boxers. He roamed her body with his hands until
he found her center and stroked her with a gentle tenderness. She gasped in sweet
agony as tremors hit her one by one with each touch he made.
“I love to watch you
come,” he whispered.
She continued to rock
into his finger as blood rushed to her channel, and her toes curled when she
finally found her release. After a few seconds, she caught her breath and tore
the rubber open, then slid it onto his shaft.
He entered her core
and filled her completely. The pleasure soared through every nerve ending as
their bodies moved together. She wrapped her legs around him to feel even more
heat.
She moaned as he
nibbled her neck. His hips ground into her and took her slowly over the edge as
her breath grew hot and heavy. Her body tingled with joy and happiness. The
more he touched her, the harder it became not to finish. She wanted to share
this moment with him—together as one.
Brandon clung to her
as he picked up his pace, which became disjointed. They both erupted into a
mind-blowing orgasm. He slipped out of her and then helped her off the counter.
“Now that’s what I call
a good morning.” He grinned.
“Yeah. Not so bad.
For a man or even a werewolf.”
His smile grew bigger
and then he shut her up with a kiss that made her knees knock together.
Epilogue
Ten Months Later
Not one, but ten
pregnancy tests lay on Kelsey’s bathroom counter. They were arranged from a
digital yes to a plus sign, and the ones with two pink lines. Ten positives couldn’t
all be wrong. She and Brandon were going to have a baby in seven months.
“Baby? Are you all
right?” Brandon pounded on the bathroom door.
“Yeah,” she called. “I
have something to show you.”
He opened the door
and his eyes widened as he looked at what lay on the counter.
“We’re going to have
a baby.” She clapped her hands and then placed one of his on her belly.
“Really?” His breath
came fast and heavy.
“Yes. Two yes, four
plus signs, two pregnant and two pink lines. I think there’s no denying it
now.”
Brandon grabbed her
hand and softly kissed each of her fingers. “Looks as if all that practice paid
off, after all.”
“Yes,” she squealed.
“I hope our baby is a girl. I always wanted a daughter.”
He frowned. “Girls
are…”
“Are what?”
“Harder to parent.
What if the baby is a boy?”
She shrugged. “We’ll
love him no matter what. The next one could be a girl if we get a boy first.”
“Hmm.” His mouth
grazed her earlobe, and she shivered.
She stared down at
her shiny diamond engagement ring. They’d only been engaged for four months.
The wedding was planned for September, but she needed to fit into her dress in
order to get married.
“How about we get
married in May instead of September?”
“Sounds like a plan.
I think our son agrees too.” He patted her belly.
“You don’t think…”
“I don’t have a
werewolf gene, remember? Bites don’t get passed on to children. Our baby will
be fine.”
“You’re totally
right.”
Her lips met his in a long and slow
kiss.
The End