Illusions: Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (The Seekers Book 1) (16 page)

“I ache for you,” she said. “Paxx. I want you.”

“I know. And that’s why I need to leave.”

P
axx spent the night outside
, sleeping beneath an oak tree. Whether because of his shifter blood or some other factor warming him, he had no trouble staving off the night’s chill. Sleeping was another story, but then his mind was occupied with a constant cycle of thoughts about Serafina, Phist and Circe.

At dawn he rose and hiked over to Rohan’s cabin, where he found the intense man pacing the floor, dressed in clean clothing and deep in thought.

“What do you think?” he asked simply when Rohan looked his way.

“Something’s gnawing at my gut. I don’t know what, but I’ve a bad feeling about today,” he said. “I don’t usually get bad feelings.”

“Maybe it’s nothing…” began Paxx.

“It’s
never
nothing,” Rohan growled. Almost immediately, he seemed to soften. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to speak to you as though you’re a child. I know, though, that you and I come from different backgrounds. I have a twin, and she is a mind-reader, among many other gifts. And somehow, when she came into that power, I gained a little of it. Oh, I can’t actually see into people’s thoughts. But I have a sort of sixth sense that often tells me if things aren’t quite right—or if they are.”

“I understand,” said Paxx. “I think.”

Rohan remained uneasy, stepping here and there as though uncertain where his feet needed to take him. “Listen. Eat something—there’s fruit and meat on the table, leftovers. I’m going to head to the Guild’s compound and have a look at what’s happening.”

“Shall I join you?”

“Yes. Get Serafina and come as soon as you can.”

Rohan didn’t want to tell him what was really on his mind. Had he done so, Paxx would have sprinted all the way across Salem to reach the Guild’s hiding place.

I
n eagle form
Rohan soared above the woods, his eyes searching below, though he anticipated seeing nothing until he reached his destination. He hoped above all that he’d been wrong; that his worries were based on nothing but stress. Perhaps all of the confusion about Rituals and saving lives was simply eating away at him, creating unnecessary and excess concern.

As the slate roof of the compound came into view, he hurried, flapping his massive wings until he reached the building’s north end.

There below him, he saw it: a gallows, newly built, set up for a hanging. Perhaps this was intended only for the evening to come in order to further coerce Serafina into agreeing to the Guild’s terms. That noose would be around Circe’s neck, they’d said, unless her sister gave in.

But as Rohan circled above, people began to leave the building below, walking directly to the freshly-assembled structure. Two men guided a third, who walked between them.

It was Phist.

Rohan had seen him with his brother, the first time he’d laid eyes on Paxx, walking the trail through the woods. He was indeed being punished, no doubt for his brother’s betrayal and escape. They intended to hang him, and it looked like they would waste no time in doing so.

Rohan flew down into the woods, landing softly, and shifted into his wolf form: grey with streaks of black, light eyes glowing in the shadows as he stalked forward.

By the side of the building he saw Melina standing flanked by what he assumed were her two mates: large men, their faces taut, serious. Hers appeared docile, almost content, as though this show of power were as pleasant as an evening at the opera. Taking away a young man’s life out of spite, revenge.

Rohan wished he had a weapon that he could throw; some way to attack that wouldn’t immediately draw all of their eyes. But he knew what he had to do, and it would be difficult. He was alone, and would have to contend with Melina and her mates, not to mention the Guild’s guards.

The two men guided Phist up a set of wooden steps to his destiny, and there he stood, looking back at Melina and her companions.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” called the red-haired woman, self-satisfied and smug.

“I’m innocent,” he said. “I haven’t done anything.”

Phist’s face was a combination of fear and resolve. He was a little younger than his brother; in some ways he resembled a boy, though he was nineteen and capable of a full beard. And this was his fate: to be killed by his own kind, for nothing more than his blood tie to an escaped brother.

“You have considered betraying us on more than one occasion,” said Melina. “Your brother tried to secure your safety yesterday. But I know your heart. I know that you are a traitor to the Guild. And Paxx proved it, by escaping. He will join you later; don’t you worry. We were going to hang young Circe as well, but I’ve found a better use for her. Such powers would be wasted in death. We are going to mate her in a Ritual.”

So that was it. Not only were they attempting to force Serafina to submit; they would inflict the fate on her younger sister, as well. These so-called shifters were distorting the good name of their kind, not to mention their sacred traditions. There was no love involved in their Rituals. No tenderness. Simply force.

For the first time, Phist grew visibly angry.

“No!” he cried. “You can’t do that to her.”

“So we see it in the flesh: your resistance to the Guild’s policies,” laughed Melina. “You who pretend not to be a traitor to us. It’s a pity that we can’t include you in the Ritual, Phist. You seem to have taken a liking to young Circe.”

“She’s good, and kind. You cannot force her like this. It’s wrong,” he said.

“I beg to differ. It seems entirely right to me. We are granting her the gift of power. We are infusing her with the blood of shifters. There is no better fate for a woman, whether she knows it or not.”

“What you do is vile,” spat Phist, the veins in his neck throbbing as he attempted to free himself. “I would kill you for it.”

“You would,” she said. “But you can’t, can you? You’re rather helpless. A mere human. To think of the potential that a man like you had. So confrontational. So cocky. Well, it’s a shame, but we must do what we must do.” She turned to the men who held Phist. “Finish him off, and make it quick.”

One of the men moved away, taking the noose in both hands as his peer held on to the young man with all his strength. The men’s own faces remained stoic, expressionless, and Rohan wondered if they were trying to conceal their own disdain for this sorceress of a woman who seemed to dominate their male community.

The executioner placed the noose over Phist’s head, tightening it around his neck. There would be no time to wait for Paxx’s and Serafina’s arrival. It was to Rohan alone to save this young man.

P
axx’s steps
to Serafina’s house were quick and long, but he cursed his legs for being human as he strode, recalling Rohan’s ability to gallop and fly.

Something in the other man’s tone had worried him. Rohan seemed generally unflappable, and it was disconcerting to see him in a state of stress.

Serafina was already up and about when he arrived, feeding Nyx the usual table scraps.

“We need to go,” he said when she opened the door. “Now.”

“What is it?” she asked, pulling on a long, wide scarf to cover her shoulders.

“I don’t know. Rohan’s flown ahead to the compound. Something’s up.”

Over the course of several trips, Paxx had worked out the quickest route between Ealdor and the compound, managing to navigate around Salem once again. He didn’t want to risk being seen by any stray Guild members who would no doubt be on the hunt for him.

Their rapid walk was mostly done in silence. Nothing needed to be said that hadn’t already been uttered by both. Desire was a given. But this morning’s task was to ensure that each still had a sibling by the end of the day.

When they arrived at the south end of the compound, they saw no guards. But a commotion could be heard farther along, and Paxx dashed ahead, through the woods, attempting to remain hidden as he looked. In the distance, a plume of black smoke rose up, as though a fire had just been lit beyond the stone building.

A dragon—
Rohan’s
dragon—flapped in the air, hovering, as a blast of flame shot forth from his mouth. Below him stood a pyre of blackened wood; what looked like a scaffold engulfed in flame. At its centre, the remnants of a hanging rope.

And in the dragon’s talons was a man.

Phist.

Beside the building, Melina stood glaring, hatred glowing in her eyes as she studied the dragon. Her mates Crow and Mace attempted to be rounding up their men, though to what end, Paxx didn’t know. These were humans, those members of the Guild who had not yet mated. They couldn’t fly. They were no match for Rohan.

But Melina was.

She pointed a hand at him, uttering a few words in a language that Paxx didn’t understand. Slowly the dragon descended, as though the force of gravity just below him had grown in intensity. He resisted by flapping his enormous wings, but Melina managed to get him so close to the ground that Phist’s feet touched.

“Take him,” she commanded. “Both of them.”

Men darted towards the dragon even as Rohan regained his strength, taking off into the sky and flying out of reach of Melina’s Craft.

“Oh, thank God,” said Paxx.

“They were going to hang him,” Serafina said softly, dumbfounded. “They would have killed him.”

“Yes.”

“We need to find Circe. Something must be done.”

Serafina’s eyes scanned the second floor windows of the compound, looking for any sign of her sister. At last they landed on a raven, perched on a sill in one of the cells towards the south end.

“Sidian,” she said. And, as though he heard her, the bird turned his head towards her. A moment later, Circe stood in the window, her face smiling down at her sister’s.

Obsidian flew down, landing on Serafina’s arm. She extracted a stone from her bag and, sliding her index finger over its surface, crafted a rune.

“Bring this to her,” she said to the raven. He took it in his talons and flew up to his Magistress.

“What was that?” asked Paxx.

“Sleep,” she said softly. “It will render her unconscious. It’s my only hope. Surely they won’t hang an unconscious woman.”

“We need to go back,” said Paxx. “To find Rohan and Phist. I’m sorry, but we need to.”

“Yes,” said Sera, her mind seemingly elsewhere. “But Circe…”

“Rohan will help us to get her back. I know he will. For now, though, they’ll be scouring the lands for him. We need to get out of here. And something tells me they won’t be building another gallows for some time. I think Circe’s safe from hanging, at least.”

When they arrived at Sera’s house, they found Rohan and Phist inside. Paxx’s brother was shaken up but otherwise unharmed. Rohan, once again, was half-naked.

“Serafina,” said Phist. “Your sister—they want her for a Ritual. They’re not going to hang her.”

“Thank the goddess,” she said. “For small mercies, at least. If my rune worked, she’ll be in no shape for a Ritual for at least twenty-four hours. You don’t think they’d take advantage of her while she’s sleeping, do you?”

“I wouldn’t put much past them,” said Paxx. “But no. They won’t do that. The female has to be engaged, at least a little.”

“So we have a little time. But as Paxx said, they will be coming for you. All of you. Rohan—that dragon—“

“It was nothing,” he said, his features serious. Normally he would have felt pride in his abilities, but now he simply felt helpless. Circe was still a prisoner and that woman had nearly bettered him, pulling him to the ground with ease. His powers were simply not strong enough to take her on himself. “I need to be alone for a little, to think,” he said. “Warn the others that an attack is imminent. You’ll find me at the cabin.”

“So be it,” said Paxx. “And Rohan—thank you for what you did. You don’t know what it means to me.”

“I have a twin,” he replied. “I have an idea of the bond between siblings.”

“Of course.”

With that, Rohan turned away, leaving via the front door.

In her chest, Serafina’s heart seemed to break into several pieces: one belonging to Circe, one to Paxx and one to Rohan. There seemed to be nothing left over for herself.

T
he bell would be too
loud, signalling all those for miles around that Ealdor was on high alert, and so Serafina made her way quickly to Hedy’s to warn her of the threat against their village. This would begin a chain reaction of communiqués between the members of the Sisterhood.

“We’ll take the Aspirants and head to the woods,” Hedy told her. “But you go ahead. Deal with what needs dealing with. You’ll know where to find us when the time comes.”

Hedy didn’t ask any questions about the Ritual that had never taken place, which Sera took to mean that she’d already deduced the facts. It wasn’t happening. And so it was to Sera alone to figure out how to save her sister.

She told Paxx and Phist that she was headed to Rohan’s cabin, and they followed from a distance, protective eyes exploring the landscape. So far, all was quiet around the town. No doubt the Guild was making plans, preparing for what may come.

Sera found Rohan inside the cabin, sitting in quiet contemplation at the small table.

“What you did today,” she said as she stepped inside quietly. “What you have done for me since your arrival here, has been a miracle. I don’t know where you came from or how you found me, but you almost make me believe in angels.”

Rohan let out a bitter laugh. “A fire-breathing one,” he said. “Or a wolf with wings. More demon than angel.”

She walked up behind him and laid a hand on his bare back, and he found himself straightening, leaning into the pressure, his eyes closed as he took in the sensation of her touch.

“I want to save my sister,” she said. “More than anything. If I must, I will go to the Guild and offer up my body to do it.”

Rohan turned quickly and looked at her, his mouth opening to utter a reply, but Sera put a finger to his lips, hushing him. At that moment, Paxx appeared in the doorway while his brother, sensing a quiet tension, remained outside, on alert for intruders.

“I would do that for her. I would do anything for her.” Sera pivoted, looking at Paxx as she spoke. “But I wish to perform the Ritual with you two. That is for
me.
That is for my sake, for my needs—not for power, but for whatever it is that I feel for you both. Love. I should simply say the word. I feel love for you, though I’ve known you both so briefly.”

She took a few steps through the cabin and turned back to address them both.

“I cannot bear the thought of losing either of you, ever. Seeing Melina at work, trying to harm you, Rohan, and you, Paxx—it broke my heart. You have stirred something inside me, as though mingling with my mind, my very blood. For that, for you, I would walk away from the Sisterhood. I would jump into a new life, a strange one that I can’t begin to predict, in this or any century. And I would do so happily and willingly, because I can’t imagine a more pleasant fate than to be with two such men. Please. Rohan. Paxx. Consider what I am saying. And know that I would give myself more than willingly—you would deprive me by denying me this.”

Rohan stood, his heart pounding inside his chest as he contemplated her beautiful face, her sincerity. This was what he’d wanted. This was
her
doing—her calling. She had asked
them,
and for the right reasons this time.

She continued her speech, working to convince two men who didn’t need convincing. “I set eyes on each of you at different times, but inside me the same reaction occurred. Like a storm inside my chest. I can’t describe it in any other way. I didn’t know what it was; I supposed that it was simply my age, that I’m a woman. You’re attractive men, of course. Any woman would find you both enticing. But it’s not that. It’s something else, something deep inside me, as though a sensation has been awoken that was never meant to rear its head.”

“I know the one,” said Rohan. “As do you, no doubt,” he added, turning to Paxx, who nodded.

“I need you both,” said Sera. “I feel as though I would suffocate if I lost either of you. As though I wouldn’t be able to live. And so whether Circe were free or not, I would feel the same. Please. Know that I mean every word.”

“I know it,” said Rohan. “And I will give myself to you fully.”

“As will I,” said Paxx. “Every cell in my body is yours if you want it, Serafina.”

“I do. I want every bit—every inch—of you both.”

I
n the tradition
of those of the Old Blood, candles were lit that night in a small outdoor clearing. Normally the Ritual took place in a bed, but no bed in the vicinity was large enough for these three. Sera was glad of it, too, as she had dreamed of spending a night under the stars with these two men since her time with Rohan during the Bonding ceremony.

There had been no sign of the Guild yet; no infiltration by their members into Ealdor. The Crones had no doubt ushered the younger members of the Sisterhood into secret buildings in the woods, casting protective spells around them so that only their own kind could easily find them. Unfortunately, this still rendered them vulnerable to Melina’s detection—but the hope was that she would hold off searching, at least for the night.

Phist remained at Rohan’s cabin, knowing what the Ritual entailed. That the three needed time alone, to bond in their own rite. He would wait, keep a watchful eye on the woods and hope for the best for all those he cared about.

Sera, Paxx and Rohan found themselves standing near their makeshift bed, shy eyes beholding one another as they prepared themselves mentally for the night ahead. Each was blissful and eager to touch and to be touched. But also hesitant to move aggressively. The night called for gentleness.

“Serafina,” said Paxx, who stepped towards her as he gazed at her beautiful face, lit by the light of the candles which surrounded her. “When I first laid eyes on you I imagined what it would be like to kiss you. To caress you, to lie with you. I was certain in that one moment that you were to be mine, though I couldn’t dream of how we would come to this place.”

She smiled, extending her hand towards him. “Nor could I,” she said. “I wanted to hate you, to see you as my enemy. But your face was too good, too kind, too handsome to resist. And
you,
” she said, turning to Rohan. “You, who somehow turned up on my doorstep, stepped out of another time and place. It is because of you that all this has happened. That we’re all together now.”

“It is because of fate,” said Rohan. “Fate leads us everywhere we go, and I have to remember to write it a thank you letter when all is said and done.”

Sera began to unbutton her dress, her cleavage revealing itself inch by inch to them until each man could see the full roundness between her breasts. Each in turn responded by inhaling deeply, resisting the desire to touch immediately, to kiss her skin. She was so beautiful, such perfection under the moonlight.

“If one of you doesn’t kiss me soon I’ll grow self-conscious,” she said quietly, still smiling, as she revealed a little more skin.

Paxx stepped forward, a finger trailing down the beautiful place between her breasts, and she raised her chin to him. His hands pulled at the dress, sweeping it from her shoulders and letting it fall to the ground as his lips met hers, soft, sweet, his tongue as eager as hers.

His hands were on her back, slipping down, then grasping at her round hips, her perfect behind, as she pressed her body forward into his. She gasped as she felt him harden against her, his cock swelling with need even as her own profound ache shot to the place between her legs. Her body was calling to the two men; ready and willing. Wanting.

Both men’s hands were on her now, pulling her long hair aside, lips on her neck, fingers slipping around her full breasts. Rohan was behind her, unwilling to remain an observer.

And Sera felt her head go light: so, this was really happening. These two exquisite creatures were with her in this place, their mouths on her at once as she raised her chin, allowing kisses to rain down on her body as though falling from the sky. Their mouths were delicious on her skin, leaving streams of pleasure in their wake as they moved in this and that direction, slowly, perfectly.

As her eyes closed she played with the sensations of the hands and mouths, trying to determine whose was which. Now fingers slipped between her thighs, prying them apart, and yet another hand flicked gently over her nipple, hardening its peak. Then a beautiful mouth found its way to that nipple, sucking gently, tenderly, as she felt her pussy pulse, the blood flowing to every place where she longed for another hand, another set of skillful lips.

And then the men guided her, laying her down on the moist grass, those gentle hands pulling her legs apart, a mouth seeking hers. This time it was Rohan’s lips that she felt, his soft stubble caressing her chin as he kissed her, tasted her, pressed into her so gently, yet so strongly.

He pulled away briefly, smiling as he looked into her eyes.

“You are the most beautiful thing,” he said.

“You told me that the first time we met.”

“I know. And now, if it’s even possible, you’ve grown even more stunning. My heart is racing in my chest for you, sweet Serafina. I want you so much that it hurts.”

He kissed her again, even as Paxx’s lips met the insides of her thighs, making their way slowly north. Oh, goddess. He was going to kiss her pussy even as Rohan tended her mouth. To think she’d nearly missed out on this heaven.

But Paxx bided his time, kneading her mound with his fingers, exploring her slick flesh for those places that made her squirm, and delighting in the involuntary—and voluntary—movements of her body as she reacted to his stroking.

“You like that, do you?” he asked. “You like to have your beautiful sex stroked by a man’s hand?”

She didn’t reply verbally; instead she moved her knees apart still more, inviting him to explore further.

His lips went to her opening and he kissed her there, his tongue easing inside her for a moment, tasting the place where his cock longed to be.

“You taste like honey,” he moaned, diving in once again, licking at her. Rohan in turn moved to kneel by her face as her fingers went to the bulge in the front of his trousers. He had been inside her, but she had never tasted him, after all. It was time to feel him in her mouth.

“I want this,” she said, her fingers grasping him through the leather of his clothing. “Please, let me eat you.”

How could a man resist such a plea? He pulled the garment down, offering his thick shaft to her as she turned, taking it in her fingers, and licked the delicate tip, savouring the sweetness of his arousal. Soon her lips had wrapped around him and he felt his hips sliding towards her. He eased gently in and out of that perfect mouth, the soft pink lips stroking him, hardening him more by the second.

Paxx, eating her up, looked up to behold the sight, delighting in it even as he returned to his task. He wished so much to make her come, as Rohan had done the night of their Bonding, to bring her to ecstasy before taking her for himself.

Slipping two fingers into her opening, he let the tip of his tongue ease over her bud as she squeezed him in approval. And with each lick he felt her coming closer, even as she sucked on her other lover’s cock adoringly. She was so wet, so swollen for them both.

At last he felt her hips thrust skyward, her channel narrowing around his fingers, pulsing around them to signal her perfect, unabashed pleasure as she moaned loudly.

Rohan withdrew from her mouth as Paxx laid soft kisses on her pussy, calming it after the intense storm.

It was Paxx who then removed his trousers, even as Rohan stood and let his own slide fully to the ground. Paxx lay down on his back, his hard cock vertical, fingers wrapped around the shaft which pointed to the sky, as Sera rose and stood above him. Her feet were on either side of his hips and as he looked up at her he saw the beautiful, slick pussy come towards him, prepared to take him in, to sheathe him inside her. Slowly she allowed herself to ease down onto him.

Her pussy, so tight, wrapped itself firmly around his cock in welcome. And in the moment when he plunged into her, he felt as though he might die from the pleasure of it.

Rohan watched as she eased herself up and down, milking Paxx ever so slowly, her perfect ass white under the stars. And he knew what it was that he must do.

He knelt behind her, slipping two fingers into his mouth before massaging her tender opening, signalling her where he would be in a moment.

“Are you prepared?” he said, his voice a low growl. “For both of us to be inside your temple of a body?”

“Yes,” she moaned. “I’ve never wanted anything so much.”

He manoeuvred himself over Paxx’s legs, the tip of his cock pressing softly into Sera’s sensitive flesh before easing inwards, plunging inside her. She cried out, asking for more, and more.

Both men were now deep inside her, filling her with their rock hard flesh, and both pulled out slowly, understanding what it was that she desired, and thrust back in simultaneously.

“We will come,” said Paxx. “For you,
in
you, Serafina. We will shoot our hot cream into you as one.”

His hands were on her breasts, softly pinching her nipples, thumbs gliding over their stone-hard tips.

“Oh, yes,” she said, revelling in every sensation that flew at her. “Come for me, my beautiful men.”

Each of her lovers sped up the pace, both aching, already nearing the moment of explosion. But both held off as long as they could as they basked in the glory of pleasuring her from the inside.

Sera gasped as her sensitive clit rubbed against Paxx each time she came down on him. She felt herself coming closer and closer to yet another moment of climax. If she could just hold off until they were ready…

The men’s pace was fast, now, as Paxx moved his hands to her hips and thrust his pelvis upwards, his cock plunging into her again and again as his body beat against hers. Rohan did the same from behind, looking down at his cock as he entered her over and over again, his flesh weakening as he gave himself, his strength, over to her. He was so, so close, and it felt like heaven, this.

“I…I’m coming again,” Sera cried out. And then both men felt her body seize around them, urging and daring their shafts to explode for her.