Possessed (Book One of the Hollow City Coven Series): A Witch and Warlock Romance Novel (12 page)

“Such a beautiful woman,” Shayne purred in her ear. “Can’t get enough of you.”

Gillian’s laugh was interrupted by a gasp when the head of his cock slipped along her slit. But he wasn’t penetrating her, simply spreading her flesh with his. Warmth spread between her legs until she thought she must be melting. What was he waiting for? Then it occurred to her.

“Please,” she whispered. “I need you inside me.”

She could feel her cheeks burn at the request, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. There was nothing she wanted more.

The broad tip of his cock nudged at her entrance. For a moment, she thought he would tease her again, but then he started to slide inside. The exquisite stretch made her moan, and she leaned her forehead against the cool glass. Inch by slow inch, he filled her. He rose higher, gliding upward, the fullness in her abdomen growing. By the time he was seated fully inside her, she could barely move.

Shayne’s hands moved to her hips, and he lifted her into the air. Shorter than Shayne, her feet dangled down below. She pushed hard against the glass to keep from hitting it, but the change in angle made her groan in pleasure.

Shayne’s thrusts were slow and long, flexing her hips with his, sending spikes of heat into her belly. She concentrated on it, moved by him, and moaning with every stroke.

“Gillian, love, open your eyes.”

At first, she wasn’t sure what he was saying. But when she did, and opened them, she gasped.

The late fall sunrise painted the valley below them with gold. Beyond it, the mountains had fallen into purple shadow. With her eyes fastened on the horizon, it was as if she could fly.

Shayne started thrusting into her more firmly, each thrust making her cry out. She could feel herself clenching around his stiff cock. Her body writhed of its own accord. No longer able to push against the window, she put one hand and then the other around the back of his neck. He pressed forward, pushing her breasts against the glass. The cool surface made her nipples tighten, while his hot flesh surged upward into her core. The combination was electrifying. What began as a sizzle low in her belly, spread upward with alarming speed.

“Shayne,” she nearly wailed. “Oh god, Shayne, I’m going to come again.” She didn’t know whether she was begging him for the climax or for mercy. “I–”

“You can,” he growled. “And you will.”

She writhed, trapped between the glass and her lover, with nowhere she could go. She cried out, short and sharp, as her body clenched hard around his iron shaft.

A high whine escaped Shayne, as he thickened and jerked inside her. He spilled himself in pulses so hot, she could hardly believe there was a condom. His body trembled in the throes of his release. She relished the rich, thrumming sound from deep in his chest.

“This is what I want,” she heard herself breathe. “This is what I have always wanted.”

Shayne planted a soft kiss on the spot between her shoulders before pulling away. She whimpered when he set her down and withdrew from her body, but then he was there again. He lifted her in his arms, and carried her to the bed.

They touched each other gently and without hurry. Gillian found herself looking deep into his eyes, the blue and the brown. One for the sky and one for the earth, she decided. She smiled at the thought. He ran his fingers along her bottom lip, smiling in return. Gillian couldn’t remember every being happier than this beautiful moment.

“We can’t lie in bed forever,” he finally said.

“We could try,” she suggested.

He grinned. “A girl after my own heart.”

But Gillian knew that Raina had to be waiting somewhere––Raina who had saved her life.

“Who showers first?” she asked.

“First?” he said. “How about if I lather you up. Then–”

Gillian put a gloved finger to his lips, shushing him. “I think that’s the last thing we need.”

GILLIAN FOUND THAT their clothes had been washed and left on a chair outside the room. Though the dress was ripped, it was clean. She was thankful to Raina, all over again. Once they were dressed, and Gillian had verified where her leather portfolio was, she and Shayne made their way downstairs.

Raina’s home was a wonder. If it had been built in Los Angeles, it would have been worth millions. Instead, it was built in the middle of nowhere. As far as Gillian was concerned, the location made it beyond price. It was a harmonious mix of the new and the traditional. The walls were all red logs, but the floor was marble. The temperature was perfectly controlled, and through one half-open door, Gillian glimpsed a computer array that would have made any techie swoon.

Down the glass staircase, they found Raina in a sunken living room, relaxing with a mug of coffee in front of a central fire pit. But Gillian nearly stumbled when a little monkey at her feet starting chittering.

“Ah, you’re up,” Raina said standing. The little monkey––though now Gillian could see it wasn’t quite a monkey––scampered up Raina’s leg and hugged her around the neck. Raina ruffled the fur behind her familiar’s ears. “Don’t mind Travertine. He’s protective. Marmosets sometimes are.”

The adorable little creature cocked its tufted head at them. The puffs of white hair at the sides of his head made him look like an old man. The set of his little mouth made him seem grumpy. Gillian smiled at him, and he cocked his head the other way. As quick as a flash, he had clambered back down Raina’s leg and taken off for another room.

Raina gestured to a door behind them. “Come on. I have some food for you here.”

“You’ve been too good to us,” Gillian said, as she and Shayne followed her into a sparkling and modern kitchen. Raina indicated the kitchen island, and Gillian sat down obediently. “You’ve helped us so much.”

“It’s more or less the rule when you’re out this far. If someone needs help, you offer it. Let alone Wiccans besieged by Templars.” She eyed Shayne. “I assume I have you to thank for getting rid of them.”

He nodded his ascent.

Raina set out a giant round of sourdough, a large block of cheese and some gorgeously red tomatoes. As Gillian and Shayne ate, Raina poured two mugs of coffee, then retrieved hers from the living room. The meal was a light one, but savory and satisfying. Shayne drained the last of his coffee and set the mug down.

“You saved our lives,” he said quietly. “That’s not something we’re going to forget.”

“Nor should you,” Raina said with that quick grin of hers. “But right now, what I want is information.”

“Information?” asked Gillian, blinking.

“That thing chasing you. That wasn’t any ordinary spirit haunting.”

Gillian made a face. “It was a Templar, or at least it used to be.” She hesitated, unaware of how much she should tell someone who was a stranger.

Raina nodded understandingly.

“If it puts your mind at ease, I’m a witch with a coven, not a rogue. I belong to Lena DiTomassa’s coven down south, but we’re spread out. I’m out here because it sharpens me and helps me hone my gift.”

“You’re a spirit walker?” asked Shayne.

Raina nodded.

“Yes. When I found Gillian, I was patrolling.”

“Are you saying you can leave your body?” Gillian asked in surprise. “I’ve never heard of that before.”

Raina cocked an eyebrow at her. “Really? That’s interesting, Gillian, seeing that’s how we met. You were doing the same thing.”

Gillian shook her head.

“No, not at all. I can read the past in objects. It’s called psychometry. Spirt walking? No, I can’t do that at all.”

“But you did,” said Raina gently insisting. “That Templar drove you to push your limits.”

Shayne scowled, closing his hand over Gillian’s. She wondered if he could sense her nervousness.

“Most Wiccans only have one skill,” Shayne said. “Some talented ones may seem as though they have several. But they are simply permutations of the same one.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Raina said. “Gillian must be quite talented.”

Gillian shook her head, almost angry with the whole conversation. It was Marceline who had first understood Gillian’s talent for reading the past. It was why she’d been allowed to research Tenebris.

“It was an accident,” Gillian insisted. “It was the Templar who did it. I was in a trance for a while, and then it felt like I could rise from my body. I left it, and then he chased me. I can’t do it again. I wouldn’t know how to start.”

From the curious way Shayne was looking at her, she knew she must sound angry. Raina, however, only shrugged.

“Well, time will tell in that case. You may be right, and it might only be a coincidence. But it’s something to keep in mind. Now tell me what in the world you two were doing in the mountains this late in the season, without so much as a real tent between you.”

Gillian and Shayne took turns telling her about what they had gone through and why. When Gillian mentioned Tenebris, Raina’s eyes narrowed.

“Now that is interesting,” she said softly. “Throw in the Templars, and it starts to make sense.”

“What do you mean?” Gillian asked.

“Well, you had four Templars come for you. I’ve fought Templars. They don’t particularly muster in numbers unless they have a coven to attack.”

“Plus those Templars weren’t just out to kill some witches,” Shayne said thoughtfully. “They were targeting us, or more specifically, they were targeting Gillian.”

“Me?”

“Yes. They were prepared to kill me. Hell, they wanted to kill me, but that’s no surprise. That’s part of my normal day. However, they wanted to take you captive. Four Templars would have killed me to bring you in.”

“But why?” Gillian said, her voice rising. “I’ve never heard of Templars who wanted to capture Wiccans before. They…they don’t do that…do they?”

Raina’s face was grim.

“No, not usually,” she said. “But at heart, they’re all a bit insane. Perhaps they thought you had something that would help them. Perhaps they want to use your skills.” Raina shrugged. “Perhaps you know something you shouldn’t.”

Shayne shook his head.

“We don’t have enough information to say, one way or another. But one thing I think we can rely on is those four won’t be the last.”

And icy shiver shot down Gillian’s spine.

“But all I’m doing is trying to find Tenebris. It’s a Wiccan place. It’s history, and it’s important to us. Why would they care about that?”

“We don’t even know that’s what they’re after,” Shayne said. “When we get back to civilization, I’ll do my best to find out. The Magus Corps might be pissed at me, but they’ll want to know what’s going on. If Templars are involved, the Magus Corps needs to be as well.”

“The Magus Corps is not going to stop me from finding Tenebris,” Gillian said, bristling. “This is my life’s work. I don’t care if the Templars are going to rain fire on us. This is an important piece of who we are and where we came from.”

“The Templars have never been the sort for psychological warfare,” Raina said thoughtfully. “They’ve never had the foresight to do anything beyond massive raids. Why bother killing the soul of Wiccans when they can just kill the body?”

“Because the body has proved decidedly tough to kill,” Shayne said, with a little pride.

“Maybe you’re right,” Raina said, nodding. “If they want to try something new, the destruction of what should be a sacred site to all Wiccans everywhere might be a big blow.”

“A site that most Wiccans don’t think exists, though,” Gillian protested. “Most Wiccans wouldn’t even know what Tenebris is. Those that do think it’s a fairy story, like Tir Na Nog for the elves.”

“We don’t know what they want,” Shayne said. “Except for you.”

Though Gillian had been ready to defend her point, she couldn’t argue with that. She slumped a little, defeated.

“If it helps,” Shayne said. “I want you too.”

He lifted her gloved hand and kissed it. Though it didn’t really help, it made her smile a little.

“I think you two ought to lay low for a day or so. I can message the coven down south to get you a lift to wherever you are going.”

“Well, first we need to head to–”

“Raina doesn’t want to hear it,” Shayne quickly said. Gillian blinked at him. “Sorry,” he said. “The less people know of your plans, the less they can tell others.”

Gillian drew in a sharp breath at what Shayne was saying. When she had started her quest, she hadn’t thought there’d be a cost, let alone danger to other Wiccans. The idea of the Templars who had chased them down coming to Raina’s beautiful home and harming her made Gillian feel sick.

“Oh, but now he’s scared you.” Raina’s smile was gentle. To Gillian’s relief, she didn’t take her hand, but instead, she rested her fingers on Gillian’s forearm. “Trust me when I say I can take care of myself. I have sent more than my fair share of Templars packing. I’m not afraid of them.”

“Though I don’t doubt your ability to defend yourself,” Shayne said. “I’d suggest spending some time with your coven. Those Templars weren’t foot soldiers. They were hunting.”

“If I see the need, I’ll run for the coven. However, I’ve been on this land for a very long time. I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

“I’m sorry for all of this,” Gillian said.

“Because you were attacked by Templars?” Raina said. “Tosh! But if you’re sure you won’t stay, it’s still early enough for someone from the coven to help you on your way.”

Gillian looked at Shayne, who solemnly nodded. “It might be best.”

• • • • •

Once she’d gathered Max from her coat, Gillian had parked herself in front of the toasty fire. Though Shayne perused Raina’s bookcases or fetched wood from outside, he never wandered far from her. As Raina exited her high-tech office, Shayne came to Gillian’s side.

“The pilot who was flying your plane, Jen, managed a safe landing. The minute you two bailed, the firing stopped, so that tells you something.”

“I’m glad she’s all right,” Gillian said, relieved.

Raina nodded. “If she could, Jen would hop back out here to pick you up.”

Raina must have seen Gillian’s puzzled look.

“Jen is safe, but her plane didn’t fare so well.”

“Oh,” Gillian said, staring at the floor. Shayne put an arm around her waist.