“Who?” Caleb asked.
“Her parents. Her coven, and if she finds them, she’s
in for a rude awakening. They will kill her to harness her power,” Kyle said.
“So we don’t let her get it. I’ll distract her,” Caleb
said.
“What?” This came from both his mother and father.
“I’ll distract Lucy, give her something to stay for.”
The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea.
“I was going to give her the book that was handed to
us for safekeeping,” Adele said. She leaned down and lifted up a bag.
Caleb watched as she carefully removed the book,
without touching it, from the bag. There, before him, bound in leather, was the
first ever witches’ book he’d seen.
Reaching for the book, he lifted it up, and his
parents yelled at him to release it.
Everyone, apart from Guy, had gotten to their feet.
“What’s going on?” Caleb asked. He held the book in
his hand. It was heavy, but he didn’t see anything wrong with it.
“That means he’s connected to her,” Emma said.
His father stared at him, assessing. “You’re not
feeling any pain?”
“None, why?”
“No reason. You’re happy to keep Lucy distracted?”
“Yep.” Placing the book inside the bag, he stepped
back from the table.
Matthew turned toward Adele. “Give her the book, and
she’ll probably want to experiment. It’s going to get rather interesting around
Wolf Valley.”
“Come on,” Caleb said, seeing that his parents wanted
to talk without them. “Let’s go hunting.”
****
“Your son is destined to die,” Kyle said, the moment
Caleb was out of the house.
Matthew stared at the book which his son had picked up
without any fear. No wolf or immortal could handle a magical book. The power
was locked to Lucy, and only she was able to hold the book, apart from her mated
partner.
Reaching for the book, Matthew tried to touch it, and
the moment his fingers grazed the bound book, he recoiled and cursed as his
hand burned.
The fire was like the pits of hell, or at least how he
imagined the pits of hell to be.
“Fuck!”
“Lucy is Caleb’s mate,” Emma said.
“The prophecy we were told states that the mate will
die in protecting Lucy,” Adele said.
Lucy’s real parents had not only come to them bearing
the offering of Lucy, they had come with the prophecy which foretold of a great
witch. Like all prophecies, they were subjective, and could mean anything. If
Lucy was allowed to be pulled toward the dark side, she would be lost, and a
great evil would be released upon the world, creating an eternal darkness.
If she stayed good, a battle would commence that would
see her animal killed in her place.
Either way, his son was in danger.
Staring into his mate’s eyes, he saw she feared the
worst. “We won’t let that happen.”
“We can’t stop the future.”
“We can. Lucy was raised by all of us. She is part of
this pack, and I will not let any member of my pack be hurt. Lucy is not a
wolf, but she is family. I, myself, have cared for her, and I have watched as
Caleb has waited for her. There is more to that prophecy than we know. We will
fight together as a family, as a pack. I will not lose my son to witches.” He
slammed his hand down on the table, and stood. “Lucy doesn’t leave the pack. I
will protect them.”
“We’re going to have to tell the pack the truth,
Matthew,” Emma said.
“No. The more pack that knows the less chance she has
of actually surviving. They will cast her out believing she is evil.” Matthew
shook his head. He had once had those same fears, and he’d come to see
differently of himself, and of witches. From afar, he’d watched Lucy grow.
She’d been an adorable chubby baby, the most endearing toddler, and she had won
his heart, and that of his son years ago.
He’d not been blind to his son’s infatuation or even
his interest in Lucy. When she was younger Caleb was always there near her.
Caleb was the one who’d sat with her when she’d fallen out of the tree, and
nearly broken her neck.
Matthew should have seen it before. There was always
this connection between the two, and Caleb had never taken any of the women
he’d screwed as a mate.
Wolves couldn’t just mate to anyone. He’d heard of
some wolves agreeing to a mating even though they hadn’t found their destined
mate, and that always ended up badly.
“Do you really think we can protect everyone?” Emma
asked.
“We don’t have a choice. We’ve got to protect the
pack, and we’ve got to protect Caleb and his mate.”
“Do you think he knows?”
“He doesn’t have a clue that Lucy is his mate. I hope
he’s ready for the truth when it finally comes out.”
Chapter Three
The following day Lucy made her way back to the creek with
her
spellbook
in hand. What was she supposed to call
it? Her parents had surprised her last night with the book that had been with
her when they found her. They had been worried about her having a book they
didn’t understand, and if she was completely honest, she was terrified of using
it. What if she couldn’t make the magic work? The only time she’d been
successful was when her emotions had been crazy.
Bianca was staying at home for the day, and she didn’t
want her friend to be close in case some of the spells, or whatever the hell
they were called, were dangerous.
“This is crazy, Lucy. You’re going near a creek, deep
in the forest to learn some spells. Spells you don’t have a clue how they work,
or even if you want them to work. Completely crazy.” She held the book against
her chest, and paused as she made her way out of the thick line of trees, and
looked toward the calming creek.
Placing the book on the ground, she had to wonder how
damn old the book actually was. Cringing at the thought of the binding being
made of animal skin, she reached into her bag and placed it on the floor.
Taking a seat in the center, she crossed her legs, reached for the book, and
took several deep breaths.
“You can do this, Lucy. It’s easy. You just open the
book.”
She opened the book, and something started to happen
to the pages, and she quickly closed it.
“It happens all the time. The ink on pages moves. It’s
nothing. You’re not going to die.”
Her heart was racing, and she closed her eyes. Horror
had never been her strong point, not watching it or dealing with it.
“It’s a book. It’s a book. It’s a book.”
Opening the book, she forced herself to watch as the
lines on the page focused in, and started to make sense to her.
The book made no sense, and then suddenly, she
understood what each word meant. Something glowed underneath her palm, and when
she turned the book over, her handprint was on the front cover of the book. She
watched as the book seemed to absorb her print, and glow warm. On the cover of
the book, her name appeared, and she was overcome with such joy.
In a weird way, the book recognized her. This book was
part of her.
Opening the book, she stared at the first page, and
started to read.
“Lucy, you’re a precious, loved child, and I hope you realize how hard
it is for us to write this. Please, learn from this book, and practice. Stay
safe, and know we did everything we could. Love, Mom and Dad.”
Running the tips of her fingers over the message,
tears filled her eyes and started to drip onto the page. Her emotions were
running all over the place. She was struggling to gain focus.
“Crying isn’t going to let you read,” Caleb said,
making his way out of the forest.
“Were you following me?”
“Maybe.”
She frowned, confused about why he would even be
following her. Holding the book against her chest, she glared at him. “Don’t
lie. Don’t you have some pack woman to go chasing after, smelling her ass?”
He burst out laughing and moved closer to take a seat
in front of her. “You’re hilarious.”
“What can I say? I’m running off to become a
comedian.”
“You’re not running off.”
“You can’t stop me.”
“You think reading from a voodoo book is going to be
accepted anywhere you go? Try pulling that old thing out in the city, see how
far you get then.”
“Go away.”
“No, not going to happen.”
“Are you being difficult on purpose?”
“Maybe.”
“What’s with all the damn maybes?” she asked.
He shrugged, pulling the book out of her hands. “So,
what are we doing today?”
Grabbing the book from him, she held it tightly against
her. “What am I doing? None of your business, and don’t you have somewhere else
to be?”
“No.”
“What about your harem of women?”
“Don’t have any. I’m all yours for the entire day. You
could be happy about that,” he said.
“Why would I be happy about that? You’re invading my
space.” She frowned and looked behind him expecting to see Guy. “Where’s your
boyfriend?”
He laughed once again, and she couldn’t help but
smile. Caleb was a hot guy, and she wasn’t blind. She saw he was damned
handsome.
“Guy’s got a date in town.”
“He’s never going to get a chance to be with Bianca if
he’s dating other women.”
“What makes you think he’s dating other women?”
“He’s with Bianca now?”
“Yes. You’re here practicing witchcraft, and he’s out
wooing your friend.” She went to get up, but he placed his hand on her thigh.
“You don’t have to get up and go chasing after him. He won’t hurt Bianca.”
“Someone else would.”
“Guy wouldn’t let it happen.”
“I know pack law, and if any female challenges Bianca,
she has to fight.”
He gave her thigh a squeeze, and her pussy grew wet at
the touch. She really hoped he didn’t smell her arousal. Lucy was still a
virgin, but she knew her body’s responses, and she knew about sex.
There wasn’t anyone within the pack who’d take the
time to sleep with her and rid her of the pesky virginity that she was still
stuck with. None of the guys in the high school had appealed to her either.
She was plagued to forever remain untouched, but she
wanted sex. There were times she woke up in a sweat from the horny dreams she
had on a regular basis.
“Guy won’t let that happen. Trust me.”
“I don’t even know you.”
“Yes, you do. It’s why you’re getting wet right now.”
Her cheeks heated, and she slapped his hand with the
intention of him pulling away but he never did. “Get your hand off my thigh.”
“Why? I could help you with that little problem you’ve
got. You ever had a man between your thighs, Lucy?”
“None of your business.”
“I’d say with the way you’re blushing, you’ve never
had a man near your body. No tongue flicking your clit and making you scream
their name in orgasm.”
“You ever thought that I’m more embarrassed that you
think you’ve got a shot?”
Caleb moved with a speed that startled her. He was so
close to her that his breath fanned across her face. “You really think you can
fool me. You’re a virgin, Lucy. I’d have known if anyone bagged you.”
She tried to shove him away, but he wouldn’t budge.
“You’re disgusting.”
“Someone would have told me if they bagged the witch,
and the other reason I know no one has fucked you is because I knew no one
would go near you.”
Lucy froze. “What?”
“The guys in the pack were weak, and they were too
afraid of you because you’re a witch. I was never afraid of you. Besides, you
were always supposed to be mine, and I’d kill anyone who put their hands on
you. You’re mine, Lucy. Make no mistake about who you belong to. You’re mine,
and I’m not letting you go.”
Was this really happening?
She could still be dreaming?
Caleb had never featured in her dreams.
In fact, no man had ever featured in her dream, just
the feelings that a guy inspired.
“Nice try.”
“You think I’m joking.”
“You’re the Alpha’s son.”
“So? It doesn’t stop me wanting what I want.” He moved
down until he was over her neck. She heard him take a deep inhale. “You smell
so good, Lucy.”
“Stop it.”
“No. Your pussy is dripping wet, and it wants me,
Lucy.”
“I don’t.”
“It doesn’t matter what you want, babe. Your body
knows what it wants, and it wants me.”
She gasped as his tongue swiped over her rapidly
beating pulse.
“Why deny yourself what you want?”
“You’ve got other women—”
“Not right now. You’ve got my undivided attention. I’m
all yours to do with as you wish.”
She couldn’t believe him. She didn’t want to believe
him, and yet that was exactly what was happening.
He moved away from her, sitting opposite. “Now, let’s
go back to the book.”
“What?”
Her mind was all fuzzy. Glancing down, she saw the
book was indeed open.
“Spells, witchy stuff. You may as well get some stuff
done.”
She touched her neck, and shook her head.
Get a grip. He’s just trying to confuse you, and
it’s
working.
He doesn’t want you.
Ignore your body, and what you want.
Looking down, she started to read, doing her best to
ignore the man opposite her. Caleb had stopped being a boy long ago. He was
male all over, and there was nothing she could do about that.
The book took her full attention, and she was able to
focus once again.
****
Caleb loved to watch Lucy as she worked through her
book. She was only on the first page, and she was nibbling her lip as she read.
He placed his hands on her knees, forcing her to look up.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to help you focus.”
“That’s not helping me.”
“Well, I’m not going to stop touching you.”
“You’re being a pain in the ass on purpose, aren’t
you?”
He smiled and looked down at the book. The words made
no sense to him. “Can you read that?”
“Yes, can’t you?”
“It’s not in any language I can read.”
“Oh, it reads perfectly fine with me.”
She turned the page and kept on reading. He stayed
silent and simply watched her. For so long he’d been watching her from afar,
and now he was able to be close to her.
After another couple of pages, she closed the book and
stared into his eyes. “I’m going to try something. You’re not going to freak
out and start crying, are you?”
“No. I’m ready for whatever you’re about to do.”
“Okay.” She closed her eyes, and held her hands out
palm upward.
Something hot tingled his hand, and when Lucy opened
her eyes, they were completely black. She didn’t look scary to him. He accepted
her any way he could get her.
The trees rustled, and he glanced up seeing the sun
glinting through.
The leaves on the ground started to spin, and he
chuckled, knowing it was his woman before him doing it.
He watched the leaves spin around, rushing around the
sky, moving around them in a circle, keeping them locked together.
“Do you see it?” she asked.
“I do. You’re amazing, Lucy.”
The leaves dropped, she closed her eyes, and then he
was staring into her beautiful blues.
“It’s not a lot.”
“Moving leaves is better than nothing,” he said.
She rubbed her hands together, and she placed them on
the pages of the book. “I’m scared.”
“What are you scared about?”
“Everything. Magic. I don’t…” She stopped, looking
down at the book. “What if witches are trained from a young age? What if I’m
some dud, and I don’t have a clue what I’m doing?”
“You’re worried about boiling someone’s blood?”
“Look what I did to Patricia all those years ago.”
“You’re not fifteen anymore, and Patricia deserved
it.”
“I was grounded for that.”
“You were just a human, and then you could kick a
wolf’s ass. It was pretty damn hot if you ask me.”
She laughed, and he liked the sound. He wanted to make
her laugh a lot more.
“You’ve got to learn to do that more.”
“What?”
“Laughing.”
The laughter died on her lips. “Why are you not
smiling?” he asked.
“It’s hard. I don’t belong here.”
“The pack is your family. Going out there, it’s
dangerous.”
“I’m a witch.”
“Like you said, you could move leaves. What if there’s
a bigger threat out there?” he asked. He couldn’t allow anything to happen to
her, and the thought alone was too damn much. There couldn’t be a world without
Lucy. He wouldn’t allow it to happen.
“You said it was pretty cool.”
“It is when you’ve got the whole pack to protect you.
Before you consider leaving the pack, you need to really work on your magic.
From what I saw with Patricia, your emotions play a part. You’ll get angry and
your magic comes out. Waiting for your emotions isn’t good, not even for you,
and when you’re in a battle, you don’t want to wait to get angry.”