Seeing into another’s mind was a tricky and erratic thing. Even the most powerful warlocks or witches could only do it under certain circumstances, and only if the target was closely connected to them in some way. Forrest could see every single erotic image fluttering through Trixie’s mind, and it intrigued him on every level imaginable. Every single one of those things turned her on, her scent now sharp and oh, so sweet. There was a small sliver of apprehension, but he knew it only served to turn her on even more. He’d have to be careful with her, but he was definitely going to have her, make her his in every way.
Needing to prove to her he was not only in control, but that he knew what he was doing where she was concerned, Forrest leaned into her fully, finding her lips with his, but not taking them.
“I’m going to show you what you’ve been missing, little Trixie,” he growled against her lips. “When I’m done, you’re never going to want to leave my dungeon. Or my bed.”
Trixie shivered, her body quivering against his. This was more than a virginal response. Could she be the very woman he’d been looking for his entire adult life? The magickal response certainly seemed to be there. Even now, the night before Halloween when his magick was surging brighter than any other time of the year, he could tell a difference when her own mystical energy touched his. A huge difference. It was as if they were in perfect harmony with each other, each feeding off the other. The sparks were so sharp and bright that several patrons glanced in their direction. Warlocks looked at him with envy while familiar kind gave her a dismayed look. Apparently, everyone was just as surprised as he was to find a virgin fit his magick so perfectly. His reputation was decidedly well known, after all.
With a determination he’d never known in his long life, Forrest brushed his lips against Trixie’s, needing to get a feel for her responses. What turned her on? What drove her mad? He wanted to know all those things because he intended to use every single one as he brought her to the edge of madnesss over and over again. By the time this night and the next were over, Trixie would be his. Irrevocably.
* * *
Right there in the bar, Forrest kissed her. It didn’t matter that magick was sparking all around them or that they were the focus of every Wiccan and familiar in the entire place. Had it not been for the whistles and cheers as the magick swirled then shot into the air like a firecracker in all directions, Trixie might not have even been aware of anyone other than Forrest. His warmth surrounded her as his arms snaked around her to squeeze her to him. She’d never really thought about his body—had studiously avoided it—but now that he’d wrapped it securely around her, she realized there was much more to him hidden beneath his jeans and expensive shirts. All she felt was warm, hard man beneath her palms. No give to him whatsoever.
The kiss was masterful in the extreme. He didn’t take it farther than necessary to get his point across, but left her with her toes curling and her fingers bunched in his immaculate shirt. Forrest seemed to know exactly what she needed even before she did. All in the middle of the bar.
As he ended the kiss, Trixie realized to her utter embarrassment that she’d leaned back into him, tilting her head as she did as if eager for more. Several giggles from the women around them told her she was acting as virginal as she actually was. Surely even an experienced woman would melt with his kisses, especially with the obvious attunement of their magicks. Judging by the smirks and open interest fr0m several of the women, she was definitely showing her lack of experience. Did they think to wait until he finished with her? Did they think that, with her being so inexperienced, she couldn’t hold his attention long?
As if someone had doused her with a bucket of ice water, Trixie shoved him away, her arousal still flaming brightly inside her. She looked up at him, afraid the hurt in her eyes was all too evident. When he refused to let her go but growled low in his throat and pulled her back into his arms, she was sure of it.
“Got to get you out of here,” he muttered softly.
Trixie wanted nothing more than to give him what he wanted of her, but knew if she did it would make her look weak, both to the coven and the den. They'd think he'd used her inexperience against her, that she hasn't been strong enough to realize he didn't want her for more than a one night stand. If that happened, she would never be chosen to aid a witch or warlock, and her purpose for being would be nullified. She’d be dead weight among both clans. Her weakness would make her an outcast.
Before he could get a good grip on her, Trixie ducked out from under his arm and ran out the door of the bar, making her way back to her den. If she were lucky, she’d take a few weeks of ribbing from her friends and Forrest would find another woman to satisfy him. But when he did, she feared there would be a yawning chasm within her that could never be filled again.
Forrest grinned as Trixie fled from him. Her arousal was the sweetest magick he’d ever encountered. A familiar’s magick usually complemented the witch’s or warlock’s to form a bond between the two, thereby strengthening both. It was rare, however, for a pair to have such a strong reaction each other’s magick so quickly. Especially when they hadn’t had sex yet. Trixie ran, but she had to know he’d come after her.
Giving her a head start seemed only sporting. He was centuries old. Trixie was on her first life cycle. Normally, a familiar had nine life cycles. On the last one, they aged normally, giving them a few hundred years of life before they died a natural death. A warlock’s life was considerably longer, but, on rare occasions when their magic entwined perfectly, the couple could potentially live forever. They’d both be fools if they didn’t at least try to make it work. She might be running, but he had no doubt she’d come to the same conclusion as he had once she calmed down.
“Don’t look so sad, Forrest,” a busty familiar with legs that didn’t quit said in a throaty voice as she sidled up to him. She wrapped her slim arms around his, nuzzling his shoulder with her face. “I can satisfy you more than the little kitty cat ever could.”
If he hadn’t been so intent on following Trixie, he might have put the little minx in her place. As it was, he just needed to keep Trixie in sight. He extracted himself and barely glanced the woman down before saying, “Do you honestly think you could compete with Trixie when her magick and mine are so perfectly attuned? I was satisfied more with a simple kiss from her than I could be after a night of the raunchiest sex imaginable with you.” Without looking at her again, Forrest turned and left the bar.
As expected, Trixie made a beeline for her den. He was faster, though. Even with the head start, Forrest used his magick to fly above the trees. The moon cast his shadow on the ground behind her. Every time she glanced over her shoulder, Forrest knew she saw the way the shadow played across the grass in an eerie display of his abilities. In what he knew was one last desperate attempt to throw him off her trail, Trixie shifted to her cat form. The small white animal darted into the trees surrounding the familiar den, trying to sprint to her home and safety.
The second she shifted, Forrest snagged the tiny threads of mystical energy she projected and held on, using her own magick to tie her to him. It wasn’t something he’d normally have done without her permission, but he intended to keep her close to him.
No!
The cry in his mind was as loud as if she’d screamed it into the night.
What have you done?
He landed on the grass beside her, scooping the small animal up into the crook of his arm. Forrest rubbed her face with his, absently stroking the silky soft fur to comfort her. “Shhh, little Trixie.” She fought him, scratching and trying to bite, but she soon succumbed to the tactile stimulation, as he’d known she would.
Familiars loved to be touched, especially the cats. Trixie was no exception. If anything, she seemed to love it more than most. In his long life, Forrest had taken his share of familiars both as partners and lovers. Unless he was greatly mistaken, Trixie would be excellent as both.
“I tied us together because I have no intention of letting you get away from me,” he explained even as he continued to stroke her, rubbing her ears and under her chin. “If you dislike my touch too much, I will sever the ties. But know that I will use every ounce of knowledge I’ve acquired over my long, long life to make sure you never want to leave.”
You’re using my body against me. You know I’m not in your league. Please
, she begged,
let me go
.
“Give me tonight, pet. If you still feel that way, I’ll free you.”
You’ll break my heart!
Forrest stilled. He’d started walking back to his home, but the utter hopelessness in her mind made him freeze. “Shift,” he commanded. With her tied to him, the dominant magick could control the lesser. She was strong in her own right, but he had a will of iron, and his abilities were among the strongest magicks in the coven.
As she shifted to her human form, Forrest got his first look at her nude body. The realization that he’d been looking for the wrong woman hit him like a punch to the gut. In the past, Forrest had sought out women like the tall, thin, busty redhead who’d thrown herself at him in the bar. Now, he had to wonder what the fuck he’d been thinking.
Before him stood the ebony beauty as dark as her cat was light. Her rounded thighs, hips, and the most perfect breasts he’d ever seen made him wonder how he'd ever kept his hands off her before now. Her waist was tapered, but her belly was slightly rounded and soft. He could just imagine the feel of her giving flesh beneath him as he entered her for the first time. Some men might call her overweight. Forrest called her… “Perfect.” The one word was forced from his lungs on a breath. His cock, which was still semi-hard from their kiss and mingling magicks earlier now stood at full attention, ready to please the woman before him.
“Don’t say that,” she snapped. “I know I’m fat. You’re just trying to make me feel better about what you did so you can be immortal. Why would you do that without my permission?” She sounded hurt, looked it. Normally the smooth talker, Forrest had no words. Every ounce of blood that might have made his brain cells fire with any sort of intelligent comment had fled to his groin, making him so desperate for her he could think of nothing else.
Forrest lunged for her, snagging her wrist. Pulling her to him, he covered his crotch with her hand, forcing her to rub the length before her fingers curled around it instinctively. “Does that feel like I’m trying to make
you
feel better? I’ve never seen a creature so fucking beautiful,” he growled. “As to the other, I’d have tied you to me at the first opportunity with or without your permission, though not solely for the immortality. I can sever the ties, but once I do they can never again be tied. If you trust me, I promise I can make you happy.”
“How do you plan to do that? Take away all my choices? Am I just supposed to bow to your wishes because you have the dominant abilities?” The quivering of her bottom lip didn’t go unnoticed. It tore at his heart.
“No,” he said, wrapping an arm around her back to hold her to him more securely. He needed to comfort her, to prove to her he was the man for her. The clean scent of her skin wrapped around his brain, further debilitating his cognitive processes. “Only in the bedroom,” he managed, shaking his head. “I can’t think...need you.” His voice was so rough, so husky, he barely recognized himself. Had he ever been this far gone for a woman? Could he pull himself together long enough to give her what she needed to convince her to stay with him? Even now, his arousal called to her own. The magick began swirling around them, creating a glow the coven and den would see even in the thick of the forest. Quickly, he masked the glow, creating a bubble around them for privacy. The move was instinctual, the need to protect her, to earn her trust paramount.
Gods, this was going to be difficult! Everything he’d ever learned about sex, about women in general, was being put to the test tonight. With this woman. If he couldn’t think with the head on his shoulders instead of the one in his pants, he was in deep shit.
“One night,” he whispered as he lowered his head to hers, brushing his lips against the corner of her mouth. “Give me this one night, and I’ll show you I can satisfy you so good you’ll never want to leave.”
There were so many reasons why this was the mother of bad ideas, but when he slowly licked at her lips, seeking entrance, Trixie forgot most of them. Sure, she’d always secretly longed for a man like Forrest, but she’d thought to get a bit more sexual experience under her belt before she hooked up. If she surrendered to him completely, he’d seize her heart. If that happened, she’d never be the same.
His arms were impossibly strong, her body seeming to take on the imprint of those muscles as he squeezed her to him. It was like she disappeared inside his arms when those wonderfully warm limbs wrapped around her and she felt...small. A first for her since her entire den made fun of her for not being like other cat familiars. Most of them were built like their feline counterparts. Lithe. Slim. Powerful in a graceful kind of way. Trixie was pudgy at best, the epitome of the lazy lap cat.
Lips blazing a trail across her face to her neck, Forrest wove a black magick spell over her, seducing her like nothing she’d been prepared for. As her arousal built, as his did, their magick danced around them, building on the already nearly unbearable desire.
“The magick,” she whimpered even as she arched her neck to meet his questing lips. “Everyone will see.”
“What if they do?” His breath was warm next to her ear as he whispered his dark question. “What if everyone in your den and my coven saw what we were doing? Would it be so bad? Or would it excite you?”
The thought of her den seeing her magick so heated and receptive to his filled her with a perverse kind of thrill. Them seeing her like this—naked in his arms with him driving her insane with his kisses—did not.
“Please, Forrest.” She tried to pull away from him, but those wonderfully muscled arms held her fast. “I can’t be seen like this.”
“Like what? Naked? Or in my arms with me making love to you?”
Another shiver coursed its way through her, sending a rush of liquid from between her thighs as if her body were readying itself for him. When he put it that way, it sounded hot as hell. Had she not listened to her den members having sex before? It wasn’t like any of them tried to hide it. Most seemed to revel in the hedonistic pleasures they found with each other. Why couldn’t she? Probably because she was just too self-conscious to be that free with sex.
“Both,” she managed. “I don’t want them to see this.”
Forrest grunted in response. “Then you’ll just have to trust me,” he responded. “Can you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Trust me to make you enjoy this, even with others around. Trust me to know what you need and what you desire, and how to mingle the two.”
Could she? Forrest was one of the oldest warlocks in the coven. He was not only respected, but was arguably the most powerful member of the coven both in influence and magick.
“All for immortality?” Trixie couldn’t help but ask the question a little bitterly. It would just figure that the one man who didn’t make her feel lacking in some way would want her only because together they could be immortal.
“Ah, sweet Trixie.” He grinned down at her even as he dipped his head to taste her lips again. “I wanted you long before I knew how perfectly our magicks fit. I’ve only been waiting until I figured out how to approach you without scaring you off.”
Trixie sucked in a breath. “If you’re lying—”
Forrest silenced her with a searing kiss, delving his tongue into her mouth to find hers. He coaxed her to explore him as he did her, urging her to accept his demands and trust him.
“Okay,” she breathed between kisses. “I need this so bad!”
As if he’d only been waiting for her assent, Forrest waved his hand, shedding his clothing to reveal that magnificent body of his. Dark hair dusted his skin lightly, tickling her body in the most erotic way. Her knees threatened to give way but Forrest held her fast, his strength and power welcomed.
Forest lifted her, walking them back until she was against the great oak in the center of the forest. He grasped her wrists in one hand, raising them above her head and securing them with his magic. Trixie twisted and arched her back, itching to be free so she could touch him, but the magick held fast. All the while, their combined power sent off sparks and lightning that she was sure could be seen by every member of his coven and her den.
His hands skimmed down her body, caressing her curves from her breasts to her hips and back. Rough, calloused palms created a delicious abrasion that drove her mad with needing him to touch other places. Other, more sensitive places. Her breasts ached, nipples puckered in the cool evening air as if just waiting for his touch. Or his kiss.
Just as he found one ripe peak with his thumb and finger, Trixie heard others walking nearby, their conversation muted but clearly indicating they were moving closer. Forrest didn’t seem to notice, or maybe just didn’t care, because as the couple came into the small clearing Forrest dipped his head and closed his mouth over her aching nipple, sucking in abandon. Trixie’s mind blanked, and she forgot why she’d been anxious.