Chapter 1
Rourke Flint looked at the small blue diamond-shaped pill Ulric, his second in command and best friend, handed him.
"To get you through."Ulric grimaced.
Fuck.Rourke rubbed the hand not holding the pill over his face.Hell.Shit.Motherfucking witches.
"You only have to fuck her once."
Rourke looked at him."Yeah, and then never touch another living being ever again."
Ulric winced."Sorry."
He'd most likely have to touch her more than once.Mating bonds were strong, and while they didn't have to have sex, he'd have to smell her.Hold her.
And witches stank of rot.
Rourke blew out a breath and shook his head.It had to be done.They'd been at war for decades, had emptied all their resources--both monetary and relationship-wise--and now they'd finally managed to push the witches back.Again.They had to ensure peace, had to prevent them from instigating a new reign of terror.
He fucking hated witches.Power-hungry vultures.Never satisfied with what they had.
Shifters bonding with witches was an ancient tradition they'd long ago left behind, but Rourke was tired.Tired of fighting.Tired of watching his people die.Tired of investing all their time and means into a war with no end.
They'd won back their territory, which they had many times before, but this time, he'd demanded a mate as a bounty.If he mated one of the witches, it would keep them from attacking.Right?It was how they'd ensured peace in the olden days.
He let out another shaky breath.He wished he could have someone do this in his stead, but it had to be him.
He was the leader.He had to make the sacrifice.
"You only have to get through it once.Fuck her, bite her, and then it's done.We can lock her up in one of the dungeons, and you can continue with your life as if it never happened."
Rourke grimaced.It wouldn't be as if it never had happened.Mates had to be physically close or they'd lose their minds.Or he would.He didn't know if it affected witches the same way.A mate bond was magically enforced monogamy, a need to keep your other half close, to touch, scent, and protect.He'd never been one to share, but he'd always had a healthy sex drive.Now he suspected he'd be resigned to his right hand for the rest of his, hopefully, long life.
It would be worth it.Had to be worth it.
The one advantage they had over the witches, other than their size and physical strength, was their longevity.Witches had human lifespans, werewolves did not.But by binding himself to a witch, he'd tie her to his life force.She'd live for as long as he did.She'd die when he died.
"You've been with a female before, right?"The way Ulric scrunched his face would've made him laugh on any other day, now he only nodded.He wasn't opposed to bedding women, but if he had a choice, which he'd always had up until today, he picked men ninety-five times out of a hundred.Once in a blue moon, he came across a female he wanted to be with, and when it happened, he was.If she was willing.
What kind of woman volunteered to be his till the end of time?Witches were bigots and homophobes, so he was sure it would be a woman.Same-sex couples weren't allowed in the covens.
What did it say about her wanting to give up her life in the clan and to come and live on pack land?Maybe she wanted a long life.Perhaps it was reward enough.
Whatever her reasons, he had to fuck her.Panic clawed at him.He couldn't do this.Witches smelled like walking corpses.How would he be able to get it up?He glanced at the pill in his hand again.
Ulric must've seen the flare of trepidation because he slid an arm over Rourke's shoulders."Hey.It'll be fine.You asked for a volunteer, and they have one.Whoever she is, she wants this.And who wouldn't?"He jostled him a little."You're a catch, and she gets to move away from all the other witches.It's a double win for her.You're the one suffering."
Sometimes he wondered if Ulric could read his mind.
"Hell, she might know a spell to make you enjoy it."He grinned in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"Right."Rourke pulled in a deep breath and tucked the blue pill in his pocket.He'd take it later.He refused to meet the witch congregation with a hard-on.
Witches were ugly fuckers.Or maybe they weren't.They looked human, but they were often small, fine-limbed, and they always had long hair with braids and feathers and shit.Not to mention the zillion piercings and tattoos.Shifters couldn't have piercings.They ripped when they shifted.Tattoos healed during shifts too.
He believed the tattoos were connected to magic, but he wasn't sure.He wasn't sure about the piercings or the stuff they put in their hair either.Maybe they were purely ornamental, maybe they held power somehow.One bonus of having a witch in their home was the knowledge they could gain.He'd be the dominant partner.He could force his mate to submit to him and to answer his questions.
"Ready to go?"
