Abigail pulled herself as small as possible, cringing away. From the hole in the cavern ceiling, one of the females whistled, then she tossed down a uniform and a pair of boots to thud on the cavern floor. The other female had her eyes covered. Thevodtreaded over to the clothing on bare feet and got dressed right there in the Templum.
He pointed at theshiftsegenwrapped in metal near the ceiling, shouting up: “Is that it?”
‘Biker Chick’ flicked a finger against the metal. “This is definitely it. It’s calling me now.”
‘Sally Sunshine’ nodded, upside down. “Me, too, it’s still calling me, saying, ‘Cerise. Cerise.’”
“See if you can get it out,” the dirtyvodtold them.
Abigail stayed quiet. She scratched her nose to disguise what she was really doing, spinning her fingers around the nose of thecaskon her shoulders, dimming it out so no one could see it.
“Call Trevor and Wade,” Macalister Niles told the othervod.“Tell them we’ve got the witch and we found the pendant but we can’t get to it.”
Thevodnodded and headed up the steps. The two females yanked and pried at the metal box but could not budge it with tools, with words, or with their powers.Good.
Thevodcame back down the steps pointing at Abigail. “Trevor says he’s sending a caravan up to get her, and once she’s in a cell, Wade’s coming up to get the pendant.”
Thevodvodnodded. “Cerise, you’ll need to go with the caravan. Rogue, me and you are staying up here till Wade comes.”
87—Twice Shy
Canyon slept lightly, one ear on the forest, but still he dreamed.
He strolled through a meadow, hand in hand with the female. She told him a joke and he couldn’t remember a word of it, but it made him laugh. They talked about things… hazy things. He tried to memorize her face but saw only light. He scented fox and he stilled to see where the scent was coming from—
He woke quickly, eyes snapping open, instantly alert. It was still dark, and cold. The night hung silently, and the stars had shifted only slightly, telling him he hadn’t slept long. Next to him, warm and soft, was Sage, wearing only a shirt and panties, her legs bare. His hand lay on her hip and he squeezed lightly.
Had she been the female from his dreams all along?
Twinkling starlight fell on the shirt over her left shoulder, beckoning him.
He could bite her. If he claimed her, nothing else would matter. The witch wouldn’t matter, and neither would Wade.He hadn’t had the reaction, but she was his mate. He felt it in his gut.
He leaned on his elbow and drew his hand from her hip up her back, over her shirt, up to her where her shoulder met her neck. Sage murmured something he couldn’t understand, then she reached to caress his hand lightly.
His cock went instantly ramrod stiff.
He leaned forward slowly, his eyes on her skin, to nibble at her neck.
“Mmmm,” she sighed, rolling from her side to her belly.
Canyon followed her with his body, pinning her down, grinding against her ass. He kissed his way down her body, throwing the flap of the sleeping bag open. She sighed and moaned softly with pleasure, her eyes closed, one arm draped over her head, the other in his short hair. He massaged her calves, then her thighs, kissing and nipping at her. She rolled onto her back, maneuvering one leg around him, so he knelt between her legs. He bent over her and kissed the junction where her left thigh met her torso, his cock a thick weight between his legs.
She opened her eyes, locking gazes with him. In the starlight, her features were softer than normal, making her look fairy-like… or fox-like. He moved up her body to curl a hand around her nape and kiss her mouth roughly, his mind on one thing only.
Taking the female.
***
She responded eagerly to Canyon kiss, clutching his muscular arms. She hadn’t fallen back asleep after changing Timber’s bandage, only watched the stars twinkle and thought about what her life would look like if she really were Canyon’s mate. It seemed unfathomable, but the depth of her desire kept her hopeful. When he’d woken, she’d known instantly, and she’d hoped he would kiss her.
Starved for his touch, she pulled her shirt off. Canyon growled and dipped his head to nip at her breasts, sending shivers of pleasure up and down her body. She stretched arms overhead, then turned on her belly, lifting her ass to grind into him. He nipped at her back, making her shiver, then growledthickly, running a finger down her spine. He kissed her tailbone, her hips, the small of her back, up to her shoulders again.
Sage sighed with pleasure, her eyes closed. He positioned himself above her, strong hands on either side of her shoulders, bulge pressed against her ass. She ran her hands up and down the sinewy forearm next to her head, kissing it, then twisted to look up at the male towering over her. He was backlit by stars, his strong jaw clenched, looking impossibly handsome. She ran her hands over his 6-pack and his pecs.
He took off his boxers. His thick cock stood straight up and she grasped it, pulling a strangled noise from him. He slid his fingers between her legs, sliding them on her swollen lips.
She whispered his name breathily, then lifted her hips, beckoning him. He teased her only, whispering featherlight touches across all her most tender places, until she was panting. He knelt over her, nipping at her breasts, and she ran her hands through his soft hair. He nudged her legs apart and lowered his body between them, then took his cock in his hand and slid it against her.
