A Snowed in Valentine’s (Holiday Shifters of Frost Mountain #10)

Chapter Fourteen

“Our Kind Should Not Be Living Together”

He sat against the cave wall with Daphne cradled in his arms and stared at her shivering form. It had been less than two days since the cabin had been reduced to a pile of rubble and cinders. He’d found the cave only a few hours ago. It was somewhat warmer in here than outside, but he hadn’t been able to start a fire yet. He’d tried to hunt down some food for them first, but a fire was certainly in order.

When she opened her eyes, that familiar flutter filled his chest. He helped her sit up, one arm still around her, a part of him beyond grateful to see her awake again. The other part was taut with caution. Those grey eyes blinked up at him, and her brows knitted together as she frowned.

Her lips parted, but he could barely hear a word she said over the blizzard outside.

“What?” he shouted.

Her frown deepened. She rose to her feet, facing the cave entrance, and held up a hand. Her lips moved again. Instantly, the blizzard died down, the howling wind fading into dead silence.

“ Erif, ” she muttered, and a pleasant warmth filled the cave. August sighed in spite of himself, and she turned to face him.

“What happened?” she wanted to know. Brushing her blonde hair over her shoulder, she gazed around the cave. “What happened to the cabin?”

For a moment, all August could do was stare at her. The tiredness had left her face. She looked brighter than he’d seen her in several weeks. And how had she known she’d been unbound?

“The cabin caught fire,” he told her. “I put some wood in the fireplace, and there was an explosion. The next thing I know, the cabin is coming down in flames. It’s gone, but we survived. That’s what matters for now.”

Her eyes widened. “How long ago was this?”

He blinked up at her. “A little over a day ago. We’ve been moving ever since then, but I couldn’t get us out of the blizzard. It was even more powerful than I thought. It must have been spreading. It didn’t matter how far I traveled—I just couldn’t get us out of it.”

“A fire…” She stared at her hands. “So that’s why the mark came off. It must’ve been burned off.”

“Yes…” He clenched his jaw slightly, and he continued to eye her warily, half-bracing himself for an attack.

She could see what he was thinking. Her brows furrowed with confusion, then rose with realization.

“If you’re going to attack me,” he said, bracing himself, “just get it over with.”

He had no weapons, nothing but his wits to defend him. And she stood in front of him, a full-powered witch who had just stopped a raging blizzard with a single word.

A hurt look appeared in her eyes. “I wasn’t going to attack you.”

She held up both hands, and he flinched, then realized it was a placating gesture. The self-defense plan he’d been constructing in his mind crumbled like his cabin as she dropped to her knees before him and took his hands in hers.

“You saved my life,” she told him, staring at their joined hands. “You’ve had lots of chances to kill me, but you saved me instead. You protected me. I’m really grateful for that.”

Feeling somewhat embarrassed about his reaction, he asked, “What happened on Earth?”

She sighed, gazing toward the cave entrance for a moment before regarding him. “A lot.”

And she explained how she’d been presented a grimoire by her captors moments before she realized she’d been unbound. Able to use her magic again, she’d freed herself and reversed the spell that had kept her shifting between worlds.

August frowned. “But you’re still here.”

Her grey eyes flicked from his eyes to his lips for a moment. “I am.”

“How come?”

“Well, according to the grimoire, I could decide where I wanted to return to. It was either Frost Mountain or Earth.”

He stared at her, unable to believe his ears. Was she out of her mind? “And you…you decided to remain on Frost Mountain? You could have returned to Earth. Don’t tell me this is part of your silly dream of saving everyone on this mountain,” he growled.

“Frost Mountain can’t be saved,” she told him. “Not by me, anyway. I don’t think I’m powerful enough for that. An entire coven of witches created it. I’m just one, not to mention that this place exists by itself now. It’s been out of the control of the witches who created it for centuries.”

It was taking all of his self-control to keep from screaming at her. “So why, just why would you choose to remain trapped here?”

She shrugged. “I’m already a wanted person on Earth. The government was never going to stop looking for me. Back there, my life is pretty much over. But here, on Frost Mountain, it’s just beginning.”

Something told August she wasn’t being entirely honest about her reason, but he didn’t press her.

“I’d like to continue living here,” she went on with a light tremor in her voice, “with you—if you’ll have me, that is.”

He stared at her, at a near loss for words. He replayed what she’d said in his mind; it sounded more unreal each time. I’d like to continue living here with you. She’d come back for him? His heart raced like he’d been running.

“You’re a witch,” he told her, although he thought it sounded more like a question than a statement.

“I am,” came her reply.

“I’m a witch hunter.”

“Yes.”

“Our kind should not be living together. We’re sworn enemies. My entire bloodline was devoted to killing witches.”

She nodded, looking expectantly at him.

He sighed. “I should have made sure you were dead the very day we met. But I didn’t. I ignored my duty that day and in the weeks that followed. I allowed you to live with me because of what I felt toward you because it was real. What I’ve done so far goes against everything I’ve been taught, against everything I’ve learned. I’d be taking a major risk if I continued to be with you.”

“Will you?” she asked, blinking at him. “Continue to be with me, that is.”

He regarded her silently, and for a moment, it seemed as though they were each holding their breath. Slowly, he nodded.

“I will,” he said. “I want to because what I feel is real.”

He saw her swallow. “And what’s that?”

“Love,” he whispered, and he pulled her against him, covering her mouth with his.

***

The moment his lips touched hers, a delicious shiver traveled down her spine, and she felt most of her worries fade away. Nothing else mattered except for the sensation of this man kissing her, his fingers sliding through her hair and caressing the small of her back, holding her against him. The cave floor was hard, and the spell she’d cast for warmth was only temporary, but right now, there was nowhere else on Frost Mountain she would rather be.

His tongue stole into her mouth, his lips so warm against hers she was certain they would cause another fire if they didn’t stop soon. She kissed him back, surrendering herself to the intensity of his mouth. He pulled her even closer so that their groins were pressed together, her breasts flattened against his chest, and she found, to her delight, that he was already rigid. Anticipation fluttered in her chest, and it took most of her willpower to refrain from reaching down and sliding her hands into his trousers.

Perhaps the spell she’d cast in the cave had spun out of control as the blizzard had , she thought, feeling the temperature rise between them.

Either that or their passion was generating enough heat to melt all of Frost Mountain. August was right. What they shared was real. Sworn enemies or not, it didn’t matter, not one bit. There could be no denying the raw attraction between them.

He broke the kiss and pulled her head back by the hair, exposing her neck for him to kiss her bare flesh. She sighed as his warm lips caressed her. The sound seemed to motivate him, and he continued to feast on her flesh, his ravenous desire a match for her own.

Memories of their previous bout of lovemaking crossed her feverish mind: August thrusting deep inside her, filling her up in a way she’d never been filled before. She wanted that again. She wanted him again.

By the time August lifted his lips from her neck, she was panting with need. She let him ease her onto her back on the cave floor, just as he had in his cabin. His large body was stretched over hers, his groin settling perfectly between her legs so that she could better feel his erection throbbing against her, telling her everything she needed to know.

The idea of snapping her fingers and magically removing their clothes crept into her mind, and she entertained it for a second before brushing it aside, which was fortunate because August soon started to pry her clothes off. It was even more exciting, watching his fingers tremble with their shared need as he stripped her down to her underwear.

She felt his gaze travel over her body. She recognized that look in his eyes. It was the same intense, burning gaze she’d felt the first time she awoke in his bedroom and found him looking at her. In his eyes was a dangerous hunger that she supposed should terrify her but instead filled her with excitement.

“Why,” he whispered, his voice thick with adoration, “just why do you have to be so…”

He instead yanked her bra off her body, tossing it aside. Her panties followed, and she lay on the hard cave floor underneath him.

“Beautiful,” she heard him say. “So beautiful.”

He stooped, covering her mouth with his again, and she let out a sigh as he began trailing a path of kisses all the way down her torso, his hand lingering on her aching breasts. When she felt his fingers on her clit, gently rubbing her, a moan escaped her lips, and his dark eyes gleamed with pleasure.

With his elbow, he set her thighs further apart, taking a moment to admire her body. Daphne took a deep breath, feeling vulnerable but also more turned on. He planted a kiss on her breasts in turn, kneading them in his hands, warm, wet tongue flicking her swollen nipples and sending tendrils of desire coursing through her like an electric current.

“Oh, yes, August.” She let out a deep sigh. “Just like that.”

Oh, if he kept that up, she was definitely going to—

As if sensing her heightened pleasure, he suddenly stopped paying attention to her breasts, leaving her right on the edge. Daphne’s eyes widened in protest, but he merely smirked.

“What was that for?” she asked through gritted teeth.

August didn’t answer. Instead, he lowered his face between her legs, his warm breath caressing her swollen clit. His eyes remained on hers as he stuck out a tongue and tasted her, and she let out a cry, clutching his head to keep him in place as he flicked against her clit, bringing her closer and closer to the edge once again.

This time, he didn’t stop. Instead, he slid one finger after another into her, stroking her even as he tasted her, and in seconds, her climax hit her.

“August!” she cried as spasms rocked her body. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she surrendered to the pleasure he gave her. Wave after wave of ecstasy flowed through her body, and she continued to shudder with her release.

By the time her climax ceased, August had already rid himself of his clothes. He hovered above her, his muscles clenching deliciously. Her gaze landed on his pecs, slowly traveling along his abs, past the v-cut of his waist, until she reached his erection. His arousal was unmistakable. His cock swayed slightly as he lowered himself to her, and she felt him throb against her wet folds.

“I want you inside me.” The words left her mouth before she could stop them. “Now.”

The gleam in his eyes suggested that their thoughts were aligned. He teased her for a moment, rubbing the head of his cock against her entrance until she writhed and surged her hips in an attempt to take him inside her.

With another smirk, he obliged her, filling her with a single stroke.

“Oh, my,” she breathed, her eyes widening at the sudden sensation as she stretched to accommodate him. His own eyes were narrowed, his teeth clenched as if already fighting his release. The thought excited her, and she clenched her inner walls around his cock, eliciting a groan from his lips.

She chuckled, but he silenced her with a deep growl. Suddenly, he began his thrusts, starting with slow, fluid strokes. A series of moans parted her lips with each movement. He swiveled his hips, his dark eyes staring down into hers.

“You like that, don’t you?” he asked, his voice husky. “You don’t need to tell me. I can see it in your eyes. I can feel how wet you are for me, Daphne.”

His words would be her undoing, she decided, as his strokes dragged another ragged moan from her lips. He picked up the pace, heightening the sensations in her body and bringing her closer to the edge.

Her vision blurring, she continued to stare up at him. August Kane, the witch hunter who had threatened to behead her as a way of saying hello.

August Kane, who had abandoned his mission and core values and protected her at all costs.

August Kane, the man who had stolen her heart without even realizing it.

When her orgasm came, wrenching a guttural cry from her lips, she felt most of her body go limp and was aware only of the tremors and August’s heavy breathing as she squeezed his cock. Within seconds, she felt him shudder against her, and he grunted as he reached his release.

With a final shudder, he collapsed against her, immediately flipping them over so that she was atop him. They lay naked in the moments that followed, reveling in each other’s warmth and the aftermath of the passion they had shared.

She lifted her head, gazing at his face. His eyes met hers, and she saw his lips twitch.

“You have bewitched me,” he said.

The comment choked her with emotion. It was almost impossible to believe that this was the aftermath of her na?ve attempt at undoing the problem of Frost Mountain. She could have died more than once. She could have dug herself deeper into trouble, both here and on Earth. Instead, here she was, with a wolf shifter who had captured her and captured her heart.

“August?” she said suddenly.

It felt like minutes had passed by the time he responded, “Yes?”

“What I feel is real, too.”

She felt his breathing cease. “And what is that?”

A smile tugged at her lips. “Love.”