Chapter 21. Lochran
I tried my best to push the memory of Lex’s ordeal to the depths of my mind. There would be time enough to dwell on it later, but for now, my mate was animated and happy, and I would not sour her mood tonight.
Declan was the first to break off from the group, but not before signing that Lex and I should come to the tea shop tomorrow for some free tea.
Lex’s parents, flanked by her grandparents, marched quickly toward their house to finish making the celebratory dinner we’d been promised, leaving the rest of us to walk idly in their wake. Jake and Priscilla walked far enough behind us that we couldn’t hear their latest argument. Lex talked animatedly to Caitlyn, while Billy marched solemnly beside me, every so often throwing a subtle glance back at Jake.
I felt sorry for the shifter.
The moment she’d scented Jake through the closed door, something had changed in the wolf. It was like her entire body had focused in on him and him alone. Her desires had practically screamed “Mate!”
Unfortunately for Billy, her fated mate had the emotional range of a teapot.
Which was why his scent kept changing between the hazy notes of confusion, a bland indifference when he looked at Priscilla, and the heady, earthy notes of evergreen needles and petrichor when he stole a glance at Billy. There was attraction there, sure. But it was as if his body just couldn’t understand what that extra layer was, especially as Billy grew gradually more irritated with him as the evening progressed.
“Lochran said he’d take me away,” Lex said excitedly, and my attention homed in on my mate once more.
“Like, on vacation? If you want, I have a cabin near Headless Hollow. It’s booked up until the end of the week, but it’s yours if you want it,” Caitlyn said.
“Headless Hollow? Sounds like a place from a horror movie,” I said.
Lex scoffed. “Headless Hollow is one of the few towns in America that exclusively caters to magical creatures from all walks of life. It’s been on my bucket list for years! I didn’t know you had a property there, Cat?”
Caitlyn’s smile faltered. “I don’t, technically. I’m just looking after it until...” She trailed off, but it seemed like Lex knew exactly what she was talking about.
Neither witch expanded for the benefit of Billy and me.
“What do you say, Lochran? Oh, and Billy, you should come too!”
“I don’t want to be a third wheel—”
Lex sucked in a breath as if she’d just realized something. “I know! What if Lochran and I go alone, and you can stay here and mind the house for us? It adores you, Billy. And haven’t you always talked about just letting your wolf roam free and away from your pack? Here would be perfect. There’re no mortals around, so you can spend your days frolicking in the woods, hunting bunnies, and rolling in fox poo to your heart’s content.”
Billy’s lips twitched into the first smile since she’d scented Jake.
“I do not roll in fox poo, or poo of any kind,” she said, her grin widening. “And I’ll have you know I happen to adore bunnies.” She threw a glare over her shoulder and growled under her breath, “Now black-haired, wraith-like witches on the other hand...”
“Perfect!” Lex squealed. “You can wait out the rest of the week with us and look after the house while we’re gone.”
“You’re staying here for longer?” Jake asked, a panting Priscilla in tow.
“I... um... I dunno. Maybe,” Billy answered, her cheeks growing scarlet. Just at that moment, her phone rang. Buzzing filled my ears as Billy talked, her stance immediately changing from flustered fangirl to alpha. Caitlyn looked concernedly at Billy, then confusedly back at our uncomprehending expressions. With a final roll of her eyes, Billy hung up the phone.
“Listen, I’m going to have to cut the visit short, Lex. Something has come up with the pack, and I need to return home. ”
“You’re coming back, though?” Jake asked.
“I dunno. Maybe. If I can sort—” Buzzing filled my ears once more. Billy turned toward Lex and finished, “—then I’ll let you know if I can look after the house for you.”
“Do you have to go right away?” Lex asked, but Billy had already opened the Uber app, the screen pixelating as soon as she began typing.
“Yeah.” Her phone pinged, and she glanced down. “Taxi is only thirty minutes away, so I should head back and get my stuff.”
Jake’s brows knitted in confusion.
“Want me to walk you there?” Lex asked.
“No, honestly, you go be with your family.”
“I could walk you?” Jake asked, his look of confusion quickly replaced by eagerness. This resulted in a smack over the head by Priscilla. Billy growled and a weak flicker of magic skittered over Lex’s arms.
Priscilla was either an incredibly confident witch or entirely too self-involved to realize the danger Lex and Billy posed.
“Seriously, Jake? You’re just going to leave me to deal with your family on my own?”
“I’ll be fine on my own,” Billy said through clenched teeth.
After a calming breath, Billy pulled Lex into a bone-crushing hug. Caitlyn was given a much gentler one-armed hug while I got a fist bump and a grin. Jake, who went in for a hug, was offered an awkward handshake, and Priscilla, who cast daggers at Billy, was given the middle finger.
A second later, Billy had turned on her heel toward our house, offering only the subtlest of glances back. Caitlyn, too, took her leave with the promise that she’d pop by in the morning with all the details for the holiday cabin. And, as luck would have it, Priscilla and Jake had found yet another thing to squabble about and had marched on ahead of us.
The moment they were all out of earshot, Lex wrapped her arm around my waist and stood in front of me. Her mossy eyes bore into mine as desire pulsed through her in crashing waves. I hadn’t realized just how hungry I’d been with the stress of the day, but the moment her hand found its way to the nape of my neck and pushed gently, my stomach rumbled.
“My greedy witch,” I said, my voice a low grumble.
Her mouth met mine, soft and fleetingly gentle before her succubus took over. Her lips opened, her tongue caressing mine, long and sweeping, before landing a controlled, hard flick on my top lip that had me wishing she was tonguing the precum off my slit like she had done last night.
One arm found its way to her waist, the other under her perfect, rounded ass, as I lifted her into the air. Her legs looped around me, her hot core grinding against my length as my shadow wings pooled around her, cocooning my mate to my body. Slender fingers ran through the length of my hair, tracing the scar before pulling, exposing my neck. Lex landed gentle kisses on the crook of my neck that had a low, primal growl escaping my lips. The entirety of my body begged me to take my mate home. My wings unwrapped, spreading, ready for flight—
“Fuck! My eyes!” Jake cried, instantly ruining the moment.
Reluctantly, I gently placed my mate on the ground before turning to face Jake, a murderous scowl on my face. Jake, however, couldn’t see on account of his hand clamped tightly over his eyes.
“You always find a way to ruin a moment,” Lex barked, deadly irritation lacing her tone.
“How was I to know you’d be doing that the moment my back was turned? Gross. I think I need to wash my eyes out with bleach.” Jake finally peeked through his fingers and, finding us no longer entangled with each other, dropped his hand and glared at us. “I will never be able to unsee that. You better hope Dad and Granda have dampened their senses.”
“Oh, grow up, Jake. You haven’t summoned your mate yet. You wouldn’t understand.”
Jake stiffened, his face paling. “Just keep it PG, Lex. We’re almost there.”
Poor Jake. I wondered if he’d yet realized that his mate was currently at ours, packing her clothes to leave. I could, of course, tell him what I knew, but Fate worked in a mysterious way. It had a plan in motion to bring the pair together, and it was best to let it work its magic.
Jake, throwing Lex a final, impetuous look, turned on his heel and stomped toward Priscilla.
“C’mon. He’s right. Probably best not to turn up to my parents’ house all hot and bothered.”
I took a deep, blissful breath of Lex’s lingering desire before I choked my senses once more. “Senses dampened,” I confirmed as Lex took my hand in hers and guided me toward her parents’ house.
A moment later, the house came into view.
Priscilla, arms crossed and a scowl on her face, stood on the porch, her foot tapping irritably. Jake had a hand clasped on the door handle, rattling it, but to no avail. “C’mon, House! Please?” he pleaded. “Priscilla didn’t mean it.” He rattled the door handle a few more times, but the house still refused them entry. Finally, he turned to Priscilla. “Pris, please just apologize?”
Priscilla scoffed. A moment later, she clicked her tongue irritably and finally said in her most sarcastic tone, “Fine. I didn’t mean to say your house was ugly. I’m just used to a more clinical aesthetic.” The insincere apology seemed to be enough for the house, as it finally swung the door open.
Priscilla charged in, ignoring Lex’s mom, who was waiting for us in the hallway. Ms. Cole seemed to have expected as much, because she dutifully ignored Priscilla too.
“It’s a good thing the house is too innocent to sense sarcasm,” Jake whispered to me. He made his way inside and gave his mom a peck on the cheek before following Priscilla.
Lex gritted her teeth as if she were trying her best not to scream at her brother exactly what she thought about his choice of companion. Thankfully, her look of disgust faded as she stepped through the threshold and into her mother’s embrace.
Ms. Cole, having finished with her daughter, pulled me into a motherly hug before ushering us to the dining room where everyone was already seated, their food cooling in front of them. The dinner soon settled into an animated conversation with everyone except Priscilla. Occasionally, Lex’s dad or grandfather would go quiet, the shadows swirling around them, which were soon settled with a gentle touch from Lex’s mom and grandma. As Jake finished his final bite, his brows knitted into confusion once more. It seemed to be his signature look.
“There’s something Billy said that’s been bothering me. ”
“Seriously, Jake?” Priscilla’s chair screeched as she pushed it backward, looming over Jake. “That wolf bitch again?” She threw her napkin at his head and stormed out. The house evidently didn’t like the fact that she’d thrown something at Jake, because a moment later, the sound of plates shattering in the kitchen was swiftly followed by Priscilla’s scream of frustration and subsequent slamming of the back door.
“Thank Hecate she’s gone,” Ms. Cole said. “Honestly, Jake. You know I would never dream of telling you who you should and shouldn’t date, but Priscilla really—”
Jake, lost in his own world, continued, “Billy said the taxi was only thirty minutes away.”
“So?” Lex said through her final mouthful of potato.
“Well, why would a taxi be so close to here? The nearest town is, like, an hour away.”
“Your point being?”
Jake shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“Riveting stuff,” Lex said. She turned to me. “While Sherlock tries to figure out what his point is, why don’t you help me with the plates.”
I took Jake’s plate from under him as he remained staring stupidly off into space, pondering his taxi dilemma... or, more likely, pondering why he was now overanalyzing everything the wolf shifter he was getting fuzzy feels for had said and done.
I followed Lex into the kitchen, the back door rattling in the breeze. “Fucking Priscilla,” Lex seethed. “Can’t even storm out properly.” With a flick of her wrist, the door gently closed. Lex rubbed her wrist, grinning sheepishly up at me. “I had meant to slam it shut. It might take a while for my magic to fully return, but Goddess, how I missed it!” With another wave, the sink filled with soapy water. Pleased with her effort, Lex prodded a peak of bubbles.
Fuck, I loved this witch.
I had expected to like my mate, of course. But I assumed it would take a while to fall in love with her. But here she was, perfect, brave, and holding a handful of suds...
“Don’t you dare, little witch,” I said. “Or I may have to punish you later.”
“Is that a promise?” Her voice was soft and seductive. A split second later, I was wiping suds from my face, unable to hide my smile.
My soapy fingers clasped around her ass, and I pulled my giggling mate closer. Heat surged through me, my stomach growling in need of just a taste...
I let out the smallest kernel of my power, my nostrils filling with her seductive Samhain scent, laced with something foreign and putrid. Just as my shadows coiled around my mate, the pantry door swung open.
“I’ll fucking kill you, witch!”