Noctifer Witch (Magicae Statera #1)
Chapter One
O ur village has been trading with theirs for a long time, and I always make sure to get on delivery duty.
Not that I actually mind the deliveries. Really it’s easy work and I enjoy being helpful. But the real reason I offer to help is so I get to see him .
Orobas Blackwell.
The star of all my wet dreams and the hero of all my self-induced orgasms.
Orobas is one of the most respected leaders of his faction. He’s everything you would want from a leader; smart, loyal, and kind. Not just to his people, but to everyone he meets. Almost like you are all long-lost friends, even if he is just meeting you for the first time, it’s truly an admirable quality.
But does he treat me with that same camaraderie and warm greeting? Not exactly. However, I can’t complain because I’ve also never seen the same fire in his eyes when he looks at anyone else, the way he looks at me. A fire that has my panties nearly bursting into flames and my heart doing professional acrobatics inside my chest.
Now if only he would actually speak to me.
Oh, I have tried to have conversations with him. But every time I speak, it’s as if he transforms into a mute with a huge dopey smile. It’s a cute dopey smile, but still. The conversation is a bit lacking. And no, that doesn’t ever stop me from trying, or talking at him. Hey. It’s not rude. It’s his own fault for leaving the conversation so one-sided.
Over the past few weeks—and after much prodding around the village—I have learned that Orobas has a deep love for astronomy. As a demon, his abilities are stronger at night, which means that most demons have astronomical knowledge, but it’s born out of necessity. But with Orobas, he genuinely enjoys the wonders of space.
Cue my genius “Get the Hunk of my Dreams to Kiss Me” plan.
Ok… so maybe that was stretching my goals. I would settle for him finally talking to me, but damn what I wouldn’t give to kiss that man. Or more…
Tonight is the start of the Leonid Meteor Showers, and nothing screams romance like a little stargazing together. So, I am going to finally get the nerve and ask Orobas to watch them with me. Maybe a little closeness on a cozy blanket, in the dark, watching a beautiful light show will be just enough to actually get me that kiss.
Looking at him while he helps to move the deliveries we brought, nearly makes me drool. The flex of his muscles in that tight shirt and…
Woah buddy! There went the shirt!
Now there is all this sexy skin on display, and I know I’m probably a gawking fool right now, but fuck ! My tongue aches with the need to trace the planes of his flesh.
When he trips over his feet a little and nearly drops the jars in his hands I have to stifle my laughter. Somehow, the bit of clumsiness he shows from time to time only adds to his charming qualities. It feels like this proclamation that even though he has a gruff exterior, he’s still humble.
He could have any mate or mates that he wants. But he still hasn’t taken any yet. I’m not sure why. He’s wonderful and such a treat to look at. Part of me dreams the reason is because he has been waiting for me. But logically, I know that’s foolish and that he probably has some sort of arranged deal for political reasons.
Like most demons, he has paler skin than witches, and his is a shade that leads me to believe it would reflect a beautiful luster in the moonlight. Although he isn’t exceptionally tall, his body has some girth to it. His eyes are the shade of sandy beaches. And his hands. Oh, good Gods, his hands are massive. What I wouldn’t give to have him wrap those big hands around me while he…
I have to fan myself because I’m starting to physically sweat from my thoughts. While I don’t mind if Orobas notices how he affects me, Aunt Olive accompanied me for today’s delivery and I don’t think she cares to witness the results of my sexual fantasies.
At twenty-one years old, I’m still a baby in her eyes. Although to be completely fair, she is pushing fifty herself and most magickals will live to be two-hundred to two-hundred and fifty years easily. If you factor in my elven mother, I could quite possibly live into my three-hundredth or four-hundredth year. So I guess, if you look at it from that perspective, I am rather young.
That does not mean I plan to back down from Orobas though. After all, I’m still a fully mature female with an insatiable sexual appetite. And there seems to be only one thing I am craving anymore.
Him .
“Elswyth,” my aunt’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. “Orobas was just talking about how he has a book that you may be interested in borrowing. Why don’t you go with him to get it, and then he can walk you home.” She finishes with a wink. Maybe I don’t give Aunt Olive enough credit.
“Besides,” she continues, turning her attention to the man who accompanied Orobas today. “I’m sure that Neven can get me back home safely. Can’t you, Neven?” I almost miss the way she bats her eyelashes at him.
Or maybe Aunt Olive has some game of her own.
Neven stiffens immediately and spares a quick apologetic glance at Orobas, before looking back at Aunt Olive and licking his lips. He offers her a blinding smile and says, “Absolutely.” Then he takes her hand and they move in the direction of our village… and Aunt Olive’s bedroom I’m sure.
When Aunt Olive gives his ass a good squeeze, I quickly avert my eyes. I really hope they make it to her bedroom. The village doesn’t need to see my aunt in all her naked glory any more than they already have. The woman has a penchant for streaking. Usually with her lover of the week in tow.
I snicker at the memory of the elders’ faces at her crazy antics and turn my attention back to Orobas. Who seems to be studying me with far more precision than ever before.
My palms are instantly sweating, my breathing is labored, and my heart is beating erratically. There is a hunger in his eyes that I know matches my own. We are supposed to be going for a book, but I can’t seem to move. All I can do is stare. My thoughts swirl around his body like I wish my tongue were doing right now.
I hear a soft moan and barely register the fact that it came from my own lips. What is happening to me? I have had strong sexual desires before, but this? This is a level of horniness I have never felt before. It’s almost overwhelming.
Before I can give in to the urge to taste him, Orobas clears his throat and takes a step back. And suddenly the feelings are not quite so overwhelming. Not so much a cold shower effect, but like a cool breeze. Mind you, I’m still thoroughly turned on, but I don’t have this feral need to rip his clothes off with my teeth. Although that could be fun…
“Apologies,” Orobas says, interrupting the steamy fantasies unfurling inside my head. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I usually have much better control over my pheromones.” He chuckles awkwardly and pulls his shirt back on, before running a hand through his short, black unruly hair. “It seems the two of them had sexual tension in palpable waves.” He gestures in the direction that Aunt Olive and her new conquest, Neven, have disappeared in.
I smile at him, which I intended to be seductive, but since he just admitted to being hot and bothered around me, I’m sure I just look more like the village idiot right now than anything even remotely sexy.
He chuckles again and reaches out for me. I place my hand in his and at our close proximity I can instantly notice the differences of our size. I’m on the higher end of 5 feet and one of the tallest witches in our village, but I’m still dwarfed by the man in front of me. Demons aren’t generally known for their height, but Orobas has to be somewhere between six to six and a half feet tall.
His hand is warm and a little calloused. It feels like he takes care of them, but also doesn’t shy away from hard work. I bet they would feel magnificent trailing across my body and dipping-
“So the book I wanted to show you, is one of my favorites about the local flora,” Orobas says as he pulls me along. His strides are wide, but he is doing a good job of pacing himself for me so that I don’t feel rushed as we move down the path. “You had mentioned on the last delivery day that you had been wanting to study the local flora in more depth. I thought it could be of some help to you.”
His words sinking in made me stop and turn to him. “I would absolutely love that. I did want to ask you something though.” I push myself on before I have a chance to back down, but my nerves begin to come at me in a rush. Instead of asking him sweetly on a date, I blurt out words in a jumble of breathless commands. “Space is great. You like space. The meteor shower is tonight. You’re coming with me.”
Wow… real smooth Elswyth. If I wasn’t a little vain, I might try to cover my awkwardness. But nope, not me. I’m just going to own it. That’s right. I am a confident witch who doesn’t merely ask the guy she is crushing on to go on a date with her. Nope! I tell him he’s going. Dear Gods let him find that endearing and not bossy. Besides, what is it about this particular male that leaves me hot, bothered, and immensely flustered? I don’t know if I like the idea of a male having that type of control over me. I like being the one in charge.
Thankfully he finds my weirdness charming as evident by his blinding smile. “Why yes, Elswyth. I would love to watch the meteor shower with you tonight. I didn’t realize you had an interest in astronomy?”
I blink at the question and have to muddle around for an answer. One of the things magickals don’t do is lie. But I don’t really want to squash his interest in me by admitting that I am a morning person and generally don’t give a toad’s fart about space and its wonders.
“Oh, I’m quite interested in all the many things our world has to offer,” I say to him with a smile. There. Not a lie, but not an admission that would dampen his excitement for tonight. An idea sparks and I follow it with, “Although my knowledge of such things is quite limited. Perhaps if I bring a blanket and some of my homemade mead, you will do me the honor of teaching me?”
“It would be my pleasure,” he says, gracing me with another blinding smile.
If I thought his smile before was handsome, this one is the panty melter. It’s fire and ice. His lips glisten slightly and his eyes show his barely suppressed desire. Given our current solitude, it’s a desire that is undeniably directed at me.
What a magnificent discovery.
Orobas is hungry… for me .