The Wrath
When Ixoril had recovered, he tried to lift off the tempting witch who had invaded his cave, but she clutched his back and held him where he was with an annoyed noise.
Giving up on his plan to get her a blanket, he chuckled and rested with his forearms on either side of her. “How’s this?”
“Perfect.” Greta sighed. “I’m finally warm again.”
“Good.” He leaned to kiss her collarbone where it peeked out of the top of the sweater. Though he didn’t understand the urge, all he wanted was for her to be comfortable in his space.
“I’ve lost all track of time in here. What time is it?”
“I don’t have a clock, but it’s a bit after sunset.”
She smothered a yawn into his shoulder. “That explains why I’m sleepy.”
Amid her murmured complaints, he eased up to his knees. Rather than leave her to get a blanket, he scooped her up in his arms as he rose.
“Where are we going?” she asked as she looked around.
“You’re going to bed. A cold front will be blowing in on the backside of that storm, and I don’t want you to get chilled again when the temperature drops.”
“Are you a meteorologist?”
Ixoril laughed. “No, just a student of nature. It’s important to understand what’s going on with the weather when you live alone out here.” He put her in the center of his nest and started pulling blankets over her. By all the gods, she looked good there. “If you get cold, let me know.”
A wrinkle formed between her brows. “I don’t want to kick you out of your bed.”
Her concern for him made something in his chest tighten. “You aren’t. I’ll join you after I take a look around outside. You’re safe in here.”
She yawned adorably again and snuggled down into the blankets. “I know.”
Her trust in his ability to keep her safe made him smug for the space of a heartbeat. What on Earth was wrong with him? He needed to be outside in the fresh air and get his head back on straight. She wasn’t his to protect, no matter what his instincts said.
He waited for the interval between her breaths to increase because he couldn’t make himself get up until she was asleep. Grumbling, he worked his way through the narrow walkway and out into the cold night.
Wind howled through the trees, ruffling his feathers as he paced back and forth across the entry to his cave.
He didn’t understand why she was affecting him this way.
Sure, it had been a long time since he’d been with anyone, but he was certain, even before this dry spell, he’d never been out of his head for someone after knowing them for a little more than an hour.
He was ready to go to war for that little witch, knowing nothing more about her than her name.
Well, that wasn’t strictly true. She’d also shown concern for his loneliness.
That’s what had done him in. The way her face had fallen when she realized how long he’d been alone out here.
He’d wanted to kiss every tiny freckle on her lovely nose.
Ixoril huffed out an irritated sigh. This was untenable. She confused him in the most banal way, and it was infuriating. He was going to send her away as soon as she woke up.
His chest ached at the very idea. Rather than make any final decision, he flapped his wings in a powerful stroke and lifted into the air. He’d do a quick patrol of his territory to clear his head, and when he got back, he’d figure it out.
The storm had dropped a lot of branches and made quite a mess of some of his favorite game trails, but luckily there’d been no landslides. He cut his circuit short because the pull of her waiting for him, warm and alone in his nest, was too much for him to resist.
He could smell her before he even got to the mouth of the cave—sweet and tempting. The rumble of his purr echoed off the cliff face before he caught it and swallowed it down. He was being ridiculous. Still, awareness of that didn’t bring his instincts to heel.
As he worked his way into the deeper chamber, he decided to put off sending her away until morning—after breakfast. That soothed the feral part of him enough for now, especially once he set eyes on her again.
She was adorable, snoring softly. She lay cuddled around a plush, green blanket, her face pushed into it.
He’d never been jealous of bedding, but here he was, wishing more than anything in the world that he was that blanket.
Ixoril slid in carefully behind her, so as not to wake her, and was surprised when she snuggled back against him with a contented sigh. He smoothed the pink mass of her hair with one hand and then buried his nose in the strands. He took a breath, and his cock hardened immediately.
Fuck, he’d never smelled anything like her. He didn’t even know what about her scent drove him so wild, just that he had to fight the urge to press his nose to her skin.
Though it was not at all what he wanted to do, he backed away so he wouldn’t prod her with his growing erection. He didn’t want her to wake and feel like he was taking advantage of her while she was asleep.
He draped his wing over her so that his feathers could keep her warm and settled in for the night.
Ixoril woke with a grunt when the witch in his bed shifted and elbowed him in the ribs.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” she said in a horrified whisper.
He cracked one eye. “You didn’t injure me.”
“I didn’t mean to wake you.”
He grinned. “Even if you hadn’t assaulted me, I would have awakened as soon as you moved to get up.”
She huffed an exasperated breath. “I’m not sorry anymore.”
With a chuckle, he rose and helped her to her feet before stretching his wings. He was extremely smug when she watched him with a covetous gaze. After he escorted her to his outhouse, he went back inside to prepare breakfast.
When he came outside with bowls of rice porridge and venison, she was sitting in the clearing in front of his cave enjoying the peace of his woods. Once again, he felt that smug pride that something he had a hand in, however small, had brought a smile to her face.
She laughed as she rose to accept the bowl from him. “You’re really trying to convince me to stay by feeding me, aren’t you?”
“Would it work?” The question was out of his mouth before he could call it back.
Pausing with a mouthful of food, her eyes scanned him. She swallowed awkwardly. “What are you asking me?”
He didn’t have any idea, so he decided to keep delaying the inevitable. “Stay for the weekend.”
Surprise flickered over her face before settling into a more pensive expression. “I’d planned for this to be a solo weekend to recharge…”
Her reply hurt like a stab to the chest, but he tried his best not to let it show. “Of course. I’ll go get your clothes.”
She grabbed his arm as he started to turn away. “But I think I’d like that.”
“Really?”
She nodded slowly, her eyes warm. “I don’t know how it’s possible, but being here with you gives me the same kind of peace I get from spending time alone.”
Fuck, he’d never heard anything so good in his entire long life. If he was a stronger creature, he’d send her away right this instant because the way he wanted her, the way he craved pleasing her, was dangerous. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t understand what’s going on here.”
She rose on the tips of her toes, her face temptingly close. “Good thing we don’t have to understand it to enjoy it.” She captured his mouth in a teasing, nibbling kiss.
He let her have it her way for a moment, and then his hand came up to cradle the back of her head and deepen the kiss. Her scent rose around him, sweet and floral, and even though he’d just eaten, he was ravenous. He’d happily curl up in her lap like a tame kitten to keep on smelling her.
His purr vibrated out from him without warning once again, but rather than startle, she melted against him, tilting her head back to offer herself to him.
He pushed his tongue between her lips to taste her, and the welcoming warmth of her mouth fulfilled every promise of her body.
He could drown in this woman and die smiling.
He hoisted her up so her legs wrapped around him, torn between taking her here in the brightening dawn and having her enclosed in the safety of his cave.
Settling for something in the middle, he turned and eased her against the cliff face.
She moaned into his mouth when he slid his tail up the leg of her shorts and into her slick heat.
Satisfaction filled him as he gripped the sumptuous curves of her ass and pulled her against him. She was soft and plush in all the right ways, and he couldn’t wait to get inside her.
He was about to rip those annoying clothes off her body and bare her to him when he caught a scent that didn’t belong here—brimstone. His purr sharpened into a growl in an instant as he set her back on her feet and whirled around to confront whoever the fuck had dared breach his territory.
Barely reining in his instinct to unleash his glare, he scanned the area in a quick sweep. A burly blond hellhound stood at the edge of the trees, snarling in his direction. In the next instant, another identical hellhound materialized beside him.
“You have five seconds to remove yourselves from this area before I get really angry,” Ixoril spat.
“Not unless she’s coming with us,” one of them said with a growl, his eyes locked on Greta.
Ixoril squared his shoulders, coming up to his full height, wings flaring. “Over my dead body.”
Greta grabbed his arm before he could charge toward them, but it was a near thing. “It’s okay. I know them.” She had pitched her voice for him, then continued more loudly, “Did Beam call you to come check on me?”
The first one responded, “She saw something on the news about flooding down here and was convinced you were halfway to the gulf by now.”
She chuckled. “You can report back that I’m fine.”
“Beg to differ,” the other hellhound said in a low rumble, his eyes uneasily flicking toward Ixoril. “That’s the Basilisk.”
“I know who he is,” Greta said in a frosty tone.
“Then you understand why we’re worried,” the first one said.
“You’re being ridiculous. I’ve been in his company since last night, and I’m still intact.”
The second hellhound answered her, “But are you here of your own choice, or did he do something to your head?”
Next to him, Greta startled. “Can you do that?” The accusation in her tone hurt worse than any blow he could remember.
Ixoril clenched his teeth to restore some calm before he responded, “I have not used my powers on you.”
She stared up at him, eyes wide. “But you could?”
He held her gaze for a long moment. “I would never do that to you.”
Her expression softened, and she began to nod, but then doubt took over, making her whole body tense. “I believe you, but I don’t know why.”
Ixoril understood that reluctance all too well. Whatever was happening between them defied all logic. He was ready to burn down the world for her, and he’d only met her ten hours ago.
One of the hellhounds grumbled, and the other said, “Because he’s manipulating you somehow. I don’t know why you can’t see it.”
Her expression shuttered, and she stepped away from him and toward the hellhounds.
It took every bit of his control not to reach out for her and crush her to his chest. To try to convince her that he’d never once considered using his hypnotic powers on her.
Her doubts were as reasonable as her absolute trust in him had been unfounded.
None of this made any sense, and he couldn’t begrudge her taking time to think about it, even though he ached at the look on her face.
When he didn’t say anything in response, Greta took another step back. Ixoril curled his hands into fists to keep from lunging to pull her back to him. With a flash of hellfire, one of the hellhounds appeared next to her and took her hand.
They dared touch his witch. The roar that leapt from Ixoril’s chest had a life of its own, fanged and feral. His unfettered wrath shook the trees around them.
Greta’s eyes flew wide. For the first time since they’d been intimate, she looked scared of him. Terrified, actually.
That drew him up short. Her fear choked the breath from him as if her hands were around his throat.
By all the gods, he knew exactly what this was. She was his mate. He had frightened his mate with his wildly immature outburst, and he could never forgive himself.
Cold dread solidified in his stomach. He wanted to drop to his knees and beg her forgiveness, but he didn’t think it would make any difference. Her expression was glacial.
She would never want him now.
He would never be able to explain to her that he couldn’t hurt her or do anything that might cause her harm. All he could do was make sure he could never frighten her again.
Though it froze him to his bones, he turned away and went back into his cave.