Twenty
Riley
Getting the chance to fly was wonderful, running in my horse form was even better. Exhilarated, I slumped down into the nest of blankets alongside Gareth. He looked at me with such joy, passion, and pride that it nearly stole my breath.
Needing to feel him under me again, I pressed my mouth to his. He opened to me, letting my tongue explore. Gareth tasted of the mulled wine that was kept heated with some of Oscar’s magic. He had spelled this tent to be resistant to the wind and for the heater not to run out of fuel.
Gareth was waiting for me when I returned to the picnic. He’d piled a plate with my favorites, having learned them over our dates so far. My mate was attentive to my likes, dislikes, and anticipated them well. With him, I was in danger of being pampered, something I’d never had before.
We ate together in companionable silence, just enjoying the view. Being with Gareth was easy in moments like this. Oscar and Fen had set it up, so it was comfortable and warm despite the snow falling outside.
Done with my meal, I realized I was hungry for a taste of my mate instead.
Our kisses over the last couple of days hadn’t been enough.
I ran my fingers through Gareth’s hair, tugging lightly on the strands and making him moan.
I kissed along his jaw, nipping at his ear before working my way down his neck.
Bergamot and lemongrass scented his skin. He tasted delicious under my tongue.
Aware of our surroundings, I didn’t strip him, though I desperately wanted to feel more of his skin against mine.
A bitter wind had found its way into our tent, and even with the heater and the blankets I had to work to suppress a shiver.
I was grateful my clothes came with me when I shifted.
I pressed kisses on his chest and abdomen before reaching his straining bulge.
The denim was constricting him in a way that must have been painful.
Being the caring mate I was, I popped the button and slowly worked down his fly, keeping eye contact with him.
He moaned with relief as I freed his cock from the fabric of his underwear.
Gareth gasped as I leaned over and blew on the tip of his cock before licking a stripe along the length.
He grasped at my hair, holding me in place as I took him deeper, sucking him down.
This was just to take the edge off before we went back to his house.
I tongued the slit and worked the shaft before letting him into my throat.
I swallowed around him, making him curse and gasp out my name.
I felt so powerful on my knees for him. Turned on to the point of discomfort, I reached into my pants and stroked myself as I worked Gareth’s length.
His grip on my hair tightened, holding me in place as he fucked my face.
“Close,” he panted. “Fuck! Your mouth.” He pushed in deeper and held himself there.
I could hardly breathe, but I didn’t care.
He cupped my throat. “Swallow, baby, I want to feel it from both sides.” I did as he demanded, the heat in his eyes taking me to the edge.
He pulled back, letting me gasp in some air before thrusting in again.
He used my throat roughly. Tears pricked my eyes, and spit covered my chin, yet I loved it. “I’m going—”
With a final thrust, he unloaded on my tongue.
“Hold it there.” I loved this bossy side of Gareth. He grasped my chin and kissed me, sucking his cum into his mouth and pushing it back into mine. We swapped it back and forth as he reached for my cock. He stroked me firmly, then flicked a fingernail over my slit.
The bite of pain sent me over the edge. I couldn’t stop my cry and I spluttered and coughed as I came while trying to swallow at the same time.
“Easy,” Gareth soothed as he tried to clean me up and tucked us both away. He used magic on a cloth and then rinsed it with water from the lake. “I hope the kelpie liked the show,” he mused with a smirk. “Damn, that was hot.”
“It was.” Then what he said registered with my sex-drunk brain. “Kelpie?” The thought of someone getting to see Gareth like that made me furious. A burst of possessive anger burned away the languid afterglow that had made me sleepy. I wrapped Gareth up in my arms, hiding him mostly from sight.
“Yeah, we had a herd here, but now there’s just Dante. I heard he spends most of his time in his kelpie form in the water.” Gareth nuzzled close.
I changed our position and got us some more food. Shifting and sex had certainly worked up an appetite. “Well, I hope he enjoyed it. No more free sex shows here. You’re mine. Just mine.”
We packed up most of the picnic things an hour or so later as the magic faded, leaving us feeling cold.
Rather than ask Gareth to use his energy to refill the spells, I decided that was enough of the lake.
I wanted to get my mate back to his house so we could warm up in a shower or a hot bath before we went out for dinner. Gareth was getting an all?day date.
As much as the thought of keeping Gareth in bed appealed, I also wanted to show off what a gorgeous mate I had. Now that I’d grown used to the idea of a warlock mate, I was proud that the fates had paired us together.
Gareth needed some convincing to leave the house. He tried to tell me we should just order takeout after he fucked me in the shower. It was only when I promised to return the favor after dinner that I got him to agree to keep our reservation.
When our main courses were delivered—a juicy steak for me, a chicken dish for Gareth—I asked the question that had been on my mind all day. “When Pax arrives, can I move in with you?”
Gareth shrugged. “Why wait until then? If it were up to me, you’d be living with me already.”
I hesitated to answer, then decided that the only way we’d move forward was if we were always honest with each other. “I loved today, I’m just not ready.” He smiled, though I saw his sadness. Eager to make him smile, I added, “Maybe after a few more dates I’ll be more inclined.”
When he grinned, I felt lighter than air.
“I’ll have you convinced by the end of the week.”
“Okay. Bet.”
Sure enough, by the end of the week I was regretting not moving my stuff into his house sooner.
I’d refused to go see other warlocks, wanting to concentrate on my relationship with Gareth rather than using him for his connections.
He didn’t quite see it that way, but all I had to do was suck his cock or offer my ass up for him to be diverted.
Over the week, I had been with him to his last class of the semester, sitting in the back row and trying not to distract him.
I waited somewhat patiently as he turned in the grades and praised his students.
Then, once they were gone, I’d gotten on my knees for him under his desk until he decided he would rather be fucked over it instead.
“I’m going to get hard every time I see this desk from now on.
Fuck, just the memory of you inside me gets me hot,” he’d complained on the drive back to my cabin.
Gareth had also taken me to the greenhouses, so he could check on the crops, showing me a plant he’d spent extra time on.
It was thriving thanks to his care. There were plenty of magic users in the greenhouse, and I’d sensed that some of them had checked out my curse slyly by the way Gareth’s face had fallen a few times. I’d also seen a few shake their heads.
We ate every meal together, sometimes cooking in his decent sized kitchen. “You know, if I’m going to move in, you’re going to have to let me rearrange this place,” I grumbled as I looked for a strainer for the noodles.
“We can do that,” he said brightly. “I’ll also need to make some closet space in the bedroom and a cabinet in the bathroom. I want this place to feel like your home.”
The words left a pang in my heart. Gareth was my home. That was a truth that I clung to, because until Boyce was finished, I couldn’t have one.
“Don’t be mad,” Gareth pleaded as he headed for the door.
I speared him with a look as I finished putting away my stuff and straightened from where I’d been kneeling in the bottom of the bedroom closet. “What did you do?”
“Okay, I didn’t tell you about my cousin. She’s also a warlock. Keeley was at another sanctuary but is visiting her parents for Christmas. I asked if she’d take a look at your curse.” Gareth looked sheepish. “Sorry!”
Seeing the genuine contrition on his face, I couldn’t find it in me to be angry about it. Besides, Gareth was doing what he could to keep me in Greyhaven with him. “It’s okay. I know you mean well.” I got up and followed him to the door. “Do you think she’ll be able to manage it?”
Gareth opened the door to a shorter, curvy woman with brown hair and green eyes.
“I can give it a damn good try,” she said breezily as she stepped into the house, removing her scarf, gloves, and coat.
“The fates blessed you,” she said to Gareth.
“And they did a number on you. Jesus wept, that thing is nasty.”
“Hey!” Gareth leaped to my defense.
“I meant the curse, you idiot.” It was a challenge to suppress my chuckle.
“Oh.” He deflated, and I grinned at him. “I forgot about your extra sight.” To me, he explained, “Keeley is gifted at diagnostic magic. She can see into the heart of things without using touch. All she has to do is look at a person to see everything.”
“Taxing, but I hate touching random people, so it’s a blessing,” the woman in question confirmed. “Now, this curse is a doozy.”
“Can you remove it?” I asked, sitting next to her on the sofa. I didn’t know what to make of her gift. Though impressive, it was also sort of invasive.
“Only one way to tell.” Keeley reached for my hand.
Without meaning to, I flinched and pulled away from her. I closed my eyes in my sudden panic and was hit with what I was pretty sure was a memory.
“Ry? Ry! Are you okay?” Gareth’s soothing touch landed on my cheek. When I opened my eyes, he was kneeling in front of me. Somehow, I was on the sofa, and Keeley was standing a few feet away watching us anxiously.
“Is he okay?”
“What happened, Ry? You stepped back, knocked Keeley’s hand away, and then sort of locked up. I managed to get you to the sofa before your knees gave out.”
“Gar…” I started in a whisper. “I saw something…”
He studied me. “Like a flashback?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you… do you want to talk about it? Will it help?”
My eyes strayed to Keeley. “It’s not your fault… I just… there was a woman, Mira, my stepfather’s niece…” Gareth gently tilted my head back so he could watch my expression. “Gar, I think she did things to me.”
Horror and fury warred on his face. “I’ll end her! Both of them.” I was glad I didn’t have to explain it further.
“Oh, hunny, I’m so sorry,” Keeley breathed, and her eyes filled with unshed tears as understanding hit.
“It’s okay. I know it’s not you, it’s just…
you need to go slow, okay?” I murmured. Now that more pieces of the puzzle were slotting into place as memories filled my mind, I was certain I needed to work through this to get my curse lifted.
Once I was free, I could hunt down Boyce and Mira and destroy them both.
“Of course! Gareth, sit next to Riley—or would it be better for him to stand in front of me? I can reach around him, if that would help?”
“Could we try that, please? No offense, but I don’t think I can handle knowing you’re using magic on me.”
“Anything you want,” she assured me.
We all stood once more, with Keeley fully hidden behind her cousin. My focus stayed on Gareth, trying to will down the panic attack. I couldn’t believe what I was remembering. I tried to lock it all back away in that box stuffed to the brim with bad memories.
“Wait!” Gareth cried. “Don’t you want to use any herbs, have a cup of tea, or anything first?”
Keeley jabbed Gareth in the ribs angrily. “I’ve been priming my magic for the last couple of days. I’ve got my crystals and I fucking hate tea. You know this. Get your head out of your ass, Gareth, and get ready to boost me if I need it.”
With some muttering, Gareth stood patiently in place.
Boosting must require physical contact. With her short nails and lightly calloused hand, I could almost believe it was Gareth’s hand reaching for mine, until I saw how small it was.
I braced for the feeling of magic, taking a deep breath to calm myself.
The feeling was so immediately intrusive that I flinched and tried to pull away. I guess that was part of why she started straight away. Not giving me time to second-guess or make excuses.
Gareth took my other hand and brushed his fingers across my wrist in a tender gesture.
“I’m here, cariad.” I adored the Welsh endearment.
He didn’t use many Welsh phrases, having lost the habit with his parents away exploring the world.
I wanted him to stay in touch with his roots, so I encouraged it.
I knew focusing on it was just my brain’s way of coping with the stress that Keeley’s magic was causing me.
Long moments passed while magic funneled into me. I braced for pain, but none came, just a prickling discomfort.
“Boost me.” Keeley broke the silence. I caught a glimpse of her around Gareth.
I could see the strain she was under, with sweat beading on her brow.
She wiped it away with a frustrated hand before clasping Gareth’s offered one.
“A little less,” she panted. Gareth leaned closer to me. “Okay, stop. Fuck!”
“Keeley?” Gareth’s concern worried me.
“Fucking stings. Your magic is too powerful to boost me. It’s like an ocean when I need a lake.”
“I—I can’t give you less,” Gareth stammered guiltily.
She hung her head, defeated, and pulled her hand away. “I know. I’m so sorry. Both of you. I’m sorry I can’t fix this for you.”
Gareth pulled me into his arms. We stayed wrapped around each other, somehow ending up on the floor, while Gareth thanked his cousin and she made her farewells.
“I’m sorry, Riley. I wanted this to work.”
“Me too.” I tucked my head into his shoulder and let the tears flow.
“It doesn’t matter. As soon as I find you after the curse enacts, we are going after Boyce. Mira too. You, me, Paxton, and whoever else wants to come. Then we’re going to kill the bastard.”
As much as I appreciated my mate getting a little bloodthirsty on my behalf, there was no way I would let him blacken his soul with murder.
There was no way I was letting him leave Greyhaven vulnerable either.
No, Gareth was staying here, soul untainted.
I’d already damaged mine, likely beyond repair, so with Gareth by my side, his strength and love for me, I would be the one to end Boyce for good.