Shifter Magick (31 page)

Kera still didn’t know how he knew she would come into contact with the book on her birthday but that wasn’t the most important thing on her mind right now.

What was inside this book that caused Luke to work so hard to find it?

Another question began to work into her mind. Why had her mother died from a car accident? Was it really an accident? She wasn’t sure.

Sam stayed the weekend but left on Sunday. Kera could see the dark circles under his eyes that made her heart squeeze in her chest. He was being introduced to things that he had refused all of his life. New feelings about her mother were being dredged up and he looked at her differently.

Kera couldn’t help but notice that everyone flinched when she spoke. It reminded her and everyone else of the state she was in when she was being held capture.

She went through her phone and found distressing messages from Rebecca and angry accusations from Julie.

Kera was sure she was going to drop out of the University. There was no reason for her to continue. She didn’t need the classes now that she should be completely focused on the missing book her mother had died to protect.

Maddox also brushed off the rest of his classes and became her constant shadow.

It was Friday night again. Two weeks since her twenty first birthday and Maddox l
ed her through his garage to a L
and
Rover
. He opened the door for her and smiled when she protested. “
Please
.”

“Where are we going?” she asked him.

Maddox looked down at his shoes then up to her. “I want to be alone with you. Away from anyone that could hear us.”

Her hear skipped a beat. Could this be it? She got into the car without any further questions.

Maddox drove out of the garage and into the night. She watched him but waited to see what he planned next. Their relationship was still new but she considered it to be the strongest thing in her life. With him by her side she could do anything. There was a place inside of her just for him. It helped ease the pain of the animal she was missing.

Maddox pulled into the space in front of his shop. “I love you Kera.” He said.

She shifted in her seat so she was facing him. “And I love you.” She told him.

Maddox sighed. “You have been distant.” He raised his hand when she started to make excuses. “I brought you here to
talk to you.”

“Talk?” she frowned.

He smiled. “Come on.”
He got out of the car and opened the door for her.

When her hand met his she smiled. “Can we stay here tonight?”

Maddox shook his head with a smile. “I don’t think you would behave.” He pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arm around her back. He lowered his head and kissed her lips.

She threw herself into the connection she had with him. Her heart beat out of time and she basked in the feel of his skin against hers.
In his arms she felt something shift within her. She felt safe and she felt like she was being healed. She kissed him passionately.

She felt the sun shine on her face as he held her and returned the passion.

Kera pulled away first this time.

His breath pressed against her neck.

“
You were right.” She whispered. “There has been part of me that didn’t trust you. I didn’t believe that you were with me because you wanted to. I had this feeling that I was the best you thought you could get and it made me pull away emotionally. I tried to rush the physical relationship between us. I would have been wrong.”

“Being with you would never have been wrong.” He told her gently. “I look back at every moment I’ve spent with you and I realized that underneath everything that I was afraid of, you and me always made sense. I will wait until you’re ready but I want you to know that I never pulled away
because I had doubts. I would mate with you forever today or next year or ten years from now. I’m never letting you go Kera. You bring something to my world that I’ve never imagined possible.”

Kera’s heart swelled with joy. “Mating is like marriage?” she let the thought roll through her mind and realized that she considered Maddox hers already. Why not make it permanent?

“It’s something different for us shifters. It’s why my father never remarried.” Maddox looked at her and cupped her cheek in his hand. “
We mate for life.”

Kera closed her eyes. “There will never be anyone but you.” She rasped, her voice becoming harsher with emotions.

Maddox lead her into the shop. He sat her down on the couch and knelt before her. “This isn’t what I planned when I asked you to come with me.”

Her heart pounded as he spoke.

“I want this.” He licked his lips and looked more nervous than she could imagine he could ever be. “I love you.”

Kera took a deep breath and searched his eyes. “What do I have to do?”

“There are words.” He said. “From what I understand only I have to say them but I could do this wrong. You change things.”

Kera flinched at the words he used when he found out about her. “Just tell me what they are and I’ll say them too. Just in case.”

“After what you’ve been through I don’t know where to start.” He cupped her cheek and rested his forehead on hers. “How about
we wait…”

“No.” She said hurriedly. Kera reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his shoulders. He raised his arms to allow her to undress him. She stood and tossed his shirt behind her. Then she reached for her own and pulled it off. Kera felt the air caress her skin and chills spread over her stomach.

“You are beautiful.” He murmured. His fingers traced the lines of her stomach and reached for the button of her jeans. He worked the button free of the hole and pulled the two pieces apart. The zipper made a raspy sound as it was undone and her stomach quivered.

Her jeans pooled at her feet.

Maddox leaned forward and kissed her navel. His breath pushed against her skin and his soft lips made a fiery trail across her stomach and up her ribs, between her breast and to the sensitive skin on her neck.

Kera gasped when he took her ear into his mouth and sucked. She shivered and reached for him.

He followed her as her knees buckled. His weight pressed against her. Their skin touched and crated a wave of energy between them. It was furthering the movement and making her desperate.
He lowered her onto the couch and knelt above her. “
Sicut
et
nos
unum
fiunt
, I
facere
vos
minaret.
Aeternum
.”

Kera repeated it quickly.

Maddox kissed her as he removed the rest of their clothing.
As he settled over her, he looked into her eyes and she knew he was waiting for her to decide the next step.

Kera nodded to him.
He took her gasp as he pushed into her.

Her heart pounded. “I love you.” She whispered.

He repeated the words and began to move within her. In a moment he paused and Kera found herself overwhelmed with sensation. He kissed her and started again more slowly.

She
felt herself tense and release over and over.
Her body quivered as he made love to her. She smiled. He was hers.

Forever.

He continued to delve deeper. His hand rested on her hip and squeezed. “Is this okay?”
H
e asked her.

“Yes.” Kera responded. She shifted her hips and took him deeper. She gasped as he stretched her further. There was pain but it was fleeting.

The dull scent of blood mangled with
the heady smell of lust. Maddox hovered over her. She opened her eyes and found him looking at her. He raised an eyebrow at her. “I can’t hold back much longer.” He told her.

“Then don’t.”

Kera wore only his shirt and smiled as Maddox played with her hair. They watched Avatar on his projector like they planned on her birthday. When Kera fell asleep she dreamt about forever with Maddox.

In her dreams she had a son and loved him like Maddox should have been. She was caught off guard when Luke showed up in her perfect dreams and began chanting.

It felt like he was ripping her apart.

When the beast inside her tried to protect her, he punished her.

Kera was woken while her scream was still echoing in the room.

“Shhh.” Maddox tried to calm her. “You’re safe with me love.”

Kera found herself panting for breath.

In this moment she realized that it wasn’t over. She had to find Luke. She had to stop him. Her mother died for this.