Warlock Unbound: Heart's Desire, Book 4 (15 page)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Daniel gasped and sat straight up in bed. He’d dreamed that Kerry was lost to him in a white mist, running from demons who would enslave her soul. He’d tried to find her, following the brief sightings of golden hair and a green gown, but in the end he hadn’t been able to catch up to her.

He’d lost her. She’d never stand by his side again, smiling and joking and driving him insane with her antics. He couldn’t breathe over the feeling of loss, his heart pounding as his wolf cried out in despair.

“Bad dream?”

Daniel’s eyes widened as his heart stopped. Slowly he turned to find Kerry standing next to him, his robe over her shoulders and belted loosely around her waist. Her hair was rumpled and defying gravity. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her hands were shaking as they clutched the lapels of his robe.

She’d never looked more beautiful. “Fuck, sweetheart.” He tugged on the belt, dragging her close so he could hug her tight. “I thought…”

“What?”

He nestled his face against her stomach, breathing deeply. Her scent and his mingled in the fabric. If he’d been a cat, he would have been purring. Instead, his wolf wanted out, wanted to check their mate and make sure nothing bad had happened to her in the moments they’d thought her gone.

“Daniel?” Her hands ran through his hair, soothing his chaotic thoughts. “What’s wrong?”

“I dreamt I’d lost you.” She stiffened, and he knew, deep inside, it hadn’t truly been a dream. He lifted his head and pulled her down onto the bed, holding her gaze steadily while she fidgeted. “I almost did, didn’t I?”

She nodded. “I won though.”

“By how much?” Because from what he saw, it was almost a total loss.

She held up her hand and pressed her forefinger and thumb together. “This much.”

Daniel’s howl was filled with outrage. The demons had invaded her dreams, almost taken her while she lay next to him. She hadn’t been safe, even in his den.

“Daniel!”

He realized he’d truly been howling, the sound still vibrating off the walls. “We finish the bonding tonight.”

“Yes, Daniel.” She tilted her head, baring her neck to him. It was a surprisingly submissive move from his strong-willed mate. “Make me officially yours.”

Daniel bent, biting gently down on her offered flesh. “Right here. The wolf will go right here.” He licked the area, his wolf rumbling in his mind, the two of them joined by one thought. “Mine.”

She blinked up at him, those gorgeous blue eyes of hers darkening with want. “Yours.”

Daniel claimed those full lips in a kiss that sent his senses reeling. Sweet and hot, her taste exploded on his tongue, driving him even closer to muttering the final words of the spell.

Kerry was his mate, his love. No demon would claim what was his. They would perform the binding in the morning, placing his magic in her delicate hands.

She would be safe, and Daniel would forever have her in his soul.

Kerry cried out when Daniel moved down her body and sucked her clit into his mouth. He traced her delicate hole, dipping inside her for a taste before stroking across her clit, teasing her with light touches as she bucked against his mouth. Her fingers tangled in his hair, holding him steady as she rode his mouth. He lapped, sucked, nipped and nibbled until she was drenched and panting.

“Please, Daniel.” She sounded desperate, her voice breathless, her hands trembling as she tugged on his hair. “Fuck me.”

He began nibbling on her clit, sucking it into his mouth and stroking it with his tongue. Her groans drove him on, the desperate need to make her come driving him to continue no matter how much she begged.

She was getting close. He could feel it in the trembling of her thighs, see it in the way her toes were curling. He pulled his tongue from her pussy, holding her steady with one hand while he nipped at her clit and pressed a single finger inside her wet pussy. He kept a steady suction on her clit, tonguing it until she was screeching around him, her orgasm shuddering through her, damn near squeezing his finger off.

“No one else can have you.” Sinking into her wet heat he rode her hard, more than eager to spill into her warm depths. “You are mine and only mine.”

“Yours.” Panting, she tilted her head, exposing her neck to his heated gaze.

“Yes.” Bending down he nipped her neck, biting through the skin, tasting her blood on his tongue for the first time. He damn near spilled into her then and there, but Kerry needed to come one more time. He needed to feel her spasm around him, know he’d brought her pleasure beyond anything any other man had ever given her.

The desire to hold her, claim her, mark her as his own was driving him to pound into her. His wolf was almost completely in charge. The only thing either of them regretted was the inability to knot their mate, tying them together to prolong her orgasm.

He lapped at the mark on her neck, where the shadow wolf would appear. He was desperate to speak the words, but the feel of her distracted him. She was clenching down on him, forcing him to focus on Kerry rather than the spell.

“Mine.” It was all he could say as he fucked her. Her cries filled the room, matched only by his growls.

It was too much for both of them. Kerry came with a scream, her pussy walls clamping down on him so hard he saw stars. His orgasm ripped through him, pouring into her until he was hers just as much as she was his.

He collapsed on top of her, nuzzling the bite mark on her neck. He whispered the final words to finish the spell and mark her for all time as his.

“Kindled is love,

Kindled is flame,

And on my love

I lay my claim.

With the ending of this spell

May my shadow guard her well.

By the power of earth and fire,

Bind unto me my heart’s desire.

By the power of air and sea,

As I will so mote it be.”

The bite mark turned, twisting, darkening, until the shadow of a black wolf rested on her skin.

Seeing it there, knowing that she was his now for eternity, brought tears to his eyes. “Kerry.”

When she turned her head back to face him, she was crying, silent tears standing in her eyes. “You called me love.”

He smiled. “Of course.” Daniel stroked the shadow, thrilled when she shivered at the touch. “Would I be this nuts over someone I was merely fond of?”

Her brows rose. “I hope not, or I’d have some asses to kick.” She cuddled against him, turning them so she lay with her head on his chest, her leg between his. She stroked his chest.

Daniel could almost hear the wheels turning. “What?”

“Hmm?”

“You want to ask me something. Go ahead.”

“You know I love you too, right?”

He shuddered, clutching her so tightly she squeaked in protest. “I’d prayed, but I wasn’t sure.”

“Now you are.” She rubbed her side. “Will this interfere with the bonding ceremony?”

“I don’t think so. If anything, it might even strengthen the connection between us.” Of course, what they were doing was so rarely done he had no idea if that was true or not, but he wouldn’t have her nervous over their binding. She needed to be confident it would work, or it really might not. And if she accidentally rejected them that way, his wolf might consider it a rejection of another kind as well.

“I hope so.” She cuddled up to him again. “The nightmare was…bad.”

“Tell me about it.” If it frightened her that much, perhaps speaking to him would make it better.

“I was at a ball, and Kelly was there, without Dennis. She was flirting with some guy, thrilled that both of us were now magic users.”

He blinked. “It would take something similar to what you went through for Kelly to develop magic.”

“I know.” She shivered. “I pray she never does. It scared the hell out of me.”

“I bet.”

“So. There we were, and this man walks up to me and asks me to dance.”

Daniel was growling before she was done speaking.

“The man tried to convince me that Gareth had no brothers, but I knew that was wrong, so I tried to leave, but he wouldn’t let me. So I fought him off and ran. When the walls crumbled and he revealed himself, I fried his ass.”

“Damn, woman.” Unbelievable. She’d come out of it whole, or his spell wouldn’t have worked. If she’d had a demon inside her, the wolf would never have manifested. The shadow wolf was born of a Beckett’s love, something a demon could never understand or accept. “You really are badass.”

“Damn straight.” She yawned, wiggling against him. “We have a big day tomorrow. Let’s get some rest.”

He cupped her cheek. “Any more nightmares, wake me, okay?”

“I will.”

“Promise?”

She smiled. “Always.”

He couldn’t ask for a better promise.

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Are you sure about this?” Gen held tight to Kerry’s hand, guiding her from Daniel’s workroom to the living room. The furniture had been pushed as far back as it could go to accommodate the circle they’d be casting to protect both Kerry and Daniel while they bonded on an even deeper level than they had before. “You can always try something else if this doesn’t work.”

Kerry fingered the mark Daniel had left on her shoulder, the same mark Gen carried on hers. It was the mark of a Beckett mate, the shadow wolf clear and strong and, in Kerry’s case, the mark of the power she would share with Daniel. “I’m sure.”

“And Daniel?”

Kerry laughed, almost tripping over the green robe Gen had insisted she wear. “Are you kidding me? Between Daniel and his wolf, I’m surprised I’m not already bound to their magic.”

“Their magic.” Gen shook her head. “I’m still not sure how Daniel’s wolf has not gone feral before now. There are times I think he is more wolf than man.”

“Because Daniel is strong.” Kerry was certain there was more to it than that, but Gen might not understand how Daniel viewed his wolf. It was like Daniel had four brothers, not three, and the wolf felt the same way. Now it had accepted Kerry, claimed her as well as Daniel, she had no doubts that the wolf would come to her aid in times of need just as it did Daniel’s.

“He is.” Gen accepted that without any sign that she held doubts. “That I have never questioned.”

“You ready?” Daniel strode forward, holding out his hands.

Kerry took them without hesitation. “Let’s do this.”

He winked and led her to the center of the room where an altar stood. Two statues, representing the God and the Goddess, stood on either side of a white pillar candle with a pentacle carved into its surface. Salt and water, a vial of lavender-scented oil, smaller white candles and a closed Book of Shadows also decorated the altar. Gen’s athame sat at the bottom of the Book of Shadows, sheathed until she was ready to use it. On the floor someone had sketched out a complicated circle of runes that meant little to Kerry. “What’s that? I’ve never seen you use those before.”

“Gen set them up. It’s a warlock thing.” Daniel stared as well. Perhaps he understood what some of them meant, because he didn’t seem at all worried about them. “I think it’s part of the binding ritual.”

“Your wolf isn’t upset by them?”

“Nope.” His eyes were gold. His wolf was watching as well, ready for his part in the ritual to come.

“Let’s get this party rolling.” Zach placed a geode on the floor for north.

“I agree.” Gareth, standing east, placed the incense burner on the floor.

Lana was carefully placing a red candle on the floor. “I’ll take south this time, since Daniel is part of the ritual.”

“And I’ve got west.” Chris placed a silver bowl of water on the floor and nodded. “We’re ready.”

Gen picked up the athame, unsheathed it and began casting the circle that would start the ritual.

“I lay down the circle white,

Symbol of purity and might.

May evil be blinded by the sight.”

White light gleamed along the tip of her athame, casting a gentle moon glow around the circle.

“I lay down the circle blue,

For protection sound and true.

May evil not pass through.”

Blue light tinged the edges of the athame as the blue circle was laid down.

Gen began the third and final circle, her voice firm.

“I lay down the circle black.

Justice comes to those who lack.

May evil intentions break and crack.”

Sparkling black light, like midnight stars, encircled the other two. Gen placed the athame back in its sheath and bowed before the altar.

Zach knelt and cupped the geode in his hands, his voice was strong as he called to his element.

“North and Earth we call on thee.

Join us in our circles three.

Grant us your stability.”

For the first time, Kerry felt the element of earth respond to a call. Beneath her feet something rumbled, waking from a deep slumber, paying attention to what the witches, warlocks and wizards were doing in Daniel’s apartment. She turned to Daniel, awed at the magic brushing against her senses. “I felt that.”

He tightened his hold on her hands. “It only gets better.”

She smiled, dazed as the rest of them called to their elements, each one adding to the magic building up inside her. No wonder Lana loved this so much. She felt like she could fly.

Gareth lit the incense, and the scent of jasmine filled the air.

“East and Air I call on thee.

Join me in my circles three.

Grant me your creativity.”

Lana lit the candle, and Kerry could feel her BFF’s power like it was her own.

“South and Fire I call on thee.

Join me in my circles three.

Grant me your energy.”

Chris held his hand out, palm over the bowl of water, and began his chant.

“West and Water I call on thee.

Join me in my circles three.

Grant me your clarity.”

Zach and Gen moved to stand before the altar, Zach before the god, Gen before the Goddess. Zach spoke first, lighting a votive candle that sat at the statue’s feet.

“Lord of shadows, dark’s embrace,

Hear me now, know my face.

Your faithful child cries out to Thee;

Join me in my circles three!”

Kerry gasped as she distantly heard a wolf howl, others answering its cry.

Daniel lifted his head, his howl joining the others until they died down to a watchful silence.

Gen lit the votive candle at the feet of the Goddess and called to her.

“Lady of the darkest night,

Hear me now, know my plight.

Your faithful child cries out to Thee;

Join me in my circles three!”

An owl hooted three times. Kerry could almost feel the wind in silent feathers as an image of an owl flying through the night skies filled her vision. It, too, slowly faded away until all she saw were Daniel’s golden eyes.

Still holding Daniel’s hands, Kerry knelt at his feet. She knew what she had to say. Gen had given her the words, but Kerry needed to put her own spin on them. These were unique circumstances, so Kerry would appeal not only to Daniel, but to his wolf as well.

“Here I lay my heart and soul,

For only you can make me whole.”

Gen was shaking her head rapidly, her eyes wide with fear, but Kerry knew what she was doing. This was the way it was always meant to be, and she’d give herself over to Daniel just as he would give himself to her.

“My need is strong, my goal is sure,

All of my intentions pure.

I have found someone of like mind

With whom I wish to bind.

To man and wolf I now submit

My body, my heart and my spirit.

In perfect love and perfect trust,

To you my power I entrust.

By the power of earth and fire,

Give unto me my heart’s desire.

By the power of air and sea,

As I will so mote it be.”

Daniel stared at her, his wolf’s eyes glowing with power. He smiled, bent and kissed her forehead, right where Gen said her third eye, the seat of her power, lay.

Against her skin Daniel spoke, his breath sending shivers down her spine.

“Here I lay my heart and soul,

Knowing together we are whole.

Your need is strong, my goal is sure,

All of my intentions pure.

We are of like mind

And to you I willingly bind.

To my warlock I now submit

My body, my heart and my spirit.

In perfect love and perfect trust,

To you my power I entrust.

By the power of earth and fire,

Give unto me my heart’s desire.

By the power of air and sea,

As I will so mote it be.”

She thought she’d felt power before, but it was nothing like this. Always it had brushed against her skin, but this? This was like an electric shock, all her nerves tingling with energy. Her hands shook as she tried to ride the wave of force that flowed through her.

It wasn’t hers, not yet. She had to take what was being offered and mark it somehow, but doing what Gen had said made no sense. Gen had to transform the energy of the Goddess into something a human could safely use, but Daniel was human. Kerry had to take the energy and bind it, not only to herself but to Daniel. The hole in Kerry began to fill, Daniel’s magic pouring into it and back out again, flowing between the two of them easily.

Daniel’s wolf touched her, the feel of fur and fang more intimate than lovemaking, awakening something inside Kerry that responded solely to it. The wolf’s magic mated with hers and Daniel’s, an unbreakable triangle of energy that flowed between them, making all of them stronger than they’d been before.

When the flow ebbed, subsiding into something far more tamed, Kerry opened her eyes. Daniel knelt before her, panting, his expression dazed. The rest of them seemed as shocked as he did, but Kerry felt like she’d finally come home.

She and Daniel were bonded for life, but the consequences were far from clear. Especially when Kerry felt the first stirrings of her own wolf.