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“That I was safe. That I was home. That may not make sense…”
He tucked her arm into the crook of his elbow. “It makes perfect sense. It is exactly how I felt the first time I came here. And the feeling has never left.”
“No, Windsong was your home.”
He shook his head. “No. I came back to secure it for you, for Kyra and for the others, but the abbey has been home from the first moment I laid eyes on it. I think for those of us who carry so much for others, it is as if these stone walls assure you they can take on the burden. It is my hope that with Kyra at Windsong, Winter at Curaidh, and you here, that we can provide a much larger safety net than any of us could provide alone.”
Brie chuckled. “When did you get to be so bloody eloquent?”
“I always was. You just weren’t paying attention.”
Brie laughed and they spent the rest of the day with Colby showing her around. They strolled through the main and outbuildings, the gardens, and even the narrow paths along the cliffs. He made absolutely sure she knew where his room was and where all of the escape doors and tunnels were located. By the time they’d completed their tour and she’d met most of the men who were stationed here, she was ready to be led into the massive dining hall. This time the vast majority of his men were present, as was Adriana.
“I have to admit,” said the witch/wolf hybrid, “as impressive as Windsong is, this place is amazing.”
As Maya began to serve dinner, Brie asked, “Did you sleep well? I don’t remember the last time I slept that soundly.”
“I did before this whole thing started. I think I was just too naive about what was going on. What worries me is that I think most of the wizard and witch world is the same. We haven’t a clue, and I fear if I try to tell them, they’ll just chalk it up to those evil werewolves. My people could help, and it’s a fight we should be in.”
“Why do you think they aren’t?” asked Brie.
“There’s a lot of ancient laws about interfering with humans and other paranormal creatures. There’s a kind of isolationism that could destroy us and wipe us from the earth.”
Colby nodded. “Strode has made some inroads with the vamps, but even though he’s a wizard—or at least says he is—he doesn’t seem to have fared as well with the magical crowd.”
Adriana smiled and nodded. “The collective term—something equivalent to shifters—would be ‘witches.’ I’ve been doing some research on my own. Seems Strode was banished by the Witches Council…”
“There’s a Witches Council?”
“Much like the shifters’ Ruling Council, which is just a tad arrogant as the only thing they’re even supposed to rule is shifters, and from what I’ve seen, they haven’t done a very good job. Anyhow, Strode was banished thousands of years ago, partly because he was a dragon. No good has ever come of dragons and witches working together. Dragons, for the most part, aren’t to be trusted to serve anyone’s needs but their own. I could be persuaded to believe that isn’t necessarily true, but it is not the prevailing belief held by most witches.”
The remainder of dinner was spent catching Adriana up on everything she had missed, and Brie promised to take her on a tour the next day to show her the various escape routes. Even though they hadn’t been on a jet, those who had come from Alaska were still trying to get their systems to adjust to the difference in time zones. They called it an early night and Colby showed Adriana and Brie to their rooms respectively.
At Brie’s door, Colby turned her to face him, slipping his hand around to the back of her neck and then tangling his fingers in her hair. His mouth hovered over hers.
“Good night, Brie. If you get lonely, my room is right down the hall. You will always be welcome there.”
He released her without pressing his lips to hers, turned on his heel, and strode back down the hallway, entering his room at the end of the hall and closing the door behind him.
“Motherfucker,” she growled as she entered her own bedroom and settled down for the night.
CHAPTER 13
COLBY
It had been so tempting to kiss her—to seduce her with whispered words and touches. He knew he could do it; knew she would succumb. He also knew she would berate herself for doing so. He could feel her on the precipice of giving in. He just knew that she needed to teeter on the edge long enough to fall. Didn’t she know he would catch her? Had he not proven that over and over again?
After taking a cold shower, which did little to ease his need, Colby fell into bed and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
As the soft glow of morning began to infiltrate his dreams, he woke to a warm, soft body snuggled next to him. He was spooning Brie, who had his arm draped over her waist and bent at the elbow so she could hug it. He was just wondering how she’d got there when she woke, realized Colby was curled around her, and jumped out of bed.
“What the fuck, Colby? How dare you think you can just come into my room, slip into my bed, and grope me?” she screeched.
Colby sat up in bed, ignoring his hard cock that was not only throbbing, but tenting the bedclothes. He’d been wondering if it might be possible to maneuver Brie onto her back so he could just slide into her pussy without waking her. Surely, an orgasm was the best way to start her day. He knew for damn sure it would have improved his morning greatly. Apparently that plan would have to wait for another time.
“Seriously, you sonofabitch, what were you thinking?”
“To be honest when I woke up with you all soft and snuggly I was wondering if it might be possible to shove my cock deep inside you and wake you up with an orgasm. But it would seem that idea is off the table.”
