He didn’t waste time trying to convince his bear that Cece wasn’t their mate. That was a conversation for later.
He inhaled deeply, immediately tracking the scent of fresh snow and pine trees. Moving quietly, he walked toward the scent that drifted lazily from the living room. Staying hidden in the shadows of the hall, he peered into the room. The fireplace was cold and dark, and there wasn’t much light in the room, but he could see perfectly in near darkness.
He inhaled repeatedly, looking for any movement in the room. No motion caught his attention, and he stepped into the room, his gaze turning to the bay window. The curtains were closed, but there was a nearly foot-wide gap where they met, allowing in a beam of moonlight and, thanks to the jagged hole in the glass, a steady stream of cold air. He studied the large rock on the floor among the glass shards.
He walked toward it, the hardwood cold against his bare feet. He stopped short of the broken glass and stared at the rock. It was covered in meaningless words scribbled in black marker across the rock’s surface. He crouched and reached out with one arm, scowling when he was a bit too short. If he leaned forward just a little, he would be able to snag the rock.
His fingers inched closer, and he smelled Cece’s scent and heard her footsteps seconds before she said, “Don’t touch it!”
He straightened and turned to scowl at her. “I told you to stay upstairs.”
“It’s my goddamn house,” she snapped. Her hands still glowed green, and he could feel her magic surrounding her, a snapping, crackling energy that sang an addictive song to him.
Ignoring his urge to pin her against the wall and sink his dick into her, he said, “Go to the kitchen, little witch.”
“No,” she said, her hands flaring a brighter green for a few seconds.
“Christ, your magic just fills you with fucking sass, doesn’t it?” he said. “Behave, or I’ll spank you.”
Her hands glowed bright green again, and instead of the outrage he expected, she gave him a sexy, sultry look that he couldn’t believe was coming from the normally sweet little witch.
“I’ll let you spank me if you let me fuck you afterward,” she practically purred, before running her hand over the buttons on her flannel pajama shirt.
His erection returned, and his desire for another taste of her magic, another taste of her, had him on the edge of his control.
“I know you want me, Briggs,” Cece said, her finger tracing the hard bud of her nipple that he could see even through the thick fabric of her pajamas. “I want you too.”
“We can’t, baby,” he said.
She pouted at him as he sucked in another deep breath and turned away, willing his cock to fucking behave. When the urge to fuck her had lessened a little, he said, “Why can’t I touch the rock?”
“There’s a spell on it.” Cece joined him, and he put a few inches of space between them. If he touched her, even accidentally, they’d be fucking on that big, comfortable couch just a few feet to their left.
She studied the rock, her body vibrating lightly and her hands glowing. “They’ve written the spell on the rock.”
“Can you read it?” he asked.
She curled her lip at him. “Of course, I can. It’s an immobilizing spell. Dark magic.” Her body shuddered, and there was another flare of bright green in her hands. “If you touch the rock, you’ll be completely paralyzed for at least six hours.”
“Fuck,” he muttered.
“Hmm,” she said absently, her gaze already lifting to the window. “There must be a witch out there.”
“Get away from the window,” he said.
Her lip curled again before a small and dangerous smile crossed her face. “Good idea. I’ll go outside to talk to her instead.”
“No, you will fucking not,” he growled before skirting around the broken glass and stalking to the far left side of the window. He pulled the curtain to the side enough for him to look out into the darkness. The window faced into the side yard, and enough moonlight shone that he could quickly tell it was empty. He turned his gaze to the woods that surrounded Cece’s place, growling under his breath when he saw the witch standing next to one of the pine trees. Dressed in a thick black cloak, the woman stood motionless in the pine tree’s dark shadow.
“Do you see her?” Cece asked. She had moved to stand behind him, and his body reacted to her closeness, his dick threatening to tear a hole in his fucking pants, and every molecule screaming to touch her.
“Yes,” he said.
“In the trees?” she asked.
“Yes. Can you see her?”
He didn’t see how that was possible, and it was confirmed when Cece said, “No. I’m going outside.”
