His hands lingered. “He doesn’t like witches. I don’t want him near you, so that’s why I asked you to stay in this room.”
She laughed. Gods, when had her cackle turned so cute? “You didn’t ask. You ordered. Why don’t you try asking me instead?”
He forced his clenched law to unlock. “Will you…please…stay in this room?”
Her smile was brilliant. “Of course!”
Really?
“Just let me know when your frenemy is gone, will you? I have some things I need to do today.”
It was truly that easy?
He wanted to believe her but…
She had a nasty habit of trickery. So did he. “What things?”
“I want to conquer your people. Get them to swear undying loyalty to me. You know, the usual.”
He wasn’t so sure that Valerie was lying. Griffin forced his hands to release her. He turned away. Began to walk—
“Who is this man who hates witches?”
He hesitated.
“Must be a shifter. I mean, if he’s here, he has to be, right?”
He did. He was.
“So who is he?”
She deserved to know. “My brother.” But he didn’t tell her more. He’d already left his bastard of a brother waiting too long. And when Carmichael waited, trouble started.
***
Griffin found Carmichael in the throne room. Typical. His younger brother had always been after the things that Griffin possessed. The guy was eyeing the throne with a bit too much hunger in his green eyes. Eyes exactly like Griffin’s. “What in the hell are you doing here?” Griffin demanded.
Carmichael turned to face him. Both Warren and Elliott were also in the throne room, and their hard gazes were locked on their guest. A very unwanted guest.
“I heard a vicious rumor…” Carmichael smiled. His brown hair was brushed back from his high forehead. “The rumor was that you were trapped as a dragon. Everyone feared you’d be put down.”
Griffin kept his steps slow and certain as he walked past his brother—and then sat on the throne.
Carmichael’s handsome features tightened, for just the briefest of moments.
“You thought I was out of the picture? Is that it? That I was imprisoned, so you could help yourself to the title of king?” His fingers tapped against the stone arm of the throne. Deep claw marks cut into the stone.
Carmichael shrugged. “I am the next in line.”
A problem. One that Griffin had been aware of for a very long time. “I’m not trapped any longer. No need for your concern.”
Carmichael closed in on him. “The beasts you carry are too strong for you. It’s only a matter of time before they overwhelm you. You’ve gone too long without a mate. There is no one to center you, no one to help you fight the darkness that closes in—”
“He has a mate,” Elliott snapped. “So just back the fuck off.” He headed for Griffin’s right side.
Warren moved to position himself at Griffin’s left.
Surprise flashed on Carmichael’s face. “Mate? You took a mate?” His claws burst out. Long, thick, black. His eyes shined too brightly. “Who the hell would mate you?”
The throne room doors banged open.
A sweet, seductive scent filled Griffin’s nose. He shook his head because this absolutely could not be. He’d asked Valerie to stay in her room. He’d asked nicely. Even said please, for shit’s sake.
Yet there she was. Wearing a beautiful, red dress. Skin tight. Where in the hell had she even gotten that dress? Her dark hair trailed over her shoulders. Her red lips gleamed. She walked with a sensual grace that practically had his mouth watering.
And Carmichael gazed at her as if he’d just been given the best treat in the entire world. “Who are you?” he bounded toward her, reaching for her hand.
Oh, the, hell no.
A warning snarl broke from Griffin.
Valerie smiled. As sweet as you please. “I’m Griffin’s mate.”
Carmichael’s hold tightened on her. “You?” His nostrils flared. “You’re no shifter.”
“Aren’t you the observant one? I’m a witch.”
Carmichael jerked her toward him.
That was the bastard’s first and last mistake.
Griffin leapt out of the throne. As he shot into the air, his beast took over. Not the dragon—luckily for them all—but his wolf. The wolf tore through skin and bones, erupting as he dove at Carmichael. The beast hit Carmichael, sending the fellow tumbling to the floor. Then the wolf positioned himself between Carmichael and Valerie.
Valerie. My mate.
She must be terrified. She must be shaking. She must be—
Her fingers sank into his fur as she gave him a nice, long stroke. “Aren’t you a gorgeous wolf?”
He turned his head. Bared his teeth at her.
Valerie smiled back. “Are you protecting me? That is so nice.”
He wasn’t nice.
Carmichael was rising to his feet.
Griffin shifted back into human form, barely feeling the bones snap and pop. His rage was a living, breathing monster, and he kept seeing Carmichael jerking Valerie’s delicate arm. “You don’t touch her.” The words came out as a rumble. He wasn’t quite back to speaking as a man, not yet.
“You changed fast, brother.” Carmichael straightened his shirt. “Too bloody fast.” The faintest hint of an English accent slid into his words. Testament to his own loss of control. “How did you do that?”
Valerie wrapped her arm around Griffin’s waist. She also waved her fingers in the air, and clothes immediately appeared on his body.
Griffin stiffened. I told her no magic. But at least he’d just figured out the mystery of her red dress. The woman had conjured it.
“Freaking witch.” Carmichael’s face darkened with his fury. “You mated her? After what happened to our family?” His claws became even sharper. “After all of the years you told me that witches were our enemies?”
At any moment, Griffin expected his brother to lunge at Valerie. The guy didn’t get it. In order to hurt Valerie, Carmichael would have to get past him first. “Stand the hell down.”
Carmichael had brought up his claws. “You can’t stay with her. There is no way I’ll let this happen.”
“Why the hate?” Valerie asked in her husky voice. “What have I ever done to you?”
Oh, hell. Sweetheart, don’t ask—
“Your kind killed our parents. That’s what the fuck you did to me.” Carmichael’s canines had elongated. “So as far as I’m concerned, the only good witch…is a dead witch.”
***
That little meet and greet had not gone well. Valerie stood on the ramparts—actual freaking castle ramparts because she was in the Twilight Zone—and she watched from her stone perch as Carmichael was escorted out. Warren gripped one of Carmichael’s arms. Elliott held the other.
She leaned forward. Where would he go? Would he be kicked out of the castle? Forced to live in the woods or town? Or kicked out of the entire shifter land theme park? As someone who’d been banished, she didn’t like the idea that the guy might lose his home. Sure, he was an asshole but…
“What in the hell were you thinking?”
Valerie jumped and gave a little scream. She stumbled a bit and had an absolutely horrible flash of herself tumbling over the castle’s high edge and slamming down into the earth below. Luckily, a hard, strong hand grabbed her arm. Steadied her.
Then whipped her around.
“I said ‘please’ for shit’s sake! You were supposed to stay in our room!”
Our room. That sounded promising. “I was going to stay there.” She’d thought about it. “But then I realized that your frenemy was my frenemy.”
“He is not—ahh!” A bellow of pure frustration. Griffin let her go. Paced the ramparts.
She pushed her hands behind her back. That way, he couldn’t see her nervous finger twisting. “You said he was your enemy. You seemed worr
ied. I thought it might be a good idea to present a united front.”
He stopped pacing. “Carmichael hates witches.”
“Yes, I got that.” When it had looked as if he’d like to use his claws to cut off her head. Right then and there. “Because of your parents.”
His back was to her. His angry, stiff back.
Valerie swallowed and asked, “What did a witch do to them?”
“Killed them. Just like my brother said.”
She wanted more details. But prying seemed incredibly wrong. She didn’t usually worry about things like that. This time, though, she did. And she found herself just saying, “I’m sorry.”
He whipped toward her. “What?”
Her tongue swiped over her lower lip. “I’m sorry. That your parents were killed. That you lost them.” Her fingers twisted tighter behind her back. “How old were you?”
“A kid,” he snapped. “I found their bodies. Their burned remains. A witch said she’d help them. Help my father control the beasts inside. She didn’t. She just trapped my mother with him, and she made them both burn. I tried to help them, but I wasn’t strong enough.”
Was it any wonder that Griffin had nightmares about fire? About killing the ones close to him? She crept forward. One step. Two.
He seemed to tense more with every step that she took. “What are you doing now?”
Determinedly, Valerie kept advancing. When she was close enough, she threw her arms around him.
“Valerie?”
“I’m hugging you. Because I want you to feel better.” And as she hugged him, Valerie worked the tiniest of spells. A little pull spell. Pulling the pain from you…letting it come to me.
He jerked away from her. “What in the hell was that?”
“I told you, it was a hug. I was—”
“Pulling the pain from you,” he repeated, as if puzzled, “letting it come to me.”
Her jaw dropped. Almost hit the dirty ramparts. She had to close her mouth, fast, and school her features. He’d heard her? Impossible. She’d just done the spell in her own mind. Because she was that awesome. She didn’t have to whisper out loud. She could do things nice and silently. All-powerful witches spun spells that way. But if he’d picked up on her thoughts…if he’d felt the spell…
Suspicion hardened his already amazing jaw. “You were working magic on me.”
Fear pounded through her. So thick and heavy that she almost couldn’t breathe. “How did you hear that?”
His eyes were green slits. “You worked more magic! I’ve told you again and again…no magic here. The people in this place have never had good experiences with witches! The more magic you work, the more they’ll resent you. Don’t you see that? I don’t want them fearing you. Hating you. For the month that you’re here, I want you to fit in.”
“I’ve never fit in.” Not any place.
His thick lashes flickered.
He’d…he’d been trying to help her? Protect her? In his weird way. Almost sweet. Almost…
“Why the hell would you want to take my pain away?” Griffin demanded.
She pressed her lips together. Valerie wasn’t exactly sure why she’d wanted to do that. Her gaze slid from his. She looked down below. She could see Rio. Was that Edgar sitting on his shoulder? She hadn’t talked to her raven all morning.
“Valerie. Why would my pain matter to you?” Griffin caught her chin in his hand, holding it between his thumb and forefinger, and he turned her head, forcing her to look at him.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “It just does. And making you feel better would have been such a simple thing. I don’t often offer kindnesses, so you should have just accepted my gift.”
He studied her far too closely. “You would have hurt.”
She was hurting. Because she’d taken some of his pain. It made her heart feel heavy. Made her eyes glisten with tears. But she didn’t tell him that. The pain would fade eventually. It always did.
“Why?” he pushed.
She shrugged. “It wasn’t a big deal. You were feeling bad. I wanted you better. You stood in front of me when you brother got all handsy, so it seemed like I owed you a payback.”
He just stared at her. A furrow appeared between his brows, as if he couldn’t quite figure her out.
She tried to distract him. “What’s going to happen to your brother?”
“He’s not allowed back in the castle.”
“Is…um, is he still allowed in shifter land?”
The furrow grew deeper.
“I don’t know what in the hell to call this place. I just didn’t want your brother getting banished from his home because of me. Doesn’t feel right.” Actually, it just seemed like another reason for the guy to hate witches.
“He can come and go from this realm as he likes. He’s next in line to the throne.”
That worried her. “I don’t think…” Totally not her place to say but… “I wouldn’t exactly turn my back on the guy. You might find claws shoved in your spine.” Carmichael wanted to rule.
Griffin’s fingers slid away from her. “Tell me something I don’t know.” Sadness there. Bitterness.
How much must it suck to have your own sibling gunning for you?
Her hand flew out. Caught his. Squeezed.
He stilled.
When Valerie realized what she’d done, she stilled, too.
He looked at their hands. “How did I hear the spell? And don’t lie.”
Okay. Telling the truth wouldn’t be as much fun as a lie. It never was. But… “I suspect it’s because we’re mates.” A long exhale. “There’s this old, like ancient story, that a witch’s true mate can share her power. Her spells are his. His power is hers.” There was one tiny part of that story she wasn’t going to share. Not yet, anyway. But her brain was spinning. Hello, possibilities.
“I don’t have any spells.”
“Nope. Not a one,” she cheerfully told him. “But you do have three beasts. So maybe I’m about to get an all access pass to them.”
“You don’t want that.”
To have a dragon at her command? Uh, yes, please. She did want that.
“And we’re not true mates. We’re temporary—”
She yanked her hand from his. “How many times must you harp on that point?” She didn’t want to hold his hand any longer. She’d rather punch him. Ingrate. Fine. Whatever. Enough chit-chat. “I need to go find my henchman.” She brushed past Griffin.
But his hand caught her wrist. His fingers curled over her racing pulse point. “And why the hell are you toying with that boy?”
Her gaze shot to his. “I’m not toying with Rio.”
“You don’t care about him. You’re amusing yourself. Playing a game.” Griffin shook his head. “Don’t do that. He matters, understand? His life has been shit, and the last thing he needs is for someone to screw him over again.”
Was the pain she felt still from the spell? Or his words? “You’re the one planning to kick him out. I’m the one offering him a future.” She tugged against his hold. “Let me go.”
But he just pulled her closer. His head lowered toward hers. For a moment, Valerie thought he might kiss her. Instead, his mouth went to her ear, and when he whispered to her, she felt the lick of his tongue against her. “Shifters are savage and wild. If he can’t transform, he can’t protect himself from the others. If he stays, he risks being savaged by them.”
Her heart raced faster. “But…”
“So if he can’t change by his next birthday, I’ll give him a new home in a safe place. A world where he can fit in. How is that so wrong?”
Her heart seemed to ache even more.
He lifted his head. Griffin gazed into her eyes. “Maybe I’m not the monster that you think I am.”
No. Her shoulders straightened. “I am the monster. You should believe all of the stories you’ve been told about me.”
“I don’t think so.” His thumb slid along her inner wrist.
&nb
sp; A shiver moved over her body.
“I think there is a whole lot more to you than meets the eye.”
Once more, she tried to jerk her wrist from him. But the shifter was too strong.
“Your magic shouldn’t work here. It does. Why.” Not a question, a demand.
“Fairies practice dark magic.” She would give him this because she’d figured it out for herself. “And unlike most witches…” She rose onto her toes. Licked his lower lip. “So do I,” she whispered.
She’d expected him to step back. To evade her. He hadn’t exactly been overly eager for her kisses, but—
He pulled her closer. Kissed her. Deep and hard. Wild. Hungry. A kiss that she felt in every single cell of her body. One that made her ache. One that made her want. One that had her pressing close to him. Wishing, wanting so much more.
“Maybe I’m starting to like the dark,” he rasped against her mouth. Another slow glide of his thumb over her inner wrist. He had to feel her madly racing pulse.
But then…
He pulled back. Put some nice, considerable distance between them. His broad shoulders straightened. “You keep breaking my rules.”
“My magic hasn’t hurt anyone—”
“No more, Valerie. This is it.” His voice was flat. “I’ve been kind.”
Oh, was that what he’d been?
“You break the magic rule again, and you will be punished.”
She turned away from him. Gave a roll of her hips as she left him. Let him see what he’s missing. “Promises, promises…”
***
“You can’t want him mated to a witch!” Carmichael bellowed, rage nearly choking him.
Warren’s expression tensed.
But Elliott just laughed. “I don’t care who he mates. Griffin’s choice.” He pointed at Carmichael. “You won’t gain entrance to the castle again. For now, Griffin is allowing you to stay in this realm. Make one wrong move toward his mate, though, and you’re done.”
Carmichael couldn’t believe what was happening. His brother was choosing a witch—a witch—over him. “She’s going to destroy him.”
Worry flashed in Warren’s eyes.
Carmichael pointed at him. “You know I’m telling the truth. Nothing good will come from a witch being here. Griffin is blinded by lust. Obvious-fucking-ly. He can’t protect himself. So it’s up to you two…” Now he waved his hand between Elliott and Warren. “You have to step up and do your damn jobs. You’re supposed to be his best guards. Guard his ass. Protect him.” He heaved out a hard breath. “Get rid of that damn witch!”