Her fingers dug into his back as she wrapped her legs around him.
"More," she said.
A coil within her began tightening down as he drew her into his will harder, closer, tighter, faster.
Magic she couldn't understand filled her. Her pulse rose. Too much, not enough, her world started to shatter as he pushed in one more time. An odd foreign burn started at her shoulder as her body released and the pleasure exploded within her.
She shuddered and submitted to him. Giving him as much as he wanted, taking what she needed.
* * *
Light filtered through the dense canopy as she slowly opened her eyes. Her first deep breath came easily; she breathed again and again freely. Sounds of fluttering and a bird call she'd never heard before filled her ears.
How had she missed the beauty of the forest before? Was it morning? Sniffing the air, it reminded her of sweet honey. The fear she'd known evaporated.
Caleb's even breathing calmed her while they lay on the soft forest floor. She wiggled her fingers against his thigh, his bare skin eliciting memories
Sucking in a breath, she tried to stifle a smile. She trailed her fingers along an invisible line of his inner thigh.
"Don't." He gripped her hand and stopped her before she could start something new.
"We need to find that human of yours and leave."
Marci sat frozen. She'd forgotten why she'd come here until now.
"Shit. Jeff. Where is he? I forgot all about him." Leaning on her elbow, she glanced around.
"He isn't going to be right here. They wouldn't hand him over that easy."
"No. I mean, right. But, do you see my nightgown anywhere? Or a leaf or something?"
Caleb yawned. "They probably took it."
A chill chased up her spine. "Who's they?"
"The Pixies. The deal was we could have him after..."
Why did everything seem to have some kind of underlying strings attached?
"After what, Caleb?"
She followed his eyes to her shoulder. "After you mated me?"
Life sucked. The air, suddenly heavy, didn't seem to want to fit down her throat.
"You didn't mate me because you love me? I thought - I thought that you had to love the person."
He hung his head.
"You don't want me?"
He jerked his head back to see her. "What? No. I mean yes. I mean I want you. This," he gestured between them. "Mating doesn't work unless we're meant to be."
Meant to be. What did that even mean?
"That's not what I asked. Did you mate me because you wanted to or not?"
His mouth opened and closed.
"Forget it. Let's go find Jeff." She sprung up, ignoring her nudity, and headed into the forest. Methodically she tried to breathe through the weight on her chest. She could smell the magic in the air, but this time it didn't seep into her skin, her bones, and intoxicate her. She pushed the threads of her magic.
"Marci, wait."
Nope. Ignoring Caleb, she enjoyed seeing her magic work again. Relief that this time she could find Jeff and get out of here, on her own. The issue was she could still feel Caleb behind her. Every nerve within her knew he was following. She knew he was there and would be there, even without looking at him.
Great. All the happy couples she'd ever worked with, any marriages matched for love, none had ever mentioned this part. She'd traded her life in for a leash. Her eyes burned.
"Marci, please stop. I can't live without you. I've been trying to hold back since we met."
Focusing on her magic, she tried to block out the tightness in her chest, her hand absently rubbing where her heart beat, broken.
"Go away, Caleb. I'll find him. Go away."
"Marci. Stop. Please stop."
Her feet picked up speed as her magic sprang to life the closer she came to Jeff. If he wouldn't have come, she wouldn't even be in this mess. God, she'd love to tell him to fuck off.
"Marci, stop."
Her feet pushed her further following her instinct. She wanted to get away from Caleb, wanted to kill Jeff, and at some point, she just wanted to be alone.
The magic started to thin as she stepped into a clearing. Mossy trees lined the edges, but only free moss cushioned the clearing. Pink specks of flowers broke the monotone. The magic stopped short of the center as she spotted Jeff.
A tear found its way down her cheek as she realized that her dreams lay broken around the warlock laying motionless. Why couldn't she leave the last piece of her life alone. Even here, here mother ruined her life? Only this time, what if she wasn't strong enough?
"Please don't cry, Marci." Caleb came up next to her, the back of his hand brushing hers. "I'll help you."
Pushing the traitorous tear away, she nodded.
"Will he be okay? He hasn't moved."
"Listen," Caleb said.
Closing her eyes, she tried to block out the noise of the forest.
"His heart still beats. His breathing is even. He's fine for now."
Her jaw started to burn. Would she ever relax again?
"Caleb? Why does my magic seem to work now?"
She opened her eyes and turned to him.
"My magic isn't affected here. We're mated, you're part of me now. Annie mentioned it, but the pixies confirmed it."
"Oh."
He'd saved her, but it didn't mean that he would have chosen this life. What would she do now? What would she do with a shifter who mated her to save her?
She stole a glance at him. "Help me get him out of here. I never want to step foot in this place again."
Caleb picked up Jeff as if he weighed nothing and held him up.
"Marci?"
She paused.
"I'd have mated you when you were ready had the choice been mine."
18
Caleb watched as Marci scrubbed the kitchen one last time. He loved the way her ass filled her jeans. He'd have bent her over the counter again, but she'd already yelled at him to leave her alone, twice.
"Caleb, stop staring
