Hecate's Own: Heart's Desire, Book 2 (10 page)

He’d keep her safe until the end of his days. Even from him.
He let her go long enough to pull a condom from his wallet and prayed it hadn’t
gone past its expiration date. It had been a while since he’d gotten laid, and
he’d hate to think he’d forced Jo to carry a tiny Beckett without her consent.

She held out her hand, her brows raised, commanding him to
turn the condom over to her. He grinned and handed it over. He’d take any
excuse to get her hands on him.

She sheathed him slowly, toying with him, bringing him to
the edge of giving in to the beast inside him. The wolf wanted in her
now
,
wanted to pound into her, make her feel them for days, long past the time when
they’d left her.

His wolf howled its displeasure, but Zach ignored it. First
things first. “Done yet?”

She looked up at him through her lashes. “No.”

Her thighs were trembling once more. She was getting off on
this, maybe as much as he was. He took hold of her wrist, pushing the condom
the last inch down his cock. “Now you are.”

She bit that full lip, driving him crazy. Her cheeks
flushed. Her dark hair was plastered to her forehead.

She looked like a debauched angel.

“Lean back.”

She leaned, holding herself up again with her hands.

“Good girl.” He tugged off her panties, more than ready to
sink inside his mate. Halfway down he was forced to stop, staring at the beauty
before him. “Lord have mercy.”

She
shaved
. She was completely bare, the hood of her
clit visible between the pink folds of her pussy lips. Without thought he
sucked her into his mouth.

“Oh. Oh God, yes.”

He looked up to find her head thrown back, her breasts
thrust up into the air. She was every wet dream he’d ever had rolled into one
luscious package.

He had to make her come this way. He
had
to. He
licked her, nipped at her, growled and loved on her pink flesh until she was
desperately trying to spread her legs for him.

He solved the problem by shifting until his claws came out.
He shredded the green silk, allowing it to flutter to the floor.

Neither of them cared. He buried his face deep between her
thighs, tasting her sweetness, her scent embedding itself deep into his psyche.
She was chanting nonsense words, her hands clenching his hair so tightly he
didn’t know if he’d have any left when they were done.

And he loved every moment of it.

When she quivered on the end of his tongue he knew he’d
found heaven.

She came with a screech, her legs wrapped around his head,
and he damn near came with her.

He was going to kill her. She knew it. She was going to die
a happy, squishy mess of sated woman right here on Christopher Beckett’s altar.

She’d never come so hard in her God. Damn.
Life.

He stood up and, in one swift motion, pushed inside her
until she felt him deep in her belly. “God. Again, Jo.”

She shook her head. One more orgasm and they’d be writing
her obituary.

“Oh hell yes,” he growled. He pulled on her hair again,
sending that stupid throbbing twinge back to her pussy. He demanded a kiss and
she gave it, knowing that whatever he wanted in that moment she was willing to
provide.

Then he moved.

She moaned into his mouth as the log he called a cock
stretched her just wide enough.
Where the hell has he
been
all my
life?

He took her slowly, more so than she’d thought possible
given the feral look in his eyes. It was like he wanted to imprint every inch
of his length on her, make her beg for him before it was over.

At this point, begging was definitely an option. She’d never
felt anything more incredible than the man moving inside her. She wrapped her
legs around his waist and tugged, trying to get him to hurry the fuck up.

She giggled.
Hurry the fuck up.

“What’s so funny?”

She had to stop laughing. Had to. No way was she messing up
the best sex of her life with a giggle-fest.

His lips twitched. “Jo? Want to share with the rest of the
class?”

She widened her eyes, giving him her best Bambi eyes. “No,
Mr. Beckett.”

That twitch turned into a full-on, damn-near-sadistic grin.
“Oh? Why not?”

She reached down and cupped his balls. “Because I didn’t
bring enough to share with everybody.”

He shuddered under her hands. “Damn straight.”

She leaned up and breathed against his mouth, “Fuck me.”

He stopped dead, his blue gaze blazing into her own. She
could swear she saw the edge of a fang peeking out from his upper lip. “Mine.”

She had to stop herself from screaming
yes
.

Zach pulled out, grabbed her hips, and spun her. Her ass was
up in the air, her hands on the table. He buried his hand in her hair and held
her down, slipping his cock inside her with ease. “Say it.”

She shook her head, not certain what he wanted.

A deep rumble sounded from within him. “Say it, Jo.”

She blinked, suddenly sure of what he needed. “Yours.”

She gasped, the pleasure damn near overwhelming as he
pounded into her. He was claiming her, marking her in such a way that no other
man would do ever again. She allowed it, bucking back as much as he would let
her, taking him into herself and claiming him for herself.

No matter what, after this? This man was
hers
.

She could feel it beginning, the mother of all orgasms,
rippling from her core. “Now. God, now.”

He gasped behind her, plunging into her over and over again,
driving her over the edge. She came, breathless, her body locked around him,
her vision turning dark at the edges.

“Fuck me.” Zach lost all control, slamming into her over and
over until he grunted, pulsing inside of her, emptying himself into the condom
until she thought it might overflow. “Jo.”

He collapsed on top of her, both of them breathing hard,
spent beyond anything she’d ever experienced before. She could easily curl up
on the table and sleep for a week if Zach were beside her. He moved to pull out
of her and her hand went to his hip. “Stay.”

He huffed. “Woof.”

She found herself chuckling, right up until he pressed a
soft, sweet kiss to her cheek.

“Zach.”

“Hold on a sec.” She felt him move, pull out of her, leaving
her feeling cold and empty. A moment later she was lifted, placed on the
leather sofa and covered with a blanket. Something cool was slipped on her
finger, and she opened her eyes long enough to see it was the emerald ring
she’d touched. “I’ll be right back.”

She felt him place a soft kiss on her forehead and allowed
herself to drift off, knowing he’d keep her safe.

Chapter
Nine

Zach tiptoed out of the workroom after placing the blanket
over his sleeping mate. If Jo was as hurt as his brothers said she was then she
needed the rest, and he was going to ensure she got it.

“We need to get you into a circle.”

Zach jumped, rattling the doors. “Shit! Don’t
do
that.”

The tall blonde smiled. “Sorry. But we really need to take
care of your problem before it becomes a much bigger one. Don’t worry, I know
how to take care of it.” She took hold of his arm and tugged, but he barely
felt it.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re under a hex, Zach.”

A hex?

Zach blinked as his wolf nodded in agreement.

“Why do you think every spell you touch winds up messed up
in some way?”

“How do you know about that?”

She smiled a secret, feminine smile, like she knew
everything about him, even the size of his tighty-whities. “And I can help you,
if you’ll let me. I need to perform a ritual uncrossing.”

She had to be kidding, right? “I don’t think so.” No way was
he letting a Godwin cast magic on him.

The smile dimmed. It was like watching the sun hide behind a
cloud. “You’re under a hex, Zach.
That’s
why all of your spells have
backfired, why your hand hasn’t healed. We need to fix it, and the best way to
do it is within the protection of a full circle.”

His fingers curled, the agony of his injured hand barely
registering. It would be so easy to blame all of his problems on a hex. “How do
you know for sure it’s a hex?”

She looked weary. “I heard my brothers and my father
discussing it. You were the target. You robbed them of both Chris and Lana
after Cole died. If you hadn’t been there they would have both been soul-burned,
ripe for demonic plucking. They believe they could have taken the crown from
the king while Gareth was busy with the grief of losing his brother.” She gave
him a look full of remorse and a touch of guilt. “Once I realized what they’d
done I started looking for you, but you were very well hidden.”

“That’s not possible. They would have to have something of
mine in order to do that.” There was no way they’d have been able to get some
of his hair. His apartment hadn’t been broken into, either in Pittsburgh or in
Cleveland. His car was also fine, no signs that anyone had tried to get into
it.

She pointed to his palm. “When your hand burned, it bled,
shed flesh. I believe they took that and used it, but the amount of material
would be so small that, if we remove the hex now, they should be unable to
reactivate it.”

It made a sick sort of sense, but her obvious feelings of
guilt bothered him. “How do I know you aren’t in on it?”

She held out her hand. “You
know
what I am, Zach. You
felt it the moment you touched me.” Some of his skepticism must have shown in
his eyes. Her hand dropped back to her side. “Then allow me to prove it to you.
Cast the circle yourself. Call upon the elements, call the quarters, invite the
Lord and Lady to witness our rite. Then bar all evil from entering. If I’m as
evil as you and your brothers suspect I won’t be able to enter the circle.”

It sounded so simple. Could it be that easy? A
straightforward spell to fix what was wrong with him?

It sounded too good to be true. “And you honestly think that
will work.”

She shrugged. “You won’t know until you try.”

“Why can’t I just do what I did to fix Lana’s hex? Why go
under the protection of a circle?”

Her head cocked, curiosity eliminating the remorse. “How
did
you cure Lana?”

“I rubbed a white candle in rue oil, carved a Hecate’s Wheel
on the surface and cast a spell.”

“Ah.” She grimaced. “That won’t work because of the powers
involved in your hexing. It’s more sinister and long-reaching. And because
you’re an Own, the effects could be a great deal more…devastating if we fail.”

He huffed out a deep breath. Damn it, she was making too
much sense. By being inside a sacred circle and doing a full ritual he’d be as
protected as he could be, and so would those he loved. “Fine. But not in the
house.” He needed to be outside for this in case…well, in case. If he was the
one calling the quarters he could accidentally whip up a tornado or a
firestorm. No way was he doing that in Chris’s home. “Follow me.”

It took him bare minutes to gather what he needed. The
mixture of approval and puzzlement on Gen’s face was almost worth it. “Why
does
your brother have rue oil?”

Rue oil was rarely used in magic, since it had only one real
purpose. “Because yours hexed Lana.” He didn’t trust her enough to tell her he
carried it with him ever since he’d come to Chris’s house to help protect Lana
from Cole Godwin’s madness. He stepped out the back door and into the cool
evening air. Looking up, he was pleased to see that the night was dark, the
moon nowhere in the sky. Why this pleased him he wasn’t certain, but he knew it
was exactly what he needed. “Are you ready?”

“Set up your altar.”

Zach began to lay out what he’d need, using Chris’s patio
table as a makeshift altar. He pulled it off the patio and onto the grass, away
from any overhanging trees. He blessed a bowl of sea salt mixed with water and
scrubbed the glass top, cleansing it of any negative energy. He dried it
carefully, then draped a clean white cloth over it, hiding the glass top and
metal legs. On top of that he placed his two candles, the silver goddess candle
on the left, the golden god candle on the right. A glass of wine, a cauldron, a
bowl of clear water and a bell finished his preparations on the goddess side.
He placed a small blue glass dish with a honey cake on it, his athame, his
wand, and a small glass bowl of sea salt on the right, the god’s side. And
between the silver and gold candles he placed the same carved candle he’d used
to cure Lana’s hex, rounding out his altar. The Hecate’s Wheel he’d etched into
it was as fresh as it had been that night, all traces of the spell it had
absorbed gone. The candle
felt
clean, but he scrubbed it with the sea
salt and water mixture anyway before anointing it with the rue oil, knowing it
would strengthen the spell to break the hex. He tucked wooden matches in his
pocket for later use.

“Interesting choices.”

He ignored Gen, the peace and serenity of a ritual settling
into his bones. What he was doing was right, and he knew it deep inside. He
wouldn’t allow anyone to question his choices here in the circle. If she was
correct and his problems stemmed from a hex, then the candle was the beginning
of his salvation.

“Yo, bro, whazzup?”

Zach blinked. He turned and rolled his eyes. “Let her go,
Gareth. She’s not going to eat me.”

Gareth stood with his arm firmly around Gen’s shoulders.
Almost
too
firmly from the gasp she let out. “What are you two crazy
kids up to?”

“Gen thinks I’ve been hexed. We’re going to perform a ritual
and see if I can’t remove it.”

Gen moved under Gareth’s arm. “I’ll be removing the hex.”

“Uh, no, you won’t.” Gareth grinned. “Zach can handle it. Or
better yet, I’ll do it.”

Gen stilled, her face blanking. “No.”

Something about the way the other woman stood had Zach
wondering. Why was she afraid? “I’ll take care of it, Gareth.”

Gareth nodded to him over Gen’s head. “I’ll be here.” He
nodded with his chin to Zach’s remaining items. “Let me place your circle for
you.” Zach nodded, watching as Gareth placed the amethyst geode to the north,
the incense burner to the east, a red pillar-type candle to the south and a
bowl of water to the west. “Want me to light east and south?”

“Nope. I’ll take care of it when I call the quarters.”

Gareth nodded and stepped back, out of the circle’s
perimeter. “You
are
letting me in, right?”

Gen’s eyes went wide.

“Wouldn’t dream of doing this without you.” He ignored Gen’s
sigh, took a deep breath, and began. He took his athame out of its sheath and
stepped toward the geode.

“Blessed be all who enter here.

To the Law of Three adhere.”

And just like the Wiccan Rede suggested,
for tread the
Circle thrice about to keep unwelcome spirits out,
he would cast the full
three circles and protect himself as much as possible.

He pointed the tip of the blade toward the geode and
visualized the circle he wanted, one that would hold out all evil. He began a
stately walk clockwise, or deosil, around the circle.

“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 his athame, casting a
gentle moon glow around the circle. When he was done he was once more at the
geode. He began the second circle.

“I lay down the circle blue,

For protection sound and true.

May evil not pass through.”

The blue light was stronger, brighter. He hoped it meant the
protection would also be stronger.

He began the third and final circle with the full knowledge
that it was the most important. He kept his voice firm and strong for the third
circle.

“I lay down the circle black.

Justice comes to those who lack.

May evil intentions break and crack.”

This time the tip of the athame quivered the entire time he
cast the circle. Blackness poured from the tip, rising from the newly formed
circle like a dark mist. Something about that mist was both comforting and
alarming, but he couldn’t stop to think about it. The mist was harmless to him,
but woe to any evil that tried to step through it.

Zach stopped in front of the geode. First was earth, the
element he felt the most kinship with. He sheathed his athame, knelt and placed
his hands on the geode.

“North and Earth I call on thee.

Join me in my circles three.

Grant me your stability.”

He felt something rumble beneath his feet, knew the element
answered his call. He could smell the green, growing things as clearly as his
wolf could despite his human form. For the first time in months he felt the
whirlwind his life had become calm itself. The steady, peaceful heartbeat of
earth calmed both man and beast. It was the element he felt most drawn to, the
one that could calm him when nothing else could.

He walked to the incense burner, fingering the matches.

“East and Air I call on thee.

Join me in my circles three.

Grant me your creativity.”

He used the wooden matches to light the incense, blowing out
the fire to allow the scented smoke to waft into the air. He’d chosen lavender
incense to honor Hecate, the scent sacred to the goddess. A gentle breeze
swirled into the circles, filling the area with sweetness.

South was next. Fire was the only element that made him
nervous, especially in light of the many problems he’d been having lately.

“South and Fire I call on thee.

Join me in my circles three.

Grant me your energy.”

He lit the red candle, careful in calling
this
particular
quarter. It was the one that was the most volatile, the one he felt the least
affinity for. But fire leapt from the candle, taller than it should have been
but tamed, contained by the wax holding it in place. He smiled, the power pouring
into him. He hadn’t realized how tired he was until fire granted him a
reprieve.

He didn’t know quite why the ritual was working so well, but
he wasn’t about to turn away this gift.

Time to call the last quarter and invite my brother and
Gen into the circles.
He 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.”

The water in the bowl rippled beneath his hand. For a split
second he thought he saw a pentagram burning white in its depths, but it faded
away as quickly as it came.

Zach smiled. A pentagram in a circle was a symbol of
protection. His plea had been heard, his circles secure.

He picked up his athame and turned to the two watchers. He
unsheathed it and walked toward them. He held out the point of the blade and
pointed it at his brother. “How do you enter the circles three?”

Gareth bowed, showing his respect to Zach as Priest of the
ritual. “In perfect love and harmony.”

Zach smiled and lowered his arm, knowing Gareth would have
no trouble crossing the circles. Gareth walked in and embraced Zach. “Good job,
bro.”

Zach didn’t answer. He pointed the athame at Gen. “How do
you enter the circles three?”

Gen smiled, her body suddenly enveloped in a gentle green
glow. “In perfect love and harmony.”

She stepped through the circles without fear. The black
circle seemed to caress the Own, and Gen shivered, her face lit with ecstasy.

“Holy shit.”

“Literally.”

Zach looked back toward the back door to find Chris and
Daniel standing there. In the background he thought he could see Annabelle
nodding, her approval loud and clear.

He grinned and pointed his athame at Chris first. “How do
you enter the circles three?”

Chris stepped forward without hesitation, bowing to Zach.
“In perfect love and harmony.” He stepped through and hugged Zach.

Zach pointed at Daniel, unsure if his brother would take the
step or not. “How do you enter the circles three?”

Daniel was slower than the other two, but he bowed before
Zach. He was eyeing the black, swirling circle with some misgiving. “In perfect
love and harmony.” He entered the circles, shaking his head. “You sure know how
to throw a party, bro.” He embraced Zach, pounding his back twice before
letting him go.

Zach looked for Annabelle, but she was gone.

Huh.

He turned back to the altar. It was time to call the Lord
and Lady, and his palms were sweating. The invocation to the Lord and Lady were
more intense than the quarters and required his full attention and devotion. He
glanced up at the sky, and understood why his instincts had been humming with
pleasure. Tonight was no full-moon ritual.