Her Wild Magic (7 page)

Max glared back at him. “What are you so mad about? I’m the one who was abandoned. And put me down. You’re treating me like a doggie toy.”

Caleb snarled at her again, this time flashing an impressive set of canines, and Max decided a tactical retreat was in order. She knew his anger was fueled by the fear that she might have been hurt—or worse. But he
was
mad enough to give her a serious spanking. And since his hands were as big and well developed as the rest of him, that was something she wanted to avoid.

“Okay, my bad. I apologize for breaking my promise to stay in the cabin. But you did abandon me.” Max added the last bit, hoping to deflect some of his anger. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from grinning when Caleb’s angry expression gave way to a frown of uncertainty.

He allowed her feet to touch the floor, but when she tried to move away from him, he gripped her waist, anchoring her in place.

“You were not abandoned, woman. I left you a note.”

“Leaving a woman the morning after with a,
Stay in the cabin or else
, Post-it note on the door
is
abandonment.” Max pushed against his chest. “Let me go. I’ve decided I don’t like you anymore.”

“Too bad, you’re stuck with me.” He jerked her into his arms for a jarring hug. “I could have lost you.”

“Now I’m beginning to feel like a yo-yo,” Max gasped with her face smashed against his chest. “And lighten up a bit on the rib-cracking hug, wolf man. I’m breakable.”

Caleb loosened his hold, but he rested his cheek against the top of her head in a gesture Max secretly craved. Whenever he did it, she felt cherished right down to the tips of her toes.

“Don’t ever do that to me again,” Caleb said. “I need you, babe.”

Max sighed heavily and returned his embrace. She’d been ready to give him a piece of her mind about his leaving her, but how could she yell at him when he was holding her as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him?

“I had to help Kayla. Otherwise I never would have left the cabin to face a scary dude like Michael. But I heard you calling to me through our bond. I knew you were doing everything you could to get to me.”

“Moving at preternatural speed, I would have reached you in seconds, but Michael sacrificed several of his followers to slow me down. Each time I dispatched one, another took his place. His goal was to delay me long enough to capture you and Kayla. With the two most important women in my life held hostage, he could keep me at bay.” Caleb rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. “His plan might have succeeded, if he hadn’t underestimated you.

Max snuggled against his broad chest, enjoying the feel of his strong arms around her. “I don’t want to talk about what happened. I think I’ll just stay here for a while and enjoy the moment. Unless…” She titled her head back to smile suggestively up at him. “…you have something better in mind?”

He kissed the tip of her nose and gently eased her away from him. “We need to talk. But first I want to thank you for saving Kayla.”

Max sighed, accepting the inevitable. She knew what that meant. He wanted to discuss exactly
how
she’d saved Kayla. And the expression on his face said later wasn’t an option.

“You don’t have to thank me. I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.”

“Others might have, but you are a true daughter of Morrigan.”

“Michael called me that. He also called me a mage slayer, but I don’t understand what either term means.”

“Morrigan was one of my people. A woman born with the heart of a lion and the soul of a saint. She protected the innocent against insurmountable odds. But it was her ability to turn a dark mage’s powers against him that earned her the title of Mage Slayer. I believe you have untapped powers similar to hers, and more than likely she was one of your ancestors.”

“So that’s what I did,” she murmured thoughtfully. “I turned Michael’s own powers against him.” Max looked up at Caleb, her eyes filled with unease. “But to defeat him, I had to do something I’d vowed never to do. And I can see by your guarded expression you know exactly what I’m talking about. My guess is you’ve known all along there was something powerful buried inside me.”

When he remained silent, his face expressionless, Max shook her head in resignation. “Well, it’s out now. The question is, can I put it back?”

Caleb closed the distance between them. “Do you really want to put it back?”

She opened her mouth to answer him, but he placed a finger against her lips.

“On second thought, don’t answer that. You’re a daughter of Morrigan. Of that, I have no doubt. But I also believe you’re the human mage slayer prophesized to mate a Lycan and fight at his side in the coming Great War.” He pulled Max into his arms, his hands molding her against the hard contours of his body and the blatant evidence of his need. “But none of that matters now. All that matters is that you’re safe and,” he whispered softly against her neck, “the smell of your arousal tells me you are very much in need of the comfort only your mate can give you.”

“God, could you please stop smelling me.” Max moaned, burying her face in his chest. “And anyway, we can’t do that now.”

“Why not, babe? It’s what we both need.”

Max tilted her head back to look at him in dismay. “Have you forgotten Kayla? We need to check on her. Stefan was very angry when he flashed her out of here. She might need rescuing.”

“We’ll be seeing them both in a few hours. Stefan and Kayla are both part of the Alliance, and the team is meeting here at the cabin to discuss the best way to handle Michael. But in any case, you needn’t worry about Kayla. Stefan would sooner cut off his arm than hurt her. He’s just upset that she won’t sit by the fire while he goes out and slays the dragons of the world.”

“Kinda like somebody we know,” Max said, arching an eyebrow.

“Exactly like someone we know,” Caleb said, sliding his hands over her bottom. “But in my case, I know I’m mated to a little spitfire who’s going to need her tight little ass spanked on a regular basis. Stefan, on the other hand, is still trying to figure out what the hell happened to turn his sweet little bride into a ball buster.”

“So they’re already married?” Max asked, doing her best to ignore her body’s heated response to his marauding hands. It was a losing battle, but she couldn’t just bend over and drop her drawers every time the man curled his finger at her.
Even though, God help me, that’s exactly what I
want to do.

“They’re better than married,” Caleb informed her with a knowing little smile that said he wasn’t in the least fooled by her resistance. “A vampire’s bride is literally the other half of his soul. They will mate, but at the moment they’re having a bit of a problem merging their worlds. Stefan has rigid ideas about a woman’s place in the world, and delicate little Kayla has blossomed into a steel magnolia. But I have no doubt they’ll mate. There’s just going to be plenty of fireworks while they work out their differences.”

He leaned in, inhaling deeply as he nuzzled her neck. “But that’s enough talk about Stefan and Kayla for now. I smell something delicious. Could it be my baby has the same problem I do?”

“You always have a problem,” Max quipped, tilting her head to the side to give him better access to her neck. “But me first. I’m the injured party here.”

Caleb smiled down at her and slid a hand beneath the shirt she was wearing, his hand stroking the curls at the junction of her thighs. “I don’t think so. You’ve been a very bad girl. And bad girls don’t get to call the shots.”

“Okay-y,” she moaned, savoring the feel of his thumb stroking over her folds. “I
have
been pretty bad, but I’m ready to accept my punishment.”

“That’s good, baby, because your punishment is going to be long and hard.” He took her hand and led her over to the bed. “And if you really do a good job of showing me how sorry you are, I won’t use the handcuffs…until later.”

The first to arrive was Stefan and Kayla. The tension between them was palpable, but while Stefan’s face was completely devoid of expression, Kayla looked like a thundercloud ready to burst. Stefan greeted them with a regal nod, but before Kayla could utter a word, he maneuvered her toward the back of the cabin.

Max jerked her head toward the couple, indicating her concern, but Caleb merely winked before opening the door again. This time a strikingly handsome man dressed in the red robes of a mage entered. His power preceded him into the room, rolling in like a gentle wave washing ashore. He was a mage of great power. But he was also something more, and the power within her rose to the forefront to challenge him, demanding to know if he was friend or foe.

“Peace, little sister,” the mage said, ignoring Caleb’s low growl of warning as he walked calmly toward Max. “I am Mage, but I do not serve the dark ones.” He lifted a hand, and the power within her receded. Whatever he was, he wasn’t a danger to her, or the thing within her would never have acquiesced so easily, but he was too powerful for her to feel totally comfortable with.

“That could come in handy,” Max said, extending her hand to Noori. “Maybe, later, you’ll tell me how you did it.”

Noori smiled and took her hand in his, but he examined her with more than just his eyes. Max would have been offended, but Noori’s eyes held approval and the unspoken offer of friendship.

“I’m Max, by the way,” she offered, when he continued to stare at her.

“I am Noori, Caleb’s blood brother.” He glanced at Caleb from beneath heavily lashed eyelids that any woman would kill for. “And I can see the positive effect you have had on him already. Perhaps there is hope for him yet.” He brushed Max’s hand lightly with a kiss before releasing it. “You are a very courageous woman to mate with one such as him, and if you ever require my assistance, you have only to ask.” He glanced in amusement at Caleb. “I have experience in dealing with wild animals.”

Caleb raised his finger and flipped Noori off, but the mage merely smiled and watched as Caleb pulled Max against his side. “Put a lid on it, Noori. My mate doesn’t need to hear any of your B.S. Were you able to contact Ronan?”

“He is on his way, and I have kept him fully aware of the situation.” He stepped around Caleb and angled his head as he looked at Stefan. “Kayla, my love, is that you the wicked vampire has pinned in the corner?” His eyes lit with delight as Kayla managed to dart around Stefan and, with a small cry of joy, ran to him.

“Noori, I’ve missed you so much!” She gave him a fierce hug. “Thank God you’re home. Stefan is being unreasonable again!”

Noori returned her hug, all the while openly grinning at Stefan over her head. “I can see you have had your hands full, little one. Clearly, awakening the dark one’s emotions has not improved his disposition.” He brushed a kiss across her forehead before holding her at arm’s length. “But look at you! You’ve grown into a beautiful young woman. We will go to Las Vegas to celebrate, a sort of coming out party. Vegas is a very wicked city but—” He slid a sly chance at Stefan. “—we will only be a little wicked.”

Kayla laughed, clearly delighted at his words. “And don’t forget your promise to me.”

“Never. It will be my pleasure to instruct you in whatever you wish.”

“Like hell, you will,” Stefan said, his voice frigid as he closed the distance between them. “Kayla is my bride, and you will respect that. Remove your hands from her, or I will see that you do so.”

Noori released Kayla, but he didn’t move away from her. Instead, he leaned over to whisper loudly in her ear, “The dark one is the jealous type, but he is much too cold-blooded to mate you. Do you wish me to rid you of him, little one? I would make you a much better groom.”

At that moment, Max wondered if Noori was completely sane. He chatted away, planning a trip to Vegas with Kayla, while Stefan watched him with the stone-cold eyes of a killer. And judging by the powerful auras encompassing both men, if the two of them tangled, it would be the equivalent of setting off a nuclear blast in the small cabin.

Caleb must have thought the same thing, because he moved to place himself between Noori and Stefan. In the same moment, Kayla whirled to face a snarling Stefan, knocking a chair over in the process, and Max moved to the other side of the room.

She wasn’t worried about her safety, she knew how to shield, but the big guy needed maneuvering space if he was going to keep a lid on the situation. In any case, things were bound to get broken, and Max didn’t plan to be one of them.

“I see I have arrived just in time.”

Max tried to move, to turn toward the doorway from where the voice had come, but she found she couldn’t move a muscle.

A hooded, dark skinned man, garbed in the brown robe of a monk, walked across her field of vision, and the battle-ready tension wafting off the men in the room changed to blistering anger. Whoever the newcomer was, he was not unknown, but Max didn’t know if he’d survive the day. Stefan and Caleb looked ready to tear him apart, and Noori had a look in his eyes that said he was more than willing to lend a hand.

“Noori, you are incorrigible,” the man said, coming to a halt next to the mage. “I know you seek to help Stefan at this difficult time, but try not to get yourself killed in the process.” He waved his hand, removing the force keeping them in place, and all three men turned to glare at him with the promise of retribution in their eyes.

Caleb was the first to speak, his voice distorted as he brought the urge to shift under control. “Ronan, I told you not to use any of that time-shifting shit on me again or I’d rip you a new asshole. And what the hell took you so long? You should have been here over an hour ago.”

“I am pleased to see you as well,” Ronan said dryly, appearing not the least bit disturbed by the three large men glaring daggers at him. “And I am aware of every threat you have ever made to my person. Please forgive my abrupt intervention, but we have females present, and I could not permit them to be further stressed.” He nodded toward a clearly relieved Kayla, and then turned to Max. “We have yet to be introduced, Caleb’s mate. I am Ronan, and I welcome you to our dysfunctional family.”

Max acknowledged his greeting with a small smile, but she moved closer to Caleb. Ronan was a warlock, and despite the pleasant smile on his gaunt face, his aura said he was as dark of spirit as Noori was bright. When Caleb had told her about those who would be present at this meeting, he’d informed her that Ronan was a good man, but he was often called to battle forces so dark his friends feared for his health—and his soul. After meeting him, she understood Caleb’s warning. Ronan was a powerful warlock, but he was not alone in his body. His was a deeply personal battle with evil, and the outcome was far from certain.

Caleb called the meeting to order, and though it was clear the men were still more than a little pissed off at Ronan, they took up places around the room, directing only a few lingering glares in his direction.

Caleb seated Max next to Kayla, but he remained standing and faced the group. “We all know why we’re here, so there’s no need to rehash what’s already been agreed upon. Once I destroy the stone of Asreal, it will be safe for the rest of you to enter. Just remember, Michael is mine.” His gaze touched briefly on each member of his team as if to re-enforce his words. “Now, is everyone clear on what they need to do?”

They all nodded, but when Max glanced around the room, she noted the men avoided looking in her direction. Kayla gave her a reassuring smile before glancing away.

“Okay,” Max said, directing a steely look at Caleb. “Why do I have the feeling I haven’t been kept completely in the loop? And what do you mean,
We all know why we’re here
? I thought we were here to
formulate
a plan
.
But clearly, everything is a done deal. And now that I think on it, you shut down the mate bond between us for several minutes this afternoon. Care to explain why you did that?”

“Babe,” Caleb admonished, “I thought you understood I mind linked earlier with the others and discussed our options. Everything is settled. I leave immediately for Michael’s stronghold. The others will follow when I give the signal.”

Max shook her head, fighting to contain the fear that gripped her. “You can’t go in alone. There has to be another way.”

“I wish there was, but now that Michael has the stone of Asreal, his power is growing exponentially. We could destroy him with the magical equivalent of a nuclear blast, but that would mean everyone in the stronghold would die. Many of the mages who follow him are foolish young men with no knowledge of Michael’s true plans. They don’t deserve to die, and no one wants that to happen. A surgical strike is risky, but it minimizes the loss of life.”

“You make him sound invincible,” Stefan scoffed, leaning casually against the back wall of the cabin. “Your were senses may make you immune to most of the effects of the stone, but none of us have been controlled for more than a few seconds by its influence. There’s no need for you to go in alone. I, for one, am willing to risk it.”

“But I’m not,” Caleb said flatly, giving him a look that brooked no argument. “And as the Alliance’s hand of justice, it’s my job to deal with Michael. I appreciate your help…but the decision is mine.”

Stefan looked far from pleased, but he acquiesced with a nod of his head, and the room quickly emptied, leaving Caleb and Max alone.

“I still don’t like it, Caleb,” Max grumbled. “What if—”

“It’s too late for what ifs, babe,” Caleb said, pulling her into his arms. “Michael must be stopped before any more innocent blood is shed. Now be a good little hellion and shut up. Your man needs a kiss before he leaves.”

“Good thing you didn’t ask for a goodbye kiss,” Max said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips, “because I’m coming with you. And don’t try and stop me. I know you’re a tough guy, but you never know when a Mage Slayer might come in handy.”

Caleb rested his forehead against hers and sighed heavily. “Much as I’d like to, I’m not going to try and keep you here in the cabin. I already tried that, and trouble found you anyway.” He released her and, with a slap on the butt, turned her toward the door. “You’ll remain with the others, though, and this time you will not disobey me.”

Max said nothing, allowing him to believe she agreed with him, but as she headed out the door, she quietly began making plans of her own. Caleb was hers. And she’d learned long ago that you protect what was yours.