Once Bitten (20 page)

* * * *

She
must have fallen asleep. Or passed out. Or some combination of the two.

The
next thing she knew, she was waking up with Gabriel’s tongue on her shoulder
and his cock still inside her. The birds outside the window were chirping and
the rays of dawn were hitting her square in the face.

She
closed her eyes against the unwelcome intrusion and snuggled back against
Gabriel, savoring the warmth of his body behind her.

“How do
you feel?” he whispered against her shoulder.

“Mmm…like
a million bucks.”

He
chuckled against her neck. “In all seriousness though, how do you feel?”

She
thought about it. As sore as she would’ve thought she was going to be, she was
surprised when she wasn’t. At all.

“I feel
pretty good. Nothing hurts.”

“Your
shoulder looks good. Don’t be surprised when it scars, all first mating bites
scar. You shouldn’t scar the next time I bite you.”

“It’s
not still bleeding or anything is it?” The first thing she thought was that she
needed to wash out the wound and clean herself up, judging by the dried blood
trail down the front of her torn shirt.

“Of
course not. It’s healed already for the most part.”

“What?”
She sat up and tried to crane her neck to see the wound for herself, but when
she couldn’t get a good look she took off into the bathroom to look in the
mirror.

She
couldn’t believe it. Instead of the gaping holes as she had expected, there was
nothing there except angry red marks from where his teeth had been.

Gabriel
came up behind her to stand in the doorway of the bathroom. Meeting her wide
eyes in the mirror, he answered her unasked question. “My only guess is that
when we mated you got more of me than you bargained for. You’re not healing as
fast as I would, but it’s definitely faster than any human.”

“What
are you saying? That you turned me into a werewolf?”

He
laughed. “No, you’re not a werewolf. We’re born, not bitten. You’re just as
human as you were before, only a little more…I don’t know. Enhanced, maybe.”

“God,
this is weird,” she muttered, fingering her shoulder.

“Increased
strength and healing. What’s not to like?”

“I didn’t
say I didn’t like it, I just said it was weird.”

“It is
what it is,” he said, shrugging.

She
turned around, hopped up on the counter and opened her arms to him. Gabriel
moved to stand between her legs, his arms wrapping around her shoulders.

“And
how would you know all this? I thought you said that werewolves only ever mated
with other werewolves?” she asked, leaning her head back and smiling at him.

“I’ve
heard females talking about feeling stronger once they’ve mated.”

“And
are men weaker?”

“No,”
he spat. She laughed at his abrupt answer.

“A man
would never admit to being weak.”

“You
think I’m weak?”

She
laughed again, thoroughly enjoying teasing him.

His
face was deadpan. “You do. You think I’m weak.”

“No,
no. Of course I don’t.”

“You
do.”

She
couldn’t stop smiling. “I don’t. You’re not weak at all.”

“I’ll
show you weak.” He laughed suddenly, picking her up from the counter and
throwing her body over his shoulder.

She
shrieked, grasping his waist to keep from feeling like he was going to drop her
on her head. All the same, she couldn’t stop giggling as he carried her back to
the bed.

With a
swift smack on her ass, he dropped her unceremoniously onto the mattress. Lila
bounced a few times before scampering to the side, but he was ready. As soon as
he had her where he wanted her, he leapt for her.

* * * *

“Are
you sure we’re not going to get shot for trespassing?” Lila asked as Gabriel
drove the last stretch of their hour-long drive to Salem.

She had
waited patiently while he called his uncle Malcolm and updated him on what had
gone down in Long Lake. Finally, after what seemed to be a conversation that
lasted an eternity, Gabriel had convinced his uncle that going to Celeste was
the best option.

“Are
you frightened?” he asked, glancing over at her.

“No. I
just don’t like walking into the unknown.”

“Well,
it’s really not unknown. I’ve met Celeste several times over the years that she’s
worked with my uncle.”

That
may have been true, but Lila couldn’t shake the apprehension of meeting her. “But
she’s like this big bad witch?”

“She’s
hardly the Wicked Witch of the West.”

“You
know what I mean.”

“She’s
the leader of the witches, yes. But she’s not scary, or at least I don’t think
so.”

“But
you’re a werewolf. You’re not supposed to cower in front of a witch. I’m just a
human,” she said, taking in his rugged profile. She couldn’t see Gabriel
cowering in front of anyone.

His
voice was soft and he looked away from the road for longer than he probably
should have. “Lila, you’re not ‘just’ a human. You’re not ‘just’ anything.”

Her
chest tightened.

“You’re
just saying that because we’re mated. And as my mate, you’re obligated to think
that way.”

He was
dead serious when he looked at her, his brown eyes intense. “I’m not obligated
to think any which way. I thought that long before mating ever crossed my mind.”

Under
the close scrutiny of his gaze, she felt her cheeks redden. She wanted to ask
him what he felt for her, but quickly talked herself out of it. It was neither
the time nor the place to have a heart to heart conversation about feelings and
other mushy stuff, so she redirected the topic of conversation.

“She’s
a witch so isn’t she going to know immediately that I’m not one?”

“No,”
he said, his eyes fixed on the road. “If the warlocks thought you were a witch
than so will the witches. They’re cut from the same cloth.”

“What
do you mean?”

“Warlocks
and witches were once known as magic-wielders. They were one faction until they
split about a decade ago,” he explained to her.

“Why
did they split?”

“They
disagree over everything, including that, so no one really knows. Witches say
it’s because the warlocks want an unnatural amount of power and that they’ll
stop at nothing to get it. Warlocks say that they’re not willing to be ruled by
women since magic-wielders, and now witches, were matriarchal…” He shrugged.

“I’m
still not keen on going in there.”

“Look,
I know you’re nervous. Just follow my lead and everything will be fine.”

She
rolled her eyes. “You say that a lot, you know.”

A grin
spread across his lips. “Because I know what I’m talking about.”

Smiling,
Lila looked out the window just as Gabriel pulled up to the curb. He shut off
the Jeep and looked over at Lila, who was already unbuckling her seat belt.

Feeling
his eyes on her, she looked up at him. “In and out, all right? Don’t draw any
unnecessary attention to yourself.”

“I
understand.”

“Warlocks
lurk around Salem just as much as they do Boston. Stay close.”

He
leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her mouth before getting out and
walking around the vehicle to meet her on the sidewalk. Wrapping his arm around
her shoulder, they walked several yards until they stood in front of an iron
gate that was a few inches taller than Gabriel.

Behind
the gate stood a three-story brick mansion that had to be at least two hundred
years old. It had been meticulously cared for, the manicured lawn and the
polished windows that were framed with black shutters were pristine.

 
There were no signs of movement from the
outside, but Lila could tell that the place was not vacant. An eerie feeling
washed over her as if she were being watched, which she probably was. With the
ever present warlock threat, she doubted that the security was as minimal as it
appeared.

Gabriel
pressed the buzzer on the small box outside the gated entry. He didn’t have to
wait long before a masculine voice greeted them.

“Can I
help you?”

Gabriel’s
voice was low when he spoke. “I’m here to see to Celeste.”

“Who
are you?”

“Gabriel
Azarov.”

“Is she
expecting you?”

“No but
it’s important that I speak with her.”

“One
moment please.”

Gabriel
glanced around them while they waited. It didn’t take long before the gate
buzzed and the sound of the lock clicked back. He pushed open the gate and held
it open for Lila to step in. When he released it, the heavy gate swung shut and
the lock re-engaged.

As soon
as they reached the front door, it opened. A male witch a few inches taller
than Lila greeted them. He looked to be in his mid-forties, but he obviously
took care of himself.

He
would be the bodyguard, Lila thought, stepping closer to Gabriel.

His
gray eyes flickered from Gabriel to Lila before addressing the both of them. “This
is something you don’t see every day. Come in.”

The
bodyguard stepped to the side and allowed them to enter the large foyer,
closing the door behind them.

“Celeste
will be down in a moment. If you will follow me,” he said before turning to
lead them into a large living area.

When he
indicated that they should be seated on the oversized sofa, Lila sat and looked
around the room. An antique coffee table sat in front of them with a large
glass vase that held the most beautiful red roses.

The
room itself was ornately furnished with large oil paintings hanging on the wall
and Lila wondered how many of the women depicted in them had lived in the
mansion over the centuries. Under all of the portraits were gold plates indicating
a name and a set of dates.

“May I
get you both something to drink while you wait?” The bodyguard asked them. His
curious gaze was making Lila uncomfortable and she shifted in her seat.

“Water,
please,” Lila told him. Gabriel asked for the same and the man left to retrieve
their drinks.

Lila
pressed her thigh against Gabriel’s. It was comforting just knowing he was
close to her. She knew they were here for a purpose but she still didn’t like
intruding in Gabriel’s world. It was foreign to her and made her uneasy. On top
of all of it, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

Gabriel
reached down to clasp her hand. “It’s okay,” he murmured under his breath.

Lila
took comfort in the heat on his skin. She knew he wouldn’t let anything happen
to her and soon the overwhelming feeling of eyes on her became tolerable.

He
released her hand when the bodyguard came back into the room. He handed both of
them tall glasses filled with ice water before leaving them there to wait for
Celeste.

When
Gabriel lifted the glass to his lips, his nostrils flared and he immediately
pulled it back. His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, stopping Lila from
drinking the offending water. A few drops spilled out onto her shirt and she
looked at him questioningly.

“Don’t,”
was all he said, but she got the point. She didn’t know what was in the water
and she was pretty sure that she didn’t want to find out.

She
watched him as he took their glasses and one by one dumped some of the contents
into the flower vase. When the vibrant red petals began to fade slightly, Lila
chastised herself. She couldn’t believe that she hadn’t expected some kind of
potion when she entered the house of a witch. It shouldn’t have been as
surprising as it was.

The old
grandfather clock in the corner ticked on loudly as they waited, but luckily it
wasn’t for very long.

“Gabriel!”
A flowery voice exclaimed behind them. Lila stood with Gabriel when a short
woman entered the room, her loose blue skirt flowing behind her.

A
bright smile lit up her chocolate complexion when she saw him. Her long black
hair hung in tight curls down her back that looked so soft that Lila had to
stop herself from reaching out to touch them. Celeste looked as if she were
around thirty, but Lila had the feeling she was at least ten years older than
that.

“What
brings you here?”

“I’ve
come because I have some information you may be interested in,” he told her,
sitting once again when she plopped herself in an armchair across from them.

Celeste
glanced over at Lila and instantly her face fell. Shaking her head, she said, “You’ve
mated with a witch.”

Crap.

“Yes.”

Celeste’s
cheeks reddened. “Is that what you’ve come to tell me?”