Witch Way to Love (3 page)

He
surveyed the destruction that lay before him. He wasn’t sure how he was going
to get all of the water off the floor, but if he didn’t do it soon, the floor
would be ruined. Thank the goddess it had only rained in the living room! The
rest of the house hadn’t exactly had an easy time of it, but it would be much
easier to clean up. No time like the present.

Grabbing
the mop from the kitchen pantry, he began sopping up the water. He’d barely
finished the task when he felt a pull, a tugging deep inside. Cade frowned, not
understanding the feeling, or where it came from, but it was insistent and he
wasn’t sure he could ignore it. He put the mop away and began clearing the
debris in the kitchen, but he began to feel almost panicked. Buttoning his
shirt on the way to the door, he stopped long enough to put on his boots and
grab his keys, then locked up and hopped on his motorcycle.

He
allowed the feeling to guide him through the city streets, out of the jungle
and into the city proper. As he crested a hill, he spotted three wolves
circling a small woman. Hell, not just any woman, but the sassy witch who’d
turned his life, or rather his house, upside down. The feeling intensified the
closer he got to them and he wondered why. Had the witch sent out a distress
call and his inner beast was answering? Or was it his other half that was
responding to the tempting little morsel?

Cade
neared the group and came to stop, killing the engine and putting down the
kickstand. The wolves either didn’t notice him, or figured he wasn’t a threat.
It wouldn’t really be a big deal to take on all three of them, but he’d have to
let his secret out, and he wasn’t ready for the witch to know who he was, not
yet anyway. If they crossed paths again, he might consider it.

“Didn’t
your mommas ever teach you not to play with your food?” he asked, drawing their
attention away from the witch.

“Stay
out of this. It’s no concern of yours. Go find your own woman,” one of them
snarled.

He
sighed and rolled his neck on his shoulders. Maybe he could take them in a
fight without using anything extra. No matter how he looked at the situation,
he realized it was going to come down to a brawl of some sort. Whether with
fists, claws, or something else, he couldn’t say. Obviously using reason wasn’t
going to work on the young pups. The oldest looked like he was barely twenty.
Of course, looks could be deceiving when it came to the paranormal. For all he
knew, the pup was fifty years old, but he highly doubted it. As for himself, he
was carrying a good two hundred years, plus a few extra. Not that he looked a
day over thirty-five.

“I’m
afraid it is my concern, because that’s my woman you’ve cornered.” He eyed each
of them, daring them to contradict him.
 
He
silently prayed to the goddess that the witch held her tongue. He didn’t have
to wait long for the young upstarts to mouth off.

The
one with spiky brown hair sneered at him. “She’s not yours, or anyone else’s.
She doesn’t wear a mark, from either wolf or vampire.”

Well,
shit. He hadn’t thought of that. He’d never marked anyone in his life.

“Doesn’t mean she isn’t mine.
The
relationship is new and she isn’t ready to be bitten. You don’t just jump into
that kind of commitment.”

The
third one looked from him to the witch, then back again. “So if she’s yours,
what’s she doing walking around alone at night, on the night of a full moon?
Shouldn’t she be holed up in your den?”

If
she were his mate, she would be. Hell, even if they were just dating, he’d have
her naked and under him, all night long. Just thinking about sinking into her
hot, wet pussy had his dick standing at attention. The tang of her fear hung
heavy in the air, and it was an aphrodisiac to his kind. He adjusted his pants
as discreetly as possible.

“We
had a fight,” the witch blurted. “I sort of demolished his house and decided to
walk home in order to cool off.”

The
young pup—he’d determined to be the leader of the ragtag group—didn’t look like
he believed her. He moved in closer, sniffing the air around her. His eyes
flashed yellow, pupils dilating, as his wolf came closer to the surface. He
moved in even closer and all but buried his nose in her hair. Cade knew from
experience it smelled like citrus, a nice crisp scent.

“Your
scent is faint on her,” the wolf accused. “That could merely be from brushing
against her on the sidewalk.”

Cade
arched a brow. “Does it look like I was out for a stroll tonight? I’ve been in
my home since early evening. If you don’t believe me, you can ask my nosy
neighbors.”

One
of the wolves moved in closer to the witch, hemming her in. She didn’t seem to
like it much, as her eyes flashed with annoyance and she stomped on the wolf’s
foot, making him howl and retreat a few steps. Cade’s lips twitched as he
fought a smile at her show of spunk, even in the face of such odds. Either
she’d reacted without thinking, or she trusted him to get her out of this mess.

“This
can go one of two ways,” Cade said. “You
either hand me the
witch and
go about your business, find someone else to molest tonight,
or I teach you a lesson in manners. It’s a lesson you won’t forget anytime
soon, I can promise you that.”

The
middle wolf snorted.
“As if you could teach us anything, old
man.
We’re younger, faster, and smarter.”

“You
aren’t too smart if you’re messing with my woman. Do you even know who I am?”

If
his words and mere presence wouldn’t put the fear of the goddess in them, maybe
his name would work. There was a chance the witch would recognize it, but he’d
just have to take that gamble. He hadn’t seen her around town before, though,
so maybe she was new. Women usually had one of two reactions to him once they
knew who he was. They either fell to their knees at his feet, all but begging
to belong to him, or they cowered in fear. Something told him the witch
wouldn’t cower, but he didn’t think she was the type to beg either. Not that he
would mind seeing her kneeling at his feet…preferably with his pants open and
his cock filling her mouth.

Damn
it. If he kept thinking that way, even the witch would be able to smell his
arousal. He wasn’t about to give her the upper hand and let her know how much
she affected him. He might want to strip her naked, lick every inch of her body
before bending her over and plunging into her wet heat, but he wasn’t about to
show just how much he wanted her. He’d never been so consumed by a woman
before. From the moment he’d opened his door, she’d filled his senses and his
head with her tantalizing little self.

The
wolves looked at one another before glancing his way again, looking a little
less certain than before. They may not recognize him, but they sensed something
wasn’t right, that he wasn’t just your average wolf. Maybe he was finally
getting through to them.

“Just
let the witch go,” he said again, hoping they would comply. “You have to know
she won’t give in to you easily. Wouldn’t you prefer someone a little less
feisty? Maybe someone who would even welcome your advances? There are plenty of
bitches out running tonight who would be up for a bit of fun.”

“I’ve
heard being with a witch is ten times better than fucking another wolf,” the
spiky-haired one said.

“Well,
you’ll have to find your own witch. That one’s mine.”

They
seemed to confer with one another silently before the leader nodded and moved
away, his
packmates
following. Not another word was
said as they moved across the street and disappeared around the corner. The
tension in Cade’s shoulders eased a bit as he assessed the witch, wondering how
much longer she could hold it together. She had to know what they’d planned for
her. Not many women could face that without falling apart at least a little.

She
trembled a moment, then lifted her chin and straightened her spine. “Thank you
for your help.”

He’d
bet his Harley that it had cost her dearly to thank him, to admit that she’d
needed help. Why she hadn’t zapped them with her wand, he didn’t understand.
She wasn’t exactly defenseless, not anymore. Now, if they’d caught her before
she’d found
Sauren
, things could have gone badly,
very badly.

“Why
don’t you let me give you a ride home? Unless you’re going to translocate,” he
suggested.

“I
can’t,” she said. “
Sauren
exhausted his powers
tearing apart your house. I tried to use a bit of magick when those wolves
circled me and all the stupid wand did was sputter, spark, then give out
completely. It will be hours before I can use it again.”

“You
should have
translocated
from my house. You would
have been home, safe and sound, and not wandering the streets. Don’t you know
how dangerous it is out here, tonight of all nights?”

She
shrugged a shoulder. “I know the full moon is making the wolves a bit whacky,
but—”

“Not
just the wolves, sweetheart. Try all shape-shifters. But being a witch, you
should know that.”

“I’ve
sort of been out of the loop for a bit,” she mumbled.

Both
of his brows rose.
“Out of the loop?
What, were you
living under a rock?”

“More
like locked in another realm. The witch’s council called me about twenty-five
years ago and something went wrong when they sent me home. I ended up in the
land of giants, stuck. I had to wait on the portal to re-open. The stars only
align in that realm every twenty-five years, and only for a few hours. If I’d
missed my window, I’d still be stuck there.”

He’d
like to say he was surprised, but his brief time with the witch had proven that
if bad things could happen to her, they would. How many witches lost their
wands? He understood why it had sought him out, even if she didn’t, but most
witches could hold onto their belongings a bit better, even temperamental ones.

“So,
about that ride…”

She
looked down the street where the wolves had disappeared, looked the other way,
then
met his gaze again. Hesitantly, she nodded and moved
closer to him, her wand still clutched in her hand, little good that it did
her. He straddled the Harley and held out his hand, helping her onto the back.
He started to tell her where to put her feet, but she seemed to know already.
Cade wondered just how many motorcycles she’d ridden on, and with whom. The
idea of this particular witch getting friendly enough to wrap her arms around
some biker didn’t sit well with him.

It
would take a hell of a lot more than a motorcycle accident to kill him, so he
didn’t have any helmets to offer her. Then again, being a paranormal herself,
she was more resilient than a human would be. He’d just have to be extra
careful on his way to her place, no sense taking any chances.

“Where
am I going?” he asked.

“Two-zero-six
Magnolia Lane. It’s the last house on the street and sits back a ways. If you
don’t know it’s there, you’ll miss it.”

He
nodded, figuring the place was
warded
. After her
ordeal with the council, he would imagine she’d have extra wards in place,
keeping out everyone but those who had her permission to enter the property.
Little did she realize, they wouldn’t do any good protecting her from him, and
with that hot little body pressed firmly against his back, those thighs hugging
his, she definitely needed some protection from him. His wolf was ravenous and
was more than ready to take a nibble or two.

The
warm air blew over them as they prowled along the street, his bike growling
loud enough to alert anyone to his presence. It had a distinct sound, unlike
any other bike ever made, something he’d had done with a bit of magick. There
were also invisible wards on the bike to keep anyone from stealing it. If
someone touched it with ill intent, their hand would burn like they’d stuck it
in a blazing fire.

It
was a surprisingly short ride to her home, and before long, he was pulling into
her driveway. Her yard was overgrown with trees and flowering shrubs. It gave
the mint green cottage a unique look, cozy even. He could easily see her living
here, maybe sitting on the porch on a nice day, sipping lemonade.

The
witch slid off the bike, and he found himself following her. Cade told himself
it was just to make sure she arrived at her door safe and sound, but deep down,
he knew it was something more. That insistent pull he’d felt had died a little,
but there was still something there, something drawing him to the witch. He’d
felt it the moment he’d opened the door to her. It had taken him by surprise,
and perhaps had made him less than hospitable, but he didn’t like the feeling.
It was unlike anything he’d felt before, and he had little doubt that it
spelled trouble.

They
stepped up onto her porch, the lighting coming on as they neared the door. He
watched as she slid her key into the lock, gave it a twist, and shoved the door
open. From what he could see of her home, it was tidy inside. Her wood floors
gleamed like they’d just been polished, and her furniture looked…cute. He
doubted the small sofa would be very comfortable for someone his size, but it
suited the little witch.