Roused (Moon Claimed) (4 page)

EIGHT

As she had hoped and known the purging had helped and had kept the old demons at bay once she had let them get a bite out of her. Her sleep had been dreamless and restful.

However, the moment she opened the door of her cabin to step outside she realized that her waking hours might not. Seth was standing on her porch, dressed only in jeans and a black shirt that hugged his chest a bit too nicely for her comfort. His dark hair was sexily tousled as if he’d repeatedly run his hand through it, and his eyes were dark, like storm clouds, and a little menacing and tired.

He pushed past her and walked into the cabin.

She ground her teeth. “Good morning to you, too, and sure, come on in.”

Seth walked into her kitchen as if he owned the place – briefly she wondered whether he actually did – grabbed a mug out of a cabinet and poured himself her coffee before leaning against the counter, his arms folded over his chest and his gaze hard on her.

“Want to tell me what happened yesterday?”

She didn’t meet his eyes
as she leaned against the table and crossed her own arms under her chest. “Not particularly.”

“Did you sleep well?”

Erin shrugged, on guard now as she wondered why he didn’t push the matter. “Yes, I did as a matter of fact.”

He set the mug on the counter and came slowly towards her, like the wolf he w
as. Stalking her, his eyes never leaving hers and keeping her trapped in place. Then he put his hands down on the table behind her, successfully caging her in with his body and forcing her to lean back. He radiated heat that had her body shivering, coiling with pleasure that was suddenly blazing as if never been doused. His scent, clean male touched with something earthy, primal even, that had her belly clench, made her want to taste every inch of him.

“Well, I didn’t. Some woman left me in the middle of the forest with a raging hard-on.”

Inwardly she very nearly sighed with relief. His questions she didn’t know how to deal with, but a hard-on she could manage. A smile spread across her lips. “That wasn’t very nice of her.”

“Not at all.”

“So what do you want to do?”

“I think a little punishment is in order.”

All her blood and every drop of moisture in her body rushed south. Her heart was a wild drum inside her chest. She tried to speak, but no sound would come out. However, words weren’t necessary when his mouth came crushing down on hers.

He tasted ev
en better than she had imagined and Erin moaned as his tongue tried to capture hers. The kiss was nothing gentle and sweet. No slow discovering of each other, no indulging in little nibbles and games. This kiss was a plunge into pleasure-hazed oblivion without questions asked, no excuses made. And Erin loved every second of it. He pushed her onto the table, his hand cupped her jaw, angling her for deeper access while the other roamed up her body, leaving a blazing trail from her hip to her breast.

His hips were nestled between hers, his erection pressing where she wanted him without any barriers between them. He rocked against her, hit
ting her clit. She bit his lip and made him growl before he pinched her nipple so hard Erin moaned into his mouth, almost exploding under him from the sweet pleasure and pain.

His voice was low and hoarse.
“You like it rough?”

“Actually, I do.”

A sound escaped him, somewhere between a groan and a purr and as devastating to her system. “God, you’re killing me woman.”

Seth did it again, a hard pinch to her nipple and a rock and grind between her legs, and her whole body tensed with need. Erin was panting, amazed at how he could make her feel so much s
o fast. When she only wanted more, he suddenly pulled back.

“What the hell?” She stared
at him, speechless and utterly tense with unfulfilled pleasure. “Seth!”

A wicked glint in his blazing eyes and a rather mean smile tugging at his lips he
came back, looming above her and his hips rocked once more against her. She cried out, so close to that wonderful abyss her body was hurting with it. “Remember, Erin. Punishment.”

Then he looked at her, a scalding fierceness in his eyes that took her breath, the bit that was left in her, completely away. “
Though honestly, I have no idea anymore who I’m punishing. I’ve never wanted a witch of my own. Never wanted a mate that the fates or some other nasty bitch had designated for me. I wanted to chose, who and when. And then you knocked at my door. Still all I wanted to do was fuck you. Nothing more.” Erin had to swallow, feeling more and more vulnerable. The way he looked at her, as if there was nothing and no one else in the world, it made her heart clench so hard it scared her. “Yesterday, that wasn’t annoyance at my crudeness or at what I said. No, that was sheer fear and honest panic in your eyes.”

“So?” She had to be flippant, had to at least pretend the walls around her weren’t crumbling just because of the way he looked at her. His eyes saw entirely too much, making her feel so naked, bared. If it had been just sex in his eyes, she would have known what to do. But the
grim determination there, she couldn’t handle.

“So? Yesterday there was fear here,
” he gently tapped the corner of her eye with a finger. “Today the desire is back. So now I can’t stop thinking about you, now I want to get to know you. Inside and out.”

Oh God.
This man was dangerous, not only for her body but for her heart. The realization hit her like freight train. Her mind was reeling, her heart beating wildly, and she couldn’t speak. Erin knew she should push him away, laugh in his face. But she didn’t do either. Couldn’t do it. Instead, she just stared up at him, drowning in the silver mist there.

He
dropped his head, his lips brushing her earlobe and making her tremble, and then his breath hit that sensitive spot right below her ear. “By the way, you were right about the table. Quite inspiring, indeed.”

And then he was gone, leaving only cool air to kiss her skin.

NINE

Seth was playing with her, Erin was sure about it, and yet knowing didn’t stop it from working. She was looking for him when he wasn’t around, was wondering what he’d do next, fascinated that she had no clue what to expect from him. The other men she had known in her life had been open books and easy to control. Not Seth. His confession two days ago had sounded like a warning, like a threat…that brought delicious shivers to her body and had her heart tighten in something close to fear, or maybe it was excitement.

“Erin,
sweetie, are you alright?”

“Huh?” Joanne’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she nearly grimaced when she realized she had been off daydreaming about Seth
- again. “Yeah, sorry. Where were we?”

“
Planning All Hallows’ Eve,” Tess reminded her, a little frown creasing her front.

Erin kicked herself mentally.
This was so not the time and so not her to forget the world around her because of a guy. That wolf was dangerous and she had to admit she had thoroughly underestimated him right from the start. She had come here to take a good look at Tess and her man and
not
Seth Hawkins!

Tess went on, “
I think Joanne and I will take of the food and drinks but maybe, given your penchant for fire magic, you could take of the decoration and lighting? Do you think you could make real ghost lights that could hover in the forest beyond the yard? And of course, jack-o-lanterns, though I guess we can do those without the magic.”

Joanne adored Halloween and, like any self-respecting witch, was famous for her parties. This year wouldn’t be any different. But such an event needed planning and so the
three of them were in the kitchen, sticking their heads together while soft sunlight teased them whenever the beams managed to peek through the cover of clouds shrouding the sky today.

Erin
liked the idea of the ghost lights and so she looked up at Joanne. “I don’t know. Can I do ghost lights?”

Joanne shrugged, a small smile tugging at her lips. “
Try it. Just like with everything else, imagine it in your head and in your heart. Imagine the way you want them to look and to move, and just try it.”

She closed h
er eyes and imagined the light - soft, pale and eerily white and ghostly, a ball of it hovering and flickering in darkness - and then she pushed the imagine out of herself and into her open palm. When she opened her eyes a ghost light, just like she had imagined, hovered in her palm.

“What do I do with it now?”

“Keep thinking of it, keep a…connection and let it fly to wherever you want it. Try to keep it going as long as possible, even when we talk about something else.”

“Okay.” It took some real focus and concentration but
Erin was willing to do it. “Go on, Tess.”

Taking her eyes of the ghost light that was floating around them, Tess continued, “Regardi
ng the food, I think we should do two buffets, one for teens and adults and one for the queasy stomachs and younger kids.” She pushed a sheet of paper towards Joanne with sketches and pictures on it that showed finger food – literally – and demonic eyes and mummies and Erin didn’t know what else. “The first one we could do all kinds of stuff. But for the other one I thought we should tune it down a bit.”

Joanne actually beamed as she tapped one of the pictures. “Ooh, I haven’t done this before and this one either. God, this will be fun.
Which would you rather handle, the finger food or desserts?”

Tess didn’t even hesitate. “Desserts.”

“Great.”

Erin smiled at her sister, liking this rather bossy and new side of her. It spoke of a confidence she hadn’t seen in her sister in quite a while. With a smile she remarked,
“I guess, you’ve got some ideas for the decoration as well.”

As if guessing her sister’s train of thought Tess cocked her head, smiling. “No, I’ll leave that up to you.”

“Ooh, so generous of you, sis.” However, Erin was surprised to find herself actually looking forward to her task, her mind racing with ideas and her heart soaring at the prospect of doing more magic.

Joanne was called away by a guest, leaving Erin and Tess alone in the kitchen. Erin
glanced at the ghost light that had never once burned out of existence and couldn’t hide the smile spreading across her face. The light bounced a bit through the room, in answer to her happiness. Erin paused. Yes, she was happy here.

Tess looked at her with knowing eyes. “Scary, huh?”

“A bit, yeah.”

“It’s worth it though.” Her sister bit her lip. “What’s going on with you and Seth?”

“No mating ceremony in sight, I can assure you that.”

“No ceremony maybe, but surely some mating.”

Erin’s jaw nearly hit the floor. Since when was her sister so openly…open? One could almost call her naughty the way her eyes wickedly lit up like that. “Tess Wright, I’m stunned. And so proud!”

“Thanks.” Tess leaned forward on her elbows. “But don’t change the subject. Seth. Spill. Now.”

“Nothing has happened.” Well, except for them making out on her kitchen table that was. Jesus, every time she saw that thing now, she thought of him and grew hot and shivery…and wet.

“Wow. “
Tess looked at her, bafflement and something else flickered in her eyes – something Erin couldn’t decipher so quickly did it pass. “That’s… new.”

Erin looked away
as she swallowed. “I know.”

TEN

The waning moon was high in the sky, bathing her and everything around her in silvery light and stark shadows. The scent of the woods, of sweet and fresh autumn air teased her nose and she breathed deeply. She loved autumn. Sweet warmth mingling with the nearing cold, sweet summer falling into winter’s arms.

But she was in her dark cabin and not outside. The door leading to the porch out the back was slightly open, just a small gap but enough to allow for the night breeze to sweep inside.

She went towards the door, looking outside. The forest was dark and vast, beautiful. But also scary.

Her heart, which she had thought to have guarded so well, was confused and filled with longing and fear and excitement and so many other emotions she had no idea how to name. She had always enjoyed life and the simple things it could offer, enjoyed the thrill, the lust and the laughter. The pain and other, softer
and more complicated, emotions she had tried to ignore - and now they were crushing her with a vengeance.

It felt as if her heart was bleeding in an effort to get out of her chest
, trying to squeeze through her ribs, and somewhere else…or maybe to some
one
else?

Not knowing
what to do, where to go, Erin looked around her. The cabin was dark, empty and silent. Lost and confused, she had never felt so lost and confused. Maybe once, but that was a long time ago and she had sworn to herself to never feel that way again. A wolf howled in the night and her heart missed a beat, as if pausing to listen.

Her feet started to move
and her hands reached out to open the door. But it didn’t move. She tried again with a little more force but the door wouldn’t budge, wouldn’t open. Panic and despair flooded her. Her gaze snapped up. A wolf was coming out of the forest, his gait elegant and strong as he roamed the line of the trees like a tiger might the confines of a cage. He growled and then threw his head back to howl again.

Her heart broke at the sound so full of longing and tears wetted her cheeks.

She knew she had to go to him and so she rattled at the door, but it was useless. It wouldn’t move, staying slightly open so that the night breeze teased her senses, tortured her with glimpses of what she couldn’t reach.

Sliding to the floor, she cried.

Erin woke up, a heavy sadness crushing her chest and tears running down the corners of her eyes. For a while she couldn’t tell reality from dream and had to force her mind to clear. When the fog lifted and the sadness finally became bearable she took a deep breath before sitting up. Outside the world was gray, trapped in that moment before dawn, when no color existed yet. Rubbing a hand over her heart and then her face Erin sighed. She didn’t need a shrink to tell her what that dream was about. She knew she was frightened of letting Seth in, of crawling out of her comfort zone – the zone where she allowed only simple feelings, where she was in control.

After a long shower that managed to wash away the remnants of sadness, Erin dressed and went downstairs to prepare herself a coffee.
She wasn’t surprised when she heard a knock on her door before Seth stepped inside. He had done so for the last week or so and it had become a kind of routine that she hadn’t fought and had come to expect. A kind of routine she had always tried to not fall into with a man, but somehow with Seth it had come naturally and didn’t disturb her one bit. They had talked and flirted and even enjoyed another ride into the forest, which meant that he basically was making good on his threat of wanting to get to know her. And Erin found it harder and harder to resist him. It was easy to talk to him, maybe too easy since she found herself wanting to tell him things no one else knew, was willing to
trust
him with secrets no else knew, not even Tess.

“Morning.” He looked e
dible, in jeans and a shirt that hugged his chest in a way that made her fingers itch to rip it off. His hair was still damp from a recent shower, his eyes awake and liquid silver, and stubble dusted his jaw making her wonder how it would feel against her skin. God, that man was a danger for everything female.

“Morning.”
With her dream still fresh in her mind, she felt raw and vulnerable and decided it was better to concentrate on pouring the coffee instead.

As observant as ever Seth seemed to sense her mood and sat down at the table, offering her the space she needed to calm her thoughts and heart.

“I read two of your books.”

Erin felt herself relax. Books, whether it were her own or not, always managed to do that.
“Which?”

“
Broken Dreams
. “ She sat down his mug in front of him and pulled out a chair for herself, facing him. He continued, “It’s a great thriller, though I have to admit that some parts of it, especially the killer’s point of view, stunned me. You got an incredible imagination…a little bloody sometimes, but it definitely works.”

“I got a friend, a forensic psychiatrist, helping me with getting into the bad guy’s mind.”

Seth smiled
softly, looking at her as he blew on his coffee. “I hope you don’t take it the wrong way when I say I’m relieved to hear that.”

She couldn’t help
it and smiled back. “And the other book?”

“Erotica.” His voice dropped and everything inside her clenched. “Very good. And very  interesting.
Like I said, damn good imagination. Had a hard-on from the second page on.”

Heat swept through her, chasing away any coldness that had settled in her chest.
“Only the second page?”

“The first one was the copyright page.”

She laughed, a full throaty and sensual sound that had his eyes spark with gold. Damn, that was hot.

“Why do you write thriller and erotica?”

“Because I like it.”

His gaze changed,
piercing but with something soft and yet unyielding there as he cocked his head. “There’s no romance in the mix.”

“So?”

He put his cup down and leaned forward. “You seem to look at the world somewhat…disenchanted. It’s a shame. And makes me wonder why.” Erin didn’t know what to say to that, other than the fact that she realized he was right. But he went on, surprising her, “Will you go out with me?”

“No.”
The answer was automatic but not heartfelt, while her first ‘no’ to him a few days back had been a matter of self-defense and the chance to irritate him.

“
Ouch.”

She got up to set her mug in the sink and gasped as she turned around. He had gotten up as well and
was right there in front of her. Reaching around her, he sat his cup into the sink as well, effectively caging her in with his arms. Staring into her eyes, caressing her face and mouth with nothing but that silver gaze, his voice was low as he asked, “Will you at least give me All Hollows’ Eve? And please keep in mind, that even though I’m a guy I have a heart - contrary to what you apparently believe - and there’s only so much rejection a man can take.”

He was so close.
Erin swallowed. His body was brushing hers, the heat of him igniting her. His scent, clean and male and earthy enveloped her, teased her. His voice set off small explosions in her blood. Before her brain could catch up she found herself saying, “Okay. One night.”

Seth
’s eyes lit up and when she saw the smirk Erin knew she was in trouble. “Here I was hoping for a dance or two and she gives me all night.”

What?

Speechless Erin stared as he leaned down to drop a soft kiss on her cheek, nuzzling her there and inhaling deep before pulling away with a smug grin on his face. Giving her a wink he turned towards the door and left.

Dammit
, what had she just done?