The Moon, the Madness, and the Magic (6 page)

Lonely. Empty. Needing. Wanting.

I know. He’s here now.
She sympathized with her inner soul, and yet her emotions were embroiled, good sense with lust. She didn’t fully understand why, but she resented his resistance to her.

Finally.
It was about time he returned to take his rightful place. Damn well time he claimed her.

Perhaps she gave away too much. Perhaps she revealed her inner feelings in her expression.

His jaw clenched, and she knew she’d been right. Great, he was already defensive, and she still had to convince him that his destiny was bound to hers, no matter what their own thoughts were on the subject.

After watching his heated expression grow cold staring her down, she began to believe persuading Rourke to leave the corporate world behind would be far easier than convincing him to accept her as his mate.

Not you. Us. And him,
the succubus clarified.

Him? Dane? A ménage? Hmm, maybe there is hope.

Then the beast’s heated, silver haze flickered in Rourke’s brown eyes for a moment, supporting the Council’s theory and sending a frisson of concern through Celeste. Once he started to experience his first shift, especially now with his impending change, he’d take her just because the beast within him would demand it. That didn’t mean he had to like it or her.

Even she felt the pull of the Beltane magic here and now in the bright light of day. The time of the full moon drew closer.

She tilted her head, angling a soft, understanding smile at him, hoping to ease the strain of this first encounter. Rourke Grayland, fifth-generation shifter, was heir to the greatest seat of power over the lightest and darkest elemental beings of the known worlds, all the Others of the Lore, and Celeste was his balance, his destined mate.

I am for you, Rourke Grayland.

* * * *

Until a few minutes ago, when he’d seen the blonde watching him, he hadn’t known he could be this attracted to anyone. The pull from her on every level was so strong it frightened him. After being wound too tight for so long, he could sure use an unconventional release. One without the worry of the cost to either parties. For some reason, this didn’t feel like it came without consequences.

His hands fisted at his side, garnering control.

After not being able to find the blonde last night, Rourke had sulked while Dane had taken full advantage of the local benefits. Now, he could certainly think of a few hundred needs he wanted to fulfill with this woman. Where had she gone? Who had Celeste been with while he’d looked for her in the lounge and on the deck?

Unwarranted jealousy needled him. He reluctantly admitted, if only to himself, as strange as it seemed, he’d somehow sensed her presence, even though only briefly last night. Something about her seemed familiar to him when they’d made eye contact.

“Maybe I’ll see you later,” she said.

Then she turned and waved good-bye, and Rourke’s heart lurched in his chest, wounded, as if he’d lost something or someone. He shook his head, trying to toss off the weird emotions he experienced as she went back inside her suite.

When he finally stopped staring at the door, he noticed Dane looking at him like he had two heads. He wiped the sweat off his brow with his forearm before he admitted, “I need a shower. A cold one.”

The breeze swirled around him, and curiously, instead of losing control, he gathered it to him. Almost as quickly as his aggression peaked, he felt it drain out of him. The anger and the pointed jealousy affecting him dwindled as the scent of grassy meadows mixed with the unique fragrance of the woman. Then a different awareness touched him. An incredible sensation stirred him. Something he would never admit or consciously identify—a trace of enchantment—filled him. All his hostility calmed, dissolving on the breeze.

Peace may have replaced the hostility, but then he recalled the throbbing ache in his cock. Nothing replaced the lust.

“You’d better shave. All that bristle is going to leave a rash on the tender skin between her thighs. That would be a shame, a real shame.” Dane sounded wistful. “Are you sure you don’t want to sha—”

“Don’t go there. We were having enough problems with that the last time.”

“Touching your cock was an accident, dammit.”

“Fine. Then forget it. I’m just not ready to go there again right now.” Rourke tossed his racket to the side.
Shave?
He ran a hand over his chin. He’d already shaved this morning. The muscles in his shoulders tightened when he felt the day’s growth after only two hours.

Guess he needed a new razor. He shrugged, trying unsuccessfully to loosen up. “The hell with the cold shower. I think I’ll go get out a few kinks in the hot tub.” Maybe the circulation would relax some of the tension out of his muscles and relieve the concerns jackhammering in his head.

Rourke walked back to his room, thinking over what had brought him here. Nights filled with strange images, terrifying nightmares, blood. He wasn’t sleeping well. His appetite was off.

Off? Uh, not off.
It was more like downright bizarre.

And his appetites had changed in everything from food to sex. His sexual preferences had always leaned towards sex on the controlling end of rough. Without any doubt, he had strong dominant tendencies. Lately, he was coming up with more and more controlling ideas. To make matters worse, suddenly, the normal boundaries of dating and sex had become too stifling for his needs.

His new inclinations bordered on being downright creepy. He’d wanted to bite the hot marketing VP while he’d been plowing into her from behind two weeks ago. He’d gone so far as to nip her before she’d told him to lay off the tooth action.

During the next ménage encounter, Dane had seemed different. Since he’d brushed against Rourke’s cock, some wild inner beast in Rourke wanted to make him submit, make Dane take Rourke’s cock down his throat, and then he’d seen Dane’s eyes actually look at his cock with interest. Rourke had slapped the thoughts down, and Dane had been right to leave, and he should run now, because Rourke wouldn’t be happy until he had everyone on their knees.

He’d changed so much over the last month that he didn’t recognize himself. There was the incident last week with his attorney. She was pretty kinky, but in the middle of the evening, even Dane had sensed Rourke’s growing fierce penchant for rough sex and left them to their own devices.

Rourke had bitten her. Twice. Not that she hadn’t deserved it after practically tearing his back apart with her nails. What had really freaked him out was that he swore he could hear every thought in her head at the board meeting the next morning.

Spending so much time and energy contemplating how he was losing his mind pissed Rourke off. At least he’d always been able to depend on his sanity, even when nothing else made sense. Like his background or the
DNA
results he and Dane had gotten back a few months ago.

Recently, the intensity of his mood swings extended beyond his sexual aggression. He’d become edgier, more vicious in his business dealings and less patient. He’d always prided himself in the rational control he utilized in business dealings, and now, he couldn’t afford to lose that edge. Holding back his emotions lately, both in bed and in the boardroom, nearly bordered on the impossible.

With his sexual needs escalating to more and more aggressive levels, he worried that too many women in his circle might talk. Some were already uncomfortable with his fierce sexual intensity. Hell, he was uncomfortable with it himself.

Where would it stop?

At first, he’d ignored what was happening to him, then his wild inclinations made him wonder how far he’d go. Where were his limits? If he didn’t find an outlet to safely discharge some of his pent-up frustrations soon, he figured he’d explode. God help anyone around him when that happened, because he didn’t have any idea where he’d draw the line. Not anymore.

He’d been sick and disgusted with himself the day he’d passed the travel agency and glanced inside. He wanted answers, and he had to get this craving out of his system. The answers had hummed in his head like a swarm of bees buzzing around, drawing him into the store.

The travel brochure about Fantasy Lodge had practically jumped into Rourke’s hand. A vacation. The marketing for the lodge couldn’t have been clearer. Rumors claimed every self-gratifying need could be fulfilled there, and according to the plagiarized theme,
What happened in Arctic, Colorado, stayed in…
He sighed with relief. Just what he needed. Time off and a safe place with willing partners.

When he’d brought home the brochure and mentioned the idea of a vacation to Dane, his brother thought an early birthday getaway sounded like a great idea. The photos in the brochure confirmed the place was exactly what they needed. He carefully read aloud the part spelling out how the place provided enough hedonistic promises to satisfy a horny college football team.

Dane, being Dane, wasted no time making the arrangements for them to take off work and then called and made the reservations for both of them. Just thinking about all the possibilities had made Rourke’s groin knot with expectation.

He’d taken another look at the brochure and sensed something familiar about the place.

Or had it been something else?

The hell with waiting. Rourke was a driven man when he decided to go look for Celeste. He may have warned Dane off, but he recognized the turmoil conflicting with his brother’s better judgment. He was tempted to cross the line this time, to break their solemn pledge, and Rourke noted that the woman wasn’t immune to his brother’s charms, either. Rourke hadn’t missed how Celeste had reacted to Dane. Rourke had to stake his claim before Dane did.

Chapter 6

Celia

Last night, like now, Celeste felt the need to run from Rourke. Yet in the light of day, after she’d turned away from him, she had to force herself not to look back at either man. A frightening urge washed over her, and fear gripped her to the core. The sudden realization that Dane needed her, too, had been too staggering to contemplate with Rourke staring holes through her.

Celeste turned and went inside, not actually surprised to see the visitor dressed in robes of white in her kitchen rummaging through her spice rack. “Celia, what happened to Scotland?”

“I need coriander. Don’t you have a properly stocked spice rack?”

“Celia? Scotland?”

“The
Keltars
are handling it now, and anything else can wait. They’ve been imprisoned in fae this long, a few days more can’t hurt.”

Her aunt had dismissed her assignment to return. Things here must be serious. Celeste decided to express her concern. “What if we’re mistaken? Maybe he is the wrong choice for leader.”

Celia waited no more than a heartbeat before she responded. “No, I’ve seen it in the prophecy. He
is
the chosen leader of the Lore.”

“And Dane? What of Dane?”

Celia stopped searching the cabinets and turned, wide-eyed. “What of Dane?”

“Oh, nothing. I just wondered what it is about him that…”

“That what?”

“Maybe he’s just a very strong-minded human, but I think he’s Other, too. Though I’m not sure why he’s lagging behind. I thought he was older than Rourke.”

“Perhaps not. No one knows for sure. Maybe he’s the one. They are so alike.” Celia remained cautious with her responses.

Celeste didn’t miss her wily ways. “Not really.” She flopped on her bed and said, “I don’t think my biggest problem will be persuading Rourke to take on his role as leader. He is exceedingly alpha, alpha enough to lead not only the pack but the entire Lore, but what I think the real problem will be is he won’t want me.”

Celia said, “I know you’ve sensed his power, and so have all the Others when he’s around. As Council Seer, I can assure you I am not mistaken about your bond mate. And, Celeste, he wants you already.”

“Really
me
? Or me, the succubus?”

“I believe he wants you, but you must remember, you are both. Only one with a trace of succubus can control an alpha strong enough to be Lore leader. That leaves just you available.”

“These two men are notorious for their philandering ways. Neither brother is a likely candidate for a life-mate, Celia, let alone a bond-mate.”

“Situations change. People change.”

“Fine, if you say so. I can probably learn to accept his sexual affairs. If he insists on an open relationship, I can live with that. But the mating could change him. The bond could force monogamy on us both. Then what? He’ll hate me.”

“Ah, yes. It might. He might.”

He’d accept the challenge of leading. He always had. Her challenge would be convincing him to accept her as his mate, unless he decided it all on his own.

“Rourke’s reputation with women has painted him as a scoundrel of sorts, bringing along his charming brother as his naughty sidekick. He won’t take kindly to having destiny decide his fate,” Celia said. “Somehow, you’ll have to make him think it’s his idea.”

“I know. I suspect he never liked being told
what
to do, and now, he isn’t very likely to agree, in my case, on
who
to do.”