The Witch and the Wolf: Part One (5 page)

“This is where we’re gonna stop tonight,” Cross told her. She had her eyes shut tightly the entire time they had been driving. She hadn’t even realized the bike had stopped. She hoped he couldn’t tell how afraid she was. She didn’t know how she was going to get through another day and a half of riding
and
the ride back home. It would be very embarrassing, but she was seriously considering asking her Mom to come and pick her up in the car when this whole thing was over.

They were parked outside of a dingy
-looking motel. Of course, what other kind was there? It also appeared they were the only people to stay for the night.

“I’m going to go check us in,” Cross said. “Do you want to come with me or wait here?”

“I’ll wait here!” Rory said quickly.

“Fine. You’re gonna need to get off first.”

“Duh,” Rory said, and laughed. She knew that. She was just really enjoying the feeling of not moving. She climbed off and Cross set up his bike’s kickstand and headed for the office. 

She knew why mothers never wanted to let their kids on motorcycles. It felt so much more dangerous than her moped. She was riding a tricycle in comparison to that monster. Her legs were already beginning to ache too. She was going to have to stretch for at least twent
y minutes tonight.

“We’re in room 24. I’m going to move the bike closer to the room
, but you can just walk over and wait,” Cross said when he got back.

“How much do I owe you and what room am I in?” Rory asked.

“We’re both in room 24. I’m not leaving you alone in a room out here in the middle of nowhere. Too big a risk. There are two beds though. Don’t worry,” Cross reassured her. “And you don’t owe me anything.”

Cross turned on his bike and drove toward the room before she could argue. It made sense for them to stay in one room
, but he should have asked her first. It was only for a few hours. He could pay for everything on the trip if he wanted. She would give his father money once they got home. There was no way he was going to pay her way.

She walked to the room. It wasn’t bad on the inside. The beds looked clean and they got free cable and wi-fi. She text
ed her Mom to let her know they had stopped for the night and to say goodnight. Magda texted her back right away. She must be worried sick. Rory hoped they got the vampire issue sorted out quickly. She couldn’t think of a single reason they were after her though.

She wasn’t even close to the most powerful witch in the coven. She had no special skill that set her apart from the crowd. She had only just been made a member of the coven. It made no sense. There was also the little issue
of Elena’s murder to work out. She didn’t know what was happening in her little town.

They had never had this kind of problem in her lifetime. Once the old werewolf pack had been taken care of Cleary was a peaceful place. The town didn’t know it
, but they had the peaceful presence of the coven to thank for all their good luck. That was rapidly changing.

“You’re quiet,” Cross said
, breaking her melancholy thoughts. “Something on your mind?”

“Not really,” she lied. She turned to look at him and ducked her head quickly. While she was lost in her head, he had taken off his shirt. His body was ridiculous. He had the same olive complexion as his father giving him the most gorgeous golden skin. He had a light spattering of black hair across his chest and every inch of him was covered in muscle. Rory had never seen a body like his in person before. She thought that kind of body only came with a subscription to Photoshop or weeks of not eating
and cutting carbs. He even had those v-lines that pointed to his happy spot!

From the little she knew about wolves, he probably didn’t work out at all to maintain that body. He had won the genetic lottery. Thanks to his father’s alpha genes, he was bigger and stronger than most wolves even in human form. It was hard not to look at him. She knew it wasn’t the time or place
, but, Goddess, if the internet got a hold of a picture of him, Cross would be turning down millions of indecent proposals.

Because that’s what his body screamed. Sex! Dirty, rough, hair-pulling, screaming
-his-name-all-night sex. And he probably knew it too. Damn. It was a wonder he wasn’t more of a cocky bastard. She bet if he would lower those jeans, he would be very well-endowed too. That wasn’t even a bet worth making.

If he had just taken off his shirt, he could have saved himself a few hundred dollars at the diner. The other waitresses were already telling her what an idiot she was for turning down him down. If they had seen him without a shirt, they would have tied her up and drove her to the restaurant themselves.

And now she was thinking about Cross tying her up. Doing whatever he wanted with those manly hands and dirty mouth. She shook her head hard. She had to get a grip! This was fear-induced lust. She was far from home and her life was in danger. Of course she would be thinking about comfort sex at a time like this. It didn’t hurt that Cross was an Adonis, but she would be thinking sexy thoughts even if it was Richard Simmons taking her to safety.

“I’m going to shower first
, if you don’t mind,” Cross said.

“Nope
, that’s fine by me,” Rory said with an easy smile. She was going to have to play it cool for the rest of the trip. If that smug wolf had the slightest idea how bad she wanted to jump his bones, he would never let her hear the end of it.

***

Cross smiled to himself as he rinsed off. This was going to be even easier than he thought. All he had to do was take off his shirt and she oozed lust. The smell was driving him wild. He would have stayed in the room tempting her longer, but his dick was getting uncomfortably hard in his pants. He didn’t want her to see just how much she was affecting him yet.

He was going to make her come to him. She knew that he wanted to go out with her already. That would have eventually gotten him somewhere
, but he had to speed things up now. The best way to do that was to go completely cold. He had to friend-zone himself basically. He was going to rely on his good looks alone, and charm. And those were two things he had in spades. There was no way she was going to be able to resist him. She was already starting to think of him as her protector. That was going to get him very far.

Now if only he could get her to like riding on his bike. He still couldn’t think of a way to relax her while they rode. Hopefully, she would start to get used to it over the next day. Maybe the daylight would help her be less afraid. If not, he would just deal with her pressing her trembling body against him for the entire trip. Which wasn’t a bad thing at all.

He dried himself off mostly and put on a pair of sweatpants and nothing else. The outline of his cock was clearly visible through the pants. These were actually his favorite pajama pants, but the outline was a great added bonus tonight. He stepped back in the main room rubbing a towel through his hair.

“You can use the shower if you want now,” he told Rory. “I don’t think it even needs any time to warm back up.”

“Thanks,” she said and ducked into the bathroom. She was very careful not to let her body touch his as she went past him. It was painfully obvious because she had to contort herself to maker her body as small as possible. Cross laughed to himself once she had shut the door. He could hear her heart pounding even with the door closed and the water on. She didn’t stand a chance.

***

Rory turned the water to as cold as she could stand, but it was no use. The dull ache between her legs wasn’t going anywhere. She turned on more hot water and waited for the water temperature to normalize. She could not believe her body. She was in a crisis situation, life or death, and all it wanted to do was get railed by the werewolf.

There was no way she was going to be able to comfortably sleep anywhere near Cross in this condition. And she needed all the sleep she could get. She could just imagine herself nodding off as they rode and falling to the blacktop when she lost her grip. She was very attached to her skin and wasn’t about to let that happen. Since the cold water had failed, there was only one option left.

She slipped her hand between her legs and closed her eyes. In her head, she pictured Cross opening the bathroom door and stepping into the shower with her. She wouldn’t question him. She would just watch the warm water cover his body and raise her hand to trace the outline of his chiseled abs. He would smile back at her and take her hand in his. She would look at him questioning, but he wouldn’t say anything. Instead, he would take her hand and put it on his cock so she could feel how hard he was getting.

Rory rubbed her finger in lazy circles around her clit. She was only just getting started and really wanted to enjoy this scenario. The Cross in her mind didn’t talk and that was so much better than the one in real life.

She could see his cock so clearly in her mind. The flimsy sweatpants he had on really didn’t make that too hard. She knew he was big for sure and he would be heavy in her hands. The thought of his hard cock in her hand made her even wetter. She dipped a finger inside herself.

In her head, that was Cross’ finger probing inside to find her sweet spot. He was on his knees in the shower and his face was pressed between her legs. He was lapping at her clit and working his finger in and out. She was so close!

She moaned as her orgasm built. She should have been quieter, but the water was on and it just felt too good. She was imaging Cross turning her around to face the wall. He was just about to get to the good part when there was a loud knock at the bathroom door.

“Are you hungry? I could go out to get something if you are. I think I saw a convenience store a few miles back,” Cross asked through the door.

“I’m fine!” Rory answered. She was pissed. She was just about to orgasm. Now that she had been interrupted she would have to start over again and the water was starting to get cold. Plus, Cross was going to start getting suspicious if she was in the shower any longer. She angrily turned off the water and got out.

***

He couldn’t believe it. That little witch was getting herself off in the shower!

He thought he was hearing things when he heard the first moan
, but by the third time there was little doubt to what was going on. Cross’ cock was getting hard just listening to her. It was one of the few times he wished his hearing wasn’t so great.

He couldn’t let her finish. She wouldn’t be anywhere near as horny if she released some of that sexual tension. It was fucking hot as hell to listen to
, but he had to put an end to her playing.

He knocked on the door and asked her if she wanted to eat. The tone of her voice when she answered told him that he hadn’t been too late. She was pissed. He was going to have to keep a better ear on her the next time she showered. She was going to begging him to give it to her by the next night.

They were at a greasy spoon in Sienna having dinner. Rory had gotten up after only four hours of sleep and woken Cross to start riding again. There was no way she was spending another night in a hotel room with him.

She had slept terribly as expected. Thanks to his stupid knock, she hadn’t been able to get herself off. The desire sat heavy between her legs. All night, she was painfully aware that he was sleeping less than two feet away. Even worse, he was wearing nothing but those damn flimsy sweatpants. It would be so easy to just sneak under his sheet and satisfy herself. There was no way he would say no or try to stop her. But she couldn’t. It would be a major mistake.

He had wanted to date her before any of this Sun Rider mess had started. If they slept together, he would want more from her. It would be torture to have to be cooped up him in a mountain retreat. At the least, he would expect more sex to happen. Worse case scenario, he would want to seriously date her and that was not an option. The coven would lose their minds if she came back hand-in-hand with a werewolf.

No, she was going to make sure none of that happened. So she had urged him to get into Sienna by night fall. It had been a hard ride and her bladder was ready to burst when they had stopped for each of the two rest stops. It was well worth it because they had made it in time to get dinner and supplies before heading up the mountain.

The minute they got closer to the town, she was so glad she had packed light. It was blazing hot. Thankfully there was barely any humidity
, but the heat was oppressive. No vampire would dare to come this far west. Even as a human, she didn’t understand how people lived in the desert. She had to stay in pants because they were on a bike and it had been awful. She had wiped herself down as best she could in the bathroom when they got to the restaurant.

“After this, we can grab some breakfast stuff and head up to the cabin,” Cross said while he looked at his menu.

“Sounds like a plan,” Rory said. “What’s this place like?”

“The cabin is pretty big. It’s two floors with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. You won’t have to worry about bumping into me.”

“That’s a relief. I’ll cast a few spells once we’re there
, but I think we should be safe. I’m not getting any odd vibes right now.”

“Good. What are you going to order?”

Rory hadn’t even looked at the menu yet. “I’m going to get a burger. These places usually make the best ones. You?”

“I was thinking about the Cuban. And you’re having meat?” Cross asked. “I thought witches were vegetarians.”

Rory wrinkled her brow. “Why would we be vegetarians?”

“I don’t know. You worship the Goddess and stuff. I never thought about why you all were. It’s just what I heard.”

“Nope, that isn’t even a little true,” Rory told him. “And we don’t exactly worship the Goddess. We pay respect to all deities. Each one provides us assistance when we need it.”

Cross nodded. “I see. Good to know.”

“Is it true that werewolves kill all their female children?” Rory asked.

“So we’re doing a mythbusters kind of thing
, huh?” Cross put down his menu and leaned forward. “No we do NOT kill female children. We give them up their mothers though. Most females can’t shift or bear young so they aren’t worth much to the pack.”

Rory’s mouth dropped open. “That is so sexist! All women are good for is having babies?”

Cross shrugged. “And sex. It’s not like I said all women can do is be barefoot and pregnant and make me a sandwich. We’re werewolves. It’s all about having the healthiest pack.”

“What about companionship? I know that wolves mate for life.”

“That is true.”

The waiter came back at that moment to take their orders, interrupting Cross. They both ordered and waited until the waiter was out of earshot to continue their conversation.

“Like I was saying,” Cross said eyes on the waiters retreating form. “We do mate for life, but that doesn’t mean we live with our mates. We only stay close when its time to have pups. Besides that, men and women live apart. Close, but apart.”

“What if something happens?”

“Like if our mates are in danger? We know. Kind of like you get funky feelings when someone is trying to harm you? We get that, except much stronger.”

Rory nodded. “That must be part of the little magic wolves have. It’s still very strange.”

“How so? You don’t allow men into your covens. Wizards have to hang out by themselves.”

“That’s different,” Rory said indignant. “The energy of a witch versus a wizard is very different.
Our magic is usually stronger when we practice apart. Plus, a wizard could join a female coven if all the witches agreed.”

“It’s the same for us. A woman could join a male pack
, but most choose not to,” Cross said. “I want to know what happened to your head witch, Elena.”

“We don’t know yet. She was murdered though.”

Cross’ eyes widened. “And you didn’t think to mention this sooner?! How did the Sun Riders kill a witch like her? No offense, but even you were able to stop them.”

“None taken. She was much more powerful than I am. That’s a fact,” Rory bit her lip. “The coven doesn’t think it was the Sun Riders though.”

The waiter came back with their order. The food smell delicious but neither of them moved to eat.

“And why is that?” Cross asked through clenched teeth.

“Because Elena told us it wasn’t them,” Rory said, looking down.

Cross let his head fall back. “You talked to her ghost. How the fuck could I forget about ghosts?! Who
did it?”

“She stuck around for as long as she could,” Rory paused. “I don’t think I should be telling you this
, but she thinks it was dark fae.”

Cross’ eyes bulged. “Dark fucking fae?! Which ones? Kern? I think I heard something about them on my last gun run.”

“The Lost Tribe,” Rory said quickly. Cross didn’t say anything for a long time. Rory picked up her burger and started eating. She wasn’t going to let her food get cold while he mulled over her admission.

***

His wolf was about to break free of the hold he had on it. They were in a public place and that would be the worst thing possible. This had never happened to him before. He was always able to keep his wolf on a very tight leash. He was the master of the animal within. But his was different.

The Lost Tribe. He had heard about them like every other supernatural being in existence. They were the worst of the dark fae and had been banished to another
dimension hundreds of years earlier. They had been responsible for the death of hundreds of supernatural creatures, possibly even thousands. There was no way to know. They had used their power, not just to make life for humans hell on earth, but to hurt their own kind. There was a reason humans called fae like them demons.

In the
United States, the biggest target of the Lost Tribe had been witches. It really wasn’t too hard to see why. No other supernatural creatures had the power to stop them. Had they succeeded, they would have been able to make their presence known and rule over humanity with an iron fist. They were a seriously bad bunch.

And now they were killing witches in Cleary. Witches close to the one who was his mate. There was no doubt about that anymore. He couldn’t just laugh her off as a fun piece of ass to have for a night or two. No, Aurora Silver was his mate. His wolf had claimed her long before his human conscious had even started to get a clue. From the way his wolf was reacting now, she must be in serious trouble.

The two things had to be related. The Lost Tribe murder and the attack on Rory. The particulars didn’t matter. He knew it was true deep in his bones. So, an ancient, mega-powerful, and evil tribe of fae were out to kill Rory and they were either working with the Sun Riders or the Sun Riders also wanted to kill her. Perfect. That was just fan-fucking-tastic. He had just found his mate and now she was in mortal danger.

What was really bothering his wolf was that there was no way he would be able to protect her on his own. Hell, even with the help of all the Moon Brothers and their allies, the Golden Bears,
East Coast Pride, and the Fury Pack, there was almost no chance of defeating even one Lost Tribe fae. They were that fucking powerful.

He tried to calm himself down
, but it was no use. He was a ticking time bomb at this point.

“Get a box,” he told Rory.

“What?” she had ketchup on her lip.

“Get. A. Box.” he said again. “We need to leave. Now.”

“I’m not done eating and you haven’t even touched your…” she looked at him this time. Really looked at him. His distress must have been obvious because she got up and got the boxes herself. She boxed both of their plates up herself.

When she was done, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the restaurant with him. He looked around. There was nothing for him to hide behind
, but the other cars in the parking lot. There weren’t many, but that was the best he was going to be able to do at that point.

He led her as far away from the diner windows as he could and prayed no cars would drive in when he was shifting. It was dark outside so it would be hard to see him anyway. He hoped it was enough.
 

He held his wolf in as long as he could. The second he hit the car he had been seeking, he let his wolf go. The shift was almost painful it happened so fast. It felt like all of his bones were liquid and his skin burned away. In less than the blink of an eye he went from towering over Rory, to eye level with her shoulder.

All he wanted to do was snap Rory up and run. Where didn’t matter. He just needed to get her away from the danger. Only there was no place safe. The Lost Tribe could come from anywhere if they were able to use inter-dimensional portals. He paced back and forth in front of her. In wolf form, he could feel all the magic surrounding her much stronger.

The coven must have cast a dozen different cover spells. It was like a thick fog surrounding her. This magic didn’t even include her own yet. Maybe it would be enough. His wolf started to calm a little. She was much more powerful than she thought. That had been obvious the first time he had seen her through wolf eyes. She wasn’t even at her peak form yet. Her potential was greater than any of the other witches in her coven, even Elena’s.

The pool of magic she could draw from was deep. It was a shame that she hadn’t trained more before all of this happened. He sat at her feet. He was still shaking from the adrenalin, but he would be fine soon. His wolf was satisfied that there were no immediate threats to his mate. Seeing as that was the case, now it only had two objectives. Keep Rory safe and mate with her as soon as possible.

It was going to be really hard to play it cool from now on. He wished she hadn’t even mentioned the damn Lost Tribe. Now that he knew she was his mate, it was going to be extremely difficult to not claim her fully. His wolf was going to be demanding it every moment he was near her until he complied. He was going to have to change his plan. He needed a clear mind if he was going to keep her safe and the only way to ensure that was bedding the witch tonight.