Wickedest Witch (16 page)

Mine, oh mine,
he thought possessively.

Evangeline woke in a strange bed, alone. Sitting up, grabbing at the dark blue sheet, and holding it up to her chest, she peered around. Decorated in earth tones, the room screamed man cave from the blocky wooden furniture to the plaid comforter—not to mention the big ass TV on the wall at the foot of the bed.

Ryker’s room.
She vaguely remembered coming back here last night. She’d fallen asleep in the car, a fact that surprised her as she never slept around people. It made her too vulnerable. Yet sleep in Ryker’s presence she had, and she didn’t even protest when he carried her to bed, stripped her, tucked her in, and then cuddled her.

Evangeline lay back on the bed and groaned.
Oh my God, we slept together, spooning like a couple.
It might sound odd, but with all the boyfriends she’d had—most short live
d—
she’d never spent the night, well, not asleep anyway, and she definitely never snuggled. She tended to be a let’s-fuck-and-leave kind of gal.

However, Ryker kept making her break all kinds of rules.
At least I’m not in love and neither is he. This is just good sex. Make that fucking fantastic sex.
Nothing more.

She
certainly didn’t feel warm and mushy feelings inside when she read the note on the pillow beside her saying he’d gone to get coffee and doughnuts. Nope, that giddy feeling inside? Just hunger.

His bedroom had a bathroom attached to it, and she quickly showered the scent of sex off her skin.
Her mind drifted as she bathed, imagining him joining her slick and naked in the shower, his big hands roaming, soaping her up and... Ack! Out she jumped, barely rinsed. Grabbing a towel, she scrubbed herself dry with more vigor than needed, trying to dispel the erotic spell she almost put herself under. She refused to moon over him.
I am not some love-struck idiot.
And she needed to stop acting like one.

With her hair wrapped atop her head in a towel and wearing an oversized t-shirt of Ryker’s—which smelled uniquely of him—she wandered out into his home, not realizing she had company until she walked into the kitchen and ran into his mother.

“Are you still here?” asked Evangeline, not even bothering to couch her query in politeness as she perched on a stool. “Don’t you have better things to do like chase some rats in a sewer? Or climb up a tree?”

“
Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine in the morning. And to think I was going to buy you a new broom so you could fly your fat ass out of here.”

Fat? “Your son wasn’t complaining about the size of my bottom last night. On the contrary, he complimented,
several times.
”

The sprayed coffee as Aneka choked made her smile. “Ever hear of too much information?”

“Ever hear of cutting the apron strings?”

“You won’t get rid of me so easily, witch.
I’m here to make sure Ryker doesn’t do anything stupid,” said Aneka.

“Stupid
? Like visiting a vampire coven with me last night? I never saw a kitty have so much fun playing with dead things.” Evangeline smirked at the pinched expression on Aneka’s face.

“
Ryker can take care of himself.”

“So I saw last night. He was also very good about taking care of me.” And she didn’t mean just the sex.

“I don’t care if he beds you. He’s slept with his share of sluts over the year. But if you think I’m going to let him take you as his mate…”

Whoa. Why would his mother even raise that as a possibility? Theirs was a temporary arrangement.
“Mate? Never. You don’t have to worry on that account. I have no intention of getting hitched with anyone, least of all a shifter.”

“Good. I have bigger plans for my boy. His bride has already been chosen for him
. A nice shifter girl who is waiting for him to come home so they can get married.”

A sudden fury, hinging on an inexplicable jealousy, consumed her
.
A bride? For Ryker? Over my dead fucking body.
Evangeline almost said those words out loud.
No, wait a second. Why do I care? He’s just a fuck friend. Nothing more.

Her rationale did nothing to calm the anger simmering under her skin, not that she let it show.
“Don’t worry, once my sister’s wedding and this job are done, we’ll have no reason to see each other.” Or keep him alive. Jerk. Annoyed at the thought of Ryker with another woman—and of never seeing him again—Evangeline pivoted on the stool lest she betray her jealousy to the other woman.

“What the hell is that on your neck?” Aneka spoke in a low, furiously cold tone.

Reaching with her fingers to touch her nape, Evangeline encountered the indents of the bite mark Ryker had left when they’d fucked so gloriously in the shower at her place the day before. The man’s passion and stamina knew no bounds. She’d miss that about him.

“It’s a love bite. Haven’t you ever seen one?”

Aneka laughed nastily. “You fool. Shifters only bite for one reason. Or didn’t you do any homework on our kind? He’s marked you as his mate.”

With a sinking feeling she’d not often experienced in her life, Evangeline
turned to face Ryker’s mother. “Excuse me? Say that again.”

“
You, my dear witch, are for all intents and purpose, married to my son. Don’t you know anything? I guess not judging by the look on your face.” Aneka shook her head while Evangeline absorbed the shocking news. “See, when a shifter finds his mate, while in the throes of sex, he bites her, hard enough to break skin and leave a lasting scar. In this way, he marks her as his. Think of it as a permanent tattoo that announces to all that you are no longer available. Congratulations, like it or not, you belong to Ryker. Welcome to the family.” Aneka said the last with a bitter laugh that left no doubt as to the truth of her words.

A
surge of warmth enveloped Evangeline—
he chose me as his mate!
—quickly followed by rage.
That fucker. He had no right.

“How do we undo it?” Evangeline asked.

“You can’t,
daughter.
”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why not? You’re family now. Better get used to it. Wait until I tell the rest of the pride.”

“No.
I refuse to accept it. There has to be a way to reverse it.”

“Yeah. Death.
”

She
arched a brow. “Is that all? I am going to fucking kill him,” Evangeline muttered darkly.

“Kill who?” asked the object of her ire, striding into the kitchen
, looking much too delicious.

“You
dirty, rotten bastard!” Evangeline screeched, jumping up from the stool. “How dare you make me your mate?”

“
Who told you that?”

Aneka cleared her throat.

He shot a dark look at his mother. “Ma!”

“Not my fault you didn’t tell her what the bite meant first.
I saw it and remarked on it.”

“You should have kept your mouth shut.”

“Don’t you yell at your mother. How fucking dare you claim me without permission, you animal.” With a tug on her magic, Evangeline encased him in a bubble, like she had his mother previously, and sucked the air out. He, however, didn’t panic. Ryker took a step forward and shattered the bubble, her magic evaporating when it came in contact with his body. Stupid bastard had figured out the loophole in her trick.

“I didn’t do it on purpose or willingly,” he shouted back.

Surely his words hadn’t caused the stab of pain that arced through her heart? “Oh gee. That makes it all better. You accidentally bit me and made me your wife.”

“
I couldn’t help myself.”

“
And that’s supposed to make alright?”

“I was going to tell you.”

“Too late.”

“
Now that you know, can’t we talk about it? I know it’s not what you expected. What either of us expected.”

“You think?
I am not discussing this. As a matter of fact, I’m leaving.”

“You can’t leave. We’re bound for life.”

“That’s what you think. Goodbye, Ryker. Have a good life, asshole, alone, because I am not going to be a part of it.” Nor would his last very long. First chance she got, after the wedding, she was going to annihilate his much too sexy ass.

Swiping her car keys from his hand as she dashed past, she tried to evade the hands that reached to grab, but again
, his size won. Bands of steel wrapped around her and he turned her to face him.

“Stop it, Evangeline. What’s done is done.”

Done by accident. He didn’t want me. No one ever wants me.

Moisture pooled in her eyes, and aghast that she might actually start to cry in front of him, she did the only thing she could think of to get him to let her go.

She kissed him.

The brimming moisture in her eyes made Ryker’s heart ache and his beast pace. He knew she didn’t yet have the same strong feelings for him that he bore for her, but why the tears? Surely she didn’t find him so horrible?

Apparently not because she kissed him.
Her lips, so soft against his, trembled, and sensing her vulnerability, he loosened his grip on her and set her feet back on the floor.
She just needs time to get used to the idea.
The shock of finding out he’d claimed her took her by surprise. Once she took a bit of time to reflect on it, she’d realize it wasn’t so bad. They were well suited, after a fashion. They certainly got along well in the bedroom; as for outside the bedroom, they made a good team as well. She’d see, they coul
d
—

The sudden pain on his instep
as she stomped, followed by the excruciating agony in his groin as she kneed him hard, made him instinctively hunch over. It also sucked all coherent thought out of his head. Even amidst his suffering, though, he heard the slamming of the front door and the gunning of the car.

Fuck.
She left. Left before he could make things right.

Wheezing and hoping she hadn’t done permanent damage to his man parts—he’d need them
for later when he caught up to Evangeline—he faced his mother with a glare. This was all her fault.

“You just
had
to tell her, didn’t you?”

“What I’d like to know is why you didn’t tell
me? I’m your mother.”

Ryker pinched the bridge of his nose and admonished his pacing beast to settle down. Much as his mother drove him insane, he still couldn’t eat her. “I didn’t
admit what I did to you, or her, because I was waiting for the right moment.
Say in a few years when she wouldn’t have freaked!
” He shouted the last, annoyed with his mother, but even more annoyed with himself.
Did Evangeline leave crying because she’s confused and has feelings or does she truly hate me and never want to see me again?

“You care for her
, don’t you?” said his mother quietly.

Incredulous, he stared at her.
“Of course I do. She’s my mate.”

“Your animal is one thing. I’m talking about
you
, the man. You feel for her.”

Ryker didn’t even need to think about it
before replying. “Yes, I care for her. A lot. She’s not scared of me, Ma. Do you know how great that feels to not have her cower? When I get all big and bad, she smiles. She treats my beast like a giant kitty. She’s fearless and beautiful. Sexy, smart, ruthless, and...”

“
Holy fuck. You love her.”

Like her
? Yes. But love her? Ryker shook his head. “No. I can’t. It’s too soon. Hell, she doesn’t even like me most of the time.”

“
And?”

“What do you mean and?
Love takes time. Trust. We have none of those things.”

“Really? And is that all you
think love is based on?” asked his mother with a wry smile. “Here’s a question for you? Has she left your thoughts since you met?”

He shook his head.

“How do you feel about never seeing her again?”

His stomach clenched.

“What will you do if she finds another man?”

The roar that burst forth shocked him, but not his mother.

“You big, dumb idiot. You love her.”

“
And she hates me.”

“
Maybe not. Go after her. Talk to her.”

“But she’s pissed.”
And liable to try and kill him. Not exactly a great way to start their mated life together.

“She’s scared because her feelings are frightening her. I don’t think your witch handles emotions well. She’s used to being a loner.
Just like someone else I know. Show her you care. Make her listen. And good luck.”