Wolf Magic: A Fantasy of Werewolves and Witches in the Twilight (5 page)

She sniffed the air, picked up the faint scent of blood.
He'd killed for food – or to prove a point. She didn't know which. "You can't handle much alcohol, can you?"

Marco let go of Selene and stood unsteadily.
"I guess not."

"
How many bottles of scotch did you drink?"

"
Scotch?"  Marco shook his head. "I only had a few light beers."

Her eyes widened in surprise.
"What?  How many is a few?"

"
Like, eight. I've never had alcohol before." He blushed. "I know.  Not very manly, eh?"

Selene sighed.
"It's fine.  If you only had a few beers, how come you couldn't manage to open the door on your own?"

Marco raised the hem of his shirt, revealing scratches and a heavy blood stain.
"I'm so very tired, Selene."

"
Are those new?" She pointed at the ones directly over his heart.

Stumbling back, he caught the door to steady himself.
"No.  Those are from that Les guy."

She took his hand in hers.
"Close your eyes."

He opened his mouth to yawn.
  "But I just want—"

"
Close your eyes!" She set her hands on her hips.

Marco did as he was ordered. A white glow surrounded them both.
Marco shivered but stopped long enough for Selene's magic to filter through him and rid his body of the infectious things he'd undoubtedly picked up from the bar and streets of Seattle.

"
There." She smiled. "That wasn't so bad."

He shook his head.
Looking down at his stomach, he traced a curious hand over the scars. "This is healed?"

"
Almost. The wounds will heal in time with the rest of your body.  Probably heal pretty quickly since you're so young."

Marco glared at her.

"But the internal damage is repaired."

Marco turned away from her and walked to the couch.
He dropped onto the seat, kicked his feet up as he closed his eyes and leaned back.

"
Marco, look…"

He didn
't look at her.

"
Look, come back to bed with," she paused, letting her shoulders relax, "me."

Marco turned away.
"No.  That's okay.  I don't need your pity."

Selene grabbed his hand, yanking him to his feet.
"I need the warmth, wolf."  She managed a tiny smile.

The look on Marco
's face changed, he looked happy, in a sad way. Did he have anyone else but the pack she wondered. "Come, please?"

She led him back to her bedroom, finding that he
'd not even bothered to hide his modesty or more obvious arousal.

"
You're a beautiful witch," he muttered.

Heat crept up her cheeks.
"Thank you."

She turned to see lust in his eyes
– and the pain in her rejection. It seemed to her a shame that someone so young should feel such sadness, emptiness, and hopelessness. Selene smiled.

"
Come to bed with me, Marco." It was not a request.

He stumbled toward
her, his lips falling onto hers, crushing her body into his like the waves to the shore. Desperation guided him. She felt it in his actions, in the way his hands caressed her, helping the robe to the floor in the way his lips captured and released hers. He was drinking her in. Claiming her.

And Selene didn
't mind it right now. He wasn't Les.  He wasn't a tyrant.  And he made her feel much younger than she actually was, too. Point for him.

Each caress, each touch was made with tenderness, fingers stroking her skin, setting tiny fires everywhere a nail grazed skin. Groaning aloud, she was his when he impaled her, his when she rode him high.
His when she settled in, even against her will.

Damn the wolves and their lifetime of loyalty.

Her orgasms had never felt better.

C
HAPTER 5

Her alarm went off, startling her again out of a sound sleep. She was really going to have to do something about being interrupted in the middle of the night.

Selene rolled to her left, still feeling safe in Marco
's strong arms.

He didn
't even bother to think about what he was doing, his mating instincts just kicked in. Marco felt different from the others. She didn't ask anything of him, yet he'd attempted to defend her no matter what.

The last wolf she
'd been with hadn't even bothered to thank her for the spell or the blowjob.  And before him, a female wolf had come selfishly seeking power.

Stirring beside her, Marco opened his eyes,
"Good morning."

She yawned.
"Morning."

Marco pawed her bare thigh.
"What's bothering you?"

"
it's … nothing." She exhaled heavily, trying to slide out of bed but he caught her.

His eyes drooped.
"Please.  Give me what I give to you.  Respect."

"
Marco, please."

She turned but was yanked back to bed.
Those two strong arms surrounded her, making her feel uneasy.

"
I'm not used to having a bodyguard."

His eyes glowed bright, almost the same color as Les
's, only with more intensity. "I'm not a bodyguard. The Opeth pack mates for life, protecting their keep for all eternity. And besides," he blushed.

"
You mean I took your virginity?" Leaning forward, she narrowed her eyes.

Blushing harder, Marco turned away.

Selene laughed. "Oh my god, wolf, I had no idea I deflowered…" She stopped short. Another harsh comment would hurt his already delicate ego. She stopped laughing and looked at him, trailing a hand across his ribcage. "Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"
You said the elders sent you to watch over me, right?" His voice sounded weak.

"
Yeah." Selene looked away.

"
Then you are not being completely honest with me, are you?" Gripping her shoulders, he turned her to face him.

Selene shook her head.
"Did we cover that I was the former pack witch?"

He nodded.
"I think somehow it was brought up. That would explain a lot.  Why did you leave?"

"
After my mother had been killed," she realized she'd started sharing intimate details.  Damnit all. "Lukina and Ilona were pups still but Józsi had been around to protect them. They're like my children, you might say."

Marco nodded.
"Józsi was very close to them until he left."

She sighed.
"Kiba is losing his mind and I couldn't make anyone listen to me. The other elders hate being questioned."

"
Boy, don't I know that."

"
And the hunters were making more frequent attacks on the pack. The elders refused to relocate the pack to a different area of Lake Balaton. I couldn't take it anymore. The last straw was watching my mother be slaughtered accidently by the evil hunters because they thought she was a wolf. I was fed up and decided to come to America."

"
Nobody has replaced you."

"
Nobody can, I'm afraid. Each pack has their own witch, someone who is born into the pack either as a wolf or … I'm not sure but I know I am the one who belongs to that pack until Katarina is powerful enough to replace me."

"
Katarina is doing nicely, other than occasional fits of crying.  And she … hurts herself frequently."

Selene frowned.
"I heard."

"
How?"

"
Somehow, we're all connected.  I knew you were coming. I knew Kiba had sent you. I don't know what you did, but I know it involved Lukina."

"
She's very pretty."

"
But Józsi would eat your head if you even touched her."

"
Except he's not in Hungary anymore."

Selene sighed heavily.
"Damn stubborn males. You're the first male that was kicked out. The others leave on their own volition."

"
Prophecy?"

She nodded.

Marco began stroking Selene's thigh.

She squirmed, clenching her legs together.
"You liked it when I did that last night."

"
And I'll like it later, too." Red hair fell over her face, hiding a mischievous twinkle in her green eyes.

Marco leaned over her body, sealing his lips to hers.

She kissed him back hard, slipping her tongue between his lips.

Marco opened
to her, let her tongue roam around the inside of his mouth, explore him. A hand cupped his cock and squeezed.

Marco leaned into her, whimpering.
"Please, Selene?"

She pulled away and laughed.
"You're so cute."

Marco turned away.

"Oh don't be like that."

Marco faced her.
"I'm really tired of hearing how young I am all the time."

Selene wiped strands of hair out of his eyes.
"I can imagine.  I'm sorry."

"
Kiba never said he was sorry." His voice was a faint whisper.

She scoffed.
"Yeah, Kiba's an asshole."

"
They sent me away in order to find a female. They sent me to you." Marco closed his eyes.

"
Yeah, I guess I…"

"
Played a part in a larger scheme. I offer you my life." Marco shuffled, falling out of bed with a loud thud.

Selene laughed, but Marco tugged her hand.
"Please, marry me.  Bind your soul with mine."

"
Marco, I can't. I'm not a wolf. We can't do your blood bond."

She looked down into his lonely, pleading eyes.
Her next breath caught in her throat.  She swore she saw tears forming.

The blood bond mated for life.
What happened to one of the mates in the bond, the other felt.  Marco slumped his shoulders. "I tried to save your life."

He had.
And he'd have died at Les' hand. Selene touched his shoulder, thick cords of muscle rippled beneath her hand. Earlier memories of sitting on his strong, thick legs filled her mind. His arms were not large, but strong and well defined.   He'd have died for her. Selene swallowed hard.

"
You took me in, provided for me and—"

A large explosion came from her living room.
The sound of glass shattering amongst pictures falling off walls irritated Selene.

Before Selene could blink, Marco dropped his h
uman illusion and bolted toward the living room.

"
Wait," she called out but the loud whimper coming from the living room followed by the crash of what she was certain were her vases made her think twice.

Shaking, Selene cast her protection aura around her and stepped cautiously out of the room.
Snapping her fingers, she was dressed.

"
How dare the pathetic pack think they can topple me. My brother has lost his grip on them." The voice sounded silken, smooth over her ears.

Les.

"Come out Selene. I know you're hiding."

"
Fuck off, Les."

Selene stood s
himmering before him. However, Marco shifted back and forth between human and wolf uncontrollably before her.

"
What's wrong with him?"

Les laughed.
"He's a young wolf. Maybe he shouldn't have come charging in to play hero."

"
What did you do to him?" Waving an arm in Marco's direction, she tried to cause a cool mist to rain down in his mind, causing him to remain in wolf form, his true form where he was strongest. Sending calming mental waves to Marco's mind was like hitting a brick wall. He was blocking her for some reason.

"
It won't work. He's not your kind, remember?"

Raising an eyebrow, she frowned. 
"Oh, and you are?"

"
Selene, you and I are meant to be. From the day we were created, we were destined to meet and create a child that would bring this planet to the ground."

She spat in his direction.
"I would never mate with you."

"
I love the way that dress hugs your curves," Les raised both hands above his head. A high pitched noise coming from the window made Selene cover her ears.  The pain radiating through her body touched Marco's, his body trembled on the floor.

"
Let us continue this elsewhere." Les's hypnotic voice compelled Marco to stand.

"
Fight it, Marco," she yelled.

Straig
htening herself, Selene blinked. The window behind her shattered and Les was flung out with the force of a tornado. Still, his laughter rang in her ears, but the high pitch screaming had stopped.

Les
's voice came from Marco's lips. "Meet me and we shall end this."

Reaching out to Marco, she touched his rigid body.
He was still strong, hard in all the right places. Well-defined muscle twitched and rippled when she caressed his chest before he fell to the floor.

Sinking to the floor with her skirts surrounding her, Selene waved a hand to clear the glass and repair the window.
What she wouldn't give for some brandy to calm her nerves.

Placing a hand on Marco
's skin, he shivered beneath her. His skin was cold to the touch.

"
Marco," she gripped both of his shoulders, yanking a blanket off the couch as she sat him against it.  "Marco," she repeated.  "Wake up."

Marco
's head lolled from one side to the other, his eyes opening to reflect Les's scornful gaze. "Help me," his lips moved but no words came out.

Wrapping Marco tightly in the blanket, she forced his knees up.
"Huddle for warmth."

She thought about a fire and one appeared, roaring and crackling in the fireplace behind the couch.
"Come on," she helped him to his feet, guiding him to sit in front of the fireplace. "Sit," she urged his massive body. She covered him with an afghan from the sofa.

"
Stupid fucking wolves and their pointless battles. I've got to call the goddamned elders to settle this mess."

Placing tender knuckles to Marco
's unshaved cheek, she smoothed her hand over his skin.  He shut his eyes, his head drooping forward. "Peace," she uttered and waited the split second it took for his body to relax.

Selene rushed to the phone, and dialed Elder Kiba
's number.

"
Hello? Kiba?"

"
Selene, what do you want? Our business with you is through for now."  His voice sounded distant.

Stomping her foot against the wood floor, she raised a hand in the air, shaking her fist.
"Kiba, damnit cut the crap. Your wolf cub is hurt." She heard nothing but silence.

"
Your brother attacked us."

"
Les is not my responsibility or problem. Prophecy shall deal with him."

"
Kiba, fuck you. How dare you make a deal with me and renege. I gave you what you asked for, now it's my time to get something in return."

"
You already have."

She barely stopped herself from sending a bolt of light
ning through Kiba's home.

"
Les may mean nothing to you now, old man. That's fine. But this is your mess.  Marco was supposed to—"

"
Fulfill a prophecy.  And he did." His voice remained neutral.

The line went dead.
By now, Selene was shaking, her own voice trembling.  "Damn you Kiba!  Damn you to hell!"

She walked out onto the balcony.
The wind blew her hair aside. The sun would be up in a few minutes. Just fucking great. She had a job to go to, an archenemy to deal with, a comatose wolf on her floor, and her only contact point was being obstinate.

Stupid Kiba.
Selene marched back into her apartment, her feet hitting the floorboards hard enough that the downstairs neighbors would  complain, except that they were also wolfs and kept later hours than most. Thank the gods for small miracles.

The realization that Marco had stolen her heart s
ank in. Damnit!

Selene lunged forward, falling on the couch.
Closing her eyes, she hoped for just a few minutes of peace in order to sort through all the details.