A Witch's Love (5 page)

“I know, I will.” Maeve stood then started to walk back toward the house. The sun was well on its way to setting and he smelled rain on the horizon. He had just stood when he saw her stop. She looked over her shoulder and said, “This Saturday is Cara’s birthday. I’d like to wait until after the party to tell them. I don’t want to ruin it.”

After his lunch with Ava, he’d scouted the area once more. He found suspicious tracks in the forest that bordered the town. Their scent wasn’t as strong as it had been this morning. Maybe the demons just passed through? There wasn’t any need to worry Maeve with this fact. She was already dealing with enough. Plus, he was here now. He’d keep an eye out for any coming dangers. With that, he gave Maeve a sharp nod.

Besides, the girls had been kept safe for years here. What were another few days?

Chapter 3

Sometimes the power to blink just wasn’t enough. His minions were scattered all over New York and they were greedy bastards, always looking for some human to drain of life. Hell if he could keep them
all
in line, but if the ‘all-powerful sister witches’ lived in the area he’d guess his demons would have found them by now. Perhaps the seer had been wrong?

“Sire, we have heard news.” His second ran toward him from across the forest.

“What is it?” Traxen leaned against a tree, taking a long drag on his cigar.

His second stopped before him. “The other demon sector has requested more demon swarms in the Adirondack area. They sense power there.”

He blew the sweet smoke out of his lungs, then smiled. “Then we shall move further north and join them. Power of that sort can only mean one thing . . .”

He put the butt of his cigar out on the sole of his shoe then flicked the item away. As his hands fisted at his sides, his claws cut into his gray, leathery skin but he didn’t care. “This time we won’t return to the king empty-handed.”

The evening was cool, the air crisp, with just a slice of light left of the day. Laughter filled Lucas’s ears as he inhaled the lavender scented air. Ava stood on her open porch taking photos with her sisters. Her dark green dress clung to her curves and she had on those little stiletto heels she was so fond of. God, he loved what those heels did to her legs.

This week with her had been amazing: A run every morning, dinner in the evenings, and stargazing at night. She loved constellations. He could listen to her talk about them into the wee hours of the morning. Every day, he found out new things about her, finding every single detail more fascinating than the last . . .

It was going to kill him, he was sure of it. He’d reached for every bit of strength he had this week to restrain himself from taking Ava. He couldn’t let things go too far,
let the beast free—
he just couldn’t let that happen. He wanted her to find out who he was before he took her, but hell, how was he to tell her the truth?

The merry-go-round of questions: should he tell her he was a lycan after she found out she’s a witch or would that be too much for her to handle . . . a double whammy? At the very least he wanted her to get to know him, who he was at his core. Maybe then she wouldn’t be afraid of him when she found out. Time, he needed time with her, enough to make her understand that he would rather die than ever hurt her.

Could he bear it if she turned from him, afraid of his inner beast?

He let out a long breath as he moved away from his car. He removed his hands from his black dress pant pockets then released another button to his red-collared shirt. Was it getting warmer out, or was stress starting to rear its ugly head?

He started toward her, his beast stirring at her closeness. Shit; she tempted him like no other women ever had.

Lucas had had his fair share of women. He’d never had trouble finding a willing woman, but with Ava, it was different. He didn’t just want her on a physical level, he wanted all of
her
. Everything about her called to him, making the need to mark her unbearable, like it was right now.

“Lucas, come take pictures with us. Cara needs some for her Facebook page,” Ava called to him as he strode to her side, all the while keeping his eyes locked on her.

“I wanna get one with just the two of you.” Cara positioned Ava in front of him, then placed his hand on her hip.

Ava’s hand covered his and warmth settled in his chest as her backside pressed up against his torso.

His shaft stiffened with the contact, wanting nothing more than to be deep inside her. He stepped away, hoping to put some distance between them, but had to hold back a groan when she nestled against him once more.

“Say cheese.” Cara held the camera at arm’s length as she captured the shot.

Ava laughed, and his smile widened. She was just as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, or his hands for that matter. He reached up and began to caress her arm. At his touch, she peered up at him with her angelic gaze.

“Ooh, that’s a good one,” he heard Cara say before he saw the flash.

“Now, take one of all of us girls, Lucas.” Ella ran toward him with the camera.

He was reluctant to leave Ava’s side and lingered only a moment longer before he took the camera from Ella. After adjusting the angle to make sure they all fit, he noticed how the sisters were so different, but without a doubt close. He couldn’t help feeling envious. He had never had that bond with his siblings.

Now that he’d met Ava, he realized how lonely he’d been. She made him want a closer relationship with his family—and a mate. A month ago, he’d have scoffed at the idea of settling down, but now, he couldn’t imagine his life without her.

“Big smiles.” He snapped the picture then handed Cara back the camera. As Ava approached him, a breeze blew a lock of her golden blond hair over her shoulder. For a moment he suppressed an urge to reach out and touch it. “You. Are. Beautiful,” he said as he took hold of her hand.

“Thanks, you’re not bad yourself.” She gave him a wink and a smile.

“Come on, you guys, it’s time to party!” Thea danced over to the car.

“Shall we?” He brought the back of Ava’s hand to his lips.

She smiled. “We shall.”

Three hours later, Lucas found himself out on the dance floor with Ava having the time of his life. The D.J. the sisters hired was superb. He played the oldies, plus the latest and greatest. The hall was decent size, holding over a dozen round tables that backed up against a large wood dance floor. Bunches of balloons hovered in every corner. The bright colors popped against the stark white walls as they floated above the mass of people now occupying the room.

Ava had been right. Almost the whole town had come out to celebrate Cara’s birthday. It was obvious the Worthington family was liked in these parts.

The smell of the well-stocked buffet still hung heavy in the air. Meats, pastas, and salads dishes galore. Maeve and two other women were hard at work clearing away the food, making room for other festivities. Maybe presents and a cake?

“I love this song.” Ava closed her eyes as she enjoyed the beat and melody of the music.

Lucas gave her a twirl. “I didn’t know you liked jazz.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I like all types of music.”

He should’ve known that she did. Her iPod always had a wide variety of music on it.

“Hey, Cara wants to open some of her gifts now,” Ella yelled as she started piling the gifts on the empty food table.

Lucas took hold of Ava’s hand as they watched Cara tear the wrapping paper off her first gift, the one from her sisters, which happened to be flat screen T.V. No surprise for him. After all, he’d brought the gift here, happy to help Ava with anything she needed.

“Thanks, guys, I love it.” Cara grinned and moved on to her other gifts. As they watched, he wrapped his arms around Ava, then took a deep breath. Had he ever been this content?

“Oh my God, Lucas,” Cara shouted. “How did you know?” Her right hand covered her mouth. “What is it?” Ava struggled to see over the shredded paper and ribbon.

“It’s everything Ringwald,” Cara cheered, hugging the movie bundle to her chest as she sighed. “It’s every movie she has ever been in.”

He thought Cara would be excited but he had no idea she would be like this. One night after dinner, he heard Ella and Cara arguing over what they watched on the television. Cara had insisted on
Pretty in Pink,
sharing how much she loved Molly Ringwald. When he heard that, he knew what he’d get her for her birthday.

Ava turned in his arms. “How did you get them on such short notice?”

“You can get almost anything on the Internet.” He shrugged.

Ava started to laugh. “She seems more excited about the movies than she did the flat screen.”

More presents, cake, and a few festive dances later and the party began to wind down. It had to be close to eleven and Ava was starting to show signs of fatigue. Plus, with the large crowd it had become hot in the hall. The apple of Ava’s cheeks were flushed, her skin glistening with moisture. She needed some air and he wanted some alone time with her. “How would you like to step outside?”

“Sure, I’m dying of heat.” She wiped her brow with a paper napkin, tossed it in a black trash bin, then followed him through the side door of the hall.

She stopped the second her feet touched grass. “Oh, I forgot. I told Mr. Clarke yesterday that I would take the promotion.”

He smiled at her words. As far as he could tell from observing her over this past week, she alone ran the inn. She deserved the recognition. “That’s great news. You must be excited. Did you tell Maeve and your sisters yet?”

He flanked her as she started to walk. They continued to the edge of the brick building that faced the forest, then she turned away from him. “No, I wanted you to be the first person I told.”

He moved in front of her. “I’m honored, but why did you want to tell me first?” He watched as a variety of different emotions etch over her face before she spoke.

“Well I-I didn’t want to steal Cara’s thunder. After all, her birthday is more important than my promotion . . .”

Her eyes flickered to his, just for a second. There was more to this than she was letting on. “And?”

She shrugged. “It’s just that, you, ah, you have come to mean a great deal to me and I know we just met but—”

He stilled her words with his touch, then cupped the side of her face with his hand. “Ava, you mean more to me than you know. It really doesn’t matter to me that we just met.”

She leaned into his hand and reached for his waist but she still wouldn’t look at him.

He lifted her chin with his finger so she would meet his gaze. Her eyes sparkled with joy, and something else. Was that desire lingering in those deep blue irises?

He had been dying all week for her touch, but knowing she wanted it just as much made him ache with need. He gathered her close, so he could feel the contours of her body, then leaned down and pressed his lips hard against hers.

That’s when he sensed them.

Lucas stepped away from Ava, shoving her behind him, as he scanned the dark tree line of the forest. One by one the shadowed figures emerged, until ten demons strode toward them.

“Oh my God. What are they?” Ava leaned around him to behold their hideous forms as she clutched his arm.

He squeezed his eyes shut, hating what he was about to do, but scaring her was the least of their problems right now. He had to protect her.

“Stay behind me!” He crouched low, allowing his claws and fangs to lengthen, preparing for the first attack.

The first three demons charged him head on. He leapt from his crouched position and spun, landing a deathblow that removed their heads. He didn’t even give them time to scream. While in a fighting stance, he did a quick count. Only five circled him. He was sure there were ten. At Ava’s terrified screams, he turned to find the other two demons flanking her, dragging her toward the tree line. Outnumbered, he released the beast.

In one leap, he was at Ava’s side, growling and snapping at the approaching demons. With the beast released, he was taller and stronger. He took out the five demons right in front of him with ease. Just as he finished ripping the fifth demon’s head from its body, he heard Ava’s gasp. She was no longer behind him. Two demons had her restrained but she was struggling against them as they tried to haul her toward the tree line. What lay behind those trees?

He bounded after them, thanking God that none of them had the ability to blink. Otherwise they would already be gone with her. He leapt onto the back of the first demon. The creature let out a strangled cry as Lucas sunk his claws into flesh. With a twist, he separated its head from its body.

Ava’s horrified eyes stared at him, but now was not the time for regrets. He pursued the other demon, tackling him to the ground. This one screamed as he applied bone-crushing pressure to its neck. Just as he tossed the last demon’s head aside, Ava bolted across the parking lot then into the street, right in front of an oncoming car.

The horn blared, trying to alert her to the impending peril, but she kept turning, searching for any dangerous pursuers. No doubt she thought the real jeopardy lay behind her . . . with him.

He started toward her. “Ava!”

Her eye widened, taking in the bright headlights and screeching car tires. Her ear-piercing shriek filled the night.

Heart pounding, he jumped, still questioning if he would make it to her in time. At the last second he engulfed her with his body, taking the brunt of the collision.

Her head bounced off the bumper of the car, knocking her unconscious. The force of the car shoved them forward, further onto the street. As he regained his focus, he stared down at her unconscious form. He had to get her out of there. Others from the party might have heard the commotion, the screams . . . and the driver of the car would want answers. How could he explain this?

There was no other choice. He had to protect her, get her somewhere safe. Scooping Ava up into his arms, he started toward the only place he knew he could protect her.

Ava woke with the worst headache of her life. She opened her eyes and tried to figure out where she was. Oak head board, dark green comforter, cream-colored walls, ugly maroon curtains—

The inn . . .

She sat upright in the bed and noticed she still wore the dark green dress from the party but her shoes were M.I.A. The light filtered around the window treatments meaning it was daytime. How long had she been there? Even better, how did she get here?

Her mind searched for answers as her eyes traveled around the room—

She drew a quick breath that hurt like the dickens.

Lucas slept in a chair near the door.

Memories from the previous night flooded back to her. A tender first kiss, dark strangers, a fight, and . . . he’d turned into a beast.