Page 12 of Witch Untold
“Tell me what you’d do, right now, if you could shift to human form.” Some might think the question cruel, but fuck them, Rune had a right to fantasize with me, to connect this way and play. We needed to find our own way to be intimate even if it couldn’t involve skin on skin, lips and tongue. “Tell me.”
Silence greeted me, pregnant with anticipation, and then,It’s late. You should sleep.
Fuck. Had I messed up? “Are you offended?”
No, Cora.His voice was forlorn and wistful.I’m just not that strong.He nudged me with his nose.Close your eyes, beautiful.
I obliged, snuggling down and throwing my arm over him. The steady rise and fall of his back and his even breath lulled me into sleep.
The crashof waves filled my head. A gust of wind blew my hair into my face. I brushed it back to take in the stormy gray sky and the figure standing several meters away with his back to me, watching an angry sea that stretched out to the horizon.
Broad shoulders tapered down to a narrow waist above a pert ass and long, powerful legs encased in snug denim, topped with sexy black biker boots with ornate silver buckles. Long golden hair floated back in the breeze. My heart stuttered.
I knew this form.
I’d seen it in photographs.
I was dreaming.
Dreaming about Rune.
For a moment I was rooted to the spot, meters away from the man I’d only ever known as a wolf. My third mate who’d been forced onto the sidelines ever since we’d met.
Finally, my feet carried me toward him. Toward the cliff edge where he stood, watching the sea churn and batter rock. I took it slow, afraid that if I moved too fast the dream would shatter, and he’d be ripped away from me.
I was a couple of meters away when his shoulders stiffened, and he turned to face me.
I knew that handsome face. The winged brows, straight nose, and mischievous features. I’d seen those full lips smile, showcasing even, white teeth. I’d studied the column of his neck, head tipped back as he laughed with an abandon that made my heart ache to laugh with him. Haley had sent me the photographs, and I’d pored over them for hours.
“Rune?” His name was a whisper that hung between us, pregnant with expectation.
His eyes widened. “Cora…I’m dreaming.”
Oh, fuck, that voice paired with the face was almost too much for me. Damn, my mind was good. “No,I’mdreaming.”
His brow furrowed slightly, and he took a step toward me. He was tall, like Tor, but with more of an athletic build. The build of a sprinter, or a swimmer, or a mix of the two, and oh, God, he was close now, so close I could feel the heat beating off his body.
He plucked a tendril of my hair and rubbed it between his forefinger and thumb. “This feels so real.” He scanned my face, confusion painting his beautiful features. He looked like a Viking, powerful, golden, and perfect. “You feel”—he traced my cheek with his fingers, sending tingles down my neck and across my chest—“so fucking real. I prayed I’d dream of you.”
But this was my dream, not his, and it was the weirdest dream ever. “Rune, this is my dream. You’re inmydream.” And I was arguing with a creation of my own mind. I reached up to skim his jaw with my fingertips. Stubble grazed my skin. “Fuck, that feelstooreal.”
He inhaled sharply and the corners of his mouth dimpled. “What if it is?”
“What?” I locked gazes with him, stepping closer so I had to lift my chin to look at him.
“What if this isn’t your dream or mine,” he said. “What if it’sours.”
Oh, shit. Could it be? His fingers brushed mine and we both looked down at our hands before lacing them. His skin was warm. He was real. This was…real.
My gaze shot up to lock with his again. “Rune, I don’t get it. How is this possible?”
“I don’t know.” A smile lit up his face, and his hazel eyes seemed to glow with joy. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. Whateverthisis, I’ll take it.” He cupped my nape with his free hand, fingers sinking into my hair as he tipped my chin back with his thumb. “I’ll take it.”
Our mouths hovered mere centimeters apart for several heartbeats before meeting on a soft sigh. The kiss made my heart ache and my eyes sting. The salty tang of the sea clung to his lips and the electric aroma of the angry ocean wreathed him. I parted my lips, desperate for more. Desperate for him, for this connection. My chest heated as the threads that bound us vibrated and thrummed in approval.
He deepened the kiss, mouth skating over mine expertly to evoke tingles that skimmed across my cheeks. A moan slipped between us, his or mine, I wasn’t sure, because my pulse was thundering. I slipped my hand from his and wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my torso to his, breasts flush against his pecs.
He pulled back slightly. “Cora…Fuck.”
