Page 58 of Blood and Magic
“What you just went through, the transition, usually hits a person in their early twenties. Sometimes sooner if they spend a lot of time around shifters. Guin…for example.” He met my gaze hesitantly, like he expected me to freak out, but it took me a second to catch up. Guin would have transitioned around the time when he was working here seventeen years ago. She was what… twenty? And he would have been twenty-one.
“Oh my God,” I said. “Did you help her the way you helped me?”
“Yes,” he said. “But it was different, and whatever it was between me and her, it ended after it was over.”
A small part of me sizzled with jealousy that they’d shared that level of intimacy. Had she sat at his table the next morning, wrapped in a sheet, while he fed her whatever meat was in his fridge? Had he had this same conversation with her?
That sensation washed over me, and I let it fade away. I had no reason to be possessive over him. She had needed his help, and he’d been there for her in a way no one else could. I was glad she had him in a moment of weakness, when she had no one else, when she was likely scared about what would happen next.
Then I caught on to what he’d actually said.
“Different?”
He sat back in his seat and nodded. “There’s something about you, Maeve. I’m very…protective of you.”
“Protective.” I took a drink of water and focused on the coolness sliding down my throat as I waited for him to elaborate.
Mill grabbed my hand and wrapped his fingers around my palm, grounding me in his presence.
“You remind me what it means to live.” He met my gaze and leaned closer to me, bringing his forehead to touch mine. Our lips were millimeters apart, and I inhaled his intoxicating scent. “No one’s ever made me feel alive like you.”
My heart nearly skipped, and a warm rush spread through my veins. I tilted my head so our lips touched. At the contact, he moaned and grabbed the back of my neck to hold me closer. His mouth was so soft and inviting, I couldn’t contain myself. I dropped the sheet and crawled into his lap, my legs on either side of the chair, and I slung my arms around his neck to get as much of him as I could. My skin burned everywhere it touched his, and when I rocked my hips into his, we both hissed. Raw with use but desperate for more connection, my cunt protested the movement.
He broke away to look up at me, and I ran my hands over his face, brushing his hair back. Visions of the last seventy-two hours flashed through my mind. Most of it was a blur, but I did remember some things, especially the pain. I had to be filled by him, and the agony only got worse when he wasn’t inside me. But after he was, oh, the pleasure became overwhelming. My teeth were tender, and I eyed the marks on his neck before softly running my fingers over them again.
“I did this.” I looked back at his eyes in time to see them flash a deep crimson. I jumped, the surprise almost startling me off his lap, but he held me closer.
“It’s okay,” he said, wrapping his arms around my waist. “It’s how it works. During the transition, you need shifter magic to activate the change. You need someone of the opposite dominance. Usually, that’s someone of the opposite gender, but not always.” He reached up to touch my neck, gently rubbing his fingers over my wounds. “I got you good here. I’m sorry about that. I tried to resist it, but…anyway. They’ll heal after the moon. I promise.”
“I remember…” I closed my eyes to think about it, the sensation of him being stuck inside of me lingering in my lower abdomen. “You couldn’t move. You were inside of me and?—”
“That’s the knot,” he explained with a chuckle.
“A knot?” I balked, both confused and amused.
He nodded and smiled, his grin sending warmth through my heart into my gut. “And you’ll notice you get wetter than you used to.” I raised my eyebrows, waiting for more explanation. “It’s called slick.”
“Slick?” I cringed, scrunching my nose before erupting into a fit of giggles. “That sounds gross.”
He laughed harder. “It helps with the knot.”
“I have no idea how I’m being so chill with all of this,” I said. “I should be running for the hills. This doesn’t make any sense.”
Mill hummed and leaned in closer to kiss my lips. “It’s my magic inside you. It’ll be there for the next few days, just long enough for your own to develop.”
“Your magic, huh?” I grinned. “What else does your magic do?”
He hummed. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
I gasped, something having just occurred to me. “What about birth control? I’m on the pill, but we— Does the magic negate that?”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “You can’t get pregnant unless you’re in heat. The transition usually burns through any chance of that. The magic is too strong.”
I relaxed, the relief in my chest palpable. Not that I didn’t want a huge family someday, but with everything else going on, I’d like a few years to figure that out. “Thank you for helping me.”
“You’re welcome, baby.” He kissed me again and put his hands on my hips to drag my pelvis closer. My blood sang, and he licked my lips, the touch rattling through my nerves. Granting him entrance, I wrestled his tongue with my own, the ache between my legs intensifying, now hungry for more contact. I rocked against him, urging it on, wanting more of him. Two quick knocks at the door stopped us, and he pulled away with a growl, narrowing his eyes at the entrance.
“Do not fucking open that,” he yelled, before glancing back at me. “Go get cleaned up, darlin’. It’s the full moon tonight, so we’ve got to get going.”
