Page 25 of The Mating Claim
“He did stab you.” Lacey frowned. “You’re the wizard. You delve out the punishment. Why askme?”
“True,” Drust agreed. He waved a hand and Mike suddenlyvanished.
A shiver raced down her spine. For a few moments, she’d forgotten what powers he possessed. Watching him sock Mike in the jaw had been like watching another male fight. This was a show of pure power, a reminder of exactly who the Coldfire Wizard was – a dangerousimmortal.
“What did you do withhim?”
“He’s thousands of miles away, shivering on a mountaintop, quite naked and unable to shift into his dragon form.” Drust’s mouth curved into a smile. “After an hour, he will return here, still naked, but the time away shall give him opportunity to reflect on his illmanners.”
I doubt it. But maybe it will cause enough shrinkage to shrink his ego as well. Lacey sighed and began gathering plates and mugs of beer. “In a way, it wasn’t hisfault.”
“You are not to blame.” The wizard scowled. “Why do some women blame themselves when a male harasses them? He was rude and quitechurlish.”
She liked this about him, the fair side of him that did not see her gender as two walking boobs and a vagina. But she had to befair.
“Mike was telling the truth.” Lacey set down the plates, pulled herself up straight and met his gaze square on. “I am frigid and I don’t likesex.”
“Oh?” A dark eyebrow lifted, and now his blue gaze sparkled withchallenge.
Uh-oh.
Drust wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close and kissed her. It felt like lightning shooting through her veins, pure liquid heat that sent desire spiraling through her. Her nipples tingled and turned hard, and the space between her legs grew wet with arousal. Lacey leaned into the kiss and gave it back, her tongue tangling withhis.
When he pulled away, he looked as stunned as shefelt.
“You kissed me.” Lacey put a hand to her mouth, feeling her kiss-swollenlips.
“Sorry. Not sorry,” Drust saidsoftly.
All she could do was stare in incredulous disbelief, her heart still racing from the exquisite heat of hismouth.
“What are you doing to me?” she whispered. “Why are you doing this tome?”
His gaze clouded and his breath hitched. “I truly do notknow.”
And then it sharpened as a predator’s gaze sharpens on the grazing deer he intends to take down. “But I intend to find out. Now the reason I came here, Lacey. Where did you hide the Book ofShadows?”
Chapter 7
Tristan was not havinga terrificday.
First he had to quell a nasty fight between two cranked up bear shifter clans who warred over, of all the stupid things, fishing rights in a stream. The bear shifters had stirred up the quite real grizzlies in Alaska hunting for food after a longwinter.
Only after using his powers to divert the grizzlies with a plethora of fish he’d conjured further down the sparkling cold water could he bang some sense into the heads of his shiftercharges.
Next he rescued a sweet, pregnant fox shifter subjected to a hunt by two eager Skins who wanted her pelt. The fox’s mate was frantic when she tired and the Skins closedin.
Tristan knocked sense into the Skins as well, rendering them unconscious. When they awakened they’d have a strange desire to turnvegan.
But worst of all was the news Niki imparted to him when he finally arrived home, ready for playtime with the twins, snuggles, and then long, deep kisses and maybe a bout of lovemaking before dinner with his lovelymate.
“I’m taking the twins to my sister’s next weekend.” Niki stood in the kitchen of their castle, using the magick wand he’d gifted her to mark a calendar she used to record significant events. “Nia and Aiden are having a barbecue after the annual spring branding. The twins would love it. If it doesn’t snow again. You never know inMontana.”
He wondered if he could bribe Danu into making it a real blizzard. Because the last thing he needed now was his mate and children on the mortal plane, when the Book of Shadows was in dangeroushands.
Silver glitter dusted the erasable calendar. Normally he adored the way her brow scrunched up in thought as she flicked the wand to mark the twins’ growth or parties and gatherings with the other wizards. Today he wished he could take the damn wand away and banish the calendar to theunderworld.
Tristan dropped into a chair at the table. Niki had decorated the kitchen the way she liked, and it was an exact replica of the one at Blakemore Ranch where she’d lived her mortal life. She’d added a few touches to make it more personal to their lives, painting it a sunny yellow and adding a Maplewood table and chairs with quilted cushions and some whimsical ceramic pigs on the window shelf. Framed by cheery blue and yellow curtains, the window overlooked a rambling meadow where they could run free before heading into the woods in their wolfforms.
