Page 18 of Rise of the Witch
I’d never seen Asa like this—shoulders hunched as he paced the length of the cabin, stalking the short distance from one wall to the other like a caged leopard testing its enclosure. His hands were clenched into fists, the corded muscles in his forearms bulging and the low growls emanating from him sounding more animal than human. Sure, I’d known him long enough to see him upset, but this was on a whole other level.
And he actuallypunchedNox.
Ace was not a fighter. While he’d been trained in deadly hand-to-hand combat like the rest of us, he was much too level-headed to unleash those skills on another person impulsively. Whenever some asshole at base made a rude comment to him about being gay—usually while simultaneously checking out his fine ass—Asa always let it go. Of course, Nox gladly handled it for him sincehehad no qualms about violence and rarely did the same guy talk shit a second time.
I was well aware of how wrecked Ace had been since his mum’s death, but all this time, I’d thought he just needed unconditional support. Never in a million years would I have bet money on him working through his grief by laying out a mean motherfucker like Nox, especially since that man was like a brother to him.
This is not good.
Turning to Vasi, I found her watching Ace with smug satisfaction as if she approved what she saw instead of recognizing the man before us was in the middle of a nervous breakdown.
“Vasi…” I gritted out, trying to catch her gaze while still keeping an eye on my love. “Help me calm him down, ya?” Seeing that she looked more annoyed by my request than anything, I added, “Please, doll, this...this is nothim.”
She barked out a laugh, crossing her arms over her chest as she smirked at me. “Are you absolutelysureabout that, Tan?” she raised a challenging eyebrow before registering the near-panic that was surely written on my face. “Fine,” she huffed before approaching the belligerent man prowling her hut with far less caution than I thought was wise.
Instead of a soothing tone, Vasi growled low, her voice once again unnaturally filling the hut’s small space. “Stop this. Now,” she commanded, grabbing Ace’s forearms and digging in deep with her long fingernails.
The harsh tone and jolt of pain must have worked, as Asa snapped out of whatever rage spiral he’d been trapped in, his blue eyes wide as he searched the room. “Tan…?” he gasped, gaze falling on me with a desperate, shattered expression that killed me.
I was at his side in an instant, whispering calming words as I stroked his soft curls, trying to inject all the hopeless love I felt for him into every kiss. My attempts to soothe only resulted in him collapsing against me, shuddering violently as whatever emotions he was riding on kept flooding his system.
He’s too far gone.
“Get him on top of the oven,” Vasi was suddenly all business, her expression holding a surprising glimmer of concern. “And take off his clothes. He’s nearly soaked through with sweat.”
Guiding Ace up the ladder to the raised area where Vasi slept, I moved the privacy curtain and herded him inside. I was surprised to find a spacious but cozy nest full of embroidered pillows, crocheted blankets, and layers of plush cushions that reminded me of a boho-obsessed ex-girlfriend’s apartment back in Istanbul. A colorfully painted shelf recessed into the wall held a stack of books, small wooden totems, glass containers with various nature treasures, and a random scrap of red, white, and black material, among other things.
I suddenly remembered I had more important things to do than admire Vasi’s interior decorating. Peeling off Ace’s damp clothing, I tried not to get too distracted by the chiseled perfection of his body—including the hard cock staring me in the face.
“Here, I’ve brought some more blankets to...oh!” Vasi froze halfway up the ladder, her stunning blue-green eyes riveted to Ace’s dick.
Asa was propped up on his elbows, his chest heaving as he intently stared at Vasi with an almost feral expression. Whatever sex voodoo our little witch had unleashed on him out on the porch was still coursing through his veins, and now that he didn’t appear ready to rip someone’s head off, I couldn’t say it was a bad look on him.
Realizing I needed to act fast before the spell was broken, I grabbed the blankets from Vasi and pulled her the rest of the way up to join us, purring seductively, “Look at him. Isn’t he the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?
Her gaze was unapologetically roaming over every inch of Asa, drinking in his radiance as she murmured in assent, “Mmm, yes. His skin is so lovely. I just want to make him bleed.”
Oha! That’s not quite what I meant, but okay...
Clearly, Ace was on board with Vasi’s plan as he shivered, eyes closing as a desperate moan escaped him. And, fuck, if that didn’t make me instantly hard as well. Needing my skin against his immediately, I started removing my clothes until Vasi threw me a stern look, pursing her tasty lips into a disapproving line.
“Firstly, it’s hot as Hades up here, doll,” I chuckled, earning myself a twitch of her lips in response. “Secondly, I’m perfectly willing to simply slide in there behind this magnificent specimen so you can do whatever you want while I hold him steady for you.” Feeling my dick twitch as her pupils dilated in interest, I quickly added, “I think heneedsus to take control right now.”
Her slight nod was all I needed to get naked in record time, kneel behind Asa, and pull him back against me to straddle my lap. This position torturously wedged my aching cock between his ass cheeks, but I was determined to see what Vasi would do with him before seeking relief.
She remained seated before us, gaze still traveling over Asa’s body while she slowly unbuttoned her top, sliding it off her tanned shoulders before unwrapping her long skirt and tossing it aside. This left her wearing nothing but some sort of plain, cotton slip that was way more modest than anything I’d ever seen on a woman and somehow way fucking hotter. The thin material kissed her glorious curves, doing little to stop her dark nipples from saying ‘ello and the wild hair between her legs from calling my name, and there I went, falling in love all over again.
“Fuuuck….” Ace breathed as he no doubt looked her over, fidgeting in my lap and making my balls tighten at the thought of being inside him. Realizing I was in danger of shooting my baby batter before the good stuff even happened, I looped my arms around his toned biceps to hold him still, restraining him with more force than usual. Based on the needy sound coming from deep in his throat, he was close to coming himself.
Show us what you’ve got, witch.
Leaving that tease of a slip on, Vasi crawled forward until she was kneeling next to Asa—close enough that her breath was probably tickling his sweaty skin. She lazily ran a single fingernail over his chest and abs, tracing the contours of his muscles, making him shiver every time she traveled close to his cock.
“What would you be doing to Asa?” she abruptly asked, shifting that mesmerizing gaze to mine. “If I wasn’t here right now?”
“Uh,” I stuttered, tearing my gaze away from the path of her hand, momentarily thrown off by the question. “I would have probably already slid him onto my dick so I could fuck whatever is happening to him out of his system.”
“Mmm..” she hummed, returning to her teasing caresses. “You should do that anyway.”
