Anne ran as fast as she could, but he still caught up with her before she even reached the top of the stairs. She laughed as he swung her up in his arms and headed to her bedroom.
‘Not to ruin the mood, but I need to check on Keelan,’ she said as they passed his door.
Kendrick stopped and set her on her feet. ‘Thank you for putting his needs above your own.’
Anne opened the door and approached Keelan’s bed. ‘He may not be my mate, but he is my best friend.’ She checked his feeding tube and his IV port and replaced his drip bag. ‘Does he know about your parents?’
Kendrick shook his head. ‘No. I never wanted to put him in any danger, he was better off not knowing.’
‘What did you tell him about your parents?’ Anne asked.
‘That they died in a boating accident trying to cross the river; neither one of them knew water magic. It was the most plausible explanation I could come up with.’ Kendrick smiled down at his brother.
‘He didn’t even think to doubt you, did he?’
‘No. Growing up, he must have believed I walked on water. He was always following me around, getting into my spell supplies.’ Kendrick laughed suddenly. ‘When he was two, he ate almost an entire bag of saltpeter while I was engrossed in translating a manuscript. When I realized what he was doing, I ran around like a madman trying to find someone to help. The widow down the road laughed at me and gave him a liquid that made him start throwing up. I felt like the worst brother in the entire universe as I watched my little buddy empty the contents of his stomach for five hours. That episode made me want to learn about healing. I never wanted to stand by helpless when he needed me again.’
‘I can’t wait to ask him questions about you.’ Anne held out her hand.
Kendrick took it and dimmed the lights in the room with a wave of his hand.
Arriving at her guest suite felt almost anti-climatic. When the door shut behind them, she sighed. Kendrick went to the dresser and turned on the small lamp. Its low wattage gave off just enough light to see but was easy on the eyes.
Kendrick looked up. ‘Do you want me to chase you around the bedroom?’
She laughed and shook her head. ‘It feels so obligatory now.’
‘Obligatory?’ Kendrick slowly unzipped his hoodie. ‘I’ll give you obligatory.’
Anne watched him as he casually began to strip out of his clothing. When he was shirtless and unbuttoning his jeans, she held up her hand. ‘Stop.’
Kendrick blinked. ‘Everything?’
She walked over and reached out tentatively. Kendrick’s personality hinged on his brilliant mind, so she often forgot that he was extremely well muscled. The short auburn chest hair gave him a warm glow in the low light.
She started by placing her hands side by side in the center of his chest then moved them upward, caressing his muscles. She ran her hands down his sides and then around the front, tracing the indention his hips made, which led downward. His body, under her hands, was very still. She looked up and saw a look of wonder on his face. She leaned in, placed her cheek against his chest, and listened to his heartbeat. ‘You’re beautiful, you know. You have one of the most perfect bodies I have ever seen.’
She eyed the brilliant red, black, and silvery white tattoos on his right forearm and looked up at him. ‘Very nice,’ she murmured.
He winked at her and took both of her hands in his, kissing them gently. He let them drop, grabbed the hem of her shirt, and pulled it up over her head. ‘Do I get to return the favor?’
She nodded as he slowly and deliberately removed each piece of clothing. He stopped when she stood before him in just her bra and panties. ‘I think I prefer to take you slowly rather than in the heat of the moment.’ He slid her bra straps down before he leaned down to kiss her collarbones. ‘I want you to know that I am thinking of you and only you, every second I am making love to you. I want you to know that each touch, each kiss, and each caress is deliberate. I don’t want you to give in to mindless passion, because your mind is the thing I love the most about you.’ He undid the clasp and let the bra fall to the floor. ‘I want to explore every inch of you. I want to memorize every bump, freckle, and scar. I want to burn into my memory how your body feels against mine so that it never feels complete without you.’
Kendrick pulled her close and the heat of his skin against her sensitive nipples caused her to shiver. He looked down and it was almost as if his amber eyes were glowing like molten gold. ‘Would you rather I throw you on the bed and pleasure you so much that you don’t know your own name? Or would you rather I love you tortuously, drawing out every single wave of ecstasy until my name is the only thing you know?’
Anne wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him. ‘The second one, then the first one twice, then the second one again,’ she grinned up him.
Kendrick looked up at the ceiling before smiling down at her. ‘You will be the death of me.’
‘Always,’ she promised.
Kendrick stepped backward and unzipped his jeans. When he let them fall, Anne began to have serious regrets about asking for multiple sessions. She doubted she was going to survive the first round.
His cock was erect and reached his belly button. As if she wasn’t worried enough about the length, the rounded head capped a shaft that she knew she would barely be able to wrap her hand around.
‘It won’t kill you,’ Kendrick said laughing.
Anne scrunched up her face. ‘It might.’
‘Let’s see.’ He knelt down in front of her and rolled her panties over her hips and down her legs. She stepped out of them, and he threw them across the room.
‘Have you ever made love to a witch before?’ he asked as he used his thumbs to part her folds.
She shook her head. ‘You know I haven’t.’
Kendrick looked up at her with an impish smile on his face. ‘Then let me introduce you to benefits of being mated to a witch.’
One second she was standing, the next she was on her back, floating in mid-air. ‘Kendrick?’
‘I’ve mastered air magic my love, you won’t fall.’
He floated her over to the bed, but instead of letting her fall onto the covers, he kept her floating three feet above them.
She raised an eyebrow.
‘The better to eat you, my dear.’ He spread her legs wide and ran his tongue up her slit until he was teasing her clit with his teeth.
Gasping, she threw her head back. Over and over he alternated between sharp bites and rapid flicks of his tongue. With her legs straining, she reached for him, chasing the pleasure he promised.
He drew back and dropped her gently on the bed. She whimpered at the loss, and he chuckled.
‘It gets better,’ he said as he reached down and began to enter her slowly.
She knew she was right to be concerned. He was stretching her too much. She began thrashing her head from side to side. ‘Kendrick!’
She was about to tell him to stop when she felt his hot mouth on her clit again.
Huh? How could he be pleasuring her with both his mouth and his cock at the same time?
She opened her eyes, and he was smiling down at her. ‘How?’
‘Fire magic.’
The heat twisted and turned. She clenched down on his invading cock, trying to capture that one thing she was desperate for.
He leaned forward and leisurely licked and nibbled on her left breast. When he pulled back, an icy biting sensation distracted her from the overwhelming sensations around her clit.
He surged deep, filling her completely before igniting his fire spell to send her into the stratosphere. He mercilessly kept her on the brink of climax and then brought her down with a bite of ice. Back and forth, he used the dueling sensations to drive her out of her mind.
Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, he was leaning over her, thrusting into her over and over again. His gaze was filled with love and his eyes with tears as he began to recite words that she somehow knew; it was as if they were written on her heart and only he could see the words to unlock her soul.
‘As there is a sun and moon, a sky and earth, and a Lord and Lady, so there are two pieces to this one soul. Let us be complete once more, never to be torn apart. I give everything I am into my mate’s keeping, let my love protect and guard our joined souls.’
He thrust deep one final time, shuddering with his own release, which triggered her orgasm. As her heartbeat began to slow, she began to feel a gentle, warm wave begin to engulf her. It wasn’t forceful or savage. It was kind and patient as it slowly invaded every cell in her body. She felt new connections as awareness flooded her senses. She was now tied to nature itself; it was so humbling and beautiful, and she began to cry.
Kendrick withdrew from her body and rolled them onto their sides, wrapping his body around hers. He held her close as the waves began to dissipate.
She wasn’t able to speak for a few minutes. ‘What was that?’
Kendrick kissed the side of her neck. ‘That was my magic, my connection with nature. I’m closer to Her than most witches. She was very happy to meet you.’
Anne could still feel his power trickling through her body. ‘Am I a witch now?’
Behind her, she felt him shake his head. ‘No, you’re still human, but you’ll gain the ability to do certain things.’
‘Like what?’
Kendrick shrugged. ‘It’s different for every couple. Usually a male witch and a female witch will exchange aspects of the magic they are best at. For example, a fire witch may gain the ability to call a breeze from his mate who can work with air spells.’
‘But you don’t do just one thing.’
‘No, I don’t.’
‘So, you really don’t know.’
‘No, but doesn’t that make it exciting?’
She laughed and then gasped. She could definitely feel the aftereffects of his lovemaking.
‘Did I hurt you?’ he asked immediately, sounding concerned.
‘No, not really. I’m just slightly sore. It’s more of a nuisance than pain.’
He didn’t say anything.
‘Are you grinning?’ She reached up behind her head to feel for his face.
Laughing, he fake growled and nipped at her fingers, causing her to squeal. ‘Careful love, you’ll poke me in the eye.’
Anne went to turn so she could face him and realized how big a mess they had made. She sat up and grimaced, looking at the covers.
Kendrick shook his head, went to the center of the room, and picked up his clothes, which now resembled a long gown.
‘Didn’t you have pants?’
Kendrick nodded. ‘Yes, but if I don’t have them on for a certain period of time, the garment returns to its original state. Come here.’
Anne gingerly hopped off the bed and stood in front of him.
He unbuttoned the gown and laid it across the bed where they had just made love.
‘Kendrick! It’s going to get dirty.’ She went to reach for it, but he stopped her.
‘And for my next magic trick.’ He swept the fabric off the bed and it was as clean as it was at the beginning of the night. Anne sniffed; actually, it was cleaner. It now smelled like it had just come in off the line.
He pulled her close and wrapped the gown around them. Seconds later, her body was clean and even her teeth felt brushed. She stepped out of the gown and spun around check her body.
‘That is amazing!’
‘Now, I believe the order was second option, first one twice, and then back to the second?’ Kendrick stalked toward her.
Giggling, she ran for the bed. His magic clothes were going to get quite a workout.
*****
The next morning, they had already checked on Keelan and were just sitting down to enjoy their first cup of coffee when Anne heard loud footsteps racing down the stairs. Anne looked around, and only Darian and Amelia were absent.
The door flew inward, and a completely panicked Darian ran in holding a bundle of clothes.
Aiden stood. ‘Darian? What’s wrong?’
Darian just stared in horror as the lump of clothes began moving. Seconds later, the head of a puffy German Shepard puppy emerged. It gave the cutest bark and looked around the room, tail wagging.
‘Oh, my god! It’s so cute!’ Anne exclaimed.
Meryn had already hopped out of her chair and had raced over to Darian. ‘He’s so cute!’ Meryn gave him no choice and tugged the puppy out of his arms. She rubbed her cheek over the puppy’s head over and over again. She turned to Aiden. ‘Can we keep him?’
‘No!’ Aiden and Darian exclaimed together.
Darian tried to get the puppy back, but Meryn kept turning her body. ‘Meryn, give her back!’
Meryn ignored his request. ‘How do you know it’s a girl?’
‘Because that’s Amelia!’ Darian shouted, chest heaving.
Lily set her cup down on her saucer. ‘Amelia Violet Ironwood, what have you gotten yourself into?’
Darian whirled to Kendrick. ‘Fix her, please!’ he begged.
Meryn laughed. ‘She’s so fluffy, I’m gonna die!’
Kendrick frowned as the puppy licked Meryn’s face repeatedly. ‘I’ve never seen this before.’
‘Never?’ Darian asked, looking ill.
Kendrick shook his head. ‘Nope, never.’
They both stared at Meryn and puppy Amelia, and finally, Kendrick turned to Darian. ‘Do you like dogs?’
Darian’s mouth dropped open. He turned from Kendrick to Amelia and back again.
Marshall chuckled. ‘Amelia, doing spells like that, you’ll have people thinking you’re a shifter’s daughter.’
Rheia’s look became thoughtful. ‘Or if she’s pregnant right now, she could end up having puppies, then everyone will think they’re Colton’s.’
Darian pulled at his long blond hair with both hands frantically.
Anne finally took pity on him and turned to her mate. ‘Is there nothing you can do?’
Kendrick sighed. ‘I suppose, but she is awfully adorable this way.’
Crestfallen, Meryn looked at him. ‘Do we hafta?’
Kendrick stood and gathered up the forgotten clothing from the floor and walked over to Meryn. ‘You’d miss your cousin eventually. May I?’
Meryn kissed Amelia on the top of her fuzzy head and handed her over to Kendrick.
Kendrick lifted the puppy to eye level. ‘You never stop getting into trouble, do you?’ He carried her out into the hallway, Darian right behind him.
Anne felt a surge of power, and a minute later, Kendrick was walking back into the dining room. ‘Back to normal,’ he announced.
‘How did she manage that?’ Marshall asked.
Kendrick rubbed his chin. ‘Evidently, both she and Meryn inherited their empathy from your mate’s side of the family. Ever since Amelia’s magic broke loose during the battle, her empathy has been fueling her earth magic. I’m guessing that she’ll be able to do a lot more with her magic than she ever has before. Her empathy is acting like a nuclear reactor, generating more and more power due to everyone’s high stress levels.’
Lily looked at Meryn. ‘My side of the family? But we’re human.’
Kendrick shook his head. ‘Mostly human. I’d bet you have a witch dangling somewhere in your family tree.’
Meryn waved her hand. ‘Can I do spells?’
‘No!’ Aiden answered.
‘But…’
‘No.’ Colton repeated.
‘Now, that’s not…’
‘No, Meryn.’ Elizabeth and Rheia said firmly.
‘Y’all are no fun!’ Meryn paused then looked up at Aiden. ‘Can I have a kitten?’
Aiden nodded then stopped. ‘What?’
‘I’ve been thinking, I want a kitten, like a baby lion or bobcat.’ Meryn sipped from her cup.
Aiden began shaking his head. ‘No. What? Why? Baby lions and bobcats aren’t called kittens they are called cubs, and they would grow bigger than you!’
Meryn shrugged. ‘So would any boy we have; you don’t seem to mind that idea.’
Elizabeth turned to her friend. ‘What brought this on?’
Meryn shrugged. ‘I’ve never had a pet before. When I was growing up, no animals were allowed in the house. Holding the puppy version of Amelia made me realize how much I missed out on.’ She held up her butter knife like a sword. ‘It could be a battle cat for Felix, like Cringer from He-Man.’
Colton shook his head. ‘No sweetie, it would eat Felix.’
Meryn frowned. ‘I didn’t think about that.’ She turned her head. ‘I’d rather have you than a cat any day of the week, Felix.’
Lily looked at Meryn worriedly. ‘Is something there?’
Marshall leaned forward eagerly. ‘She has a sprite, doesn’t she?’
Meryn smiled. ‘Go on,’ she said encouragingly.
The air shimmered around Meryn’s head and Felix appeared. He ducked his face behind her ear.
Lily inclined her head. ‘Very pleased to make your acquaintance, Felix. Thank you for looking after my niece.’
Felix blushed furiously, nodded, and then disappeared again.
The dining room doors opened. Darian had his arm around Amelia who was grinning sheepishly. ‘Sorry about that everyone, I think I’ll be able to shift back on my own next time.’
Darian collapsed into his chair. ‘There won’t be a next time. Never again, Amelia.’
Amelia looked up at the ceiling. ‘Sure.’
‘She’s lying.’ Lily and Marshall said at the same time.
Darian buried his face in his hands. ‘I can’t, I just can’t.’
Ryuu walked in carrying a large basket. ‘This may cheer you up; we received a gift basket from the fae queen. The crew that will be fixing the town square delivered it this morning. I’m told that your favorite crumpets are in here, Darian.’ Ryuu set the basket in the middle of the table.
Darian perked up immediately. ‘Really?’ He stood and used a pair of metal tongs to begin sorting through the assorted pastries.
‘I can see how worried he is,’ Anne teased.
Amelia rolled her eyes. ‘I swear they’re all ruled by their stomachs.’ She pointed to Aiden and Colton who were looking in the basket of goodies.
Anne turned to Kendrick. ‘Aren’t you hungry?’
He smiled. ‘What would you like?’ he asked.
‘A cinnamon roll, if we have any.’
Kendrick waved his hand, and three pastries floated out of the basket and landed on their plates.
‘How’d you do that? I thought you had to see what you were aiming your magic at?’ Colton asked.
‘That varies from spell to spell, in this instance, I used my earth magic to identify the apple turnovers and the cinnamon rolls, and called them to me. Apples and cinnamon are gathered from plants.’ Kendrick lifted the powdered turnover and bit into it. He sighed happily as he chewed.
Anne dug into her cinnamon roll and wasn’t disappointed. It was the best she’d ever eaten.
Kendrick looked down at his pastry. ‘I see that Cord still serves at the palace.’
Darian looked startled. ‘How did you know that?’
Kendrick raised the turnover. ‘I would recognize his pastries anywhere.’
Darian smiled. ‘He is a master at what he does.’
The dining room became quiet as everyone enjoyed the unexpected treats.
Anne was sipping her tea when she noticed that some seats at the table were empty. ‘Where are Penny, Jaxon, and Noah? Did they already eat?’ she asked.
Rheia leaned forward. ‘Mina is visiting a friend so she isn’t able to teach Penny today; Noah and Jaxon volunteered to look after her. They raided the basket before we came down and have taken over command central for the day.’
Anne had to smile at the image of those three together. ‘They are good boys.’
Meryn nodded. ‘They make perfect minions.’
Beside her, Kendrick began to choke. He reached for his coffee and gulped a few times to clear his airway. ‘Minions! I completely forgot. Basil will be coming by today. I’ll be showing him how I set up the tests for the different necklaces.’
Aiden looked over at Kendrick. ‘Thank you for teaching him. It really went a long way soothing hurt feelings about advancement. You wouldn’t consider teaching a class or two to all of the unit witches while you’re here, would you? I know that Noah is behind in his studies as well. When his parents kicked him out, his lessons stopped.’
Kendrick nodded slowly. ‘I could easily do that.’ He turned to Elizabeth. ‘You’re the planner, aren’t you?’
Elizabeth laughed. ‘Yes, would you like some help?’
‘Yes, please.’
Elizabeth pulled out her day planner. ‘Do you need help organizing the class list, location or syllabus?’
Kendrick winced. ‘All of it.’
Elizabeth stopped writing and closed her planner. ‘Got it. I’ll just let you know where and when to show up and what you’ll be talking about.’
Kendrick looked relieved. ‘Thank you! Teaching isn’t really my forte.’
Elizabeth eyed Meryn. ‘I can understand that.’
Rheia looked down the table at Anne. ‘Anne, Meryn and I will be heading to the clinic for check ups, would you like to come along to see the location and meet Adam, our other doctor?’
Anne nodded eagerly. ‘I would love to.’
Kendrick leaned in and kissed her neck. ‘Look at you, so excited at the thought of organizing latex gloves and tongue depressors.’
Anne turned quickly and licked his nose. ‘You’re geeking out just as much at the thought of teaching Basil testing procedures.’
Kendrick wiped off his nose. ‘Touché.’
Amelia turned to her parents. ‘I’d like to visit with you as much as possible while you’re here.’
Lily hugged Amelia. ‘Of course, Meryn, too. When she’s ready.’
Meryn played with her danish. ‘It’s not like I don’t want to talk to you. I just don’t know what to say. The only thing that comes to mind is, ‘Your mother was a hateful bitch, and I’m glad she’s dead,’ but that doesn’t seem like something you say over tea.’
Lily covered her mouth with her napkin her eyes dancing with laughter. ‘Oh Meryn! You could most definitely say that over tea, at least with your uncle and me. Remember darling, we knew her, too. I had to practically drag Marshall away from her house. He wanted to turn her into a toad, but I stopped him since she was still raising Violet.’
Meryn thought for a second. ‘No, not a toad, a slug. That would have been better.’
Marshall winked at Meryn, causing her to blush. ‘I agree one hundred percent. We could have taken turns with the salt shaker.’
Meryn laughed then stared down at her plate. ‘Perhaps later, after my appointment, we could visit together. Maybe talk about my mother.’
Lily’s smile was wobbly as she blinked back tears. ‘I’d like nothing more.’
Aiden grumbled under his breath. ‘The more I hear about this woman, the more I support the idea of moving her grave to Lycaonia.’
Meryn laid her head contentedly on her mate’s shoulder. ‘I don’t think so. I wouldn’t want her fouling the place up. Maybe somewhere nearby.’
Anne couldn’t imagine what this woman could have done, but by the support the idea to move this woman’s grave was getting from around the table, she was glad she had never met her.
The doorbell rang signaling an end to breakfast.
Anne stood with Kendrick. ‘You have fun today training your minion. Try not to blow anything up while I’m gone.’
Kendrick sighed. ‘You’re taking the fun out of my morning.’ He rubbed noses with her. ‘Have fun counting bandages and taking everyone’s temperature.’
‘You know us nurses, we love to take temperatures,’ she teased.
‘Love you.’
‘Love you, too. And seriously, no blowing anything up or destroying the house.’
‘I’ll do my best.’ Kendrick said magnanimously and swaggered to the door to greet Basil.
