Page 35 of The Witch’s Shifter (Season of the Witch #3)

Faolan

WHEN AURORA STARTED TO CRY, I could smell it, and my body reacted immediately. But by the time I made it to her mother, the cruel bitch, Aurora had already run off into the dark.

“What did you do?” I snapped, and I know she caught sight of my fangs glistening beneath my lips, because a brief moment of surprise flickered through her purple eyes.

“I don’t believe that’s any of your business,” she said back.

And it took every ounce of willpower I possess to not tear her limb for limb.

Because she hurt my mate, harmed her in such a way as to send her running into the darkness alone, crying. Evelyn Silvermoon has no idea how close she came to visiting the Otherside this night.

I think of this as I move through the darkness, my paws whispering through fallen leaves and dense undergrowth.

On my back, Aurora is soft and warm. Her fingers are twined tightly into my fur, and the constant pressure grounds me, helps keep me from giving myself entirely to the wolf.

I don’t want to give fully into my instincts; instead, I need to be here with her, to comfort her, to keep her safe.

At first, she’s wobbly upon my back, but the deeper I move into the trees, the more balanced she becomes, until I can pick up my pace from a slow walk into an easy lope.

And this makes her stop crying.

I hear her gentle intake of breath as we first start gliding through the trees, and then she actually laughs .

And though a part of me still wants to return to the square and finish with Evelyn what I started, most of me relaxes at the sound, at the fact that Aurora’s tears are no longer falling from her cheeks and pattering against my fur.

And for a moment, everything feels right.

The smells of the human village fade away until the only scents in my nose are those of pine, decaying earth, and Aurora. She smells of life and sunlight, and as the tears on her cheeks dry, she even smells like joy.

How I adore this small green witch, with her affinity for broken creatures and her laugh like a river over smooth mountain stones.

For the first time, I realize that perhaps she and her hesitance to fully accept our mate bond has not been the only problem between us—I’ve been just as resistant, keeping my distance, refusing to get along with those she loves.

Perhaps that’s where true cowardice lies—in not being true to yourself, true to your heart.

Right now, all my heart yearns for is her. Wherever she goes, I wish to be beside her.

I think I’m ready to finally admit that, both to myself and to her.

Empowered, I pick up my speed, and Aurora lets out a little yelp of surprise. I coil my muscles and adjust my gait to keep her seated firmly atop me; whatever happens, I won’t let her fall. I’ll never let her fall.

We sprint through the darkness, accompanied only by the breeze through the pines and the silver moonlight shining through patches in the branches overhead.

Aurora doesn’t speak a word, doesn’t ask where we’re going or tell me to turn around.

I think she wants to get lost and to let the wilderness devour her.

To be nameless, to know only the feeling of the earth beneath her toes and the wind through her hair.

And I know just how that feels.

I find myself on a familiar path, the one I took when I first fled the little yellow cottage, and despite the weeks that have passed since then, I can still detect my scent clinging to plants and mossy boulders.

Back then, I was wounded, bleeding as I ran, but now I feel strong, maybe even stronger than I ever have.

Because I have my mate, the other part of my soul. And with her, I’m finally whole.

Far overhead, there’s a distant rumble.

I thought I smelled rain while dancing with Aurora, but the scents of the human foods were so disorienting, I could scarcely focus on it. Now, though, as I lift my snout and sniff the air, I know for certain a storm is moving in.

We continue through the woods, and I only slow when I reach the rocky decline into the river valley.

Aurora shifts her weight back a bit, still holding firmly to the thick fur on the back of my neck.

Rocks skitter and tumble down the steep hill, but I’m careful to keep my balance.

My paws touch the earth at the bottom of the descent just as the first raindrops start to fall.

The drops are large and make Aurora gasp as they start to fall upon her.

Good thing we’re close now. I can’t have Aurora getting soaked in the rain. It wouldn’t be good for her... or her little one.

Loping again, I cover ground quickly, and I get Aurora into the safety of the cave before the sky truly releases its onslaught.

Inside, it smells of earth and minerals, and I can hear Aurora’s heavy breathing echoing off the cave walls.

She’s shaking a bit, I believe from adrenaline.

I lower myself, making it easy for her to slip off my back and settle her feet upon the dirt and stone.

Her fingers remain twined into my fur as she gets her bearings.

“What...” She lifts her green eyes from mine to cast her gaze about the cave. “What is this place?”

After ensuring she’s steady on her feet, I pull away from her gently. I need space between us to ensure she doesn’t get hurt as I shift back into my human form.

Her eyes follow me through the deepening dark, and I turn my back on her, then begin the transformation. I know how it looks, especially to an outsider: violent, chaotic, even terrifying at times.

The pain is familiar to me now—I’ve been shifting since I was a boy. It sweeps over me, and I give myself to the magic tingling in my veins.

As I come back into my human body, the first thing I notice is the cold. Covered in fur, I couldn’t feel it. But now my naked skin prickles with it, and Aurora is already wrapping her arms around herself, the excitement-fueled trembling turning into shivering.

This won’t do.

“Here, sit,” I tell her, guiding her back against the cave wall. “I’ll be back.”

“But, wh-where are you going?”

“To get wood,” I say as I step toward the mouth of the cave. The rain is still falling slowly, gathering its strength. There should be enough dry kindling for me to get a fire going.

Before stepping from the cave, I shoot a look at her over my shoulder.

She’s seated now, knees pulled into her chest, arms hugging her legs tight.

She looks so small, so breakable. And it sends a rush of heat through my blood, the desire and need to protect her burning so strong that without another moment’s hesitation, I sprint out into the rain.

By the time I return and get a fire going in the center of the deep cave, the rain is falling with full force. Thunder growls overhead, and every so often, a bolt of lightning illuminates the mouth of the cave. It’s just like the last time I was here, with the knight.

But the company is much improved.

Aurora sits with her toes near the edge of the ring of stones, her boots beside her, her hands held out, green hair wild and tangled from our run through the woods. She’s still shivering, and her long-sleeved dress has wet spots from the rain.

“Aurora,” I say from where I’m seated beside her. She flicks her green eyes to mine. I hold out an arm. “Come. I’ll warm you.”

It may just be a trick of the light, but her cheeks seem to go pink just before she nods and scoots over to press herself against my bare chest.

“You’re freezing,” I say sharply.

“I-I’m okay,” she says.

But she fails to convince me.

Huffing, I wrap both my arms around her, trying to pour my heat into her body. She eases her head up under my chin, her ear pressed against my chest. Her fingers find the spot just above my heart, and she begins tapping a gentle rhythm upon my skin.

Ba-bum. Ba-bum.

As the rain falls and the fire dances, I hold her in my arms, feeling the smooth curves of her body and the rise and fall of her chest as she breathes against me.

It’s been weeks since I first kissed her in that cramped cottage kitchen, and having her here with me, alone, sends heated thoughts writhing through my mind.

I imagine what would’ve happened that day had I lifted her skirt above her knees, trailed my fingertips up the insides of her thighs.

Her imagined breath upon my ear, hitched with want, sends my blood pumping.

Ba-bum. Ba-bum. Ba-bum.

The tapping of her fingers quickens. Between my legs, I start to harden, and with not a shred of fabric to hide behind, there will be no disguising it from Aurora.

“Faolan,” she whispers.

“Hmm?”

“Why is your heart beating so hard?”

I shrug and grunt something incoherent. My feigned ignorance doesn’t deter her.

The fingers drumming against my chest glide down, trailing across my abdomen, then slowing as they slip between my legs. I clench my teeth. Aurora pulls just far enough away to look into my eyes. And as I hold her stare, she wraps her hand around my hardening cock, and I can’t help myself.

I growl.

At first, she seems startled. Her grip on me falters. But when I shift my hips and press my length into her hand, begging for her touch, she smiles.

And then she kisses me.

Her lips taste of cider and cinnamon, and they’re warm like summer sunlight.

Her mouth moves slowly against mine at first, matching the agonizingly gentle tug of her hand along my shaft.

The pace at which she moves is both intoxicating and maddening.

I grow harder, harder. Her lips curve against mine.

Does she know what she’s doing to me? Is she taunting me on purpose?

I’ve had other women, have buried myself between so many legs I’ve lost count.

But nothing has ever felt like this—and I’ve not even had her yet.

Her scent swirls around me, thick and musky with her desire. I can already imagine the wetness gathering between her legs, readying her for me.

Finally, I can take it no longer.