Page 16 of Hidden Magic

Chapter Eight

As they walked back to the cabin, Brant didn’t stop talking. Telling her about Ian’s idea to decorate a tree for Christmas and how he hoped she could help because he didn’t have a clue how to do that.

Shifters didn’t celebrate Christmas. Well, the packs where he’d lived when growing up, didn’t. They mostly kept to themselves, following the seasons and old traditions more than the humans did.

He was mostly ignorant, and a bit anxious about doing the right thing for Kat. They’d never really shared anything on that topic, apart from her being excited to spend the holidays with him.

His first point of order was to make sure she was safe, and calm. Taking care of her was a priority. Then, he checked his phone realizing that it was only one day before Christmas, which gave him very little time to find out what to do.

It would have been way easier to go to Sanctuary. Valeria and Sera knew about the human world even though they were witches, and they could help.

Once they were both inside and Brant had helped Kat out of her winter gear, her sightless form moved toward the bedroom. Still standing in the entrance, he hesitated, wanting to go with her. He was tired of waiting, of being patient. He wanted to tear apart her captors and turn his need for vengeance into the worst kind of violence. The only thing that stopped him was the ingrained knowledge that Kat wouldn’t want it. She was too good, and even if ... no, when she was back to normal again, he was certain she would even forgive them.

Brant and his lynx didn’t have that kind of mercy.

His body moving on its own accord, he went to stand just on the threshold, looking at Kat. Despite everything that had happened and her withdrawal, he craved her like nothing else. There was no other one. His eyes traced the curves of her form, rolled into a ball on her side, on top of the comforter.

Stopping himself was impossible. He padded inside the room, closed the door and carefully crawled beside her on the bed. Her scent made it impossible for Brant not to touch her, and as he cradled her in his arms, he was relieved that she remained calm and asleep.

Part of him was scared that she would shy away from him, and another berated himself for not making this woman his mate right from the start. Why had he hesitated?

Burying his nose in her wealth of curly brown hair, he sighed. He knew perfectly well why he’d faltered.

Not only was it against the High Council’s order, but what could he offer her? Alone in the world, orphaned, without a proper pack, penniless ... the list was endless. For the first time, Brant wished with all his soul that he had something to offer her. That he would be worthy of her. His mate.

Lost in his meandering regrets, he was surprised when Kat shifted and turned. “I can hear your thoughts. You are worthy. What is a mate?”

Her voices sounded sleepy, but it was hers.

“You are back!”

This time, her mouth quirked up and she opened her eyes. The pale white film was still there. “What do you mean? I’m in bed, I never went away, silly!”

Before Brant could explain, she crawled over him and crushed her mouth on his. It felt so right, so perfect, that all the words, all the things he wanted to say fled from his mind. If he didn’t fear Kat falling back into that expressionless void again, he would have closed his eyes, or pushed her away to look at her. But again, he couldn’t. It was beyond his will, or his strength. Instead, he opened his mouth to taste her and groaned when her tongue started dancing with his.

A simple spark turned into an inferno, and before he could restrain himself, Brant grabbed her hips and brought her against his erection, pressing hard. Immediately sensing his need, Kat started to undulate in an agonizing caress. His hands found her silky skin under her sweater and he couldn’t get enough. Rolling them both on the bed so he could be on top, he quickly removed his flannel shirt and her top before pursuing that trail he craved, from her mouth, to her neck, way down to her breasts. In his mind, the bra would be gone in less than ten seconds. Despite days away from the bakery and several showers, he could almost detect the familiar taste of sugar on her skin.

“You haven’t answered me. What is a mate?”

The mere word spoken on her lips almost swamped him with emotions. With a last kiss just above the front clasp of her bra, he looked up and smiled. “You really want to talk now?”

He knew that expression; she got it when she wouldn’t budge about something. “You never talk about your past, about who you are, what brought you to Easthallows to become a Sentinel for the Sanctuary. You were thinking about me being your mate. What happened while I was asleep that I missed?”

Brant rubbed his cheek against her covered breast, and hissed before snapping the clasp open, his mouth watering at the sight of her dusky pink nipples. “You shouldn’t read my mind. Correct that, you should definitely read it if you want to know what I intend to do to you next.”

Her hand came to his head, making him look up at her. “Brant...”

He knew too well she wouldn’t let it go, but maybe he could cut the discussion short if he distracted her. With a quick lick that made her catch her breath, he punctuated his words with bites and kisses. “Nothing happened. Mating can’t be done without knowledge or consent.”

“What is a mate?”

Resigned, Brant crawled up her body. “Similar to your human marriage. But this one is unbreakable.”

Her big, warm eyes widened. “Marriage??”

Brant paused. “I didn’t want to make this awkward. I’m sorry.”

“No, no ... it’s not awkward. Just unexpected. We’ve never spoken about the future. And I know we are too different to even consider being together.”

---