Page 11 of Shared By the Werebears
I still felt strongly that it was the wrong move to show our weakness to a magic user—especially a Succubus. I’d heard all the stories about them sucking unsuspecting males dry and leaving them like discarded husks in the forest. Not that I’d ever run across a male in that state—but then I’d never met up with a real Succubus either. To be honest, this one surprised me.
No matter what she said about the Laws of Hospitality, she didn’t really have to help us break our curse. I wondered if she was for real…or if she was just trying to lure us into her bed.
Not that it would take much luring, I had to admit grudgingly to myself. She was fucking gorgeous—I loved her full curves and big breasts. Also, it had been fucking hot to watch Finn stroking her pussy. The soft, helpless noises she made when she was about to come?—
Stop!I scolded myself.You know better—fucking stop it right now! She’s a Succubus—you can’t trust her.
But I was trusting her enough to let her take us to her friend. Iwasn’t very fucking happy about that but I had to admit that Finn had a point when he said we needed help or the curse was going to take us over, just like it had taken Thorne.
I still missed the leader of our little Bear Clan. I wondered if there was anything left of his mind or if he was fully a Beast now since he’d been trapped permanently in his Fur Form. If only?—
The thought was wiped from my mind when Goldie came back into the living room. She’d only been gone for a moment, but she’d managed to put on an outfit that put the waitressing uniform she’d been wearing earlier to shame.
She was wearing a pair of jeans so tight I swear they looked fucking painted on. They hugged her full hips and her heart-shaped ass in a way that made my mouth dry. On top she had on a slinky black sweater made of soft-looking fur that hugged her tits and showed so much cleavage a man could dive in and get lost.
“Like what you see, Ronan?” she purred and I realized that my eyes were glued to her breasts.
“Fuck!” I muttered and dragged my eyes away. “How long does this lust-spell you put on us last, anyway?” I demanded, staring at a picture on her wall so my eyes wouldn’t be pulled back to her chest.
“I don’t know—this is the first time I’ve tried it,” she said lightly, pulling on a light jacket over the sweater. “Anyway, we have more important things to worry about now. Let’s go see if we can break your curse. Then maybe we can talk about…other things.”
She winked at me and I scowled back. She might be gorgeous and so fucking sexy it hurt to look at her, but I still didn’t trust her.
Not one fucking bit.
8
GOLDIE
“You’re lucky you caught me during another bout of insomnia.” Goody Albright adjusted her cat-eye glasses on her long, thin nose and gave me a rather severe look. Her curly gray hair was pulled back with a black velvet scrunchy and she was wearing a long pink silk robe trimmed with floating ostrich feathers. It was tied with a sash on the side and she had on a pair of kitten-heeled slippers with matching ostrich feathers at the toes.
“I know it’s late,” I said apologetically. “But these two, well, they live in that cabin I stayed at in the woods. You know,afterI had two of Celia’s pear tarts?”
“Oh,thatcabin!” Her sharp green eyes went wide with understanding and she nodded. “Well in that case, do come in.”
She stepped aside, nodding the three of us into The Red Lion Inn, which happens to be the oldest still-functioning lodging house in the whole country. It has an old-world charm with antique wooden furniture still sturdy enough to sit on and ancient portraits on the walls of all her long-ago magical ancestors. Goody A never brags about her magical inheritance but she has a pretty impressive pedigree—her people have been witches and warlocks for generations.
We went through the main part of the house, past the main staircase that led up to the guest rooms, and through the long corridor that led off to the bar on the left and the formal dining area on the right.
At last we found ourselves out on her screened in back porch which offers a view of her overflowing garden where flowers and vegetables and fruits are all mixed in together and always thriving. The Albrights have always had green thumbs, for as long as they’ve had magical blood, or so I’ve heard from other Creatures who have lived in Hidden Hollow much longer than I have.
I missed her old Garden Guardian who used to stand in the middle of the rioting mass of vines and plants, but of course that was Kael, Willow’s Gargoyle, who was happily guarding her instead of the garden now. I couldn’t help sighing when I remembered again how happy the two of them were together. I wished I could find a Heartmate—or two—that would make me glow the way Willow did when she was around her guardian Gargoyle.
I didn’t hold out much hope for the two Weres the Lust Tea had brought to me. Finn might be willing to spend some time with me, but Ronan was clearly still extremely distrustful because of my Succubus half. Well, maybe I could change their minds.
“Do have a seat and I’ll get us some tea. Unless you’d prefer coffee or cocoa?” Goody Albright raised her eyebrows at the three of us.
“Tea is fine,” I said nodding.
“Coffee,” Ronan said at the same time Finn blurted out,
“Cocoa, please.”
“Very well, all three then.” Goody Albright snapped her fingers and one of the many Brownies she employs was suddenly there.
“Yes, Goody Albright?” she asked, cocking her head to one side. She had a long, knobbly nose and her arms and legs looked more like branches covered in bark than human appendages. Her hair was like leaves and moss.
Brownies are Fae who are especially good at domestic duties, whichis why Goody A hires so many of them. She told the Brownie maid what she wanted and she nodded and whisked quickly away.
