A small sob left my throat as his words washed over me.

Luka’s hands tangled in my hair, and his lips continued their path south, grazing my ear and neck. “You will not get us killed, because in case you haven’t noticed, we are also supernaturals.” His teeth nipped against my collarbone, and I drew in a shuddering breath. “Your power is incredible,and you haven’t even unlocked all of it yet. Imagine releasing a burst so powerful a coven in Ireland felt it, and all because you were pissed at some men in a pub."

My body went limp against him, my head falling back as I bared my neck to him. He growled, the wolf inside of him roaring in delight at the submissive sight of my flesh stretched before him.

“And if you don’t want to be a forty-year-old virgin witch anymore, just say so.”

He bit down on my neck, and I cried out in pain and rapture. His hands were under my tank top, massaging my ribs and rubbing soothing circles up toward my breasts.

“What—what about Karl?”

I pushed my body into his hands, and he chuckled darkly.

“I can wait for him to return. Can you?”

I didn’t know anything. I was a confused, anxious bundle of arousal and fear, of shame and wantonness. I knew witches had multiple partners throughout their lives, going through men like underwear until they found the one they wanted to have a child with. But multiple partners at the same time?

Wasn’t it wrong?

The setting sun painted a kaleidoscope across the sky, and I pushed away from Luka’s lap.

“Shouldn’t Karl be back by now?”

Luka frowned, not wanting to be distracted from our … current situation. I gave him an apologetic look and slid to the floor.

“He did say he’d be back by now, didn’t he?”

Luka gave me a long, suffering look, then sighed. “Yes, he did specify that.”

I sat down on my bed and nervously braided and unbraided the ends of my hair. Karl was not someone who broke his word. That meant something had happened to delay him.

“What could possibly delay a vampyre?” I murmured.

Luka sat down next to me and gathered me in his arms. I hugged him back, squeezing my eyes shut as terrible scenarios went through my head.

“I could go out and look for him….”

My head snapped up, even as his words trailed off. We both knew Luka wouldn’t leave me here alone, which left only one scenario left.

“Let’s go.”

???

Never in my life had I imagined I’d ride a freaking wolf, but that was precisely the situation I found myself in, since I couldn't very well ride my broom and announce my presence to the world.

Luka’s fur was soft underneath me, and my hips felt secure directly on top of his front shoulders. My thighs squeezed his sides as my fingers gripped his fur, and I knew I’d likely be sore tomorrow. We both knew it was best for me to conserve my magick in case we needed it.

We’d been running north for nearly an hour when Luka came to an abrupt halt in the forest. He jerked his back, and I took my hint to climb down.

“What is it?”

He jerked his head to the left, growling slightly. Whatever it was, he felt there was enough of a threat to stay in his wolf form. I slid from his back and he disappeared into the trees, then moments later came running back in human form. I fumbled in my satchel for the gym shorts and light t-shirt we’d packed for him, and he shucked them on in record time. His face was white, and his mouth moved without any words coming out. My heart sank.

“What’s wrong?”

Luka reached for my hand and tugged me along behind him. We burst through a clump of bushes, and I stood paralyzed. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even move at the sight of the dead woman lying in the woods in front of me. Her eyes gazed up at the night sky unseeing, her limbs splayed and hair fanned out behind her. She bled sluggishly from two horrible gashes on the side of her neck. I stumbled backward into Luka, who gripped my shoulders tightly.

“She’s a witch. I can smell it.”