Page 55 of Wolf's Witch

“Can I move him, or will it break the spell?” Zeke asked.

“He’ll be out for at least a half hour.”

Zeke bent down and picked up Kiefer as if he weighed nothing, then tossed him over his shoulder. He walked him down the street to a bench and laid him on it. “We grew up together. He’s not usually such an asshole. I think after the hunters got Kyle, he’s been chasing his brother’s shadow. Kyle was going to be the next Alpha. Maybe Kiefer thinks he’s letting him down.” He looked over at me. “I hope he’ll come back to the pack someday.”

“Do you think he’ll tell Mathias about us?”

He shook his head. “Nah. I think he’ll wake up and hit the road. He doesn’t want anything to do with Mathias right now.”

Kiefer didn’t look so menacing when he was asleep. I reached for Zeke’s hand. “We should go.”

When we got to the tiny lot behind the Crow’s Nest, I squeezed his hand. “Want a preview of my level-four spell for the new moon ceremony?”

“Hell yeah.” He stepped back with a grin, and there was that spark in his eyes that I’d seen when he had given me that fist bump earlier. Pride, as if he thought he was lucky I was his mate. It sort of made me feel like a superhero.

I kept my eyes on him as I took a few steps away and held out my hands with my palms up. There was no doubt inside me this time. He inspired an unfamiliar confidence inside me. I whispered the spell.

It worked on the first try. My feet left the pavement, and his eyes widened. I shifted my weight, gliding to the other end of the lot and back.

“You’re flying.” There was awe in his voice.

I laughed. “Hold your applause. I’m still working on the landing.” I rose a few feet higher instead of lower. Dammit. I let out a breath, envisioning my feet on the ground, and I released the magic.

Gravity took over faster than I intended. I cringed, bracing myself for impact, but Zeke sprinted forward and caught me before I hit the pavement. I opened my eyes and found him smiling at me. “You didn’t think I was going to let you fall, did you?”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He growled into my mouth as our tongues twined with a passion I’d never felt for any other man.

No other man had ever supported me like Zeke. Maybe they never had a chance because I never shared this side of myself with anyone.

Maybe I’d been waiting for Zeke.

I slid my fingers through the back of his hair, humming as I pulled back, savoring the taste of his lips. I stared up into his green eyes and whispered, “I think I’m falling in love with you.” There was wonder in my voice, which also clued me in that I’d just said those words out loud. Heat crept up my cheeks as I struggled to backpedal. “I mean…”

He kissed me again and then shook his head. “Please don’t take it back.” His eyes searched mine. “I know this is fast. I’m usually the guy overthinking every move, but from the moment I met you and heard your heart race because I was a werewolf, I wanted to protect you. In my head it didn’t make sense, but my heart was in charge. It always is with you.”

My vision blurred as I shook my head. “What if this is wrong? What if we end up banished, too?”

“Then this was never home in the first place.” He brushed a tender kiss to my forehead. “As long as we’re together. I’m home.”

A tear escaped the corner of my eye. “Love at first sight is for books or movies, but it doesn’t happen in real life…does it?”

“This wasn’t love at first sight.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “You were terrified of me when we first met.”

I laughed. He was right. Even though we hadn’t known each other long, I hadn’t swooned the moment he’d told me his name. He’d earned my trustandmy heart. I wriggled a little, and he set my feet back on the ground. A puff of fog escaped my lips as I sighed, staring at my car so I wouldn’t have to look at him.

“If I don’t take it back…am I the only one feeling this way?”

He caught my chin, turning my head to meet his eyes. “You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met, and I’ve been thanking the Fates with every breath for choosing you as my mate.” His voice fell to a whisper. “IknowI’m falling in love with you. More every day.”

My knees turned to rubber. He wrapped me in his arms, and I clung to him, whispering against his lips. “Come home with me.”

He smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”

The trip back to my place was a blur. We made out all the way up my stairs, only stumbling once. I broke the kiss long enough to get the key in the door, but it took a couple tries because Zeke was behind me, biting at my neck as his hands wandered up from my waist to just below my breasts.

I finally managed to get the door unlocked, and we practically fell inside as the door swung open. Zeke spun me around and pressed my back against the door as it slammed shut. He turned the dead bolt and claimed my mouth again. I needed him with an urgency I didn’t recognize. My hands slid under his shirt, exploring his chest. I didn’t bother reaching for the light switch. I didn’t think we were going to make it upstairs right now anyway. I had to be closer to him, to lose myself in him.

He broke the kiss and lifted the long-sleeved Henley over his head. Then mine was next. I unbuttoned his jeans and lowered his zipper. He growled as my fingers slipped under the waistband of his shorts to stroke his length. My thighs pressed together, aching to have him inside me. He reached behind me, unfastening my bra. I let it slide down my arms and moaned into his mouth as my breasts caressed his bare chest.

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