Roused (Moon Claimed) (3 page)

FIVE

The moment Erin closed the door behind her sister, she breathed deeply, and because she was alone for the first time ever since she arrived at Joanne’s B&B this morning, she let her gaze travel lazily through the cabin. There was honey colored logwood nearly everywhere, a modern fireplace built into a stone wall that dominated the living area, a small but beautiful and homey-looking kitchen. All in all the interior was simple and yet lush at the same time. It was enough to appreciate and relax but not overbearingly tac
ky. Some candles here and there, a bouquet of fresh autumn leaves on the table. Simple beauty. Erin loved it and was sure she would be able to write a lot while she stayed here. That solid wood table in the kitchen was already giving her a lot of ideas.

For a moment or
two Erin debated with herself whether to lie down for an hour or so but in the end she discarded the idea. Seth’s coffee – and only the coffee, she assured herself – was still buzzing through her system. Maybe she would call it an early night today, but for now she would explore a little. After a quick shower she changed into jeans, a light, cream-colored sweater and threw on her navy pea coat before stepping outside, onto the front porch of her cabin.

Erin knew that she had been driven and blinded by worry earlier that morning and that she hadn’t
allowed herself to pay any attention to her surroundings. Now she let the beauty of it all flood her senses and fill her heart.

The air was fresh and held a cloying sweetness.
Golden and bright orange tongues of autumn’s flames climbed up the hillsides, wounding their way around dark and steadfast evergreens. The play of colors glorious. These hills and mountains covered by an endless sky held a deep serenity that swept through Erin, flooring her. She could understand why her sister had fallen in love with this place at first sight. She was already more than halfway there herself, Erin mused.

But falling in love with a place was something far less dangerous than falling in love with a man.

Erin wasn’t blind to the changes in her sister and yet she wasn’t quite as sure as her sister to thank a man for them. Love. What was love? As far as Erin was concerned love was nothing more than lust in disguise, a drug that worked hard and fast and clouded the mind, a momentary madness. How many of her friends had ended up with men that weren’t good for them, or doing stuff they would never do, claiming it was all out of love? Erin had no desire to see her baby sister make the same mistake. She sighed as she walked. However, for her sister’s sake she would give the man a chance to prove himself.

Maybe this place would hold even more surprises for her.

As if discovering that magic did exist wasn’t enough, Erin silently mused. When she looked up, she noticed her feet had carried her away from the busy cabins and was surprised to find herself at the edge of a small kind of pasture, complete with horses and stables on the side. For one moment she felt as if she had stumbled into an oasis, a secret garden hidden from the rest of the world.

Erin stepped up and leaned her arms against the wooden fence, a soft smile playing at her lips as she watched two horses facing and nibble at each other.
Then she saw Seth emerge out of the shadows of the stables, a gray horse at his side.

Speaking of surprises. It was safe to say that the arrogant ass had completely thrown her this morning. Looking back she could only shake her head at herself
. And at him. No one talked to her that way. Or if they did, then not for long. She had been astounded at how the guy could rub her completely the wrong
and
the good way at the same time. One moment he infuriated her in a way she wanted nothing more than to strangle him, and then, with merely a glance or one word, he could make her body tremble.

Frowning she continued to watch him. He was still tall and dark and in control, and yet he was gentle here, his deep voice a
soothing balm. Or a whispered caress, that tugged at her somewhere deep inside of her.

Erin could say with certainty that she had
never met a man quite like him. And it thrilled her. Her curiosity was piqued and no matter how aggravating he might be, he was also sexy as hell and pushing all her right buttons at least in that department. Now that she knew that Tess was more or less safe, she was sure that a second round with Seth Hawkins would have a different result. Shaking the soft whisper that warned her to be careful, Erin followed him with her gaze as he approached her. Oh, there was a wolf in him alright, but in the end he was also just a man, which meant he was nothing she couldn’t handle. This was as perfect a time as any to prove it.

When man and horse were close, Erin held up her hand and let the gray horse get a sniff of her before softly rubbing its velvety head.

“This is Ghost.”

“Hey Ghost. How are you?”

“He’s fine. Got a little spooked by an overeager kid earlier, but he’s alright.” Seth’s eyes flicked to her. “Do you ride?”

“No. Tried it as a kid, though. Fell off, twice.”

One eyebrow rose over silver mist. “Never got back on? You don’t seem the type.”

“The second time the bones needed some time to heal. “ She shrugged, “And then the opportunity never presented itself again.”

“You seem rather calm and collected for a woman who just found out that she’s a witch and will only ever find fulfillment in a mating with a wolf.”

“Why should I fight against the inevitable? I know what I saw. My coffee boiled, Tess did some firework-y magic
with some flowers in the cabin. I’d rather find out what more there is than waste time arguing it all away. And I’d rather like to see the wolf thing.”

His voice dropped, a wicked spark in his eyes. “Is that a proposition?”

She really liked his voice, it did things with her body that other men would need their hands for. Taking him in with her eyes, she wondered why she shouldn’t enjoy him. She was good in keeping it on a physical level - had never allowed anything else actually - and so Erin saw no reason why it could give her trouble now. “Maybe.”

Heat entered his gaze. “Show me yours and I’ll show you mine.”

Her voice sounded a little huskier than she liked. “Careful, I might take you up on that offer.”

“I hope so.”

SIX

The next morning Erin woke up softly, slowly to gray morning light filtering through the windows and felt absolutely refreshed and relaxed. She stole a few more moments to stretch and lay there listening to happy birds
urging her to get up and tempting her to join them outside. With a smile on her lips she went through the usual morning routine of coffee and shower and then dressed in her favorite black jeans and white shirt. After a look at the sky she grabbed her rain jacket instead of the pea coat before stepping outside.

The walk to Joanne’s was short but utterl
y refreshing. The air was cold and damp from the night and fog, and everything seemed still sleepily subdued. So it was a lovely contrast to walk into Joanne’s kitchen and find it buzzing with energy. With magic.

Joanne was alone at the working island, her hands in a big patch of dough and the air was positively sparkling around her.

“Morning.”

Looking up, Joanne smiled. “Morning. Another early riser, I see.”

Hanging her jacket over the back of a stool, Erin shrugged, “Why waste what we have?” With a nod of her chin towards the dough, she added, “What are you doing?”

A wicked twinkle filled those incredibly green eyes. “Adding a little extra.”

“What kind of extra?”

“A little love.”

Stunned, not sure whether to just stare open-mouthed or laugh, Erin wondered, “Why and how?”

“Got a couple who could use a little help.”

Pouring herself a cup of coffee, Erin raised an inquiring eyebrow. ”I’m intrigued.”

“She thinks he had an affair, but a little digging on my part revealed that although he did meet another woman behind her back, he never cheated on his wife. When the moment came, he made the right choice. And so I’ll give him a helping hand.”

Huh. “So what do you do? Add some love?”

“Basically, yes.”

“For real? You just pull it from somewhere and put it in there like any other ingredient?”

“Yes, why do you look so surprised?”

“Well…” She frowned and looked into her coffee as if it could hold any answers – though who knew nowadays, maybe it did. “Is love not supposed to be something untouchable, something mysterious that can’t be bottled up?”

Cocking her head to the side, Joanne stopped working on her dough
. Then Tess walked into the kitchen. “Morning everyone.”

“Morning, honey.”
Joanne gave her a warm, broad smile and then her hands began forming smaller balls of dough while she still watched Erin a little too closely for comfort.

Tess took in the magic sparkling in the air and motioned towards Joanne’s hands, “
For the Pearsons?”

“Yup. And some sma
ller ones for whoever may need them.”

Did those witchy green eyes flicker back to her? Erin wasn’t sure, but she
knew she would stay clear of whatever Joanne was preparing there.

“Come here, honey,” Joanne said to Tess and stepped away from the working island. “Give it a try and let your sister get a taste of magic.”

Tess beamed at the offer and immediately stepped closer.

“Close your eyes,” Joanne guided her, while Erin watched, curiosity piqued despite it all. “
Imagine everything that’s beautiful, that makes your heart hurt with pure joy. Imagine whatever it is you love, imagine Nathan holding you. Let it sweep you away, fill you up and then imagine it flowing out of you and into the dough.”

Tess did exactly what Joanne told her to do and Erin could feel the magic tingle along her skin to buzz inside of her like a second heart. Then Tess touched the dough, her hands leaving trails of golden dust that soon whirled in a cloud around them as she worked the dough.
Tess finally opened her eyes and gasped. Sunlight filtered through the windows, the beams playing with the sparkles in the air, and simply watching this moment was…magic.

“I did it. I did it.”Laughter, purest happy laughter, escaped her sister and Erin couldn’t help but smile in return.

“You did. It’s beautiful.”

Joanne looked at Erin when she nodded as well. “It’s love. Now, we don’t want you feeling excluded or anything, so sit down, I’ve got a little task for you too.”

Erin arched an eyebrow, but stayed silent and obeyed. Joanne placed a white candle in front of her and said, “Light it. With your breath.”

“Huh?” Had she heard right?

“Light it with your breath. Your first magic was making your coffee boil, which makes me think you might have a penchant for fire magic.”

Interesting. “What’s Tess’ penchant?”

“Earth. Her first magic was making flowers bloom.”

“Okay. What do I do?”

“Our magic is tightly woven with our emotions. To control your magic, you have to control your feelings. And I don’t mean that you have to suppress them. No, to control them, to do magic, you have to understand and accept them.” Joanne’s voice grew lower, softer as she spoke from slightly behind Erin. “Fire magic speaks to the most passionate and most basic emotions that can grab you out of nowhere and make you feel alive in a way nothing else can. Anger, rage, fury, desire, love. Grab any one of those and close your eyes. Imagine it like a flame inside of you. Maybe blazing, roaring, or smoldering, but hot. Imagine it travel along your skin, inside of you. And then breathe it out of you.”

Erin did exactly that.
Since she wasn’t particularly angry at the moment she chose lust. It had worked the first time. And so she imagined herself, naked in bed with a man. Felt the lust tingle in her lower abdomen and tried to use the heat of it like Joanne told her to. But when she opened her eyes, the candle was as before. No flame.

“
Don’t worry. Just try again.”

Erin concentrated on Joanne’s lyrical voice and on herself, trying to focus on herself. Guided step by step just like the first time, she wanted to be able to do this. Her brow furrowed in concentration.

Suddenly warm breath hit her ear and his low, husky voice made her shiver in all the right spots as he whispered. “Imagine me behind you, spreading your legs and pushing deep.” His tongue touched her earlobe.

Her breath left in a whoosh and the candle ignited, a twenty inch flame shooting up towards the ceiling.

She hadn’t heard him come in. Was completely taken by surprise and couldn’t imagine how it was possible. In just one instant the room, her head, was filled only with him. There was no kitchen, no Tess, no Joanne. He took up all the space, all her thoughts. And the pure wave of magic swirling inside of her didn’t make things any easier on her. The male satisfaction, a wicked spark, in his eyes and the thought that maybe this man was more than she could handle cooled her down.

SEVEN

Three days later Erin could light all the candles in a room with just a thought – of Seth. And that annoyed the hell out of her. With just that one interference he had managed to push into her thoughts in a way that made it impossible for her to think of anything or anyone but him the moment she wanted to do some fire magic. It was as if he had conditioned her, with just that one picture he painted in her mind. It wasn’t even a scandalous one… to be honest it was a rather ordinary one for her - but quite efficient none the less. Especially with him in it, she had to admit.

She was curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace
a glass of red wine in her hand, trying to figure what to do about the Hawkins brothers. The last few days she had tried her best to be cool towards Nathan, to watch his every step, especially around her sister. But she couldn’t find a flaw – or whatever it was she was searching for. It was obvious that he was as crazy about Tess as she was about him. Still. Her vote wasn’t out yet, though she honestly doubted it would change her sister’s mind in any way. Maybe sadden her, but it surely wouldn’t be enough to make her change her mind about Nathan. Her sister was very much in love.

Not for the first time and since she was alone, Erin wondered what it felt like. Love. What was love? She had no idea.
She had never been in love, had never wanted to be so close to someone, or to let someone come this close to her. She knew it existed and knew that there were good men, that there were couples that cherished and respected and loved each other – sometimes it even lasted a lifetime. And yet, she could only shake her head at the thought of putting not only a piece of you but
all
of yourself into someone else’s hands. Why would anyone do that? Why would anyone give that kind of power to someone else? Why would anyone want to be so vulnerable?

But apparently it wasn’t them who were fucked up – she was.

Come here, my little girl.

The voice
of her past sent chilly shivers down her spine. The ghost hands on her skin nauseated her. Her jaw clenched. Yeah, she was the fucked up one, alright. No news there. She’d had enough boys, and later men, tell her that.

A knock on her door pulled her away from the dark path she was about to walk
down and she was grateful for it. Setting her wine glass on the table she got up and walked over to open it.

Seth was on her porch and behind
him, at the bottom of the stairs, two horses waited. He looked at her and his brow furrowed, his piercing silver eyes probably seeing far too much. “Wanna get some fresh air?”

Hell, yeah.
Anything to get out of the cabin that would probably only fill up with even more ghosts. “Give me a minute.” She quickly ran into her bedroom and changed into her favorite pair of black, worn out jeans, pulled on her boots and grabbed her jacket before heading back out and closing the door behind her. She slowly walked down the steps and took in the horses. Seth’s was another gray one, but a little lighter in coloring and bigger than Ghost. At her inquiring gaze he said, “This is Hale, Ghost’s father.” Beside Hale was a rusty brown beauty. “And this is Caramella. She’s a rather lazy but absolutely sweet girl so you shouldn’t have any trouble with her.”

Erin hadn’t been near – and much less on – a horse since she’d been a child. Swallowing the lump of nerves that had formed in her throat she walked over to
Caramella and stroked her velvety big head and neck, and soon she wasn’t able to stop the smile tugging at her lips. Seth helped her into the saddle and Erin needed a moment to get used to the feeling. Seth was patient and gentle with her and the horse. His manner, quiet and yet in control, was reassuring and soon Erin felt herself relax into the moment.

They k
ept it at a slow pace that allowed for Erin to not only enjoy the beautiful creature beneath her but also the forest around her. For a while she let herself be swept away. She forgot everything – her past and the world around her – and she was grateful for the companiable silence that Seth somehow knew she needed.

Later after she mentioned the beauty surrounding them they started to talk. It felt surprisingly good and easy.

“Tess said you’re a writer,” Seth soon said.

“I am.”

“What genre?”

She looked
at him directly. “Thriller and erotica.”

A spark in those eyes, like lightning in silvery mist.
“Interesting. Gotten any good ideas lately?”

A sly smile tugged at her lips.
“As a matter of fact, I have. Quite a few even.”

“Wanna share?”

God, not for the first time Erin wondered whether one could get addicted to the sound of a voice. His was not only sensual, it was almost physical. It was a touch, a caress all on its own. “Now where would be the fun in that. A little tease, okay, but to discover it all…you got to read the book. The only thing I’ll say is that Nathan got a talent. That kitchen table in my cabin? It looks really …sturdy.”

His sensual lips curving and his eyes glinting with some ideas of his own, that Erin was sure mirrored hers, he shook his head. “For the life of me, I can’t seem to remember.”

Erin had to bite back a laugh and played along. “Oh no, what a shame. Well, I guess you have to come over and see for yourself.”

“Guess so.”

She wondered how long their gazes would have held, the air around them charged with sexual tension and sweet, breathless anticipation, if the trees around them hadn’t suddenly parted. Like a curtain, and then they stood at the edge of a meadow covered with late wildflowers, coloring autumn and defying winter as long as they could, blooming in fields of green. It
was breathtaking, the peace and serenity of it.

“Oh, God.”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“More than that. It’s…I can’t find words.”

He smiled. “The best kind of praise from a writer.”

She laughed. “Yeah, probably.”

He jumped out of the saddle and came around to help her out of hers. Swinging one leg over she let herself fall into his arms that were sure around her as he grabbed her. They ended up close, their bodies brushing and Erin didn’t mind it one bit as she tingled all over and heat flooded her. This man was fire to her senses and it excited her.

“You still want to see the wolf?”

“Yes.”

He took a step back and started to take of his clothes, pulling of his leather jacket and shirt, revealing his bare chest. Oh damn. Perfect, broad and yet not too heavy with muscle it made her want to lick every inch of him. His pants and briefs soon followed, leaving him naked in the afternoon sun
, without any shame or discomfort regarding his nudity – not that he’d any reason to. She had to swallow as desire viciously slammed into her and wetness pooled between her legs. Just the sight of him and she was ready.

And then he started to blur, like a silvery golden fog lifting from the ground and enveloping him, unti
l there was a wolf in place of the man standing in front of her.

Erin couldn’t help staring. Knowing she was a witch, knowing he was a man who could
turn into a wolf was one thing – seeing it, quite another. But by God, he was magnificent. Dark gray with streaks of lighter fur that glinted like silver silk and golden eyes with a circle of green bleeding into it from around the pupil, the wolf was big, his shoulder probably reaching her hips.

Erin was so absorbed in looking at him that when he stepped forward, she was so surprised that she fell on her ass as she jumped a step back.

Suddenly he was looming over her, his golden eyes laughing at her until it was the wolfish smile of the naked man above her that had her catch her breath. “I knew you’d fall for me. But damn, that was fast.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “You’re such an arrogant ass. What the hell kind of women have you been with to have such an inflated ego anyway?”

His voice was low, his eyes intense on her, never leaving her face but drinking it all in instead. Her eyes, her mouth. “There was nothing wrong with those women. They knew what was good for them.”

She snorted
, trying to ignore his incredible pull and the heat of him – and the fact that he was naked and close, very close. “Oh please. They probably had not the slightest idea how to handle you.”

One eyebrow arched up in a way that made her all hot and shivery inside
as he leaned down. “But you think you can handle me, don’t you.” He brought his hand up and his thumb traced her lip. “Well, I sure as hell can’t wait for you to practice what you preach… with that sweet, big mouth of yours.”

Ice flooded her
at his innuendo, robbing her of all her heat, and she had to struggle to find the familiar numbness that was her only hope against the voices of the past that she knew would quickly follow. Like a blanket Erin pulled it over her heart and soul as she pushed him away.

Her voice hard and quipped she said, “
Not even when hell freezes over.”

She got up as fast as she could and got into the saddle. Not caring where she was headed, only knowing she had to get away as fast as possible
, she urged Caramella and disappeared into the forest, ignoring his shouts.

As always Erin tried to close herself off against the past. Tried to forget. Tried to forget the nightmares that came and haunted her in her sleep. Tried to forget that awful voice of the past.

Come here, my little girl. Open wide.

She tried to forget because she didn’t know what else to do. But she knew they would only come back stronger than before, and so she stripped out of her clothes once she was back in her cabin and stepped under a scalding hot shower and let the voices in. And let the tears fall.