A Glow of Stars & Dusk by Eve L. Mitchell

I wokeup in my bed completely rested. Hound lay across the doorway, and I was pleased to see sunshine outside my window. Tossing back my duvet, I marvelled at the room. I did this. I recreated my room with magic.

I was a witch.

I giggled as I looked down at my pyjamas and lost my smile. I was in pyjamas. I felt like I had made a breakthrough with Zel last night, but undressing me? A step too far. I reached for my power and was delighted it was still turquoise and tranquil. I was so happy. I didn’t want him to know I was happy though, so I tried to hide my smile. Hound stared at me as I approached him.

“Morning,” I greeted. Hound stood and met me at eye level. With a dismissive sniff, he walked past me and lay in the patch of sunlight on my floor. “You have more cat in you than dog,” I muttered. The angry growl I received made me hastily leave the room, but still Hound’s grumpiness couldn’t stop me smiling.

In the kitchen sat three demons, the back door was open, and the other three were outside. From a quick glance out the window, they looked to be fighting…I really hoped that was training.

“Morning,” I greeted Pen, Chaz and Ros. The three of them had plates overflowing with food, and I looked back out the window just as Sam savagely struck Zel with a roundhouse kick before slashing at him with his sword. “Are they having fun, or do we need to intervene?” I asked cautiously as I made my way over to the door.

“They’re fine,” Ros assured me as he chewed his breakfast. “Come, break your fast.”

Instead, I went to the coffee pot. This was the first time I was getting Zel’s “superior” coffee. I took a tentative sip before I added milk. Hmmm. I liked it. I took another sip. I liked it a lot. The universe was against me in my quest to dislike Zel on principle. “Who put me to bed?” I asked casually.

“Sam,” three voices all said at once.

Stinking liberty-taking demon.I was going to have words with this male. Strong words.

Taking my cup with me, I went back to the doorway. Der lifted a hand in greeting, but the other two were too engrossed in what looked like to me a kicking the shit out of each other contest. With swords.

“Heard you did well,” Der’s voice carried over the garden, and he looked pleased for me. “Have you eaten?” he asked, and I shook my head even as I winced as Zel punched Sam firmly in the jaw. The weapons were thrown to the side, and now they were just having a brawl in my opinion. “Go eat, we’re almost finished.”

Hesitating, I watched the two demons. They were obviously enjoying themselves, and I, in particular, was enjoying the feast they were presenting me with. Both shirtless, both sweating, both wearing grins of satisfaction as they circled each other throwing jabs and punches. Sam wore black sweatpants, whereas Zel was in grey shorts. Sam’s golden skin shone with sweat; it was my first time seeing him shirtless, and I prayed it wouldn’t be the last. He had thick black tribal looking tattoos on his upper chest and shoulders ending in what looked like black points that spanned across his shoulders and halfway down his arms. His forearms were clear of tattoos as were his hands. He ducked away from Zel’s advance and spun, presenting his back to me. I think I may have drooled. His back was tattoo free apart from the tribal markings that flowed a little down from his shoulders. Watching the muscles of his back move as he fought made my mouth salivate. I wanted to lick him—I wasn’t even ashamed of the thought—when he spun back around, and my eyes greedily drank in his perfect abs. I wanted to lick every groove on his body. Hot damn, he was fine.

I heard Sam grunt as Zel landed another blow, and I just as equally lapped up Zel’s masculine perfection as well. Muscles upon muscles rippled as he moved and fought, and I am pretty sure the term “arm porn” was phrased after some lucky lady saw Zel shirtless. Those biceps needed their own Instagram page. Zel’s back had multiple scars across the expanse of his upper body, and I wondered if when they maimed his face, they whipped him as well. My love for the heavenly angels was rapidly diminishing.

“Star,” Pen said quietly from behind me, “you’re projecting your thoughts quite clearly.”

“Huh?” I asked him distractedly as my eyes returned to the glorious display of male in front of me.

“We can hear you,” Der said to me with amusement. He stepped into my line of vision. “You want to make it a threesome?” His eyebrows waggled at me mischievously as he went to pull his T-shirt off.

What? Shit!

I instantly closed my eyes and whirled around and hastened back into the kitchen. Chaz was trying to hide his smile, but Ros was grinning openly as he finished his breakfast. He pulled his T-shirt up, showing me rock hard abs. “Want to lick me too?”

My face was burning, and I wanted to hide, but the absurdity of it all made me grin, and as Ros showed me more of his impressive physique with a playful wink, I started to laugh. Soon, I was doubled over laughing at being caught being a lech. “Well, if you wore more clothes and didn’t all look like Chippendale models, I may not be so distracted.” I winked at Ros, who laughed loudly.

The Viking-like demon stood and patted my bum as he passed me to go outside. “Any time you want to take me for a test drive, little lady, you let me know.”

Giggling, I sat down at the table and reached for the toast they had…made? I really hoped they weren’t appropriating our breakfast illegally. I looked up as the shadow fell over the table.

Sam looked down on me. His face was stone and his eyes hard. He was still shirtless and, dear baby Jesus, did he know how low those sweatpants sat on his hips? “You won’t be riding any of my brothers,” he growled as he drank from a bottle of water. “You’ve already tested one too many.”

It seemed Pen and Chaz suddenly remembered they needed to be in the garden as they both hightailed it out of the kitchen, closing the door behind them.

I fought the sigh, but in reality, I wanted to hit him with the butter dish on the table. I forced down the urge to snap at him. “Morning,” I greeted. Mum always said it cost nothing to have manners. I wish she was in this kitchen right this minute, because it was costingme a great deal to be pleasant to the arrogant prick in front of me.

“Zel says he broke through your thick skull, and you have begun your Awakening.”

Thick skull? “And I’m done.” I stood abruptly, grabbing my toast and my coffee cup. “Going for a shower, and when I come back, you can be back in the cave. I think it’s more suited for your personality anyway.”

I stalked angrily towards my bedroom and kicked the door shut behind me. Hound was gone, and with my toast hanging from my mouth, and balancing my coffee cup, I climbed back under my duvet. Settling the covers around me, I lay slouched against my headboard as I munched my toast. I should have taken two slices. I was hungry. I finished it in three bites and washed it down with Zel’s tasty coffee. It was uncalled for that someone who looked as delicious as Sam could be a giant A-hole.

As I stared out my window, I had flashes of them both training outside and sighed with satisfaction. He may be grumpy and rude, but he looked nice, and that was something at least, as long as he didn’t speak.

Speak of the devil, Sam walked into my bedroom without knocking, completely ignoring my cry of protest as he turned and closed the door. Sitting on the chair, he looked around the room. “Zel says you visualise your power as a pool,” he started.

“Hello!”

He paused and looked me over. He waited and was quite obviously biting his tongue from his sarcastic reply. I glowered at him while he remained patiently waiting, and they said I was the obstinate one.

“You cannot come in here without knocking and then just sit there,” I complained, trying so hard to keep the frustration from my voice at the same time as regretting the fact he had taken the time to pull on a black T-shirt.

“Why?” He canted his head to the side as he considered me. “You’re not doing anything, and after behaving like a brat, I have no choice.”

“A brat?” I asked as I tossed the covers back. “I’m not a brat,” I bit out as I stood, my hands on my hips.

His lips twitched with amusement as he watched me, his eyes clearly telling me I was proving his point.

“You’re so overbearing!” I cried. “You say mean things, you keep undressing me, and you act like I’m a complete inconvenience, yet you followme everywhere.”

Sam stood fluidly and crossed the room, stopping mere centimetres from me. “You done?”

“No—”

He kissed me, and I resisted for a good five seconds before I melted into him. How had I ever thought that Yeqon was him? I fleetingly thought before I heard Sam’s unhappy grumble as he pulled me closer. Sam’s kiss was possessive and insistent just as much as it was soft and toe-curling. It was perfect. I kissed him back with equal enthusiasm, and much like the night in the bar, I was soon wrapped around him as his mouth moved over mine and his hands travelled freely over my body. Together we sank onto the bed, and I moaned when he nudged my legs apart before settling in between my thighs comfortably.

I could feel him pressing against me, and I cursed my thin cotton pyjama bottoms and his sweatpants. His hands were on my pyjama top and pulling it off over my head in one swift move. “What are you doing?” I gasped as I arched under his touch as he covered my breasts with a gentle touch. My breasts weren’t big, no more than a handful, but as his head dipped to capture a nipple in his mouth, it was clear Sam wasn’t complaining.

“I’m undressing you,” he mocked as his mouth moved slowly over to my other breast.

“You’re a complete dick,” I grumbled. I gasped when his teeth lightly nipped my sensitive flesh.

“You don’t seem to mind,” he murmured as his mouth caught mine again, and he pressed his hips into mine, rubbing his substantial length against me.

“No, it’s good, being a dick can be good,” I agreed as my hands travelled over his back and then under his shirt. “Off,” I instructed, and Sam pulled his T-shirt off, tossing it to the floor before his mouth was on mine again and his tongue duelled with mine. My legs were wrapped around him, and I was very conscious that my hips were rolling under him of their own accord.

Sam moved down my body, his hands resting lightly on my pyjama bottoms. He looked up at me, and his eyes pulsed lightly with desire. “Tell me to stop.”

“No,” I whispered as I shyly met his gaze. I felt an almost erotic thrill when his eyes blazed green. I heard the tear as he pulled the pyjamas roughly from my body, and didn’t care because Sam was devouring me in a way Yeqon never had. My hands were tangled in his thick black hair, and I was only aware of sublime sensation coursing through me. His tongue was inside me, and his thumb brushed my nub gently in rhythm with his tongue as it moved, licking, sucking, rolling over me. “Sam,” I moaned even as I tightened my hold. “Sam, you’re going to make me—”

“Come,” he growled as his mouth moved away from me for a moment to speak. “I want to taste your come on my tongue.”

That was all I needed, his voice was thick with lust as his tongue moved out of me and up to my nub as two long fingers slid smoothly inside me. It was going to be my tipping point. As he kept stroking inside me, I felt the orgasm start at my toes. “Sam!” Somehow he switched his mouth and fingers back without missing a stroke and his thumb flicked against me, sending me into blissful oblivion. My head tilted backwards as my back arched, and my hands grabbed the headboard behind me as I succumbed to the pleasure racing through my body as I rode out the wave.

“Fuck me, you taste like nectar,” Sam groaned before he took one more long lick of my core. “I could fucking eat you all day.” He dipped his head back between my legs, his tongue lightly stroking through my wetness. Abruptly he stood and pushed his sweatpants down, and his grin was wicked when my eyes widened. “Want to lick?” he teased as he kicked his sweatpants to the side. “Keep them open,” he commanded as he sank back onto the bed.

“My legs?” I asked distractedly as I followed the movement of his lower body as he returned to his previous position.

Sam snorted at my question as his fingers slid back inside me. “Your eyes,” he told me with his sexy smirk. He pushed my legs wider apart, and the hunger in his eyes as he rocked back on his heels to appreciate my body replaced any feeling of self-consciousness I had at being so exposed to him. “So fucking innocent,” he said as he nudged his dick softly against me.

This is going to hurt, my mind screamed at me while my body told it to stop bitching. “Sam?” I tensed slightly as I felt him at my entrance. “I don’t think—”

“Agreed,” he said as he kissed up my body. “You don’t think, but we can talk about that later.” He moved inside another inch or two, and I bit my lip as I felt my lower body struggle to accommodate his size. “Just relax,” he murmured as his mouth covered mine. His hips moved forward, and my cry of being overly stretched was drowned in his kiss. Sam tensed and waited, and I felt my heartbeat racing in my ears. His kisses never stopped, and gently he started to rock into my body. “That’s it,” he encouraged. His mouth was on my breast again, and his tongue traced over my nipple. He adjusted his weight slightly, and then his thumb was brushing over my nub. My hips moved to meet his, and he groaned in approval as he sank deeply into me.

“Sam.” My moan was half sigh, half pleading. “I need you to move.” I sighed with satisfaction as he did as he was told. My legs wrapped around him, and my fingers tangled in his hair as I pulled him down to meet my kiss. “Fuck,” I moaned when he started to move his hips in earnest as he kept a steady rhythm, and for a long time we simply enjoyed the feel of one another.

Suddenly, he was on his knees, pulling my body up with him as his hands grabbed my hips, and his green glowing eyes captured mine. “You feel like sin,” he told me as he moved his hips faster.

“Is that bad?” I whispered as my fingers dug into his forearms.

“So fucking good,” he admitted as his head dropped onto his chest, and he pulled me harder into his body. “You were made for me,” he growled before he flipped me around and was pulling my hips up and pushing my shoulders down. How was I fuller in this position? Sam’s hand was in my hair, pulling my head back and lifting my body off the bed. “That’s it,” he encouraged me, pulling me up straighter as his hips drove relentlessly into me. “Like that, oh fuck…that’s it.” His teeth were in my shoulder, one hand on my hip, the other around my waist in a hold I couldn’t get out of even had I wanted to. I didn’t want to. My legs were splayed on either side of his thighs, and the only thing holding me up was Sam as he pushed up into me with deep powerful thrusts.

“Sam,” I warned as my head fell back onto his shoulder.

“I know,” he spoke into my skin as his lips grazed against the back of my neck. “Fuck, I can’t hold back anymore,” he said roughly as he pushed me back down to the mattress, and my hands wrapped around my wooden headboard, but with the sudden change in angle, I cried out as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over me. His movements picked up speed, and my orgasm caused me to scream for him as I continued to clench around him.

“More,” he commanded as he lifted my body and turned me onto my back, never leaving my body. Sam raised my leg and wrapped it around him as he moved relentlessly inside me. His head dipped to look at where we were joined, and as he watched himself plunging into me, I saw him bite his lip. He was so sexy I almost came again just watching him watching us. Raising his head with a low growl, he met my half-lidded look. “Fuck,” he hissed, and then his mouth was on mine, his tongue stroking against mine. My legs wrapped tightly around him as my final orgasm took control of my body. One of his hands slid under my back as his other propped himself up over me, and still he kept moving, his pace never lessening. He tore his mouth away from mine as he roared, his whole back bowed, and his head was thrown back as his own release poured from him.

We lay tangled in each other’s arms for a long time in silence. Sam’s head was on my chest, one arm flung possessively over my hips as my hand trailed through the damp locks of his hair.

“We should move,” I suggested as my eyes refused to open.

“Shower,” Sam agreed. “You need to be ready for tonight.”

My eyes flew open. “It’s tonight?”

“Yes,” he said as he moved his head off me and sat up. I watched him shake his head as if to clear the cobwebs of sluggishness, while he stretched. “Fuck, woman,” he said, grinning as he stood, “I knew you would be good.”

“Just good?” I looked at him, and I did feel sexy when he looked down at me, his eyes roving over my body slowly.

Sam bent and kissed me. My arms wrapped around his neck, and when he straightened, he took me with him. I was on my knees, our mouths still fused together when his strong arms picked me up, my legs wrapping around him, as he walked us into my en suite. That afternoon, I had shower sex for the first time in my life, and I had absolutely no complaints.

* * *

“Glad you could join us,”Zel commented dryly when Sam travelled us to Dunnottar Castle. I blushed scarlet while Sam simply ignored him. We were in the quad area of the grounds, with the castle behind us and the chapel in front. Open fields were on one side, and the ruined wall of the tower to the other.

“Are we ready?” Sam asked the others as he cast a watchful gaze over them.

“Almost set,” Pen confirmed as he stepped up to me with a smile. “You good?”

I nodded shyly. It was a bit disconcerting knowing that they all knew what Sam and I had been doing for most of the day.

“The length of time they’ve been gone?” Der joked with a knowing smile. “I’d say she was better than good.”

“Brother,” Sam’s voice held a warning note in it as he cast a sharp glance Der’s way. “That’s enough.”

Der mumbled an apology, and I turned away trying to hide my smile. I’d been unsure how Sam would react to the others and their comments. I wasn’t so naïve to think that there wouldn’t be something said, but I hadn’t been sure if he would let them tease me. It seemed teasing was off the table, and that made the butterflies I had with Sam swirl happily in my tummy.

“Star,” Chaz said as he approached me, “when the moon is at its most powerful, we will begin the unbinding. As soon as you are unbound, we will give you the spell. With Zel’s help yesterday and your newly unbound power, you should be able to read the spell. Are you ready?”

I looked at Chaz, and I nodded, feeling slightly overwhelmed. I hadn’t realised I was doing a two-for-one show tonight. I felt Sam step up behind me. “Are you sure?” he asked me softly, and I leaned back into him for a moment, savouring his strength, as his hand ran soothingly down my arm.

“Let’s do this,” I said with a confidence I hadn’t been feeling, but as I looked over my shoulder and up at Sam, I knew I could do it.

“Get it ready, brother,” Sam ordered as he stepped away from me, barking out orders to the others.

I could do this, I told myself as I mentally prepared. Couldn’t I?