Toil & Trouble Read online

  “Oh, Cassie,” Ryder’s voice was filled with compassion. He picked up my free hand and squeezed. “Angel, we’ve been so worried.”

  My eyes scanned the room as all three men, my aunt, and Gypsy stared at me in concern. The newest addition was thankfully absent. I didn’t want to see Kayde anyway.

  “The rogue witch attacked,” I explained, wincing as pain throbbed along my neck and shoulder. “I wasn’t sure what was happening and then I ended up in the Ether.”

  “The realm of dreams and nightmares,” Gypsy whispered. “You’re lucky we could find you. I hate that place.”

  My aunt agreed.

  “These attacks are a problem,” Damian interjected.

  “We’ve got bigger problems,” Ryder added, his voice catching, “Cassie’s been bitten.”

  “Bitten?” Damian frowned.

  “I don’t see a bite,” Gabriel added.

  “You wouldn’t. I can only see because I walk in the shadows and pass through the fade. As a spirit walker, I’m able to view what can only be seen in other realms or by creatures of the dark.”

  “How do we heal her?” Gabe asked.

  “That’s a bit tricky.” Gypsy shook her head. “This is bad.”

  “Bad? You think?” Damian asked with sarcasm.

  “We have to get rid of the Thrall to heal her.” Ryder’s voice silenced the room.

  “This isn’t how I wanted to spend Samhain,” I mumbled, looking at my cousin.

  Gypsy reached for my hand and squeezed it. “We’ve got this.”

  “There’s only two ways to get rid of the Thrall,” Aunt Gwen intervened. “Either Cassie finds and destroys the Thrall here in our realm and hopes it hasn’t set up a nest, or she returns to the Ether quickly and destroys the original Thrall who bit her in its nest there.”

  “Sounds simple enough.” Damian began to pace. “How do we do this?”

  “Now hold on a minute,” Ryder interrupted, “taking a realm walk through the Ether is no easy or simple task. The Thrall have marked her now and each one will have her scent. Finding the original demon that bit her will be nearly impossible not to mention dangerous. Anyone else who goes with her risks the same fate.”

  “I can go with Cassie. We’ve already bonded. It makes sense,” Damian volunteered.

  I think he was bored. Why else would the bloodsucker want to tag along?

  He snorted but didn’t reply in my head which shocked me no small amount. Was he exercising restraint? The thought made me snicker. Damian and self-control shouldn’t be thought of in the same sentence.

  “Listen, fangboy,” Gabriel intervened with a glare in his direction, “your trickery doesn’t count and besides one of us won’t be enough. The Thrall are deadly. She needs at least two of us with her which is why I’m going.”

  “I’m a dual being since I’m a Ghoul and I possess the gift of soul touch which will come in handy if we run into other immortals and creatures during this little mission. Count me in,” Ryder added with a wink in my direction. “I’m intrigued by the idea of kicking some Thrall ass.”

  ‘I like the Ghoul even if he is delusional.’

  ‘Shut up, fangboy.’

  Damian barked out a loud laugh as I shook my head.

  Gabriel narrowed his eyes, hugging my body closer. He nearly growled at anyone who came close. I suppose my disappearance left him feeling overprotective and dangerously territorial. Lycan were always like this. I have to admit it was kind of sexy and sweet at the same time.

  Damian pretended to gag and I shot him a dirty look before snuggling in Gabriel’s embrace.

  “You’re all missing a crucial point here,” Gypsy drawled from the doorway, “Cassie will have to bond to the Cosan members who are following her into the Ether.”

  “It’s a necessity,” Aunt Gwen agreed.

  Damian perked up and shot a wink in my direction. ‘We can deepen our bond easily.’

  “Not you,” I retorted, glaring in his direction. “I’ll just take Gabe and Ryder.”

  A dangerous shadow crossed over his face as his lip curled up on one side. ‘We’ll see about that, pet.’

  ‘Don’t push it, vampire.’

  He wasn’t amused and scowled at my response.

  “Why is it a necessity?” I asked, enjoying the way Gabriel was rubbing circles into my back.

  A low rumble seemed to originate down in his chest as he leaned in and his nose skimmed the skin from my shoulder to my neck, right up to my ear where he placed a light kiss on my temple. “Safety.”

  Aunt Gwen placed her hand over mine as she sat next to me and Gabe. “Yes, safety. It’s more than that. The ancestors will be with you but your power is connected to more than the Howe lineage. Your Cosan can lend their own talents and skills to aid you in your quest. It will boost your abilities and energy reserves.”

  Why did this sound like some bizarre and twisted version of a bad video game? I was fairly certain that I didn’t want to embark on any quest – much less go up against those damn Thrall again.

  I barely escaped last time.

  Sighing, I decided to bring the conversation back on point. “What does any of this have to do with the rogue witch, Jadis, and the Salem witch families as targets?”

  “Good question,” Gypsy answered as she smiled at Gabe. He couldn’t seem to stop his roaming hands. At least he was keeping it tame. “We should consult the leaves.”

  “Yes, and we will,” my aunt assured Gyps, “but I think this rogue witch has an agenda. There was a reason you were sent to the Ether. This doesn’t bode well for Samhain. We must seek the ancestors after the leaves.”

  As I gazed out the window, listening to Gabe, Ryder, and Damian discuss plans to return to the Ether with me, I saw a small ebony bird flop down from the sky. It hopped a few times and then flew up onto our wrought-iron gate.

  A raven.

  Was the bird following me? Was it from the Ether or really here?

  The raven cawed and flew up to a tree on the border of our yard, hopping from branch to branch. I had the distinct impression the damn thing wanted me to follow like in the Ether.

  Was I only imagining the sense of urgency?

  A bi-product of the Ether was my inability to decipher whether some apparitions or beings were real or imagined. Leaving the Ether meant your soul carried a trail, an invisible path that could be followed by other supernatural creatures. In this case, the Thrall was the biggest threat but not the only one. I couldn’t tell if the raven I kept seeing was real or imagined.

  After a short nap I followed Aunt Gwen downstairs and joined Gypsy at the kitchen table. My aunt began to gather the ingredients for her secret ‘Psychic Tea’. Rose petals, thyme, yarrow root, cinnamon, and cloves were gathered in a little metal infuser inside the Japanese-style cast iron teapot. It was my favorite and one that had been in the family for years.

  Once the water was steaming, Aunt Gwen poured the hot liquid into the pot and we awaited the spices and leaves to steep before she filled three ceramic mugs. Each of the mugs had little witch hats and our names scrawled across the front. A gift from Gypsy last Christmas. Glancing at my name, I smiled, feeling a slight case of déjà vu.

  “By the power of three, so let it be.”

  Aunt Gwen, Gypsy, and I all sipped the tea until it was gone and then closed our eyes. It never took long for the visions and feelings to emerge. Sometimes they were strong and insistent. Others, they were more like intuitions or simple nudges in the right direction. A witch was dependent upon these basics. Our auras lined up our purposeful intent with the correct choice or choices for our future. We sought to walk a specific path that aligned with our ancestors.

  Any competent witch sought the guidance of her coven. In essence, all thirteen families were part of one large coven. But some of the younger generations aligned with other witches that complemented their gifts and formed their own ‘mini covens’. That was what Gypsy had done. All witches answered to the elders of the Salem w
itch bloodline. Aunt Gwen and Willow held positions on the coven council.

  Such was the way of the witch.

  As our trio sat I remembered my mother’s words about the gift of Third Sight. Would I see the rogue witch? What would the ancestors reveal?

  The effects of the tea soaked into my consciousness.

  Within minutes I began to have clear images and thoughts. Everything was vivid and bright, full of color and so clear I knew it was the future. There was no distortion or mirage. No barrier was erected between my mind and the vision I witnessed.

  In these visions I often walked a path or stood at a crossroads that helped me understand the importance of an upcoming decision. It was a typical commune as I sought guidance. Not this time. A sense of urgency propelled me forward . . .

  I walked in a graveyard late at night. The moon was high and full, her glow an amber shade that seemed to bleed into a dark crimson. The color oozed down as droplets of blood leaked into the cluttered sky. Dark clouds hovered around in the night but as my eyes wandered lower I saw a horrifying and disturbing sight.

  The clouds formed a face. To be precise, the visage of a skull appeared and rested low in the sky above the carved headstones in the cemetery. As I watched, snakes coiled and slithered in and out of the eye sockets as if they were swimming in the droplets of blood.

  Two familiar auras joined my own.

  I was no longer alone. Gypsy and my aunt Gwen stood on either side, to my left and right. We gazed up at the moon and joined hands. The power of three. I knew instantly that the Howe bloodline was in danger but when the skull morphed into a snarling rage and lunged forward – straight for me – it was my soul the evil entity sought to destroy.

  I screamed as Aunt Gwen and Gypsy strengthened their shields and aligned with mine. Our magic combined into an impenetrable barrier. We were bombarded with attacks as a dark cloud descended upon us. Sinking to my knees, I glared defiantly up at the skull and declared with venom, “Free from the three, so mote it be.”

  I separated from my aunt and Gypsy and lunged forward, ready to confront my enemy . . .

  My eyes opened and I gasped with frustration. Gypsy and Aunt Gwen were breathing hard, both their gazes locked on mine. We all knew what this meant and it was exactly the same as the last three times we sought the leaves. The Howe legacy had been targeted, but more alarming was the obsession this unknown evil had with me specifically. I could tell my aunt was upset.

  “Either the Third Sight is blind, doesn’t want us to move one from this vision, or we’re being blocked.”

  “Agreed.”

  “I have a bad feeling,” Gypsy added.

  Aunt Gwen tipped her cup upside down on the table, followed by Gypsy, and then I tipped mine over last. This action ended the vision and prevented any other individual from discerning our secrets. With my Aunt Gwen’s next words, we were bound to one another and this vision, dependent on each other to protect the Howe bloodline.

  “As above, so below. As within, so without. As the universe, so the soul.”

  Chapter 3

  “You’re all mine,” Gabe whispered huskily, scooping me up from the kitchen chair and taking the stairs three at a time up to my room. The door was locked swiftly and I landed on the bed as my handsome wolf climbed over my body on his hands and knees. “Let me take you away from all the chaos for a bit.”

  “Please, sounds like a wonderful idea.”

  He kissed me, his tongue swirling with mine as the passion between began to ignite. “Pain and pleasure, my Cassandra.”

  “Pain and pleasure?” I repeated. “What do you mean?”

  “It’s the Lycan way. We bond intimately and savagely.” His striking blue eyes met mine. “You need to understand it will bring both pain and pleasure. The claiming will require you submit but will also set you free.”

  “This sounds strange, Gabe.”

  He lowered his head and kissed along my cheek, down to my ear, and trailing across my neck. Before I could react, my normally tame wolf growled and grabbed my t-shirt, ripping it to shreds.

  I gasped. “Gabriel!”

  “Now that’s a start.” He chuckled, noticing that I skipped wearing a bra. “I may not be gentle, my Cassie.”

  Fuck me.

  That hungry look in his eyes as he spoke was about the hottest thing I think I’d ever seen. Long locks of brown hair fell over his forehead as he smiled a toothy grin. I placed a hand against his cheek, loving the feel of the light whiskers that gave him that dark, devilishly attractive look. His tongue lowered to the valley between my breasts as I sucked in a breath and moaned lightly.

  Gabe began to suck lightly on the skin of each breast, pausing to lavish attention on each nipple. Back and forth, a hand kneading whichever breast wasn’t in his mouth, his teeth nibbled and nipped. Drawing my flesh into his mouth, he played with the nubs until they were hard and I couldn’t control the sounds of pleasure escaping from my mouth.

  “There’s a three-day ceremony in order to complete the full bond. We don’t have time for that tonight so I’ll just give you a nip.” He winked as his teeth bit down lightly on my inner thigh. “Wolves bite, my little Raven.” He sucked on the sensitive skin and moved in toward my core, tugging my thong to the side. “We bite each other. Scent one another. Bring pain and pleasure until we climax together.”

  I was riveted by his words. Wolves were naughty.

  His nose met my flesh as he inhaled deeply. “I love the smell of your pretty pink pussy.”

  “Gabriel.”

  “Say it louder when you come on my tongue, my sweet.”

  One thing I can say about wolves, they know how to lick, and lick really thoroughly. As Gabriel’s tongue swirled around my clit, I let out a series of soft moans. Before long he was nipping at my flesh, teasing with his tongue, and then his fingers entered our little game.

  I was completely overtaken by pleasure.

  “Oh, Gabe,” I gasped, rocking my hips against his hand.

  “That’s right, my sweet. Take what you need from me.”

  Damn. I grasped his hair with my fingers and tugged gently, writhing beneath his touch.

  “I think we need to spice this up a little, you game, my little witch?”

  I think I mumbled a response as he tugged down his pants and turned our bodies on the bed so we were facing one another. His cock sprang free and my eyes widened. Lycan . . . wow.

  Gabriel laughed gently at my expression and flipped my body so I straddled him, backward. Tugging on my bottom, he brought my hips upward and sank his tongue inside my core. I jolted in his arms and lowered until I could grasp his erection.

  Two could play this erotic little game.

  The moment my lips covered the head of his rigid length, Gabriel let loose a wild howl that rattled my windowpanes. He paused only a few seconds before he began to suck on my clit, the action causing my thighs to clench and a low moan to escape my lips.

  Looking upward, I noticed Damian hovering outside. I’d forgotten to close the curtains. He was watching us with fascination. A look of pleasure and intensity on his handsome face.

  Maybe I should have felt self-conscious but I didn’t. Both men were attractive, both turned me on, and I secretly enjoyed the idea of Damian watching as I sucked Gabriel until he came. Licking upward slowly, my eyes remained locked on Damian’s as I sucked, licked, and stroked Gabriel. He was moving his hips, one hand rubbing my ass while the other held me close to his mouth.

  We were each pleasuring the other and I heard him say something about Damian watching but I was too far gone to reply.

  “Cassie, sweetheart, I’m going to come soon.”

  “I know,” I managed to reply, “I’m close, too.”

  “Bite me when you do.”

  “Bite you? On your . . . cock?”

  He chuckled and I think I blushed. “That may hurt quite a bit but if you want, I’ll like it. My thigh is fine, otherwise. We just have to bite one another during this part of t
he claiming.”

  I was about to ask where he was biting me when I lost myself in pleasure again. It wasn’t long before I felt my release and shuddered as my climax rocketed through my body. I cried out as the same moment as Gabe. He spurted on my chest as he bit down on my left ass cheek.

  Waves of rapture flooded my body and I bit down on his inner thigh. My Lycan howled, growling my name in his deep voice as he trembled. I lay there, completely spent and sated until Gabe brought me up to his chest, hugging our bodies close.

  “That was just a taste, my sweet.”

  I smiled at the thought. There would be no problem with pleasure and sex. Gabriel was amazing.

  My wolf cleaned us up a few minutes later and held me close, kissing me often as we lay in each other’s arms.

  “How do you feel?”

  “Good. Happy, but also fulfilled.”

  “Any different?”

  I shook my head. “Not really. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. With Lycan, the process is longer and varies.”

  Stroking his lightly furred chest with my fingers, I listened to the consistent thrum of his heartbeat. “I think we’re a good fit, Gabriel.”

  “I think we are too, my Cassandra.”

  We lay in silence for a few minutes as he squeezed my arm, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

  “We need to talk about the Ether, alright?” Gabe asked as our bodies intertwined intimately. One of his hands drifted lazily up and down my spine in a gentle caress.

  Oozing contentment, I nearly purred my answer like the housecat, Felix. “Yes.”

  “I found you there before when you had that little mishap with the rogue witch.”

  “I remember, Gabe.”

  “Sweetheart, I’m worried,” he confided.

  “Why?” I asked, stifling a yawn.

  He pulled me closer into his chest as he answered. “You couldn’t find your way out. I nearly lost you.”

  “I found my way home this time,” I pointed out.

  “Technically that was Howe magic and a bit of a push from the ancestors toward the light.” He grumbled low in his throat. “That can’t happen again. I won’t lose you.”