“Wolves,” Beatrice said painfully.
No wonder he hated wolves. I couldn’t blame him. “What do you mean?”
“We’ll talk in the morning.” Beatrice opened the front door and held it for us. “Your room is up the stairs and to the left.”
As we walked in, the smell of rosemary and basil hit my nose. The house had gray walls, and the floor was hardwood. A large brown couch sat in front of a flat-screen television with a rocking chair to the side. The stairs were in the middle of the far living room wall, so I headed in that direction.
“I’ll take you.” Amethyst stepped in front of us. “Mine is right across from yours, but don’t worry; we each have our own bathroom.” She climbed the stairs, expecting us to follow.
“Thank you for letting us stay here.” It meant a lot to me that a perfect stranger was willing to take us in.
“Of course.” Beatrice crossed the living room to a doorway on the right that appeared to lead into the kitchen or down a hall. “Now, get some rest. You need it after the day you’ve had.”
“Come on, Angel.” Aidan brushed my arm with his hand.
This time, the pet name warmed my heart.
At the top of the stairs, I stopped.
Amethyst opened the door on the left. “Here you two are. Home sweet home.” She entered the room and turned on the lights.
It was smaller than my room back at home but more spacious than the dorm. The queen bed took up most of the area, but there was enough room for a chest of drawers with a television on top. The room was the standard light gray with light-colored, shaggy carpet. The bedsheets were an earthy brown, which fit the house perfectly.
“This is great.” I let go of Aidan’s hand and gave her a small hug. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” She held up a finger. “Let me go grab you some clothes.”
“You don’t have to.” I hated to be a bother.
“No, it’s fine. They may be short on you, but it’ll be more comfortable.” She ran out of the room, leaving Aidan and me alone.
“Are you okay?” Aidan asked quietly. He stared deep into my eyes as if daring me to lie.
“Does it matter?” I hadn’t chosen the cards life had dealt me. Never would I have chosen this path.
“Of course it does.” He stepped into my bubble and placed his fingers underneath my chin, gently forcing my head up to prevent me from averting my eyes.
He knew all my tricks.
“But it doesn’t.” I felt powerless. “Me not being okay doesn’t change the situation we’re in.” My heart picked up its pace. “Not only has my life changed, but I’ve put you, Beth, and this whole coven at risk. Do you know what it feels like to have that on your conscience?” Maybe I needed to run away and save them all.
“Emma,” he growled in warning.
“Here you go.” Amethyst entered the room and handed me a set of matching frilly pajamas. “And just know I’ll be casting a perimeter spell tonight, so if you sneak out, I’ll know.”
Her gift was really inconvenient. “You wouldn’t.”
“The fact she even had to say that isn’t funny at all.” Aidan wore an unreadable expression on his face. “You do realize if you ran, I’d find you.”
Oh, dear God. I had both of them on my case now. “I’m not running away.” I took the clothes off the bed and found the doorway into the bathroom, stepped inside, and shut the door, not bothering to turn the lights on.
My wolf surged forward until I could see without a problem in the dark. There was a plastic tub in the corner of the room and a toilet between it and the wall. The counters had his-and-her sinks.
“She’ll be okay,” Amethyst whispered as if she thought I couldn’t hear her.
He remained silent.
I quickly changed and walked back out. “See, I’m wearing the pink nightclothes. You can rest easy now.”
“Okay, then.” Amethyst stepped out of the room, feeling uncomfortable. “Goodnight.”
Once she’d shut the door, I climbed into the bed and lay facing the window. The moon was high in the cloudless sky, but even my wolf wasn’t yearning to get out. It felt as if she was as confused as I was, which didn’t make any sense.
“Hey.” Aidan’s voice was low, and I heard him remove his shirt and pants before climbing into bed with me. He placed his arm under my neck and wrapped his other arm around my body, pulling me against his chest.
My skin buzzed, our bond springing to life. I closed my eyes, relishing the feeling and trying to focus on it while blocking everything else out.
He lifted his hand from my waist and trailed his fingertips along my arm. His touches fueled the friction running through me.
I turned over, desperate for his kiss. I needed him. My lips claimed his, and he hesitated for a moment before kissing me back.
His taste filled me, and his hands sliding up my body heated me in more ways than one. I deepened our kiss, needing him to stimulate me in all ways. My hands touched his naked chest, flaming my arousal. The feel of his skin right against mine made me dizzy.
I moaned and tried to get closer to him.
His hand tangled in my hair as he hardened against me. He removed his lips from mine. “You’re making me crazy.”
“Good.” The fact that I affected him turned me on even more. I lowered my hands to the waist of his boxers. Right before I was ready to slip them inside, he grabbed my hand and stilled them.
“No.” He pulled back and stared directly into my eyes. “We’re not doing that.”
“What?” Tears burned my eyes. “But I thought…”
“Not like this.” Aidan let my hand go and wrapped his arm around me. “Not when you’re trying not to think about something.”
“But I want you.” That was plain and simple. “I’ve always wanted you.”
“And I’ve always wanted you.” He brushed his lips against mine. “We’ve waited this long. One more night won’t hurt. When I claim you, I want it to be for us only. Right now, you’re confused and close to a breakdown. You deserve better than that.”
He made sense, and now the only thing I felt was shame. “I’m sorry. I do want you.”
“I know you do.” He gave me a small smile. “And you will be mine in every way that counts. Just, not tonight, okay? We can kiss, we can talk, or we can just lie here and cuddle. I’m all yours and not going anywhere. You waited for me. Now it’s my turn to wait for you.”
“I guess I can make it through one more night.” I kissed him one last time.
“We’ll figure things out tomorrow. I promise,” he said as he pulled me into his arms again. “Right now, you need rest.”
He was right. My heart and soul were tired. “Okay.”
I closed my eyes, enjoying the buzz of our connection, and drifted to sleep, hoping he’d be able to keep that promise.
Aidan
Never in a million years would I expect to be sleeping under the same roof as witches; let alone surrounded by a coven. Everything inside me screamed for me to run, but I had to get over that. This woman in my arms would now, and always, be my number one priority. If she was part witch, then they couldn’t all be bad. Emma was the more sincere and pure person I’d ever met.