Chapter 5: Healing Dream

Dane POV

He drifted, feeling heat all over. Heat and lavender scent. He must be in the healing lodge in the main settlement on Evenhide Pack lands. Heat and steam and lavender.

His inner wolf, Brodie, whispered to him: “Our mate draws near. We must claim her.”

Their mate. Lilia. Lilia who smelled like lavender. Dane smiled, searching through the heat for Lilia. He hoped he’d done something, achieved some great feat to win her. Or, at least, he’d fought for her as she deserved.

She appeared above a sea of blue, her golden hair wild and untamed, tumbling over her shoulders. Her witch’s robe drew taut against her small but perfect breasts. She reached out her hand in a clear invitation. “DANE, COME BACK TO ME.”

His wolf, Brodie, whispered, “Go to her.”

He wondered if his four brothers were lurking somewhere around the healing lodge. Hiding and watching. Had they sent her to him? It would be like all of them, especially his third little brother, Patch.

“Kyon, Jiro, Patch, and Dirge, if any of you are lurking nearby, you have five seconds to leave,” he shouted. “Especially you, Patch.”

Lilia looked concerned. “Is that your family?”

He reached out for her and felt her, solid and warm and so beautiful. So right for him. He slipped his arms around her and pulled her close, nuzzling her cheek. It felt as soft as the wall hangings in his home made by the weavers of the pack. As soft as flower petals.

He kissed her cheek, then trailed kisses to her mouth. Her upper lip was short and bowed, her lower lip lush and full. He pressed his lips to hers. She tasted like honey.

He needed to mark her, NOW.

* * * * *

Lilia POV

Lilia watched Dane slowly awaken after almost a full day’s sleep. His body still shivered, weak from the poison, but at least his fever had broken. His eyes flicked toward her and he smiled in a sensual way.

She ought to be tired from caring for him, even if she did have her mother and Anneliese helping her, taking turns sitting with him, checking his temperature, and making sure he was comfortable, especially when Lilia had customers to wait on. Customers who were sympathetic over the rash of robberies.

She reported the Harmony Stone missing, but she didn’t expect the local constabulary to find the thief. Not if the villain could defeat a powerful Alpha like Dane in a street fight.

Of course, in all the chaos, she forgot about the Harmony Stone. Dane’s life was more important than the loss of the stone. Ravyn and Anneliese were in awe of how brave he’d been and how he’d volunteered to help Lilia discover the identity of the thieves and her unknown admirer. They agreed Dane was worth a thousand Harmony Stones.

Ravyn had declared, “Evil will be punished. But we must always protect what’s good and what’s noble. Dane deserves all our care.”

She hadn’t told them about the bargain she made. For once in her life, she hadn’t immediately told her mother and her best friend about something so significant, because she’d been too concerned about Dane’s health and well-being. And honestly, she couldn’t wrap her mind around Dane’s shocking offer.

Mate.

Why her? Why choose her, a non-shifter?

The one time she'd been courted by a young wizard, he wanted to travel the world on quests and thought there was something wrong with staying in one place running a business. Now she had a very exciting shifter ...

Dane’s eyebrows twitched in an odd way. He wiggled them while he lay dreaming. It was endearing. It made him less imposing, but no less compelling. He moved his arms about restlessly and moaned.

A low sensual growl burst from his lips. He smiled and reached out to stroke the air.

Goddess Brigid! Was he having an erotic dream? She felt intrigued rather than scandalized. He certainly had a powerful life force, and apparently a potent sex drive, and he needed some kind of relief. Maybe she should leave him to his private fantasies.

Yet she couldn’t look away from his parted lips or the way his hands stroked the air. No other man, CERTAINLY not the relentless admirer captivated her like this.

But she couldn’t indulge that right now. So many questions to be answered, and he was in her care.

“Is he all right?” Anneliese peeked in, sipping a mug of Ravyn’s famous herbal tea.

“He’s dreaming,” Lilia said.

Anneliese tiptoed in and looked at Dane, her sharp gaze missing nothing. “Mmmm. After giving that thief everything he had, he deserves a sexy dream.” Her eyebrows arched. “The Rosebud Sisters consider erotic massage to be a form of healing. They’re quite talented at it. Maybe you should peruse some of their manuals.”

“ANNELIESE!”

“Just an observation."

“He’s in our care!”

“And the goddess created multiple ways to care for others. He fancies you, and you fancy him. Think about it.”

“Go on with you.”

“May I remind you that this marvelous man chased down a dangerous thief for you and got a near-fatal wound for his trouble?”

Lilia trembled, reaching out to touch Dane’s arm. “I don’t need reminding.”

Anneliese put down the mug of tea on a table and came over to hug her. “I’m only trying to lighten the mood since we’ve all been so concerned. Of course, we want him to regain all his strength first. That’s our goal.”

Lilia knew her friend to be genuine, good-hearted, and definitely more daring than she was, but never reckless or irresponsible.

“But you must admit he is handsome,” Anneliese added.

“And brave. And intelligent.”

“I knew it.” Anneliese hugged her again. “Well, you don’t need me prattling on. I’ll leave him in your hands.”

She picked up the mug of tea, took a sip, and with a smirk, walked out of the room.

Dane’s voice made Lilia perk up further, especially when he called out names, with his eyes open and still dreamy.

“Kyon, Jiro, Patch, and Dirge, if any of you are lurking nearby, you have five seconds to leave,” he shouted. “Especially you, Patch.”

The way he spoke their names, these people meant something to him. Most likely family.

“Is that your family?” she asked.

He stirred in the direction of her voice, and his eyes locked on hers. He smiled, and it looked like pure seduction.

“They’ll leave if they know what’s good for them,” he purred. “So, they sent you here, eh?”

A dream. The healing created euphoria in some people, and lowered their inhibitions. It also made them a bit loopy and playful. It was best to go along with it.

“That’s right, they did. They sent me to tell you that you need to rest.”

His hands reached out for her face and cupped it. He drew her close and she smelled the strong fever-fighting tincture she’d given him. He nuzzled her cheek, rubbing his nose and lips over her skin, leaving a trail of warmth. She gasped as he planted kisses on her cheek, one after the other, all the way to her mouth. It felt like the warmth and luxuriousness of his fur. She’d never felt anything so exquisite in her life.

His mouth claimed hers, gently at first, as if he were unsure of himself. She stiffened, wanting to push him away, especially because part of her was only too happy to welcome his kiss. She had to think of him, and of his weakened condition, and the fever dream he experienced. Maybe he didn’t even know who he was kissing.

“My mate,” he whispered against her lips. “My sweet mate. My sweet, lovely mate. MINE. My Lilia. My witch.”

Oh.

He did know.

He dreamed of her. His sensual dream was about her.

He went on, his voice thick and heated and bewitching. “You smell like lavender. But it’s my smell I want all over you. I’ll cover you with my scent. My wolf aches for you, aches to be inside you so that you feel everything I feel.”

His mouth claimed hers again, demonstrating the truth of his words, and she softened for him. Not completely. She opened her lips to tell him to rest, but his tongue slid into her mouth, tasting her, caressing and exploring.

Dear Goddess, she wanted it to go on and on.

She clung to him now, because she lacked the strength to push him away. When he let her breathe for a moment, she forgot what she wanted to say. What she should say right now.

He whispered, “Open for me again. Give me your tongue. You taste delicious. I want you to taste me too. To savor me, the way I’ll savor you.”

She moaned softly.

“Yes. I want to hear your voice, too. Like the rhythm of the forest.” He pulled her in. “Open for me now. Kiss me again. From you, I want nothing less than total surrender.”

His voice was going to drive her mad. She pressed her lips to his to silence him.

Bad idea.

His tongue once again swept her mouth, and she relaxed, giving him hers as he asked, tasting the strong tincture and the sweetness of him. His big hand held the back of her head while his other hand pulled her down onto the bed and on top of him. His incredible hands and mouth roamed over her body, caressing between her legs through the robe, using the fabric to heighten the sensation.

She threw her head back, moaning, and he followed her with his talented mouth, then growled and bit down hard on the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder.

It felt like one of her crystals pierced her flesh, and she cried out, biting back a scream. But as swiftly as she felt the pain, a pleasurable sensation took over on the spot where he’d bitten her.

A shifter bite couldn’t harm a witch most of the time. Not unless the witch had a bad reaction, or unless it was from a dark shifter.

And bites had a particular significance with shifters in some circumstances…

A mate mark. But only between shifters.

He whimpered softly, looking concerned. “Did I hurt you? I would never hurt you, love.” He murmured something in the shifter tongue that sounded loving.

He was a fierce fighter, but he was also a tender lover, giving, and passionate. At least her limited experience told her so.

She pressed her fingertips to the bite, which no longer hurt. It didn’t even sting. It simply felt warm, and when she touched it, she felt like she touched a part of him.

“It’s all right,” she murmured. “Everything’s all right. Sleep now.”

She rolled away quickly and sank down into her chair, then reached out and stroked Dane’s hair when he moaned in protest. She caressed the soft waves of hair until he fell back asleep. Deeply asleep, with a blissful smile on his face.

“Is he awake?” Ravyn’s voice and the clatter of dishes on a tray brought her back to reality. “I thought I heard his voice. I thought he might like something to eat.”

“Not yet, Mother,” Lilia said, pulling up the collar of her robe and turning to smile at her mother. “He woke up for a moment, but you can see he slipped right back into the arms of the god of sleep.”

“The arms of the Moon Goddess, I think,” Ravyn said. “You should be resting.”

“Yes, yes, I should. Do you mind sitting with him? He was restless, but now I think he’ll sleep soundly.”

She got up and took the tray from her mother, then blew her a kiss as she retreated out of the room, her thoughts and heart racing like a rushing river, and Dane’s scent and taste covering her and filling her, just as he’d wanted.