Read Online Claiming His Witch by Ellis Leigh - Free Book Online

releasing a low growl as I caged her in with my body. “No. Not the same difference. A dog is a pet. A wolf is owned by no one.”  
    I walked her backward until I had her pressed against the wall, breathing in the scent of her, desperate to feel more of her warmth against me. “A wolf values family, fights on behalf of his pack, lives by a hierarchy based on trust and respect.” I paused, making sure I had her full attention before dropping my head to whisper in her ear. “And wolves mate for life.”
    She stood her ground, those lips turning up a bit as she peered up at me. “Mates for life, huh? Too bad I’m not able to get all furry with you.”
    “You don’t need to.” I reached for her hand, wrapping my fingers around hers and pulling our joined hands between us. I set the back of her hand against my chest, right over my racing heart, and massaged the side with my thumb. I held on to her lightly, just enough to ease the ache I felt around her, not pushing for anything more than simple contact. “We don’t have to mate with one of our own. Shifters and humans end up together all the time.”
    She licked her lips, her eyes soft and wide. “Really? But what about witches and shifters? Because I’m not quite human.”
    I pressed myself against her, shivering when her body met the length of mine. “Neither am I. That doesn’t mean we can’t be…this.”
    She sighed, her free hand moving up my arm and around my neck. “This?”
    “Yeah, this. Not love, not marriage, not anything demanding.” I shrugged. “Just this, mates and strings.”  
    She gave me a bit of an irritated look. “Threads, not strings.”
    “Threads.” I leaned down to place a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. “Sorry.”
    Her smile spread like a sunrise—slow and bright—filling me with a sense of renewal, rebirth, and completion. This was my mate. My one. Rebel had waited two centuries to find Charlotte; Gates had waited four. I’d been a shifter for only ten years and had already been blessed with her presence. I was so fucking lucky.
    “We can label it later.” I kissed her nose again then leaned down to catch the corner of her mouth. A tiny kiss, barely a tease, but enough to set my world on fire. “For now, it’s just this. A wolf and his witch.”
    “I like that.” Her whispered response had me straining to keep my mouth off hers. Damn, I wanted her. Wanted every single piece of her. Wanted to never leave her side, to see every expression she could make, know every memory she had. She was mine…and I wanted to be hers as well.
    When she yawned, I shook myself out of my mate-haze. It was late, and the poor girl had to be tired. I still had no idea what had sent her running through the woods, though I was glad for whatever it was. Good or bad, it had led her to me. I would forever be grateful.
    Knowing we could do more talking if I made her a comfortable place to rest, I quickly grabbed the quilt off the bed and tossed it on the floor, adding a few pillows as well. And then I shrugged a single shoulder at her inquisitive look.
    “I don’t have a couch, and sitting on the bed seems presumptuous.”
    She grinned and lowered herself to the makeshift pallet, curling her legs underneath her. I followed her lead, edging close so I could bask in her scent and warmth as we sat on a sea of fabric.
    “So.” She leaned back, bracing her arms against the floor. “I guess we’re both a little off the norm.”  
    “Yep. Sure seems that way.”
    “But your off is different than my off.” She huffed and shook her head. “I think we’re screwed.”
    “Jesus, I hope so.” I grinned as she cocked her head and gave me a look. It was a look I could remember receiving a lot in the past. The one that said “smartass” without actually saying the word.
    She glanced around the room again, looking thoughtful. “You’re a wolf shifter—you protect your breed, so you’re kind of like a cop, and you’re staying here but