Little Witch Ch. 02

First of all, you guys are too kind!! All the comments on the first part of this story were incredibly encouraging. This chapter doesn't contain much sex, but I felt like we needed a little more backstory on the characters. Don't worry, there will be more of the good stuff in the next chapter! I got a couple comments that this story belongs in fantasy more than non-con, so I've moved it over. If you're looking for the first chapter, that's where it is!

Thanks again for your feedback!

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Well, that had been unexpected.

Marcus stalked back to the little house where his mortal companions waited, reveling in the sunshine. Everything felt so...good. He was pleased that James had made it through the night. It was rare that a short lived man would have such skill with a sword, and Marcus had no intention of wasting his time trying to find another. He could hear Jace's snores before he even reached the door. Jace had a talent for spying, when he wasn't absorbed in the nearest pretty girl or card game. It made him another invaluable member of Marcus's unit.

A angry sound from the barn brought his thoughts back to the witch. Of all the things he expected to find on this journey, a mate wasn't one of them. But by all that was holy, gods and demons alike, he couldn't find it in himself to be anything other than pleased. The urge to kill, the beating purpose that had driven him here, abated like dust on the wind. The smell of witches usually turned his stomach, but Elena...

The thought of her scent caught him unexpectedly, memories flooding in. The way she smelled like fresh herbs and honey. The feel of her body underneath, the slick silky folds between her legs. The little crease between her dark brows. And gods help him, the sounds she made as he entered her. Unbidden, he could feel his erection pressing against his pants.

Not the time, he reasoned with himself. Have her again later. He had listened in on Jace's thoughts in the night, the way he had eyed the witch warily. They had come here to see if the rumors were true, if someone had been practicing magic just outside the sleepy little town they had been staying in. Then James had been attacked in the woods, and Marcus needed a healer more than he cared to hunt down a witch. Lucky for him, his tasks had been one and the same.

He put a massive palm to his chest, rubbing the sore spot that had started aching the moment his little witch was out of sight. He had heard stories of a mating bond, although they had been rare even when he was young. Which was a long time ago, indeed. But there was no mistaking the way like called to like, and the way her scent had hit him like an avalanche.

A thin face poked its head through the door, and Jace's sly green eyes narrowed as he saw his captain blinking in the sunlight, standing around and staring at nothing. If Jace hadn't been utterly terrified of the man, he might have laughed. It was so...un-Marcus.

"Everything ok, sir? I mean, did you-?"

Marcus dropped his hand from his chest and tried once more to shake the feeling of Elena from his skin, his mind. But he knew not even a bath and new clothes would get her scent off of him. It was far too late for that.

"Yes, Jace. I bedded the girl. Perfectly safe. Not a witch after all, despite the rumors." Lies were a second nature, as easy as letting his heart beat or his lungs draw air. He strode into the cottage, grunting as her scent hit him again. A brief glance showed him that James was still resting. He could have been peacefully asleep except for the ragged stitches covering most of him. Marcus still didn't know how he had been attacked, and while James was unconscious there was nothing to gain from peeking into his mind.

"Well, I wouldn't mind doing that myself, if you're all done."

Jace barely had time to squeak before Marcus had him shoved up against a wall, his forearm pressing into his windpipe.

"You. Do. Not. Touch. Her." The sound was barely perceptible, each syllable dripping with violence.

Jace nodded frantically, eyes bulging. Sweat broke out on his brow as Marcus held him there another moment, dangling by his throat, before letting him go. Coughing, he shoved sandy hair out of his eyes and looked up at his captain in confusion.

He wasn't the only one confused. Marcus hadn't meant to react so strongly. They had shared women before, and in much worse ways. Frequently. He had done things that would make almost anyone cringe. Centuries of unchecked power didn't exactly lend itself to proper behavior, but the thought of anyone even looking at Elena the wrong way set his teeth on edge.

With barely a thought, Marcus slipped into his companion's mind, smoothing over his fears. He couldn't actually alter his memory of the event, but he could lessen Jace's reaction.

Your captain is a cruel man, this is normal. You didn't mean to offend him. Your captain was right to punish you. There will be other women. You don't need this one.

Each thought was gently eased into the smaller man's mind, like soft breaths of air. Anything stronger might have caused Marcus to give himself away, but then again he was ancient enough to be good at this. Manipulating the minds of mortals was second nature, just as easy as the lies he told aloud.

He offered a hand, and Jace took it gratefully, relief plain on his face.

"Sorry sir, I didn't mean to offend you. I'll just go take a walk around the perimeter, cool off a moment." He backed out of the cabin on near silent feet, slipping away towards the tree line.

Marcus watched him go for a moment before finding some water to splash on his face. He considered going out into the barn again, whether to talk to the witch or bed her he wasn't entirely sure. She had looked at him with such hatred, and yet...

His hand found the ache again, just under his sternum. He could feel it tugging, as clearly as if he were a horse and she held his reins.

Well, that wouldn't do at all.

He dug a clean shirt out of his pack and put it on, buckling his sword and dagger into place. The sun had risen almost to the apex in the sky, drenching the valley in light. Just how long had he been in the barn, lost in her warmth? It was unusual for Marcus to be so careless, so unobservant. What was worse is that he couldn't wait to lose himself in her again. Preferably several times and in several positions.

The link between them pulled tight, too tight. Marcus grunted in pain and set off towards the barn at a run. When he pulled the door aside, the pit dropped out of his stomach.

Where is she where is she where is she.

There had been a horse in here earlier, and now there was not. And there was no sign of Elena, either.

***

The moment that his back had turned and the door had shut, Elena had moved quickly, only allowing herself a moment to let out an angry sigh. Her dun colored mare, a sweet thing she had acquired a few years ago, was small but fast. Forgoing a saddle, she had simply led her from the stall, keeping the barn in between them and her cottage. She was sorry there was no time to collect any of her things before leaving, but the forest could provide food, and she could steal what she needed to start a new life.

Even as the ache in her chest tightened, Elena breathed a sigh of relief when they were under the cover of trees. Begging the forest for aid, she pushed a some of her magic into her horse and swung up on to her broad back, ignoring the throbbing between her thighs.

The canopy stretched far above, shading the ground with cool twilight. It would be getting hot in her little valley, but the summer sun couldn't reach them here. Branches nudged out of her way, roots smoothing themselves agains the forest floor. Elena's horse picked her way through the dense forest with no trouble at all, ears pricked and eyes alert for danger.

She hoped to reach the little village that lay on the other side of the forest before nightfall, and they were making good time. As the afternoon stretched on and the forest thinned out, Elena found herself glancing over her shoulder more often. There was nothing in the trees, of that she was certain. No whispers from the birds above, either.

Then why could she feel two ice blue eyes boring into her shoulder blades?

Urging her horse faster, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. The ache in her chest hadn't gone away, either. She had been hoping that the more distance she put between herself and the male witch, the more bearable it would become, but it seemed the opposite was true. Each step made the feeling more pronounced, like she was tethered to him. Even as the thought hit, she rejected it. There was nothing tying her to him, nothing at all.

A final bend in the path revealed the village, a small collection of buildings clustered around a square, surrounded by prosperous farms. She came this way at least once a month to trade little vials of medicine and bundles of herbs for cloth and other things she couldn't make herself. The townspeople were more than happy to trade with her and then leave her alone. A solitary existence suited her just fine.

She tied her horse to a post outside of the only inn the town had, run by a gentle eyed man and his wife. Just last year, Elena had helped them deliver their third child and knew they wouldn't mind letting her tuck into a small room for the evening.

"Are you all right, dear?" The innkeeper's wife, Alice, asked. Elena had been looking over her shoulder, her honey colored eyes sweeping up and down the narrow streets. The feeling of being watched hadn't abated.

"Of course, yes. Alice, I hate to ask, but I'd like to spend the night. I wouldn't want to take one of your rooms, but if there's just a spot in the kitchen-"

"Nonsense," the woman cut in, waving her hands softly, "Of course you may have one of the rooms. Not many visitors, especially since those witch hunters have gone on their way."

"Witch hunters?" Elena could feel her throat closing with panic.

"Yes, and quite something they were, too. Their captain was a big man, huge really, and so handsome, too. They were here a night or two questioning folks about witches, who they suspected, offering the king's gold in return for a whisper. A few bullies mentioned your name, what with you living out all alone past the forest, but I set them right. Everyone knows you saved my life this past year, and it wasn't by magic." Alice nodded knowingly, and patted Elena's arm. "You just go on upstairs and pick a room, and I'll send little Eva up with something hot to eat."

Elena nodded gratefully, and went upstairs without a word. She meant to pick the first room available, since she hadn't slept since being woken from her bed the night before. At this point, a pile of blankets would do.

Was it really less than a day that she had felt safe, that she had been untouched and comfortable in her own bed? Climbing up the stairs felt like an endless chore. Her chest ached, her mind whirled, and she would give anything for a hot bath.

Something tugged her past the first room, and the next, all the way down the hall to the final, furthest bedroom. Without even realizing it, she had turned the handle and walked inside.

***

Gods and demons, she was beautiful. Marcus had known it, had seen all of her from the tips of her small toes to the top of her silky auburn hair, but it still struck him when she opened the door. Her shoes were caked in mud and her dress was streaked with horse sweat and other filth, and yet he could think of nothing but how lovely she was.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

It was a song in his blood, the only thought in his brain. Her eyes, somewhere between brown and gold, met his and he watched as she realized what was happening. The little O shape her lips formed as she recognized him was enough to make his heart pound with desire.

"How did you-"

He sprung up from the bed he had been sitting on and grabbed her wrists in his giant hands before she could spin around and flee.

"Ahh, little witch, you didn't think I'd let you leave? I only just found you, after all." His voice ticked the outer shell of her delicate ear, and she shuddered as his scent swept over her, pine and the sea and something else she couldn't name. He kicked the door shut behind him and heard Jace slide into place outside, guarding the door as he had been instructed. No one would disturb them now.

The room had only a small window set high into the wall, being at the far back of the house, and Elena could feel the presence of a mortal outside of the door. She knew there was little chance of fighting her way past him without magic, and she had the general sense no one would come to her rescue.

"If you scream, Jace will go downstairs and happily start slaughtering that nice family that owns the inn. A shame, since they had such kind things to say about you." He released her onto the bed with a push, and she fell backwards, scrambling into the corner. "It's time we talked, you and I."

***

Talk? He wanted to talk? He had broken into her home and raped her and started spouting some fairy tale nonsense about mates and now her wanted to talk? An inelegant snort erupted from her lips.

"Sure, let's talk. Let's talk about how you woke me in the middle of the night, pushed your way into my home, raped me, and now you're following me! Let's not forget the part that you're, well, you. Evil."

"My being male and a witch doesn't make me evil, Elena. Not all stories are true." He said her name like a prayer, like a whisper of a secret told in the dark. She tried not to shudder, but wasn't sure if it was with fear or desire.

"Your actions certainly aren't helping." She crossed her arms firmly, and tried to ignore the way his eyes zeroed in on the way her arms accentuated her chest.

"You should be able to feel it. The pull, the bond. I don't understand this," he said, dragging his hands through his jet black hair, tugging at it in a gesture that was almost...young.

"The bond? I don't know what you mean. I've never coupled with a male witch before. I've never even coupled with a man. I don't know what it's supposed to feel like, but I'm pretty sure-"

He cut her off, eyes darkening. "You've never been with any man at all?"

Elena rolled her eyes and scoffed again. "No, oaf, I have't been with anyone. Something about constantly being on the run and, you know, not wanting to murder mortals means that I haven't had the urge to go ripping people clothes off and tumbling them in barns like rutting animals!"

With a grin, Marcus sat down in the chair opposite the bed, regarding her with bright eyes. A virgin. The thought of her with no other man but him was extremely pleasing. The things he would get to teach her...

"Well, little witch, there might be better men out there, other males out there more deserving of you, but now they'll have to go through me." He shifted in the chair, crossing one ankle over the opposite knee to hide the erection that had started. Marcus inhaled deeply, trying to control his rapid heartbeats, the way his chest and manhood ached just looking at her heart shaped face, the pert little nose, the way her lips pressed together in frustration. It didn't help, the deep breaths only serving to draw her scent around him, like lying in a sweet meadow.

A sweet meadow? He might as well be a virgin himself with that kind of romantic nonsense. And yet, it still fit. Another smile crept up, spreading like dark molasses and promising something just as delicious.

"Explain why a witch is hunting other witches," she grumbled, annoyed with the way her body warmed with his smiles. She couldn't help but stare at his hands, remembered how they felt on her body, the way those big fingers could dole out pain and pleasure. Swallowing thickly, she tried to glare, and knew it wasn't having the desired effect.

"Your kind tried to have me killed," Marcus replied simply, no inflection in his voice, but his eyes were like chips of ice. "And when my mother refused, they hunted her down and killed her instead."

Elena believed him. There was no worse punishment than being killed by your own kind, but there was no higher crime than allowing a male witch to live. Baby boys were incredibly rare, but every witch knew that they had to be removed before their powers manifested at puberty. To let one live was an affront to the gods.

"How did you survive?"

"For the same reasons your kind hate mine: I'm stronger, I'm faster, my senses are sharper. We had been hidden long enough for me to come into my powers, and my mother was a cunning witch. She taught me how to survive. After they killed her, I began hunting her murderers. Once they were gone, I didn't stop." Why was he telling her all this? Elena shrunk further against the wall, her eyes darting back to the door that lay just beyond her reach. And if she managed to get around him, what then? Let Alice and her family be killed?

"Tell me what you're thinking, little witch."

Elena raised her chin, defiant sparks in her gentle eyes. "I'm trying to decide how best to kill you."

"No you're not. You'd trying to decide on how best to escape, but I've already told you what happens if you try. Don't test me, you won't like how it ends."

"So how has no one noticed that one of the king's witch hunters, a captain no less, is a witch himself?" She asked, trying to distract him. Maybe if she could just keep him talking...

Then what? Delay more torture and then death?

The lack of response to her own question told her just how much trouble she was in.

His grin turned feral. "Mortals see what the want to see, they always have. I've been a witch hunter this time around for a few years, but I can fake my death with ease and find other work as soon as I choose. Nothing is quite as fun as hunting your kind, though."

"My kind? You're a witch too."

"A witch, yes, but you...females...are something different. Delivering you to the mortals is hardly a betrayal, since you would do worse to me if you could."

Elena couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. "You didn't seem interested in handing me in or killing me this morning."

A chuckle escaped from the male across from her, sending shivers down her spine in a way that was most unsettling. "A very different sort of hunting, little witch. One I wouldn't mind trying again, especially with this nice bed. Better than the hay, isn't it?" He rose from the chair, towering over her.

"No, that's not what I was suggesting at all. But if you're not going to kill me, the please just let me go because-"

"Absolutely not. Have you not been paying attention this whole time? I'm not tracking you through ramshackle little towns in the middle of nowhere because I want to. The fact that you can't feel the bond is ridiculous. But you're young, and perhaps it simply takes time. Or practice," he grinned, reaching across the bed and encircling one delicate ankle with his massive paw, yanking her towards the edge of the bed where he waited.

"Marcus, please-" Elena begged, her whole body flooding with terror when he grabbed at her. Terror and something else entirely.

He sucked in a breath, almost a hiss. "Say it again," he breathed, that dark voice almost reverent.

"Say what?"

"My name, little witch. Say it again."

"Marcus?" It was barely more than a squeak, but his body flushed with pleasure. Well, some particular body parts more than others. He intended to have her screaming it, and very soon.

A hum came from deep in his chest, almost a purr. Elena could feel her body relaxing into it automatically, like dunking herself in a warm bath. Slowly, his bruising grip on his ankle released. The moment his hand broke contact with her skin she skittered back into the corner, pressed against the wall.