Mists of Velvet

act; to do something. He was her mate. The animal and the woman agreed on this.
    With her muzzle, she rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the black strands of his soft hair tickling her nose. He smelled good. Right. She tasted him then. With a swipe of her tongue, she licked his skin. He smelled like a wraith, but there was something else there; another essence, something harsher, like ceremonial incense, as well as a pungent and earthy odor—the same odor that had accompanied him in her vision.
    The man groaned, tried to lift himself up on his elbows, and immediately fell back to the ground. Coughing, he spat something out from between his lips; whatever it was landed atop Bronwnn’s front paw.
    Thorn-apple.
    “Fuck,” he growled, trying once more to move. He succeeded in rolling to his back. His face, she noticed, was breathtakingly handsome, despite his expression of pain. His hair was dark and his lashes just as black. His jaw was firm, covered in black stubble. The man before her was naked, and Bronwnn looked her fill, admiring his beautiful, powerful body. From his thick arms, to the black hair on his belly, down to the soft skin of his phallus, he was hard and sculpted, just as a warrior should be.
    Bronwnn was mesmerized by his body, by the sheer power and strength it contained. She wanted to touch it, to run her fingers along the firm flesh and hard muscle. She wanted that hard body covering hers. The need inside her grew, until she heard him moan. Worried, she stepped closer, and, glancing up from the part of his anatomy that had captivated her most, she saw how his chest had been mutilated, and how it now bled, the red trails of blood running over his chest and onto his side.
    This man—her mate —had been a victim of the Dark Mage. Occult symbols were etched into his skin, the same symbols that had been present in her vision. It was true, then, what she had seen! It had just happened. Which meant the dark magician was close, and they were both in danger.
    Heedless of anyone seeing her, Bronwnn changed into her human form and quickly bent to her knees, intending to help the stranger up. They must flee this place before either the Dark Mage or Cailleach’s oidhche found them.
    He fought her and she held him closer, trying to keep him from making any noise or hurting himself further. Their skin touched, her breast pressing against his side, and he softened, went lax, and let her bring him up to his knees. Swaying, he steadied himself by putting his thick arms around her waist and pressing the side of his face into her belly. She gasped at the contact. To feel his burning skin against hers so intimately was a shock—but a most welcome one.
    Beneath her fingers, the muscles of his shoulders and back bunched up; she rubbed them, trying to stem their trembling. His hot breath caressed her, making her core ache and her nipples bead hard.
    She was the one to tremble now. Closing her eyes, Bronwnn tried to pull herself together. She was the only thing between him and the Dark Mage. It was up to her to save this man. Her own desires had no place now. Her own needs were centered on the stranger in her arms, and on her will to keep him alive.
    Her vow would not allow her to speak to soothe him. So, instead, she ran her fingers through his silken hair and quieted him with her touch. The tremors that raked his shoulders subsided, and his breathing quickly followed into a steady rhythm. She could feel the way his body intuitively absorbed her energy, taking it deep inside him, restoring his own flagging strength.
    This was the way it was with mates. Her spirit recognized this man as her Anam —her soul. She was not whole without him, and he would soon realize he was incomplete without her.
    Despite her desire to stay locked in an embrace with this man, Bronwnn knew she must hurry and find shelter. She had no idea if the Dark Mage had followed the man into Annwyn, but if he had, it would be only a few minutes before he came upon them. While the reflecting pool was beyond Cailleach’s immediate powers, it was too close to the veil that led to the mortal realm. The mage would come here first to look for his victim.
    Wrapping her hands around his shoulders, Bronwnn struggled to bring him up to his feet. After a few attempts, he was able to stand and wrap an arm around her waist. Still disoriented and stumbling from the effects of the thorn-apple, he allowed her to guide him along a path that had become overgrown