At last Jo’s shaking stopped and she felt a calmness coming over her. Maybe it was the warm, spicy scent of Reese’s skin that helped her . . . or the feel of his arms, so comforting and safe around her. For whatever reason, she was able to put the bad memories back in their box and push them aside—at least for now.

And that was when the throbbing between her thighs really started in earnest. It was as though the lust that had been plaguing her for days had waited just long enough for her to get over the worst of her trauma before it came rushing back.

Jo shifted in irritation and pain. She knew she ought to make some distance between herself and Reese—that would help her control her desire. But she didn’t want to, damn it! She hadn’t felt this safe and good and protected since she was a little girl. She wanted to stay in his arms, no matter how uncomfortable her insatiable desires made her.

The ritual, she thought. Reese said he thought he could help ease my pain. Could he really, though? She supposed there was only one way to find out.

“Reese . . .” she said at last, looking up at him.

“Hmm?” He looked down, his brown eyes filled with tenderness and desire. “What is it, darlin’?” he asked, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

“Do . . .” Jo cleared her throat. “Do you really still want to try and heal me?”

“If you want me to,” he said gravely. “Although after reliving all that, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to wait for another time.”

“No.” Jo took a deep breath. “No, I . . . I’m aching again. It . . . it hurts between my thighs.”

“So you want to try it now?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Yes.” Jo nodded decisively. “Yes, I . . . I think I do.”

“All right.” He cupped her cheek in his hand and looked at her for a long moment. Then he drew her close and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll be right back, darlin’.”

He put her gently off his lap and went to empty the bowl of now-cold water. He came back with a fresh bowl of steaming water and set it beside him as he knelt at her feet. Taking the dried sachet of herbs, he put it into the bowl, letting it steep.

The aromatic scent of lavender, vanilla, and mint rose from the bowl. Jo sniffed appreciatively—it smelled good. Calming . . . soothing.

“Now . . .” Reese put the cloth of new lamb’s wool into the steaming bowl and looked up at her. “I’m afraid in order for this to work, I have to get to you, darlin’.” He nodded at the fuzzy green robe she was wearing and Jo knew she would have to open it.

The thought might have made her nervous since the bad memories of her past had only recently been dredged up. But somehow, despite her recent trip down the horrors of memory lane, Jo found herself unafraid of Reese. Or at least, only a little anxious. Maybe it was the sincerity in his brown eyes, or the way he’d held her while she cried, or that soft, comforting kiss on the forehead. For whatever reason, she wanted to trust him.

“All right,” she said. Untying the robe, she spread it open, baring herself from neck to knees.

She had no bra underneath and her nipples hardened immediately in the slight chill. Her panties were still on though—a rose silk pair stretched tight over her pussy.

Looking down at herself, Jo was embarrassed to see that the throbbing between her legs had had definite results. The sheer panel of silk over her sex was wet with her juices, making it cling transparently to her outer pussy lips.

She started to close her legs self-consciously but Reese stopped her with a single touch on her thigh.

“No, darlin’,” he said softly. “Don’t hide yourself. God, you’re beautiful.”

“I . . . I’m all wet,” Jo protested. “I . . . the spell . . . the desire . . . being so close to you . . . I can’t seem to help it.”

“It’s beautiful,” Reese assured her. “You’re beautiful, Jo.” He rubbed one big, warm hand up and down the top of her thigh soothingly. “But I want you to know something—we can stop at any time. If you don’t want this, all you have to do is say stop and I will. I promise.”

Jo bit her lip and nodded slowly.

“I . . . I believe you,” she said.

“Good, because I mean it.” He stroked both of her thighs this time, easing them open so gently Jo barely realized her legs were parted. “Now,” he murmured, looking up at her. “This ritual is called ‘Bringing down the Moon’ or some people also call it ‘Worshipping the Goddess.’”

“Wor—worshipping the Goddess?” Jo asked rather breathlessly.

“Mm-hmm.” Leaning forward, he placed a hot, gentle kiss on her inner thigh, just by the tender inside of her knee. “Because that’s what I’ll be doing—first cleansing away the hurt and pain and then worshipping your female essence with my mouth and tongue. Is that all right?”

“I . . .” Jo hesitated as he kissed her again, this time higher up her thigh. She’d never had a man do this to her before. She might have tried it in college—if her college career hadn’t been cut short by the attack. But aside from the other night after her spell had gone so spectacularly wrong, she hadn’t allowed any part of a man’s body to touch her between her legs. The idea of letting Reese kiss her there—of letting him put his mouth and tongue on her pussy—made her feel nervous and hot.

And yet, as nervous as she was, she wanted it too . . . wanted to feel the soft, hot, gentle kisses he was placing on her inner thigh, in her most secret place—the core of her femininity.

Reese was waiting patiently for her to answer and it was that—his patience and his refusal to rush or pressure her—that finally made her decide.

“Yes,” she said at last. “Yes, that’s . . . that’s all right.”

“Good.” He gave her a warm smile that centered more in his eyes than his mouth. “Now, do you want to take off your underwear, darlin’? It’s up to you—the ritual can be performed with or without, although I think without would be easier.”

In answer, Jo raised her hips and hooked her thumbs into the sides of her rose-pink panties. She slid them down and Reese helped by pulling them over her feet.

Jo expected him to toss the discarded garment aside but instead he balled it in his fist and brought it to his nose. He inhaled deeply and for a moment, his eyes glowed gold as they sometimes did when he was in his Shifted form.

“God, darlin’,” he almost groaned. “You smell so damn good. Can’t wait to taste your sweetness.” He straightened up and tucked the panties into his back pocket. “First, though, I need to do this ritual before the water gets cold again. Are you ready?”

Jo nibbled at her lower lip and nodded.

“Yes, I . . . I think so.”

“Good. Then spread your legs a little more, darlin’. We’re about to get started.”

Taking the lamb’s wool cloth from the steaming, fragrant water, he wrung it out carefully. Holding it in both hands, he brought it first to his forehead, then to his heart, and then to his lips. Looking up at Jo, he spoke softly.

“Jocasta Ferrell, the male in me worships the Goddess in you. You are precious and beautiful . . . delicate yet strong . . . my opposite but also my equal and my completion.”

Jo’s breath caught in her throat at the lovely words of the ritual and the sincerity with which Reese spoke them.

For so long when she looked at men—when she looked at them at all—she had seen only ugliness and hurt and pain waiting to happen. But with Reese, it was different. The firelight gilded his bare chest and broad shoulders as he knelt between her thighs and she thought she’d never seen so much pure, masculine beauty.

Bending to her, he kissed the inside of her right knee and said, “If any has hurt thee in the past, I will heal thee.” He placed another kiss on the inside of her left knee and said, “If any has denigrated thee, I will raise thee high.”

Straightening up, he brought the soft, fleecy cloth to her inner thigh. It was still warm from the hot, scented water and Jo shivered a little as Reese stroked it gently but firmly over first her left thigh and then her right. He dipped the cloth in the water again, wrung it out, and brought it back steaming.

“If any sins have been committed against thy flesh, I will wash them clean away,” he murmured, pressing the soft, warm cloth to her outer pussy.

Jo gasped and jumped a little, but didn’t pull away. His big, warm hand felt too good on her—she only wished the cloth wasn’t between them.

Reese cupped her firmly, holding her sex in his palm with only the warm, wet cloth between his hand and her flesh. He looked her in the eyes as he spoke.

“Thy body shall be my temple, to worship and adore.”

He withdrew the cloth and dropped it back in the water. Then he scooted between her thighs again, his big hands on either side of her bare mound. He didn’t touch her . . . yet. But the feel of his gentle palms placed so firmly on either side of her throbbing pussy made Jo wish he would. The scented moisture from the soft cloth evaporating on her thighs gave her a cool, ticklish sensation which raised goosebumps along her flesh and made her pussy throb even harder.

“Jo,” Reese murmured, continuing the ritual. “Thy sacred flesh will I heal and pleasure . . .” Leaning forward, he placed a soft, hot kiss at the top of her pussy mound, just at the start of her slit. “Until pleasure drives out pain. Until the present eclipses the past,” he continued, kissing her again, lower this time so that Jo felt his hot breath against her aching clit, which was peeking out from between her outer lips.

“Oh, Reese . . .” she whispered, but he wasn’t done yet.

“May that which was violated be restored,” he murmured. “May you be made whole by my touch . . . my kiss . . . my worship of your female beauty.”

As he spoke, he spread her outer pussy lips fully, revealing her inner folds. Jo bit her lip to see how wet and shiny she was in the firelight—how swollen and needy her clit looked, throbbing like a second heartbeat between her thighs.

But she didn’t have long to see because Reese leaned forward again and placed another kiss—this one right over her clit. Jo felt his tongue flicker out as he lapped gently at her little pink pearl and a wave of pleasure seemed to roll across her entire body.

With a low moan, she slid her fingers into his thick, brown hair, gilded red by the firelight, and drew him closer. Reese came willingly, slipping his big, warm hands under her thighs and ass and drawing her to the edge of the couch. Eagerly, he lapped her again, this time starting at the bottom of her slit and dragging his tongue upward over the tender bump of her clit with excruciating slowness.

“Oh!” Jo heard herself moaning. “Oh, Reese . . . oh, Goddess!”

He looked up briefly, his eyes half-lidded with lust in the firelight.

“God, you taste so good, darlin’,” he growled hungrily. “Knew you would. I’ve been wanting to taste your sweet pussy for so long . . .”

“Don’t stop then.” Jo surprised herself by gripping his hair more firmly and pushing him back down between her legs. “Don’t stop—keep . . . keep tasting me.”

“That’s right, darlin’,” he murmured, kissing her pussy again. “Guide me . . . show me where you need me. Take control.”

To Jo’s continued surprise, she did. Gripping his hair, she pushed him down until his tongue was centered over her throbbing clit.

“There,” she moaned, thrusting her hips up shamelessly to meet his mouth. “Lick me there, Reese. Oh, Goddess, please . . . I need to come!”

He made a low, inarticulate growl and redoubled his efforts, lapping eagerly at her wet, open pussy, tracing around her aching clit with the tip of his tongue and then laving it with long, hot licks as though she was his favorite flavor of ice cream and he was trying to lap it up before it melted.

Too late, Jo thought incoherently. Because I’m definitely melting . . . Her pussy felt hot and needy, her clit throbbing with the pleasure he was building in her and the insistent need to come. She gripped his hair harder, arching her back, pushing herself up to his mouth with no shame as she took pleasure in his long, slow licks. But though her orgasm got closer and closer, it still eluded her. Finally she was moaning and writhing—nearly crying in frustration in her need to reach the peak.

Reese looked up again briefly. His eyes were sleepy with lust and his mouth was shiny with her juices.

“Darlin’,” he said hoarsely. “Need to fill you. Not with my cock—just my fingers.” He held up two fingers together and Jo remembered how good they’d felt inside her right after the spell, when she’d been crazy with lust. “I think it might help you get there,” Reese murmured.

Jo realized he was waiting for her go-ahead. Now that he knew what she’d gone through, he was being extra careful not to do anything without permission that might bring back the past.

But right now, the past was the furthest thing from her mind. All she could think about now was how badly she needed to come.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Goddess, yes please, Reese . . .”

“All right.” He slipped his fingers into his mouth for a moment, getting them wet. Then he slid them between her thighs and Jo felt him find the entrance to her body.

She tensed for just a moment, but Reese’s fingers were gentle, not harsh and cruel. They slid easily into her hungry pussy and then she felt them move inside her, pressing against a spot inside she hadn’t even known was there.

At the same time, he lowered his head again and sucked her aching clit deep into his mouth. Circling the little bud again and again with the tip of his tongue, he pressed the spot inside her.

And suddenly, just like that, Jo was there.

“Oh, Goddess . . . Oh, Reese!” she gasped. Her hips bucked up and her pussy clenched hard around his invading fingers. A lightning bolt made of pure pleasure seemed to have struck her because it felt like every muscle in her body was contracting, especially her inner muscles. Her fingers tightened in his hair and her hips were jumping all over the place as she moaned and gasped and begged.

Reese stayed with her, riding out her orgasm and continuing to lap her clit until Jo’s hips started to twitch away because of the extreme sensitivity. Then he pulled back a little and looked up at her.

“God, you taste so fucking good.” He withdrew his fingers and sucked them clean, his eyes still half-lidded with desire. “And you’re beautiful when you come.” He frowned. “But are you all right, darlin’?”

“More . . . more than all right.” Jo was surprised to find she was crying. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, even more than when she’d been reliving the attack.

Reese looked concerned. “Are you okay, Jo? Was it too much?”

“No, it . . . it was just right. I’m sorry . . .” She swiped at her eyes which wouldn’t stop leaking. “I don’t . . . don’t know why I’m crying.”

“Release of tension.” Reese kissed her trembling belly gently and rubbed the tops of her thighs in long, soothing strokes. “Maybe release of some of the pain you’ve been carrying around?”

“Maybe,” Jo acknowledged. “I just . . . I haven’t . . .” She took a deep breath. “I think that was the first orgasm I’ve had since college.”

His eyes went wide. “Really?”

“Really.” Jo nodded. “After the attack I just . . . wanted nothing else to do with it. With sex, I mean. So I just . . . stopped. I concentrated on my casting and on learning the Craft and immersed myself in my new life at Avalon. I cut off that part of myself—the sexual part. I think that’s why it’s been so scary and awful having these . . . these desires and urges. It was like a part of me I’d tried to starve wasn’t willing to be starved anymore. It kept coming out in the open, demanding to be fed.”

“I can’t imagine not having sex—any kind of sex—for twenty years,” Reese murmured thoughtfully. “But after seeing . . . what I saw, I don’t blame you, honey.” He raised an eyebrow. “Do you think it helped?”

“The ritual?” Jo nodded and sniffed, swiping at her eyes. “You know, I do. I still don’t think I’m ready to do the whole, uh, Shifter breeding thing . . .” The thought made her nervous and hot and uncertain and she had to make herself go on. “Of course, I wouldn’t anyway because of my vow to the Goddess. But I feel less scared of . . . of that side of myself. Of the sexual side. And the past . . . doesn’t hurt quite as much as it did before . . .”

“Before what, darlin’?” Reese urged gently.

“Before I shared it with you,” Jo admitted. “I’d never told anyone but Miranda in detail about . . . about exactly what happened. I mean, I had to talk about it during the trial but it wasn’t like actually showing it, the way I was able to show you.” She shook her head. “I’m still not sure how I did that.”

“Another new power, maybe,” Reese suggested. He looked at her seriously. “I’m glad you showed me, even though it was hard to watch. I feel like you trusted me with so much of yourself tonight.”

“You made it easy,” Jo said softly, running her fingers through his thick, tousled hair. “Or at least, not as hard as it was.”

“The main thing is that you’re feeling better than you were,” Reese said. “About the past. But . . .” He cleared his throat. “Did the pleasure help with the other thing? Do you feel less achy? Less painful between your legs?”

Jo considered for a moment. It was true that the insistent throbbing ache, which had become quite painful, had been eased somewhat by her orgasm.

“Yes,” she said, nodding decisively. “It does feel better than it did. I mean, the ache isn’t completely gone, but it’s a lot better than it was.”

“Good.” Reese nodded. “Now listen, darlin’—I think this falls into the same category as your headaches.”

“Meaning?” Jo raised an eyebrow at him.

“Meaning you need an Alpha’s touch to help.” Reese looked at her sternly. “From now on, when you feel the need—when your head or any other part of you aches—I want you to come to me and let me help you.”

Jo nibbled her lower lip indecisively.

“You mean you want to do the ritual again?”

“If you want to or you feel like we need to, sure.” Reese shrugged. “But if you just need me to touch you . . . to taste you, well . . .” His eyes were suddenly half-lidded again. “Just ask me, darlin’. I’ll be happy to oblige. More than happy.”

“But . . . what about you?” Jo asked. “Don’t you want me to, uh, return the favor?” She felt an uncertain lump rise in her throat as she asked. She wasn’t certain if she was ready to touch his big, male body yet. But she didn’t want to be selfish.

“We can talk about that later,” Reese said firmly. “You have to walk before you can run. You just had your first orgasm in twenty years. I can take care of myself until you’re ready but for now just let me make you feel good.”

“Any time I want?” Jo asked. “Really?”

“Really.” He nodded, his eyes hungry again. “You tell me what you need and I’ll drop everything to take care of you.”

“What about . . .” She shifted a little on the couch, looking at him uncertainly. “What about now?” she asked at last. “I feel . . . I think maybe the throbbing is coming back. Maybe once wasn’t enough to, uh, satisfy it.”

“Mmm . . .” His brown eyes flashed gold with hunger in the firelight. “I’d love to, honey. But let’s take it even slower this time, all right? I want to know exactly what feels good to you . . . what feels best so I can help you come as much and as often as you need to.”

Jo felt herself melting back against the couch while her thighs drifted wide.

“All right,” she whispered. “Let’s take it slow . . .”

* * *

Later, Reese didn’t know how long it lasted. It seemed to go on forever, with time stretching like a sweet, slender thread of honey between them. He wanted to study Jo’s body—to memorize it as completely as he could—and he loved that she was willing to let him learn her.

He mapped her skin with his tongue, leaving kisses for landmarks over her delicate, pale flesh. Her pussy trembled under his gentle touch, her slick, secret folds opening for him while she told him exactly what felt best.

Reese loved getting to know her in this new, intimate way . . . loved the way she trusted him . . . opened for him like a flower unfurling its petals for the first time. She was so beautiful, his little witch, and he felt his heart swell inside him as she gave herself freely to his mouth and hands.

He brought her to the peak again and again, taking pleasure in her pleasure, loving the soft, helpless sounds she made when she was coming. If he hadn’t known that he was in love with her before, this would have sealed it. There was no doubt about it—Jo held his heart in her hands.

Reese just hoped she decided to keep it.