by R. A. Boyd
Sariel.
Crap! The Rogues attacked.
Willow jumped up and forced her eyes open. Her friends stood around her, giving her a wide circle as she found her balance. Why were they looking at her like this?
“Does that mean she’s a Ghost shifter and a witch?” Sariel asked as she looked at Willow. A line of worry creased her forehead. “Can you guys do that?”
“I don’t know,” Zeke replied. “We’re going to find out.”
What the hell? A Ghost shifter and a witch. Did Audra bite Zeke?
An insanely large bird with speckled wings with white-tipped feathers circled around them from above the trees. Its belly was brown and white. Paige. It was Paige flying above them.
Willow could see every single feather on her body as if she were staring at her through a magnifying glass. She inhaled deeply and could smell gun smoke and iron. Blood. Lots and lots of blood.
Paige swooped down and started her change midflight. With the graceful ease only flight shifters held, her wings contracted gracefully into arms as her fully human feet softly landed on the ground.
“Riley and Teague caught up to the three Rogues that got away,” Paige said as Aiden took off his shirt and gave it to her to wear. “And let’s just say, those three douche bags did not get away. All the other Rogues who attacked are dead. Twenty in total.”
Dead. They were all dead. Those people had come here today to cause as much damage as they could. And now they were gone.
Better them than her people.
A low snarl roiled in her chest, and Willow had to stop herself from freaking out. Why did her body feel so foreign to her?
“Baby,” Ronin said, pulling her attention to him. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”
God, he was so beautiful. His ripped abs and muscular arms flexed as his eyes roamed over her body. His shoulders rolled like a lion as he took a few steps toward her. He stood on powerful legs that held him up, and when he scrubbed his hand over his face, she could see the tension in his body. His pupils were dilated and surrounded by a ring of gold.
Surveying the area around the Ghosts, Willow could see dead bodies littering the ground and one hanging from a tree by his pant leg. And wow, that tree was freaking beautiful. The green leaves glowed as the setting sun gleamed through the branches. And the bark on the trees. She’d never noticed how beautifully rough they were. She couldn’t wait to touch it.
Wait. Someone had shot her.
Willow looked down and screamed at what she saw. Well, she meant to scream. Instead, a loud, bestial bellow echoed from her mouth. Fur. She was covered in brown and black fur. Her powerful arms led down to paws that had sharp, curving nails on the end that dug into the ground. Using her paw, she tried to feel if she had sabers hanging from her mouth, but instead, she slapped herself across the muzzle and drew blood.
Damn-it, that hurt.
Another feral snarl fell from her lips, and she wished like hell she had her normal body back so she could get some answers.
As if thinking it was enough, Willow’s body began to shrink and transform. In a painfully blinding sort of way that felt like a sore muscle being rubbed, she watched as the fur and nails retreated. Her limbs contracted until they were what she was used to. And she was naked.
“Clothes, please,” she mumbled and instantly regretted it. Her throat ached even worse in this form. “You bit me?” she asked, accepting the shirt that Ronin helped her into
Ronin’s handsome face fell as he looked away from her. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t—”
“You saved me,” she said on a breath, voice so low she felt the need to repeat herself. “You saved me. I was dying. And you saved me.” She reached up and cupped his face.
He shouldn’t be trying to lower his gaze. He should be proud of himself. He’d saved her life and brought about a change in himself he never wanted to see.
When she and Ronin talked before about her giving him a claiming mark to bring back his beast, Ronin had been vehemently against it. He didn’t want to risk setting his saber-tooth lose on the world. But he’d done it to save her. Willow knew without a shadow of a doubt, she would be dead if it weren’t for him.
Raising herself up on her tiptoes, Willow wrapped her arms around Ronin’s neck and pulled him into a kiss. His lips sipped at hers as he gathered her to him and picked her up. The uncertainty swimming in her mind faded away. She knew there were more unknown factors than either one of them could count, but that didn’t matter. Gone was the fear. Her body was filled with so much emotion, she thought she might burst.
“I love you,” she whispered against his lips. So, so much.”
The corner of his lips raised in a smile as he nuzzled her nose. “Not as much as I love you.”
Chapter 16
“It’s a temporary fix. We’ll figure something out.” Willow crossed her arms and looked down at the uneven mixture of grass and dirt.
She surveyed the area where she’d almost died. It was still beautiful. The colorful flowers were still vibrant, and the sun that shined above them did so as if nothing had ever happened here. Someone walking through the tall reeds and towering pines would never know that twenty people had lost their lives here in a bloody showdown mere days ago.
Sariel nodded and huffed out a tired breath. “You guys can’t stay in New Rose for the rest of ever. Everyone at the coven house is working on breaking the spell Remus has on the Rogues.”
“It still doesn’t make sense,” Simon muttered as he picked up the shovels and put them in the back of his truck. His red hair seemed to catch fire in the early morning rays.
Cass rolled her eyes and bit the side of her waffle cone. “How do you not understand?”
Simon ignored her and asked, “Are they going to glow or something when they step foot in New Rose?”
An annoyed snarl tickled Willow’s chest. She cleared her throat to push away the sound. “No, Simon. They won’t glow. We’ll just be able to see them for who they are. Any Rogue clan member under the spell I saw tainting their auras will be affected. We’ll be able to see them. So I guess they’ll be doing the opposite of glowing.”
Willow would always remember the day she almost died, and it had nothing to do with her nearly losing her life. Well, not completely.
Whatever spell that was being used to unite the Rogues in their hatred was potent. The black and grey splotches around their auras were being controlled by one person, and it had to be Remus.
After the Ghosts cleaned up and disposed of the bodies that littered the entry road to their property, Willow and Sariel collected blood samples from many of the bodies. Whatever spell that held them enthralled had been ingested or injected into the shifters, and every single one of them had the same magical marker. That meant one person was the spell caster, and that one person was the key to ending this.
“Why didn’t you make them shiny?” Simon added as he closed the bed of his truck. “Then everyone in town would notice their dumb asses.” He chuckled and scratched the side of his face with his keys. “That would be funny. And awesome. Oh, what are you doing two weeks from Saturday?”
Willow thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Nothing, I think.”
“Seriously?” Cass questioned through a mouthful of chocolate ice cream. “We could be resting peacefully or fighting off an attack. It’s truly up in the air, Simon. Ask again in two weeks.”
Sari clapped her hands and rubbed them together. “I’m leaving today. Are you trying to give me a reason to stick around?” She waggled her eyebrows and smiled.
Simon pursed his lips and walked toward his truck. “Charlie and I are getting married.”
Willow and Cass both gasped as he spoke so calmly.
“Oh my God, oh my God! You’re getting married! I’m so freaking excited.” Cass bounced from foot to foot and nearly dropped her ice cream cone. “I need to get home and talk to Charlie. We need a dress for her, and bridesmaids dresses, and a cake.”
Sim
on turned around and put his hands up. “Calm yourself, woman. We’ve got it under control. I already gave her a menu to approve and set her up at the Wedding She-Shack Boutique for a dress fitting.”
Willow frowned so hard in surprise her eyeballs hurt. “You? You did? Really?”
Cass jumped and walked so fast toward Simon she nearly blurred. She wrapped her free arm around him and kissed his cheek. “I’m so happy for you. And I want to help. Let me help. Please. Pretty please.”
Simon looked down at her and chewed his bottom lip. “Are you less crazy right now, Cass?” he asked, giving her an obvious look of concern. “I know you’re going through shit, but I don’t want you two to be downtown and you see that fuck face Louis Erin and put my mate in danger. I’m not trying to hurt your feelings. But that woman is my life.”
Pain cut into Willow’s middle as she watched an array of emotions flash through Cass’s eyes. Willow knew how much Simon trusted Cass and valued her opinion, but to have him question her sanity must have been a punch in the gut.
“I deserve that,” Cass muttered. She nodded once and gave him a tight-lipped smile. “You can trust me. Regardless of my intentions for Louis, my loyalty still lies with this clan, and I will always put you guys first. I told all of you what was going on and what was coming so I could prepare you. Not make you doubt me and my place in the Triad. Or my place in our family.”
Cass, Jax, and Damon had gathered everyone in the clan together last night and told them what Samael had revealed to Willow and Ronin. They all knew the outcome would affect the entire clan, and Cass finally admitted that she could feel something changing inside of her. She told them that her focus on Louis Erin had damn near become an obsession, but that being around her people lessened the weight of the inevitability of the situation.
Willow had never experienced anything like being in that room last night. All the emotions fluttering around the room stretched from wariness to fear, from strength to the fear of failing. For centuries, these had all been sentiments she could see through auras. Now, the scent of the fluctuating emotions coupled with the auras drove Willow from the common hall. It was too much. She couldn’t focus.
After she’d practically run from the hall to get air, Ronin suggested they shift together so she could take her time and experience the world. He’d been right.
Together, they’d walked through the woods that surrounded their home. Giving her saber-tooth the chance to scan the woods and take in the senses of the earth and its natural aura helped her gain a bit more control over how she felt. Oh, her emotions were still volatile, but she was growing used to the differences in how she felt in her human and saber-tooth forms.
Ronin was beautiful as he walked beside her, his dark beast fierce and formidable. His fur was the color of the daffodils that covered the area, and his sabers were frightening to behold. But he was hers, and he would never hurt her.
She would get better at controlling her senses, but last night had overwhelmed her to the point of tears.
“You can trust me, Simon. I give you my word.” Cass’s voice shook as she watched her friend mull over whether or not he trusted her around his mate.
He nodded and took a bite from Cass’s ice cream cone. “I wanted to have a big wedding,” he said, smiling at Cass. “Charlie wants something small. It’ll just be our clan at the ceremony, but I’m surprising her with a reception at the town hall. She likes the people here. Besides, that’s where I saw her for the first time. Come if you want to, Sariel. I don’t give a shit.”
His words were harsh, but Willow knew it was as kind as he was willing to get at times.
Sari opened a mint and put it in her mouth. “Meh. Sounds like you’ll have good food. I’ll be there.” She reached over and gave Willow a sideways hug. “I’m leaving. Tons and tons of research waiting for me. I’ll call you.”
Sari was never one for heartfelt farewells. She and Simon hopped into their respective vehicles and drove off; Simon on his way back home and Sari on her way back to Roadwin, Pennsylvania.
They’d both agreed, even though Sari tried to put it off, that she would be the interim head witch for the Coven of the Fallen. Sari didn’t like being in charge, but deep down she knew she was the best one to take over until things had settled. Willow decided that her shifter abilities needed work. Especially since they didn’t know how they would affect her as a witch.
“Want to walk back with me?” Cass asked. Her face still held the pain of having Simon question her intentions.
Willow gave off a private smile and jerked her chin in the direction of the field surrounded by daffodils. “I’m good. Ronin and I are having a picnic. He should be here in a few minutes.”
“Even less than that,” Cass said with a wink. “I’m happy that you’re part of this clan now. You’ve always been ours, but this feels better. Here comes your man. I’ll see you later.”
Cass walked off in the direction of the houses and high-fived Ronin as he walked past her.
The closer he got to Willow, the more excited she became. Not because he was the sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on— well, not only that— but because he cherished her in a way she never even had the imagination to hope for.
His green tee-shirt hugged his strong arms, and the muscles of his defined chest and shoulders played peek-a-boo through the thin fabric. His dark denim jeans fit his strong legs perfectly, and his grey and white sneakers made him look more boyish than the dangerous beast of a man she knew he could be.
Willow almost squealed as he walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a hug that sent a swarm of insane butterflies fluttering through her chest and stomach. The sensation of his whiskers against her skin sent a shiver right up her spine, and she bit his ear and then soothed it with a kiss.
“Are you all alone in the middle of the woods, little girl?” he asked, and she could feel his smile stretch across her cheek.
She shook her head and pulled back to look into his dark eyes. “No, sir. I’ve got a dangerous pet around here somewhere.” Her beast chose that moment to purr deep in her chest.
With eyes wide as dinner plates, Willow slapped her hand over her throat to quell the noise. “What the hell was that?” she asked, but she already knew.
“I think she likes me,” he teased. He kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her lips.
Her saber-tooth loved the hell out of Ronin. It craved his closeness and wanted to do everything to make him happy.
She nestled her face in the bend of his neck and inhaled. The smell of pine, spice, and that wonderful deodorant he used filled her senses. Ronin.
“Hungry?” she asked, motioning toward the blanket she’d laid out. She made sure to cast a circle around the blanket and their picnic basket to keep the ants and other bugs from trying to get to their meal first. Stupid bugs.
“Absolutely,” he murmured as he put her down on her feet. His eyes flashed amber as his gaze worked its way up her body. She could feel the heat as he watched her.
She walked in front of him and grabbed his hand to pull him toward the blanket. Willow sighed, wondering how the hell she’d gotten so lucky. Not just in finding Ronin and being his mate, but by finding a family who loved her regardless of how powerful she was. She didn’t know how many calls she’d receive from Coven of the Fallen members, asking if she was coming back or if she was more powerful now than she’d been before. The only two who asked if she was all right were Sari and Winston. They cared about her well-being, just as much as her new clan.
“Are you happy?” Ronin asked as they sat down on the yellow and beige blanket. He opened the basket and started pulling out sealed containers. “I’ll go with you to the coven house if you want to live there. Where ever you feel comfortable.” He grazed his fingers against hers and then enfolded her hand in his.
She shook her head and lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his wrist. “I want to stay here. For now. I think this is where we both need to b
e.”
He pulled her closer to him and curled his arms around her. “Thank you for being you. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.” He pulled back, and Willow saw so much love in his eyes.
“You saved me too,” she replied, rubbing her lips against his. “Isn’t it nice how that worked out?”
They both laughed, and Willow knew that this was where life needed her to be at this time. The Ghost shifters were in a battle for their lives, and having the most powerful witch on this planet by their side would help them immensely. Cass’s decisions would drive them to their destination, but Willow had no doubt that everything would work out for all of them. Maybe everything was supposed to happen this way. Cass needed the strength of this clan to help her make it through.
What she knew for sure was that she and Ronin were meant for each other, and they would continue this life together, regardless of what foe stood in their way.
She kissed her mate, harder this time, until they were breathless and dizzy with happiness.
Love drunk. This must be what people meant when they used that term. She felt giddy and free, like flying and falling. And that was okay.
Because Ronin was right there with her. And he would be for the rest of their lives.
The End
Turn the page for a glimpse of what’s next!
Up Next in the Ghost Shifters Series
Cole gets his story in
The Shifter's Choice
A note from the author
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