The Enchanted: Council of Seven Shifter Romance Collection

by Juniper Hart

  It was a surprisingly astute observation from Randi, even if Nigel didn’t see it. Not the crush part—the fact that he had taken notice of Audrey’s name.

  Not that I have a choice but to be interested, Hudson thought.

  “Can we please stop talking about Audrey Crane and her terrible movies?” Nigel asked.

  For reasons he couldn’t entirely identify, a spark of defensiveness shot through Hudson, and he turned his eyes toward Nigel.

  “I’ve seen some good films with her in them,” he said. “She’s not a bad actress.”

  “You see!” Randi squealed with glee, and suddenly Hudson regretted that he’d asked them to come over. The idea was not to think about Audrey Crane and how she was out of the country and therefore not close enough if anything went wrong. Of course, she had been under his care for over six months, whether or not she was aware.

  It was an easy enough gig. Hudson only needed to keep an ear or eye out for word of what Audrey was doing or for any signs of Gabriel. Truthfully, it had not consumed a lot of his attention, not when his job kept him both occupied and exhausted. Besides, he knew that Audrey Crane was likely as well protected as any mortal could be. If anything was about to go wrong, the paparazzi would be all over it.

  Still, it bothered Hudson that she was out of the country, filming. It made him feel powerless somehow, which was ridiculous. He could be in Europe in hours if he was needed. That was one of the luxuries a private jet afforded him.

  “Can we just eat?” Nigel grumbled, apparently tired of the discussion. Hudson nodded, slapping the burgers onto a plate to place before them, but when he sat down to join his friends, he was surprisingly ill-at-ease.

  Something was tickling the back of his mind, but what it was, Hudson couldn’t be sure. His well-honed sixth sense was nagging at him, even when nothing was currently amiss. Work, which was always high-tension, had no particular added difficulties, and the pack was running itself. What was bothering him?

  “Buddy, you really are somewhere else today,” Nigel muttered. “Have we upset you? Do you want us to go? I know our bickering can get a bit much, but I rather thought you were used to it by now.”

  Once more, Hudson made himself look at his friends.

  “It’s not you,” he sighed. “I’m just distracted.”

  “We can see that,” Randi piped in. “It’s a girl, isn’t it?”

  “It’s not always about girls,” Nigel snapped.

  “No, it’s not about a girl,” Hudson replied with a shrug. “I’m probably just tired.”

  “I don’t believe it!” Randi said coyly. “You have the look of a man in love.”

  Hudson and Nigel snorted in unison. Nothing could be further from the truth.

  “No disrespect, Randi, but you need to work on your intuition,” Hudson chortled. “There’s no love for anything other than my burgers, which are growing cold. Eat.” He gestured at the food on the table and followed his own advice, digging in. Randi continued to leer at him.

  “I can’t believe you’re still single, Hudson. My girlfriend, Charlene—”

  “No!” Hudson and Nigel yelled at the same time.

  “No, thank you,” Hudson said quickly, trying to take the sting from the protest.

  “What?” Randi asked innocently, and Nigel glared at her.

  “Your friends are not allowed within a hundred feet of mine,” Nigel shouted. “After what Meredith did to Carlburg—”

  “Ryan was just as much to blame for the demise of that relationship as Mer!”

  “They weren’t in a relationship! Meredith stalked him!”

  “Oh, whatever!” Randi flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned her body purposely toward Hudson, as if to silence her husband. “He was all fine and well to use her as a booty call, but when she called him, suddenly she’s a stalker!”

  “Seriously, I’m not going to tell you to keep your friends away from mine,” Nigel barked.

  “Charlene is super cute,” Randi continued as if Nigel hadn’t spoken. “She’s blonde—”

  “I’m not interested. Not in the least,” Hudson told her flatly, meaning every word. The idea of being set up with anyone was horrifying enough, let alone one of Randi’s friends.

  “Oh, come on, Hud! You can’t be alone forever!” Randi insisted. “I know Nigel and I don’t always seem to like each other, but it’s better than being alone.”

  And that is the problem with mortals, Hudson thought, shaking his head. They truly believe being together with someone in misery is better than being alone.

  “Ignore her,” Nigel groaned. “She’s just jealous of all her divorced friends now. She’s trying to find another couple to torture.”

  “Tempting as that is…” Hudson didn’t bother finishing his insincere thought.

  “Whatever,” Randi muttered again, and Hudson could see she was offended by his refusal. She darted her eyes away from the men and decided to pull up her phone, her mouth pulled into a small frown.

  Nigel gave his friend an apologetic look, but Hudson shook his head. He knew that Randi meant well, after all, because she truly did. It wasn’t Randi’s fault that her friends were just as obnoxious as she was. And even if the women were the soundest, most beautiful women in the world, they would still be mortals. Hudson was certainly wise enough to know that he needed to steer clear of them, even under the most casual of romantic relationships. He had made the mistake of tangling with mortals in his youth, but he was much wiser now.

  Perhaps that was why he had kept his distance from Audrey Crane since being assigned to protect her. Although it was true that she wasn’t a mortal anymore, she was also not truly a Lycan, either.

  Being turned by Gabriel does not make her a true blood, Hudson thought, even if Landon and the Council of Seven have given her and the other three a pass.

  He couldn’t quite understand why the women who had been turned had been granted immunity from what would have certainly been a death for anyone else, but it was not Hudson’s place to question it. He wasn’t part of the Council, nor would he ever want the responsibility of being in charge of all the Lycans. It was a thankless job, and while Hudson didn’t much like Landon Burke, he had to appreciate the work he put into his job. Hudson himself had more than enough to worry about on his own.

  No, he was happy to do as he was asked, even if that meant doing it blindly sometimes. It was a small price to pay for immortality.

  “Oh!” Randi gasped unexpectedly and released a short laugh.

  “What is it now?” Nigel demanded, but his wife had apparently decided to stop speaking with him, because she showed the phone to Hudson.

  “Speaking of Audrey Crane,” she chuckled, pointing at an article which had popped up. Hudson leaned closer to look, his green eyes narrowing. Without warning, he snatched the phone from her hands and pulled it toward his face. “Hey!” Randi protested, but Hudson was too busy reading to notice how rude his actions were. He read the headline in shock.

  PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO AUDREY CRANE SHOT

  “I guess the help doesn’t get a bodyguard,” Randi chuckled tastelessly. Hudson didn’t address her comment as he continued to read the article.

  “In the wee hours of Saturday, May 13th, Carrie Cruthers was shot. PA to Audrey Crane, who was filming on location in a remote forest area in Germany, few details have been released on the status of Ms. Cruther’s condition.

  The crew remains on site to wrap up the production of Greenfable Mountain. Ms. Crane has yet to release a statement to the public, and it is unknown if this was a conflict gone wrong amidst the crew or if an outside source was responsible for the incident.

  Slowly, Hudson dropped the phone back to the table.

  “Shit,” he muttered, rising slowly.

  “What?” Nigel and Randi demanded together.

  “I’m sorry, guys. I’ve got to go.”

  “Go where?” Nigel seemed as shocked as his wife at that moment, but there was no time to explain.
>
  Hudson headed in through the double glass doors, guilt flooding through him and the anxiety in his gut mounting as he hustled inside to pack a bag. Suddenly, he fully understood why he had been unable to shake the uneasiness which had been plaguing him for days.

  I knew the other shoe was going to drop sooner or later, he thought, tossing some items into his bag for an overnight. He messaged one of his pack members to ready the jet.

  “Dude, what is going on?” Nigel implored him when he returned downstairs. “Are you going somewhere?”

  “Yeah,” Hudson sighed. “I guess I’m going to Germany.”

  3

  Alex looked as concerned as Audrey felt, but that did little to alleviate the tension ready to burst from the actress’s gut.

  “We need to break on shooting!” she insisted, cringing at the very word “shooting.” Shame and horror plagued her as she thought about what had happened the previous night after Carrie had left the trailer.

  “We can’t just break because of this, Audrey. I know it’s tragic and all,” Mike insisted, not sounding even the slightest bit upset by the tragedy. “But it’s not like she’s a star or something.” Audrey gaped at the balding man in disgust.

  “She’s still a human being!” she barked. “What is wrong with you?”

  “What’s wrong with me is that this production is already over budget.”

  “I think Audrey is right,” Alex agreed. “We should take a break until the police finish their investigation at least.”

  “No one asked you for your opinion!” Mike snarled, moving away from them. “If you want out of your contract, I’ll speak to your agent.” Alex balked, and Audrey fumed.

  “There could be a madman on the loose, and he’s worried about finishing the scenes!”

  “He is probably the shooter,” Alex whispered. Audrey had to entertain for a second that her co-star was right. It was impossible to understand how this could have happened. There were no witnesses, and it certainly couldn’t have been a random crime out in the middle of nowhere. All they could do was wait for Carrie to regain consciousness and hope that the girl could provide a description of the shooter or some understanding of what had happened.

  It was a miracle she was alive at all, since her body suffered extensive damage when the bullet punctured a lung and caused massive internal injury. Carrie was in a medically induced coma while she healed, but the doctors weren’t overly optimistic about her recovery.

  And Mike just wants us to work, Audrey thought, horrified.

  “Are you two going to be able to do this?” Mike called out at them, his patience expiring. “We already lost a day because of this, and we can’t waste another one. They’re calling for rain at dawn tomorrow.”

  “This is your call,” Alex told Audrey in a low voice, and she looked at him. “If you want to bail on this, I’ll support you. You should be with Carrie in the hospital.”

  Audrey knew it wouldn’t be so simple. If they just up and walked off the set, her career might still survive if Mike blackballed them. Alex’s, on the other hand, certainly wouldn’t.

  I can’t do this to Alex, she thought, and there’s nothing I can do for Carrie now. Her parents are with her in Berlin, and after this scene, I can go back there, too.

  “What’s it gonna be?” Mike yelled, his face growing red with anger.

  “Just stop talking and let’s get this done!” Audrey retorted. She made a mental note to never again work with the director. Someone at home was going to get an earful when she returned.

  Mike grinned as if he’d won some huge prize, and together, Audrey and Alex all sauntered back into position. Audrey forced herself to become Stacey again, but Alex’s puppy eyes were making it difficult for her to stay in character and keep her mind off what was going on.

  “And… Action!” Mike yelled.

  “Audrey, I—”

  “Cut!” Mike screamed, the ire in his tone almost palpable. “Are you kidding me right now? She’s not Audrey, she’s Stacey! STACEY!”

  “Sorry,” Alex mumbled sheepishly. Audrey leaned in toward him.

  “We don’t have much longer,” she murmured to him. “Let’s just get through this and we’ll get a break, okay?” He nodded earnestly, and they turned back to Mike.

  “Sorry!” Alex called again, but the director didn’t seem like he was in a forgiving mood.

  “Action!”

  “Stacey, I can’t live without you!” Alex muttered, reaching for her hand. “Please don’t leave me!”

  “I have to—” Audrey jumped as she saw a flash of movement in the trees beyond, her heart catching in her throat. Mike waved his hands to keep her going, but Audrey’s eyes were fixated where she had seen the blur beyond.

  “Are you—? CUT!” Mike was incensed, and he flew out of his chair and in their direction. Audrey, however, had already moved also.

  “Audrey!” Alex called, the confusion in his voice almost tangible. She barely acknowledged him. “Audrey!” Alex huffed, catching up to her as Mike howled from behind them. “What are you doing?”

  “There’s someone out there!” she choked, pointing through the trees. “I saw someone!”

  “I’m sure there is someone out there,” Alex agreed, eyeing her through his peripheral vision. “The police are still poking around, and the crew is everywhere.”

  Instantly, Audrey felt ridiculous, and for the first time, she realized that her nerves were shot because of what had happened.

  “Audrey, I really don’t think we should keep shooting today,” Alex murmured. “You’re really on edge.”

  “No,” she murmured. “We need to get this done or we’ll never hear the end of it.”

  “I don’t care,” Alex told her tenderly, and Audrey gave him a wary look. Suddenly, she thought of all the creepy emails she’d been receiving. Could Alex be behind them? He had this hero’s worship about him.

  “I do,” Audrey replied shortly. “Let’s get back there before Mike reaches his wits’ end and doesn’t give us a choice in the matter.”

  “Audrey…” Alex grabbed her arm, and she instinctively wrenched it back.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded. He seemed surprised that she was so upset.

  “N-nothing,” he stuttered. “I was just trying to show you that I’m on your side.”

  “Thank you.” Audrey whirled back toward the set, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching from the trees. Was it just her imagination?

  It was difficult second-guessing herself. Of course, that was happening more and more lately.

  None of these matters are connected, Audrey snapped at herself in exasperation. Carrie’s shooting had nothing to do with your emails, and the emails have nothing to do with that missing chunk of time in your life.

  She sighed deeply and reclaimed her position, ignoring Mike’s diatribe as he vented on the stars. Her eyes were fixated on the thick beyond, the light of dawn filtering through weakly. Still, she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

  It’s just your imagination working overtime, she told herself. But she wasn’t convinced. Not anymore.

  Mike didn’t have to tell them that he was disappointed in the scene. To Audrey’s relief, though, the daylight spilled into the potential of doing more takes, and Mike was stuck with what he got.

  “You can use my assistant until you find a replacement for Carrie,” Alex offered her as they packed up to leave. Audrey shook her head.

  “No, thanks. I’m not hiring anyone new until I know what’s happening with Carrie.”

  Alex frowned slightly. “I don’t mean to be a pessimist, but even if she recovers, she’s not going to be coming back to work anytime soon.”

  Audrey scowled at him. “I’ll catch up with you in Berlin,” she told him curtly, stepping into the trailer to shut him out.

  “Okay…” The door closed on Alex’s face, and Audrey was consumed with guilt. It was entirely possible that Alex was only trying to be supportive, but hi
s constant hanging around only reminded her of the emails.

  I promised her I’d do something about it if something happened, she remembered. Did this have something to do with my stalker?

  “We’re rolling out in an hour, Ms. Crane!” one of the hands called from outside. “Are you coming in the trailer or taking your car?”

  “Can you ask me in an hour?” Audrey snapped irritably. She had enough going on in her own mind without trivialities.

  “Uh, sure.”

  Audrey grunted. I should get out of here now, she decided. I’m getting wrapped up in my own mind the longer I stick around here.

  On a whim, she burst out of the trailer, almost knocking another hand in the face, and she offered him an apologetic smile before rushing toward the car she’d rented for her stay in Germany.

  “Ms. Crane!” Lily in wardrobe called. “You’re still in costume.”

  It’s a sundress, Lily. Get over it. Audrey didn’t answer and instead climbed into the driver’s side without a word to anyone.

  Lily waved at her frantically, and Audrey zoomed out of the shaded area and away from the bustle of the dismantling set. In minutes, the crew was in her rear-view. Unsurprisingly, she felt more relieved as she got farther away from them, and slowly, she found herself exhaling. Was she going to get through another ten days of shooting? When she got back to the hotel, she would call her agent and see what could be done about either extending the contract or canceling it. Working with Mike was only going to get worse, she knew it.

  The density of trees seemed to thin as she continued through the backroads, and once again, Audrey caught something in her peripheral vision. Her foot crashed into the brakes, and the BMW squealed in protest against the roadway, but Audrey didn’t care. Her blue eyes were peeled into the sun-spackled greenery for signs of life.

  It was a deer or a bear, she reasoned. That’s all. But no matter how much she tried to convince her mind, she couldn’t bring herself to believe that. She had seen it twice, the furry creature that seemed to resemble a massive wolf, its eyes glittering as it moved. And where is it now?