Shift Happens

by Carrie Pulkinen

  “I’ll lose my magic?” Sophie’s lower lip trembled, so she bit it.

  “I’m afraid so,” Maggie said.

  “But I… It’s my destiny. I’m supposed to be a witch.” A spark of anger ignited in her chest. It was irrational. She knew that, but there she was, getting mad at Trace for an accident. He didn’t mean to bite her, and if she thought about it, the bite was just as much her fault as it was his. She should have known not to put her hand in an unknown animal’s face, especially at a supernatural night club.

  “I’m so sorry, Sophie.” As Trace reached for her, he let his hand fall to his side.

  She swallowed the thickness from her throat and fought the tears collecting on her lower lids. “What if we wait until after the full moon? Can we call you back here in a couple of days and do it then?”

  “That’ll cost extra.” Jasmine leaned a hip against the table.

  “I’ll cover the fee,” Jane said. “Might as well make myself useful.” She glared at the necromancer.

  Maggie shook her head. “I’m afraid if you want to save your werewolf friend, that won’t be possible. The spell Crimson used to change him will become permanent at the full moon.”

  “He’ll be a cat forever?” Sophie asked.

  “That’s what permanent means, dear.”

  “Crimson!” Sophie scolded her friend, backhanding her on the arm. “What were you thinking?”

  Crimson raised her hands. “I know I screwed up. Like I said, I’m a bad witch.”

  “No.” Sophie shook her head. “I can’t do that to Jax. If I have to lose my powers to fix this, so be it.”

  “Sophie,” Trace mumbled, but what more could he say? If she didn’t do this, his best friend would be a cat forever. A war would break out. Talk about never fitting in anywhere again. She’d never forgive herself if supernatural New Orleans went to shit when she had the power to save it.

  She looked at her grandmother. “I’ll do it. Please unbind my magic.”

  “Isn’t there anything else we can do?” Jane asked. “Would biting her help? Maybe some vampire blood or our magical healing saliva? I licked her wound right after Trace bit her. Maybe I need to lick her again?”

  Gaston lifted a hand. “I volunteer to lick her from head to toe.”

  Trace stiffened, and Sophie put a hand on his chest to calm him. “Thank you, Gaston, but that won’t be necessary.”

  He shrugged. “Anything to help you keep your magic, dear friend.”

  Jane rolled her eyes. “And I thought chivalry was dead.”

  “You have good friends.” Maggie attempted a smile, but only one side of the corpse’s face lifted. “There is something you could do, though it will be expensive.”

  “Name your price,” Jane said. “Money is no object when it comes to my BFF and her happiness.”

  “It’s not my price, dear,” Maggie said. “You’ll need a spell that only a special high priestess can cast. It requires the power of three, so she’ll need the help of her two strongest witches. It’s called a hechizo anular, but with only two days to cast, I’m not sure they could create the potion in time.” She looked at Crimson. “I know of two witches in existence who have the power to create the potion. I was one of them. You can ask your priestess if she knows of another nearby.”

  Crimson swallowed hard and lowered her gaze to the floor.

  “We can’t ask the priestess,” Sophie said. “This whole ordeal is under the coven’s radar, lest we start a war.”

  “Who is the other priestess who can do it?” Jane asked.

  “Her name is Kathleen Simmons,” Maggie replied. “Last I knew, she ran the Austin, Texas, coven. She was the high priestess over the entire state.”

  Crimson nodded. “She’s still there. I recognize the name.”

  “Texas?” Jane pulled Sophie into a tight hug. “I got this. Get your magic unlocked, and I’ll see you again in two days.” She released Sophie and hugged Trace. “Take care of her while I’m gone.”

  “Always,” Trace said.

  “Gaston, how fast can your Maserati get us to Texas? It’s time to put my Governor’s daughter status to good use.”

  Gaston smiled. “The Fast and Feverous have nothing on me.”

  “It’s The Fast and the Furious,” Ethan said. “It’s… Never mind. Let’s go.”

  Ethan and Gaston stepped through the door, and Maggie tugged the sheet, letting it fall to the floor. Trace stared at his shoes, and Jane paused in the doorway. “Skyclad?” she asked.

  “It’s the best way to work this kind of magic.”

  “You’re just like I imagined.” Jane giggled as she slipped through the door.

  Maggie borrowed a pen from Jasmine and wrote her final spell on the next blank page of the grimoire. “This potion takes two days to make, so you’ll need to start it tonight. Then, the incantation must be cast on the night of the full moon for full potency, as close to midnight as possible, but it must be before the clock strikes twelve, or our friend’s condition will be permanent.”

  Crimson scanned the spell and nodded. “Got it. We can do this.”

  “Once the spell on Jax has been reversed, then you must drink the potion Jane brings you before midnight as well. If you don’t, you will transform into a werewolf and lose your magic forever. Are you ready?”

  Sophie nodded.

  “Wait. You don’t have to do this.” Trace touched Sophie’s arm and looked at Jax. “Jackson says he doesn’t want to be the reason you lose your magic. We can figure something else out.”

  “No. I have to do this.” She patted his hand and turned to her grandmother. “I’m ready.”

  Placing her hands on either side of Sophie’s head, Maggie whispered a spell. Her cold touch was replaced with a warm, tingling sensation that spread through Sophie’s body from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. As her grandmother released her hold, the feeling subsided, and something in Sophie’s core popped.

  A fiery sensation rolled up from her stomach to her throat, singeing her esophagus before the heat spread across her chest and dissipated. She’d expected getting her magic unlocked to feel, well…magical. Instead, it felt like a bad case of heartburn. “That’s it? I’m a witch now?”

  Maggie nodded. “Indeed you are, my dear. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to bring you up in magic, but I’m happy I got to meet you now.”

  “Me too.” Sophie fought the urge to hug the corpse containing her grandmother’s spirit.

  “Now, where’s the necromancer?” Maggie spun around and stumbled, catching herself on the edge of the table.

  “Here.” Jasmine padded toward her.

  “Please get me out of this awful skin before I die all over again. I much prefer the freedom of being made of pure energy.”

  “Bye, Grandma.” Sophie waved as Jasmine guided Maggie back to the shelf.

  “This part can get a little icky, what with the seizures and all.” Jasmine waved toward the door. “I’ll send you a bill.”

  “Let’s go get your magic on.” Crimson grinned and stuffed Jax into the backpack.

  Trace pressed his lips into a hard line and nodded before following them out the door.

  Chapter Twelve

  Trace sat in a white microfiber chair in Crimson’s loft and watched Sophie in the kitchen with the witch, learning how to cast spells. Correction: they were both witches now, at least until midnight tonight.

  Sophie had swept her long, blonde hair into a high ponytail, and the excitement in her eyes made Trace’s chest ache. Crimson handed her an apron with Life’s a Witch embroidered on the front, and Sophie caught his gaze before spinning in a circle and gesturing to the cloth. “What do you think?”

  “Witchcraft looks good on you.” Hell, anything looked good on her, and despite his selfish desire for Jane not to get the potion to neutralize his magic in Sophie, her happiness was the most important thing. Never mind the fact that they’d both stop aging if she became a werewolf and they mated. Their stren
gth would double, they’d live several hundred years, and they could help to repopulate the pack with full-blooded red wolves.

  Those things didn’t matter because he never should have bitten her in the first place. If Jane didn’t obtain the potion in time, Trace would get his selfish wish, but at the cost of Sophie’s happiness.

  “Any word from Jane?” he asked.

  Sophie glanced at the clock. “Not since you asked me two hours ago. It’s daylight. She’s dead right now.”

  Damn vampires and their stupid weakness. He should have sent someone from his pack to get the potion. Someone who could function any time of day.

  Sophie repeated a rhyming spell and sprinkled dark red powder into a copper bowl. The concoction she was mixing sparked, and steam rose from the container, making her jump and then giggle. “Did it work?”

  Crimson poured the liquid into a small glass bottle. “It did. You’re a natural.”

  “You hear that, babe?” She took off the apron and laid it on the counter. “I’m a natural.”

  “I heard.”

  “All right,” Crimson said. “We’ve got the potion, and darkness falls in two hours. You two head home and give me some time to get in the zone. I’ll meet you in the designated spot at ten. Jax, are you going with them or staying?”

  Jackson slinked into the kitchen and jumped onto the counter next to Crimson. He’d either forgiven the witch, or he could sense Trace’s mood and wanted to give him some alone time with Sophie.

  “Sounds good.” Sophie took his hand and led him downstairs to her apartment.

  They settled on the couch, and he gazed at the beautiful witch he’d fallen in love with. Magic now glowed in her aura, and her intoxicating cinnamon scent grew deeper, stronger. She laced her fingers through his, her grin lighting up her entire face.

  “Have I told you how beautiful your smile is?” he asked.

  “Maybe once or twice.” She pressed her lips to his cheek, lingering near his skin as she inhaled deeply. “Mmm… You’ve always had an amazing scent, but now that I can smell your magic, it’s hard to keep my hands off you.” She climbed into his lap, straddling him.

  “Who says you have to keep them off?”

  She sat back, resting her hands on his chest, the warmth of her fingers through his shirt making him wish there was no fabric between them at all. Her eyes searched his, and she tilted her head. “I’m happy, Trace. I know this spell is going to fix Jackson, and I’ve suddenly found myself with everything I’ve ever wanted within my grasp.”

  “What if Jane doesn’t make it back with the potion in time? What if midnight comes and goes, and you turn into a werewolf?” She could lose it all because of him.

  “She’ll make it. Jane always pulls through.”

  “But what if she doesn’t?”

  “She will.” She slipped her hands beneath his shirt, the skin on skin contact tightening his stomach. “And after all this is done, we’re going to come back here and celebrate. A witch and her werewolf, together…” Her teeth grazed her bottom lip.

  He took her face in his hands, stroking his thumbs across her cheeks. “Forever?”

  She lowered her gaze before blinking up at him. “I hope so.”

  “No matter what happens? Even if…?”

  “No ifs. It’s all going to work out. You’ll see.”

  He did see. Her refusal to even entertain the idea that she might be a werewolf by midnight sat heavy in his stomach like a brick of his grandmother’s week-old meatloaf. Arguing with her now wouldn’t do any good, though. Whatever was going to happen would happen, so he might as well enjoy the moment.

  He winked. “Just promise you’ll never try to turn me into a cat?”

  “Why on Earth would I do that when I can have all this?” She roamed her hands over his chest and down his stomach, popping the button on his jeans. “We have a few hours before we have to meet Crimson and Jax. How about a little pre-celebration?”

  “I suppose I’m up for a party.”

  She slid down his zipper and reached into his pants, smiling wickedly. “You certainly are.”

  The feel of her soft fingers wrapped around his rock-hard dick made his eyelids flutter, and as she rose to her feet, undressing before him, he marveled at her beauty. She pulled out her ponytail, and her golden hair flowed over her shoulders, swinging forward as she bent to tug off his jeans.

  He stripped his shirt over his head, and as Sophie took his pants from his ankles, she knelt in front of him, licking her lips as her gaze locked on his cock. Holy fuck, she was sexy.

  Taking him in her hand, she lowered her head, wrapping her lips around him and sucking him. The warm, wet sensation shot electricity straight to his heart, tightening his balls as she stroked him with her mouth. He wouldn’t last long like this.

  He tried to speak, but his voice came out as a grunt. She released him, running her tongue from base to tip before grinning up at him. “Did you want to say something?”

  “Get your ass up here and ride me like a broomstick, witch.”

  “Ooh. I really do love it when you talk dirty.” She climbed into his lap and lowered herself onto his dick, giving him the ride of his life.

  He pressed his thumb to her clit as she moved, and as she screamed his name, he lost control. They climaxed together, and she leaned into him, panting, the warmth of her breath raising goose bumps on his skin. God, he wanted this woman to be his.

  “Do witches really ride broomsticks?” She sat up, resting her hands on his shoulders.

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  She nodded. “Good. You’ve ruined me for all other broomsticks, I’m afraid. Even Big Blue isn’t going to cut it anymore.”

  “Big Blue?”

  She slid off his lap and retrieved their discarded clothes, tossing him his pants. “My vibrator. The one I threatened you with a while back?”

  “Ah.” He chuckled and stood, stepping into his underwear. “Well, I hope to ensure you never need a toy like that again, unless we’re playing with it together.”

  “I can’t imagine wanting it…unless you and Beast are out of town.” She ran her finger over his dick and wiggled her eyebrows.

  “You settled on a name.” He pulled on his jeans and fastened the button.

  “I did. What do you think?”

  “I think…” His gaze locked on a patch of tan fur growing on her shoulder.

  “What?” She looked down and gasped as she covered the fur with her hand. “How long has that been there?”

  “I just noticed it when you stood up. It’s completely normal for a witch who’s been bitten to have random patches of fur before her first full moon.”

  “But this’ll stop once I drink the potion Jane’s bringing, right? The spell will cure it?”

  He tried to ignore the disappointment churning in his gut. “Yeah, I believe it will.”

  “I’m going to shave this before we leave.”

  “Wait.” As he gripped her hand, his phone buzzed in his back pocket, and while he was tempted to ignore it, too much was at stake to miss a possibly important call. “Hold that thought.”

  He dug his phone from his pocket, and as his Alpha’s number lit up the screen, he groaned inwardly. His infrequent texts of working on it and might have found a lead apparently weren’t good enough for her. He’d hoped to have Jackson back to normal before reporting in, to save his friend the humiliation. “Hey, Teresa.”

  “We need to prepare for war.”

  “What? No, I found Jax.” He slipped on his shoes and paced the living room. “That lead I told you about panned out. He’s safe, and he doesn’t hold it against the coven.”

  Teresa paused, and Sophie shuffled toward him, placing her hand on his arm. “You should have notified me immediately,” Teresa said.

  “Yes, ma’am. It’s a complicated situation, but if you’ll meet us at ten tonight, we can explain everything. Jackson can tell you himself.”

  A low growl emanated from the r
eceiver, and Trace stiffened. His Alpha wasn’t happy, which meant no one would be happy for the foreseeable future.

  “This complicates matters even more. One of our pack pups, Caitlyn, was playing in her wolf form with a coven member’s daughter. The witch fell into the swamp, and Caitlyn pulled her out with her teeth. She saved the little girl’s life, but she broke skin.”

  “Shit.”

  “The witchling is already showing signs of the mutation, and the full moon is tonight. They’re claiming we arranged it in retaliation for Jackson and the curse. The high priestess is out of town, but the moment she returns, war is imminent. The pack is on edge, ready to strike first.”

  “Don’t let them. Meet us at the gathering point at ten. Come alone, though. This isn’t something the entire pack needs to see.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sophie stood in the forest, clutching Trace’s hand as they waited for his Alpha to arrive. Jax sat in a pile of leaves in the center of the clearing, licking his paw and wiping it on his ear in a most cat-like way. Trace shook his head, grumbling under his breath, and Sophie rubbed his arm.

  “He’ll be okay. We’ll fix this.” She tried to reassure him with her eyes, but he must’ve sensed her unease. Yes, she was a fauna witch, and if she had even a quarter of her grandma’s power, with proper training she could have fixed Jax hog-tied with her eyes closed. But therein lay the problem. Sophie wasn’t trained.

  They were relying on a self-proclaimed bad witch, someone who had botched more spells than she could count, to focus Sophie’s magic and send it into Jax. And now Trace’s Alpha was on her way.

  With a deep inhale, he straightened his spine and nodded. “You’re right. If anyone can fix this, it’s you. You’re going to be a phenomenal witch.”

  If she stayed a witch. Jane had texted at sundown that they were on their way, but Austin was five hundred miles away. Even if Gaston drove like he was racing a Grand Prix, they still might not make it before midnight.