While turning on a pot full of water to cook the noodles, he leaned past her and sniffed her hair. She used a floral shampoo and a moisturizer with a pomegranate scent. Elle smelled divine and his cock hardened. He needed to get back to the task at hand and finish dinner before he embarrassed himself.
“Why don’t you salt the water and we’ll put the noodles in when it comes to a boil.” If he couldn’t kiss her, he’d keep her by his side as he finished cooking. “I’ll toss the salad.”
She picked up the salt shaker and did as he directed. In addition, she poured a little olive oil into the water to keep the pasta from sticking together. This woman knew her way around a kitchen. He admired her backside as she completed the task.
He’d nearly lost it when he opened his front door and there stood Elle in a short red dress. Her long legs had been wrapped around his waist mere hours before. The conservative cut neckline hadn’t allowed him to feast his eyes on her full breasts.
It felt right doing something as menial as preparing an evening meal together. He now faced a mortal existence and he wanted to spend it with her. If he tread carefully, he may be able to achieve his goal.
Elle helped him complete dinner and assisted him in carrying the serving bowls into the dining room. Annie had seated everyone in their absence at his direction. As he requested, an empty chair for Elle sat to his right. A suspicious Prue sat at the far end of the table.
He watched as Elle took her first bite of the completed dinner. She closed her eyes in appreciation. He didn’t have a margin for error where she was concerned. Everything had to be perfect.
Little conversation occurred as everyone consumed their dinners. A sure sign they enjoyed his masterpiece. A host could ask for little else.
After they finished eating, Alistair sat back and sipped his wine. Annie and Marc cleared the dirty dishes. He imagined such dinners in the future with Elle playing hostess. He looked forward to battling over who did what in the kitchen.
“When are you returning home, Elle?” Prue’s question shocked him out of his domestic daydream. His fellow mage glared at him while she awaited an answer.
His heart skipped a beat while he waited for his life to fall apart.
Chapter 12
Elle couldn’t sleep. The crushed look on Billings’s face haunted her. Perhaps she’d been rash re-booking her flight for the following evening. With everything that had happened, she no longer had the stomach to confront Jeffrey’s mistress.
She tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable spot. No matter what she did, she couldn’t get Alistair out of her mind. She alternated between imagining him as the troll who she felt an odd attraction to and the handsome man he transformed into.
Could she leave with things unresolved between them? He crept into her heart without her knowledge. She’d dated Jeffrey for a year before she came to the realization she loved him. It had taken mere days this time around.
Prue assured her magic hadn’t been involved. She trusted her because of the mage’s outer suspicions where Billings had been concerned. That distrust made her the last person who would lie to her concerning Alistair.
She kicked back the bed linen and got to her feet. Until she talked to him, she wouldn’t be able to get a wink of sleep. Since she planned to shift, it didn’t make sense to dress.
Elle crept down the stairs trying not to make a sound. Each creak caused her to stop and cringe. When she reached the bottom, she sighed with relief.
To improve the odds of not waking Prue or Dreyden, she exited the house through the kitchen. Since no one in Magic locked their doors, she wouldn’t have any issues re-entering the dwelling when she returned.
Rather than heading directly to Alistair’s, she repeated her route from the other night and galloped through the desert. She had excess energy to burn before she saw him. Her mind needed to be clear of clutter.
The brisk desert air cemented her resolve. Everything became clearer when she allowed her horse to run free. A shifter had two beings to satisfy. If one side of her wasn’t properly attended to, she’d be out of balance.
She made her way to Billings’s home. He lived on the far side of town. Anticipation grew with each step she took.
In Billings’s backyard, she shifted into her human form. Her naked state would prevent prolonged conversation. Just the thought of having sex with Alistair caused her to become wet. She had never reacted to Jeffrey in this fashion.
Elle had been in Billings’s home twice, but never made it to the second floor. She wondered if his bedroom contained the same minimalistic feel.
With equal care she’d taken at Prue’s, Elle ascended the stairs. She didn’t want to wake Alistair until she snuggled beside him.
The first door she came across on the second floor turned out to be a den. She wondered what he did in his free time. Did they share similar interests? The thought of discovering intimate things about him excited her.
She ventured farther down the hall. Unfurnished second and third bedrooms were past the den on either side. There would be plenty of room for her children to visit and then ultimately her grandchildren.
One last closed door stood before her. Her hand clasped the door handle and she opened it without a sound.
Tonight’s quarter moon barely illuminated the room, but her shifter eyes didn’t have issues making out two people lay in the bed. She felt sick to her stomach. For a moment, she closed her eyes, hoping they played tricks on her. When she reopened them, the terrible truth was before her.
She cried out in outrage. Not only had he taken another woman into his bed, but a naked Jade Udo nestled in his arms.
Feigned surprise clouded his eyes when he looked at her. She turned and ran from the room. She didn’t think she had any more tears to shed. Once again, she marveled at how wrong she could be.
“Elle,” Alistair cried. “Let me explain.”
When she reached the living room, she turned to confront him. This time she could call out the man who had betrayed her. “What could you possibly say to explain why that woman is in your bed? I never want to see or hear from you again. What a fool I’ve been to believe you’d be any different from any other two-timing, good-looking man. Dreyden said men don’t change.”
Her heart had been broken for a second time. This betrayal hurt to the quick. Although he wasn’t a shifter, she knew Alistair had been her true mate.
He watched Elle exit, shift, and then run for her life. Going after her would be futile. What could he tell her?
After his company left, he headed for town, wanting to find a woman for the night. Warm female flesh he could get lost in. A betrayal he felt too weak to fight.
It only took a single drink before he punted his plan. His hurt pride had caused him to overreact. Why would Elle want to stay? In her mind, she must have seen herself as a one-night stand. A means to break the curse. He certainly didn’t possess a track record to the contrary.
Waking to find Jade in his bed had been a shock. He didn’t remember how he got home, let alone having relations with a woman other than Elle.
On the rare occasions he’d seen her, Jade had been kind. He doubted she’d have initially known who he was if she approached him in the bar. They both had to have been intoxicated out of their minds. She must have experienced the surprise of her life when they ended up at Billings’s home.
Defeated, he trekked upstairs. He’d offer Jade a shower and a ride home. She no longer belonged in his bed, not that she ever did. He’d live a celibate life until he figured out how to get Elle back.
Jade still lay in his bed when he entered the room. She hadn’t bothered to cover her plump breasts with the top sheet.
“Shower, Jade,” Alistair said, “then I’ll take you home.”
The woman kicked back the linen and displayed what she had to offer. His eyes focused on her face, not what was between her legs.
“The night is still young.” Jade stretched, further displaying her delectable bod
y. His own wasn’t aroused by what he saw. “It’s not like you’ll turn back into a troll when the sun rises. Mores the pity.”
He frowned in confusion. She sounded annoyed his enchantment had been lifted. The realization he hadn’t slept with the woman crept into his mind. It had been a ploy to separate him from Elle. He just couldn’t figure out why.
“Who are you really and what do you want?” His teeth clenched as he spoke the words.
Her laughter echoed throughout the room. She taunted him, and for the life of him, he couldn’t determine what she had to gain.
Jade rose from the bed and snapped her fingers. In an instant, the woman before him had been refreshed and dressed. Her hair in its typical immaculate bun.
“Poor, Alistair. You still haven’t figured it out.” She ran her hand across his clean shaven cheek. He had primped specifically for Elle. “I come from the coven poor Esmeralda had been born into. The girl you defiled. From the time the enchantment began, one of us followed you. We knew one day the spell would be lifted and you’d be free to harm other women.”
She lowered her head as if she’d had a moment’s regret. “It’s ironic it had to be that specific woman. I had done unintentional harm to her. In the end, I’ll take care of her suffering.”
Outrage drove him forward. He grabbed the witch around her neck. “You won’t touch a hair on her head.”
Her neck burned until his hands blistered and he released her. Hatred shone from her eyes. He stared upon a true enemy.
“You should worry about your own hide,” Jade warned him. “As soon as you do another woman harm, I’ll reactivate the spell. Too bad I had to drug your drink tonight. Nothing would have made me happier than turning you into a loathsome, diseased creature.”
The witch snapped her fingers and disappeared. He dressed and headed for Prue’s. They needed to be warned about Jade and the threat she made against Elle.
When he arrived, Prue’s house appeared empty and her car wasn’t in the drive. They’d already left to take Elle to the airport.
There wasn’t anything he could do. His magic would be rusty and Prue protected her. Alistair prayed she’d continue to do so until he could protect Elle himself.
Chapter 13
Eclipse, California
Despite her wishes, Prue accompanied her back to Eclipse. Dreyden stayed behind because there wasn’t a protection spell surrounding her hometown. Due to his mass, he wouldn’t have fit in the economy seats they purchased on the plane. He wouldn’t have made it through security without taking off his sunglasses. Prue had been too focused on her to use magic to disguise her husband.
The Uber driver met them in baggage claim at the Sacramento airport and they immediately headed for the mountains. She recognized the driver as being a member of the cat shifter pride. He’d gone to school with her twins. Elle told Prue she didn’t have to guard her words around him.
“You need to warn your alpha about the danger you’re in,” Prue informed her.
She shook her head. “I’m not at risk and even if I were, it wouldn’t impact our shifter population or our human residents and tourists.”
Their driver turned off the radio and made a call using the car’s hands free features. “Martha, put me through to the council. I believe they’re in session.”
“Riley, what have you done?” Elle cried.
“The right thing, in my opinion,” Prue replied.
She spared a quick glance at her new friend and then turned her attention to their driver. “Hang up the phone, Riley. This isn’t any of your business.”
“Pardon me for saying, Mrs. Thomas, but it is.” Riley’s eyes glanced at her via the rearview mirror. “Benedict always called you his long-suffering mother. He felt someone should have looked after you since your husband did such a poor job.”
There weren’t words to describe her reaction to what her oldest son had told his high school friend. Benedict had viewed her generosity and selflessness as a weakness. A choking sound escaped her throat.
“I miss Benedict,” Riley commented. “We’d mess around with magic and stuff. He’d gotten really good before he left for school. I can’t wait until he comes home for break so I can find out what else he can do.”
This was the first she’d heard about Benedict playing with magic. She had too much on her mind to ask Riley for specifics.
When a council member got on the phone, Riley disconnected the speaker feature and handed it to Prue. The mage went into deeper detail of what occurred in Magic than she felt comfortable with. Elle only heard bits and pieces of the comments the council member made.
After the conversation, Prue ended the call and handed the phone back to the driver. If Riley thought he’d get a tip, he’d be sorely disappointed.
“A Levon Baker will meet us at your house at noon,” Prue informed her. “Who is he?”
It took a moment for her to digest the information.
When she didn’t respond, Riley answered Prue. “They brought out the big guns. Levon is the feline alpha. The council is taking the threat seriously.”
“Please,” Elle complained. “Levon has been sniffing around my friend Samantha for years. He probably believes the affair she’s having with the wolf cub will blow over soon and wants to earn some brownie points.”
Riley whistled. “That turned out to be quite a scandal. Her former boyfriend kidnapped her when he found out. To think, Benedict went away to school because he found Eclipse boring.”
Samantha’s former boyfriend had been an abusive son of a bitch. Much to her regret, Elle had pushed Samantha in his direction, believing a good woman would reform him. She’d been too embarrassed to apologize to Samantha after her release.
Her mind wandered to Billings. He’d love the gossip occurring in the car. She congratulated herself. It had been a whole twenty minutes since she’d thought of him.
In the last few weeks, her life had been turned upside down. It continued to spin out of control and she didn’t have a clue how to stabilize things or how Alistair fit into the solution. She hadn’t come to terms with the fact they had no future together.
When Riley pulled into her driveway, Levon stood behind his pickup. He wore his signature tight jeans and flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The shirt barely contained his bulging biceps.
“My god, that’s a man,” Prue said. “Do horse and cat shifters interbreed? He can certainly get your mind off Billings. He’s huge and I imagine all man.”
Elle ignored her friend’s comments. Getting involved with Levon would only add to her problems. After his wife ran off with another man, the alpha slept with every eligible woman in Eclipse. Although, she imagined once he found his true mate, he’d never cheat on her.
To Levon’s credit, he’d never forced Samantha to mate, but followed her desire for a career. She knew all too well the pressure within any of the shifter communities to find females a mate and have them settle down. In her ignorance, she felt fortunate she’d found Jeffrey when she turned fifteen. He communicated his intentions from the start and they married soon after she turned eighteen.
With humans settled in their town, many of the shifter communities changed their norms. Girls were no longer mated in their early teens. She’d sheltered her own son’s mate until she became homesick. Joey would wed the girl when she came of legal age in human eyes.
Being the youngest alpha in Eclipse, Levon enacted many of the changes their young ones enjoyed. Her twins were away at college, paid for by the community in return for service until their debt cleared. Tamara believed nursing had been her calling and Benedict had always been fascinated by shifter law, those in California, and on the federal level. He planned to attend law school after completing his undergraduate degree. The council had already approved the expense.
With the lives of her children on track, she believed she and Jeffrey would enjoy their time together as empty nesters. How naive she’d been, blind to his indiscretions.
/> Elle approached the feline alpha with apprehension. His eyes reflected concern, not condemnation. She wasn’t sure how much he knew about what occurred in Magic. Being a widow, she had no fidelity obligations. With the whole town knowing about Jeffrey, no one would think ill of her related to having a short-term affair. However, she still felt uncomfortable before the alpha.
“Hi, Levon,” she said in greeting. “I appreciate you coming out, but the danger has been exaggerated.”
The alpha rubbed his stubble covered chin. “Let me be the judge of that. You the witch?”
Prue cringed at the incorrect term, but didn’t correct him. “Yes.”
“You felt it necessary to accompany Elle home,” Levon observed. “Why do you feel she’s at risk?”
Elle didn’t want to have this discussion out in the open. She unlocked her front door and Riley carried in their luggage. Before he left, Elle paid him and changed her mind about giving him a large tip. He’d done what he felt necessary to protect his friend’s mother. She would have expected any of her children to do the same.
“The troll I knew as Billings Montana suffered under an enchantment.” Prue made herself comfortable in her living room and Levon followed. “One of the witches in our community believed Elle would bring about the end of the spell.”
“How?” Levon asked.
Elle wanted to run for cover, but she didn’t want to appear weak before the alpha. She prepared herself for all the intricate details of her brief affair to come spilling out of Prue’s mouth.
“That’s not important,” Prue replied. Elle released a sigh of relief. Like Magic, Eclipse’s size caused rumors to circulate until the whole town knew. “One of our covens protected her throughout the process. Once the curse ended, I still felt he presented a danger to Elle.”
This aspect of the story she hadn’t heard before. She believed Prue assisted her because she’d found Billings with another woman. When she returned to Prue’s, she’d been hysterical, crying uncontrollably.
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