by Lila Kane
“She needs to remember. That’s what she needs. She can’t fight Kane without knowing who she really is. And–”
He broke off and didn’t finish, but Ryan already knew where he was going. She needed to remember to come back to Logan. And to the rest of their group, because they needed her. In fact, the whole town might need her.
“I’m sure you’ll see her again soon,” Ryan said.
Logan nodded, though he didn’t look encouraged. After a moment, Ryan added, “I’m not going to hurt her.”
Logan looked up again. He knew Ryan was talking about Myra. “How does that work? The imprinting? Just a passing thing and when this is all over, you go back to normal?”
Ryan sighed, dripping his chin to stare at his shoes. “I don’t know. But these feelings…I can’t imagine them going away. No matter what happens with the spell or…anything. It’s–I’m supposed to be with her.”
Logan released a breath like Ryan had. “Myra processes things pretty fast. You should go to her.”
Ryan started for the door. He didn’t have to be told twice. But he paused before leaving and turned back to Logan. “Thanks.”
Then he hopped in his truck and got to Cheyenne’s house in five minutes. She opened the door before he reached the porch and smiled at him.
“Knew I was coming?”
She nodded. “Myra’s trying to force feed me cookies. Maybe you can take my place.”
He followed her inside and down the short hallway to the kitchen, where Myra stood wearing an apron and oven mitts–just like the first time he’d gone to her house.
She smiled at him. He wasn’t sure if it was because she’d thought about what he’d told her and dealt with it, or she was trying to be polite. And he realized there was so much more he didn’t know about her and wanted to. So much more he wanted to give her and tell her and get from her and it was crazy how fast it had all gone, but how right it felt.
Cheyenne snagged a book off the table, her glass of wine, and said, “I’ll be in my room.”
He waited until she left before saying anything, lingering in the doorway and watching as Myra pulled out another tray of cookies from the oven. She’d already amassed a few containers full.
“So, you bake when you need to think?” Ryan asked.
Myra looked amused. She pulled off the oven mitts and started scooping cookies off the tray with a spatula. “And when I’m upset or sad or need something to distract me.”
“Are you upset?” he asked, stepping closer to her. “Or sad?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “No, I’m not sad. I’m–overwhelmed. I’m…” She sighed and turned, leaning against the counter. “Once I got better. After–after Willow healed me, I thought, ‘Okay, now’s my chance. I can do it all. Have a career and family and friends and maybe even love.’”
She met his eyes when she said the word and he ventured a few more steps closer, almost close enough to reach out and touch her. If she’d let him.
“You can have it all,” Ryan said. His jaw shifted and he laughed. “Crazy, I know, especially coming from me. The guy who kind of thought love was a waste of time. But I think you have a place here, Myra, and I want that place to be with me, too.”
“It’s–that’s a lot. I’m…I feel something for you.” She smiled. “No, I feel a lot for you and it’s scaring the shit out of me, but I was willing to go with it because I decided I wanted to have everything, just like I said. And I was fine with it all falling in my lap or chasing after it if I needed to. But when you and Cheyenne told me about imprinting…”
“I should have told you earlier.”
He reached out and she took his hand, clinging to it.
“I understand why you didn’t,” Myra said.
She leaned in and he snatched her to him, wrapping her in his arms and burying his face in her hair. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, even as he held her tighter. A balm to the ache he’d felt in his whole body. Like she was part of him and being away from her took that part. She smelled like chocolate chips.
“Ryan, is this real?” she asked.
“What?”
“I mean, this–these feelings. I don’t know what it is, but it’s like I’m linked to you. And it’s not…it’s not something I’ve felt before.”
“It’s not for me either,” he told her. It was love, plain and simple. But would it scare her if he said it out loud?
She eased back to look at his face. He settled his hands around her waist, wanting to keep her close.
“But…what about later? What about if Willow puts the spell back in place. Or even better, does a spell so none of us have to be paranormal anymore? Just regular people. No imprinting. It’ll go away, right?”
Ryan lifted a hand to brush her hair off her cheek. “I don’t think so, at least not for me. This is fate stepping in–more strongly than usual, granted, but it’s like a fast pass. Like fate saying, this is who you’re supposed to be with and I’m going to throw it in your face. Yeah, it’s overwhelming, but it’s also a gift. And whether we’re paranormal or just a regular guy and girl, I don’t think those feelings will go away.”
Her eyes searched his with wonder. “How do you do that?”
“What?”
“You weren’t the most talkative guy when we first met and now–you have this way of explaining things that makes me want to hop on board, even if what you’re saying sounds completely off the wall.”
He grinned at her. “So, hop on board.”
“Ryan,” she said, breath coming out in a laugh. “I’m scared.”
“Tell me why.”
“What if this doesn’t work out? What if I get sick again?”
He clasped her hands to his chest. “That’s not going to happen. We’ll figure it out. We have to. Once Willow remembers who she is, she’ll remember what she did for you.”
“She needs to put the spell back in place, Ryan.”
“Not if means making you sick again.”
“We don’t know that it will.”
He clenched his jaw, trying to keep his patience with her. She needed to understand how serious this was. If she got sick again, Willow might not be able to heal her this time.
“We’ll figure out a way. We have to.”
“Ryan–”
“No. Stop trying to argue. I don’t want you sick again. We can’t let that happen, okay?” He touched her cheek and told her the truth. “I love you.”
Chapter 11
Myra froze, letting the words travel straight to her heart. Her mouth tried to form words, but it wouldn’t work. No one had ever said that to her before. And if Ryan was right, that they were linked, this might be it. Her happy ending.
Unless she got sick. Unless Kane did something drastic.
“That’s…a little too easy,” she said finally. “I got my store for the bakery, and Cheyenne and Willow as friends. I’m here with Logan and now…you. And love.”
“Shouldn’t it be okay for some things to come easy?” he asked. She saw the hope in his eyes. That she might feel the same way. That she could believe it was the real thing.
“Yes. Yes, some things should be easy. This feels real to me. It feels right.”
Her eyelids drooped when he brushed his thumb on her jaw. She leaned her cheek into his palm. “I love you, too, Ryan.”
His lips found hers, urgent and comforting. His mouth brushed hers when he said, “I needed to hear that.”
“I needed to tell you.” And she laughed then, because it felt so good to be honest and open. To believe, if only for today, that there was still good in the world and that good things could happen to her.
His lips trailed over her cheeks before he held her close against him, his face buried in her hair. “You smell so good.”
“You want a cookie?” She tried to turn, but he wouldn’t let go.
He laughed. “No, there’s something else on my mind besides cookies right now.”
Her lashes flickered upward and her
eyes locked on his. “You can stay for a bit?”
“I can stay as long as you want.”
She loaded the cookies into a container and then took his hand, guiding him up the stairs and to the spare room. She closed the door and realized she’d forgotten to take off the apron.
She reached behind her for the strings, but her hands bumped Ryan’s.
“Let me,” he murmured.
He undid the strings and pulled the apron off, then turned her to face him. She reached up to latch her arms around his neck.
“I need to do what I can to make sure you don’t get sick again.”
Her heart twisted. She didn’t want to get sick again either, but that might be the way things needed to go. “I don’t think we should worry about it,” she said.
“I can’t stop worrying about it. I have you now, here with me. And it was fast and strange and now it’s perfect and it feels like I’ve been waiting forever for things to be like this. I can’t lose it all. I can’t lose you. It’s out of the question.”
She released a long, slow breath. She didn’t want that looming over them–not right now. Not when she was trying to relish the moment. “Can we just set that aside for now?”
“I can’t set it aside, Myra. It’s crushing me.”
Her heart broke a little. She touched his cheek. “Let me help.”
“Are you going to try to influence me?” he asked.
She was relieved when his lips curved a little. “No. Try to distract you.”
She nudged him down on the bed and straddled him, pressing his wrists against the comforter. “I know all sorts of ways to get you thinking about something else.”
He shifted underneath her and she felt him getting hard. “You’re already doing a good job.”
Myra rose up and pulled off her shirt. She had a black lacy bra underneath. She heard Ryan exhale. He reached up, hands cupping her breasts as she ran her hands over his chest. When she dipped down to kiss him, her hair fell like a curtain on either side of his face.
“Myra,” he murmured. “Let me love you.”
He gathered her hands and sat up, twisting so she sat on the bed next to him. He got up, grabbing her knees and pulling her to the edge so he could undo her jeans. His fingers brushed her stomach and she shivered.
He slid her pants off and dropped them to the floor, going for his next before he leaned over her, taking her lips in his for a long, sweet kiss that made her weak again.
“Come here,” she whispered.
She scooted back on the bed and he followed. The light from the almost full moon shone through the blinds on the muscles of Ryan’s arms and back. He leaned against the headboard and she straddled him, running her hands over his shoulders, and then all the way down his stomach before grabbing onto him with both hands.
He groaned, leaning forward to cup her neck and draw her to him. His mouth was a fever on hers, teasing, nipping, exploring. He traced her cheek with kisses, then her jaw, down to her neck and pressed a kiss between her breasts before removing her bra.
He continued those kisses across her breasts, over her nipples, and lower. She arched back, her hair tickling her shoulder blades.
“I love you,” Ryan whispered.
Her heart swelled. “I love you, too.”
He eased her onto her back and rose over her, one hand tracing her shoulder, her hip, her thigh and then back up. He removed her panties and pressed a kiss to her stomach while she sighed with the sensation.
Then he slid inside her, rocking back and forth. Her eyes squeezed shut and she rode the sensation, all the way up until her world shattered and Ryan exploded in her. He collapsed on her and tucked her close to his chest.
Myra slid her hand against his cheek, hoping he’d forgotten all about his worries. Hoping he’d stay and hold her the rest of the night.
They met Cheyenne at the library the next morning and Logan told them about seeing Willow and influencing her to remember.
Myra felt relief settle on her shoulders at the news. “The full moon is tomorrow night. Now that she remembers, she can put the spell back in place.”
“She’s right,” Cheyenne said. “Full moon, enough paranormals to form a circle. It’s her chance to do the binding spell again. And I know she knows it.”
Logan folded his arms. “Two problems with that. She’s still there with Kane, and what if something happens to Myra?”
Myra frowned at him. “I’m standing right here, by the way. And what do you think is going to happen if she doesn’t do the spell to bind our powers again? Kane wants her to undo the spell completely. Shapeshifters, werewolves, vampires all over town. Willow said he’s building an army. That’s a lot of people to deal with if he gets his way.”
Cheyenne nodded again. “It is. I can feel them. A lot of them. And they’ve been coming into town.”
Ryan glanced to the door, and then took Myra’s hand. She smiled at him, trying to ease the worry in his eyes. Logan’s gaze traveled to their linked hands but he didn’t say anything.
“We need to talk to Willow again.” Myra squeezed Ryan’s fingers. “Tell her to do the binding spell.”
“Kane’s going to do something to her if she doesn’t do what he wants.” Logan said. “We’ll never see her again–”
“Then we have to be there,” Cheyenne said. “You know he’s planning something tomorrow night. That’s why he brought so many people here. We have to make sure she’s doing the binding spell and then we’ll back her up. Get her out of there if we can.”
Myra looked at Ryan, but he didn’t say anything. He’d been quiet the whole morning and she didn’t know how to break through his worry.
“I’m going to work at the store for a bit,” she said.
Cheyenne smiled at her. “Good. I’ll get some stuff done and come over soon to help.”
Logan sighed and nodded. “I’m going to check out the border around the house, see how far out Kane’s set it, and then I’ll be over, too.”
Myra hugged him. “Don’t worry. We’ll get Willow back.”
She hoped she was telling him the truth.
Ryan walked her to the bakery, his hand tight around hers. His eyes scanned the street.
“They’re not going to do anything,” Myra said. She pulled the keys to the door out of her pocket.
“How do you know that?”
“Kane won’t let them.”
She walked in and he followed her with a humorless laugh. “Really?”
“He’s…I don’t know. Kind of loyal like that.”
“Then why does he keep threatening you?” Ryan asked, tugging on her hand to bring her back to him.
She turned around. “I’m not saying he won’t do something drastic if he feels cornered, but we’re still family.”
“So, what happens when Willow doesn’t end the curse? Then what? He’ll feel cornered.” Ryan frowned and repeated, “Then what?”
She pressed a kiss to his lips. “Then we’ll deal with it. We don’t have another choice.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “It’s not a choice for me. I know exactly what needs to happen.”
She touched his cheek. “I know. And I don’t agree.”
“You–”
She silenced him with another kiss. When he tried to protest, she ran her tongue along his lower lip. Then she slid her hands under the back of his shirt, tracing his muscles with her fingers.
He reached back and caught her wrists. “Myra.”
“What? That doesn’t feel good?”
He glared. “You’re trying to distract me.”
“We’re just going to have to agree to disagree. You’re not in an objective place to make this decision. It’s me, one person, or the whole town. Come on–”
“It’s not just one person,” he snapped. “It’s you. It’s you. My Myra–the one I’m supposed to be with. The one I just found out loves me and I’m not going to lose you, okay?”
Her mouth opened and closed, but sh
e didn’t know how to respond. He looked on the verge of breaking and she couldn’t fix it. She couldn’t distract him. She could only try to reassure him.
“I…” Myra swallowed and took his hand again. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want you to be sorry,” he murmured, pulling her close again, “I want you to be safe and healthy. Alive.”
“I understand.” When she looked up into his eyes, she nodded. “Really, I do. I’m coming from a different place, but I understand why you feel the way you do.”
Ryan looked at his watch. “I should check in with the guys.”
“Then go. I’ll be here. Maybe I’ll even try to bake something.”
One corner of his lip quirked in a smile. “Okay. But don’t go anywhere else. Or call me if you do, okay?”
She gave him another kiss. “Sure.”
He cupped the back of her neck to take the kiss deeper. “I mean it.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.”
To her relief, he smiled again and then left the store. Myra put herself to work. She stocked shelves and organized tables and marveled at how quickly she’d gotten the place into shape. Sure, it’d still be a while before it was open, and her permit still had to come in, but it was progress. Another step.
And Ryan…that was an entirely different step. One she hadn’t been expecting. One that made her heart melt. If she could just focus on that, and not on the chance that she might get sick again, she could do this. She could get through each day. In fact, she could enjoy each day.
She heard the footsteps and the door open before she saw him. When she turned around, she froze. One of Kane’s paranormals. He had to be.
“I know you,” he said, a cooked smile on his face. “The sister.”
Myra dipped her hand in her pocket and found her keys. She’d forgotten to lock the door. But he wasn’t a vampire–she could tell. She could take him if she had to.
“What do you want?” she asked. “Running Kane’s errands now?”
“No, sweetheart, this one’s just for me.”
She felt bile rise in her throat. “Well, sorry to disappoint, but we’re not open for business.” She gestured to the door. “Come back in a month.”
