His heart lurched into his throat. The beast surged forward, but they stood on an open street. Business windows and home windows looked at them. He couldn’t unleash the bear here. He shoved the beast back, choking on the power that flooded his system.
Hillary reached forward, her fingers dancing through the air. Caz tripped over his own feet to get away. He came to a sudden stop, like a marionette on a string. His heart thundered.
Still his soul remained separate, he could tell from the way his mind was his own.
If Hillary noticed, she didn’t say anything. “Let’s go visit your Pack. They have a new leader now.”
The beast raged against her. It slammed against her control, barely making a dent. Caz wanted to cry and roar all at once. His dick did this to him. He’d slept with a witch and now he was paying for it. Everyone he loved was paying for it.
As she walked him down the street, he wondered if his control over his soul would let him slip free of her. He questioned why he still had his soul at all. The first time Hillary had bewitched him, she’d taken control of it as well as his body. Now, he thought of Nessa. Her small smile entered his mind, filling him with hope.
There was a chance that, someday, he would return to his mate. His love for her burned like a candle in his heart. Hillary might find it and burn it to the quick, but until then he held onto it and the hope that this would end.
Hillary stopped. Her head cocked to the side, hair falling in a cascade. Slowly, she turned to glare at him. Her lips pressed into a tight line. She knew. She could feel that her magic had only pierced the surface, claiming his body and not his soul.
“This won’t work.” For a moment, she dug through her bag. “I need as much protection as I can get from him. It’s your job to keep him from killing me. If he kills me, he gets more power, and no one wants that.”
Hillary swiped something across her lips. Her fingertips touched his chin. Caz wanted to fight, to back away, to push her. Instead, his body remained still. Nothing he did would make his body move. Trapped, he was forced to watch as her lips touched his.
At first, he felt the tingling sensation. Then, it spread, amplified as it echoed through him.
Fight. Push back. Rebel. The words bounced through his mind, pinging back and forth, but they meant nothing. Soon, they faded. Caz couldn’t remember why he’d tried to hold onto them in the first place.
The woman before him smiled. Her eyes sparkled with light. “There he is, my mate.”
Caz smiled down at her. His mate. He couldn’t believe his luck. She leapt into his arms, snuggling into his chest before looking up at him. He reached to smooth her hair back, confused when his hand met smooth hair and not curls.
She reached for his face, long fingers tickling his ears, and pulled him into another kiss. His lips were slow, his mind still foggy. This was his mate. He needed to kiss her back.
He needed to make her happy.
***
Nessa searched for Caz for days. She couldn’t find him at the garage or at his apartment, once his pack finally told her where he lived. The three days he’d promised Hillary were up, but she’d held onto hope that he would fight back, despite everything he’d done to show otherwise.
Instead, she had a feeling he was sacrificing himself again. He was the kind of man who shouldered the burdens of others. Dealing with Nikolai’s father should have been Nikolai’s duty, but Caz had been the one to defeat the ageing shifter. How many bears had that man created before Caz put him down? She knew, because she knew so many things about the different shifters in the area, that both Oscar and the shifter who claimed to be Nikolai’s brother had been changed by Nikolai’s father.
His apartment was small and manly. It was a tiny shack of a house set back from the road. Every room was smaller than the last, barely furnished as if he’d lived at the garage more than he’d lived there. The garage had been the hub of his pack’s activity. It was how they supported themselves, how they made sure every shifter had a job and a net to fall back on.
Her heart swelled. Caz was so much more than she’d thought. She kicked herself for being unable to see past his exterior. Every other shifter who had walked into her office seemed easy to read. She could see their faults and fears as if someone cracked them open before her. But, Caz had been different. She’d believed what lay on the surface all too easily when there’d been a heart of gold lurking beneath.
Frustrated, she let herself collapse onto his bed. It was nothing more than a cot pressed against the wall. How much of a hit had he taken to help his pack’s business survive? Had he sold everything of value? Or had he chosen to give the money back, never having used it for himself at all?
When Nessa glanced to the side, she caught sight of a small, grey lump. Growling, she reached for it, thinking it was another of Hillary’s spell bags. Instead, her fingers found soft lace and satin. Her heart jumped into her throat, choking the laugh that spilled out of her.
Caz had stolen her gray panties, the little thief. He’d stolen them and kept them as if they were a memento of better times. She remembered Monica mentioning that Nikolai had done something similar. What was it with men and panties, she wondered.
Tucking them into her purse, she knew they would become a spell pouch of their own in the future. Bolstered by the evidence that Caz still wanted her, she stood. She would search all of Monterey for Caz if she needed to. Hillary wouldn’t go far. The pack wasn’t under her thumb yet, so she had to be close.
Nessa racked her brain, trying to think of where a witch like Hillary would have gone. The witch was up to something, hiding knowledge that Nessa was not privy to. Leaning forward with her elbow on her knee and her thumb nail in her mouth, she tried to think.
She didn’t know where Hillary would be hiding out, but she could recognize the scent of Hillary’s magic. Anywhere Hillary went, she would leave a trail of scent. The witch couldn’t go two seconds without casting a spell to get her way. Thankfully, Nessa’s cat could prowl through town and no one other than bleeding hearts and animal control would try to stop her.
She could easily escape both.
Nessa shot up with a renewed purpose. She left her panties on Caz’s bed, in case he returned and needed a reminder. The need that drove her was still new. In her belly was a tether that tied her to a man she, admittedly, didn’t know very well. Yet, she’d be damned if a witch stole her chance to get to know him.
A part of Nessa already loved him. There was no going back. She would do everything in her power to get him back. Even if that meant hurting herself. She had to try.
Chapter Fourteen
As a cat, she lounged outside the hotel. Her form was hidden at the base of a bush. People moved through the doors, in and out, never noticing that there was a cat watching them. Nessa loved the form she’d been given. It was so much more convenient than the other shifter forms. A bear would have been painfully obvious camped outside a hotel. Even a wolf would have been hard to explain, a fox or raccoon even worse.
The air smelled sour, of dead things and dirt. Hillary was nearby. Nessa had a half-baked plan of attack, but she had no idea if it would work. The witch most likely had more of those spell bags hidden around the hotel. Nessa could almost guarantee it. The witch wouldn’t have gone through the trouble to capture an Alpha and his pack if there wasn’t something bigger hunting her.
All Nessa had to do was wait to see what it was that hunted Hillary. Her patience was wearing thin. Both she and her cat wanted Caz back in her arms. She wanted to drag him back to her bedroom and lock the door so that he might never leave again.
She was realizing what this meant. The urge that drove her toward danger, the insatiable hunger that tormented her, were all signs of mates. The burly mechanic of a shifter was Nessa’s mate. She didn’t want to admit it because it seemed silly and wrong, but her heart knew better. Opposites did attract, as they always said.
A new scent hit her, breaking her from her thoughts. This one was sharp,
cutting into her senses. She looked from person to person, searching faces until she found the source of the scent. His hair was long, falling in a black braid. Sharp shoulders were wrapped in an equally sharp black jacket.
Pale blue eyes, nearly as clear as ice, watched the entrance of the hotel. This was it, she thought. This was what Hillary had been running from. Nessa pushed out from beneath the cover of the bush she’d been hiding under and moved to brush against the man’s legs.
He bit out half a curse, poised to kick her away when recognition dawned on his face. He cocked a brow and pulled his boot back. Nessa flicked her tail and turned away. He followed, slowly, giving her enough time to bound around the corner to where she’d hidden one of Regina’s wrap dresses.
In no time, she’d shifted back to her human form and pulled the wrap dress around her body. Just as she was tying off the ends, the man appeared behind her. She couldn’t hear his steps, but his scent notified her of his presence. A warlock, she thought. It seemed fitting that a warlock would be on the hunt for this witch.
“Well, hello, pretty kitty.” He towered over her, a good foot taller even though he was thin. His magical presence, an aura that filled the alley, made up for the lean muscle. “How would you feel about becoming a familiar? Together, we could make the world quake.”
“I’m more interested in helping you get what you’ve been hunting.”
A gleam raced across his eyes. The corner of his mouth quirked into a small smile. She would have to be careful around him. He wanted power, she could see it in the way he looked at her. She was nothing more than a tool to him. If she wasn’t careful, she would find herself chained to him the way Hillary was trying to chain Caz.
The thought turned her stomach, but she stood her ground. She would never win Caz back if she ran from risks. Of course, the damn beast inside her raised its head in challenge.
“I love a good kitty-shifter. They make the best damn familiars once you train them.”
“Shove it, dude. You want Hillary, right?”
His face fell flat, humorless in the face of Nessa’s deduction. She knew there was power swirling around him, barely contained and strong enough to rival Hillary’s. Why else would a man like him be standing outside Hillary’s hotel?
Nessa nodded, hiding her smile of victory. “Good. I think I can help you if you’re willing to help me. I will only assist you as long as you agree not to cross certain boundaries.”
She wasn’t messing around. Nessa needed to make sure both she and Caz were safe from this man. Witches often came in a spectrum of morality, most of them leaning toward evil things like Hillary. This man was no exception. Nessa fully expected him to turn on her and Caz. Her beast met his eyes, shoulders squared, and warned him of the price to pay should he turn on them.
“What are your boundaries?”
She held up a single finger. “One: you leave me alone. No trying to turn me into a pet. I won’t have it.”
The warlock looked like he wanted to say something, but Nessa cut him off.
“Two: you leave my mate alone. He’s no one’s pet, and if you think you’re going to steal him from Hillary to teach her a lesson, I will turn your life into a living hell.”
He laughed in her face. “You? You think you could turn my life into a living hell? You’re nothing more than an overgrown housecat. You couldn’t hurt anyone if you tried. I highly doubt you’d do more than knock over a few glasses.”
“I might be small, but there are four Alphas in Monterey and the surrounding areas. I helped three of them find their mates and I’m mated to the fourth.” That was the second time she’d acknowledged her mate bond to Caz out loud. It steadied her. It made her feel stronger. For him, she could do anything. “Turn on me and you will find up to four bear shifters on your doorstep. Did I mention that they’re grizzlies? Not black bears.”
The mention of the grizzly bear shifters gave the warlock pause. His eyes flashed, and a small smile quirked the corners of his mouth. Finally, he bowed his head to her. “What the cat lacks in physical prowess, she makes up for in resourcefulness. This will be an exciting partnership while it lasts.”
Nessa hesitated. Her heart thumped. This felt like a bad idea, but when she looked back to the hotel where Hillary was holding Caz, she knew she had no other choice. “Does that mean you’ll abide by my boundaries?”
“Yes. Help me get my witch of a wife and I’ll leave you and yours alone.”
Nessa fought to keep her jaw from dropping. She managed to clench it against her surprise. Hillary was his wife? That seemed like the kind of relationship that needed couples’ therapy, but she wasn’t about to say that. She desperately wanted to ask if he knew the things Hillary had been up to, but she figured he had an idea. If not, he might not want to know the whole picture.
***
The edges of Caz’s vision were blurry, but he could see well enough to watch Hillary pull aside the curtain. She scowled at the pavement down below. What could she see that bothered her so? They were five floors up, tucked away from the world and everything that went on outside.
“I can’t believe he found me already. I didn’t have enough time. I’m not nearly finished.”
Caz approached his mate. He wanted to pull her into his arms and whisper sweet things in her ear until her shoulders relaxed. The tension she kept pent up inside her was going to shorten her life expectancy. He didn’t tell her that, choosing to quietly massage her shoulders instead.
Hillary shrugged him off and spun on her heel. He was left, helpless, as he watched her storm toward the small living area of their suite. The tether between them tugged him along. He felt like a kite, flying above her, always right behind her. The thought left an unsettled feeling in his gut, but he couldn’t examine it long enough to make sense of it. Every time he tried, he lost his grip on the feeling.
“What are you doing?”
The low table in the living area was filled with tiny components. There were rodent skulls, bunches of moss and dried leaves, rusted nails, and a plethora of other things. The smell was not too pleasing, burning his nose the longer he stayed. Caz couldn’t leave her, and so he endured the burning sensation.
“I’m making something that will protect us, dear. A very bad man is looking to hurt me and your pack.”
The growl that slipped up his throat was volatile. It clawed its way out of him and filled the room like a million little daggers. “I’ll kill him before he touches either. Show me where he is. I can take him.”
“You alone won’t be enough, unfortunately. We need the help of your pack.” Hillary twisted in her seat to face him. In her outstretched hand was a small pouch. The air around it wavered, but no heat came off it. “Take this to your garage. Hide it somewhere no one can find it.”
Tentatively, he reached for the pouch. It didn’t burn his fingers, but the unsettling feeling returned. It gnawed at the corners of his mind. Unable to turn it over and see it for what it was, all he could do was tuck the pouch into his pocket.
“Will you come with me? I don’t want to leave you unprotected.” He touched a tendril of her hair. It was heavier than he expected, as if it were a snake in his hand and not silken hair. Jerking his hand back, he looked at her.
His mate.
Right?
Caz felt everything he should have felt toward a mate, but there was an apprehension to it all. The emotions came roaring toward him when he looked at her, but on their heels was a mote of disbelief. Perhaps it was that he never expected to find such a bond in his life. He didn’t feel as though he deserved it. Not after what he’d done.
Caz had been a horrible man all through his life. The things he’d done in the name of protection and self-preservation had been depraved. There were lives, stolen and buried in shallow graves, that stained his hands with red.
That was it, he thought. That was why when he looked at Hillary, he felt a surge of confusion. How could he have ever deserved something such as her? How could he have
been so blessed?
“Unfortunately, I cannot leave our hotel room. The protections I’ve put in place won’t keep me safe if I leave. You will have to do this on your own.”
He didn’t like this. She would be safe as long as she stood with him. His mate should have known that. How could she not trust him? How could she not love him the way he loved her?
He fingered the pouch in his pocket and thought of the task she had handed him. At first, he didn’t want to leave without her. Then, the feeling shifted. His vision grew clearer, if only for a moment, as he remembered something.
“But I’m not an Alpha anymore.” Caz couldn’t remember why. He knew he’d handed the pack over to Jacob and left, but the reasoning behind it evaded him.
Hillary’s lips twisted. “Don’t remind me.”
“But how…”
She shot up and turned toward him, taking his hands in hers. Gone was the sour expression she’d worn a moment ago. In its place was a come-hither look that tightened his lower stomach. He took a step toward her until she placed a hand on his chest.
“You’ll get them back. For me…for us. Go and take the sachet. It’s the first step toward getting your Pack back.”
Caz felt as though he didn’t want them back. There was a reason he’d left, he just couldn’t remember why. Still, the desire to do as his mate asked was stronger than any other feeling that might have clawed its way to the surface. He needed to make her happy. He needed to protect her.
He stole a kiss, pushing his tongue past her lips, before leaving. Once the door closed behind him, his vision narrowed. The edges blurred, and the world swayed. His feet were unsteady, and so he took the elevator.
Outside, the fresh air helped clear his head. His feet found their way as he turned toward the garage. Just as he set his mind on the task, a face appeared. At first, he thought he was hallucinating. He was seeing things. But, the woman paused and stared at him. Her lips parted, but if she said anything, Caz could not hear her.
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