by Hart, Alana
“There’s nothing wrong with your room, or the play room for that matter.” Gran’s low voice barely carried to where Aria sat beside her. Her sly glance hinted at still more secrets to be revealed.
“I sense a ‘but’ hidden in there. What aren’t you telling me?”
“Those rooms were originally guest rooms. They have different wards than the main floor has.”
“Wards? Like magic and fairies and stuff?” How many more surprises can one old woman have up her sleeve? Aria was too overwhelmed to consider voicing her unspoken question. As it stood, she was a bit scared of the answer she might get.
“Not quite. Grandpa carved the wards, with his bare hands. But the ones in this room are much more specific, and will do a better job protecting any of my descendants than the general wards upstairs.”
“Can’t you update the wards? Or do we need to start sleeping on the couch?” Aria eyed the futon-like couch carefully. It looked sturdy enough to hold them both, but the mattress looked too thin for her liking.
“I’m not sure if anyone can update the wards. I certainly don’t want someone mucking about with the ones down here.” Gran waved toward the mantle over the fireplace. It was a stunning piece of work. Half a log sanded to a satin sheen, and carved in intricate whorls that almost resembled the tribal tattoos her best friend had gotten to celebrate graduating college. She’d wanted one so badly, but had been too scared of needles to actually go through with it.
“I wouldn’t want anyone damaging Grandpa’s work.” Aria looked at the living room with fresh eyes. There wasn’t a speck of pristine, unmarked wood anywhere. Not even the log pillars that made up the couch had escaped unscathed. But if she understood things right, that was a good thing. “Could somebody augment his work?”
“Maybe.”
“Do you want me to grab the phone so you can call them?”
“No need. We’ll walk down to Delilah’s shop after Faith wakes up.”
That name sounded vaguely familiar. “Should I know this Delilah?” Aria was almost scared to ask. Even though she’d spent summers as a kid here with her grandparents, she had always had a way of forgetting names.
“I don’t believe so. You might know her aunt though.”
Aria raised one eyebrow and then took a sip of tea. She wasn’t going to be lured off topic like that. So she waited in silence, confident Gran would provide the information.
“Her Aunt Birdie signed the shop over to Del and then retired to Florida.”
Florida sounded nice about now. All sunshine and sand. But Aria couldn’t imagine leaving this town unless Faith gained more control. She finally had to ask after Gran had rocked for several minutes without speaking further.
“How can Delilah help with Grandpa’s wards?”
“She can’t, exactly. But she can make her own.”
“By carving over grandpa’s designs?” That would be such a shame, to lose the personality and love inherent in the carvings Gramps had completed.
“Oh, no.” Gran’s chuckle filled the living room. “Del’s not a guardian. Although, now I think of it, she has sort of stepped into your grandpa’s shoes. Unofficially.” From the tone of that last word, Aria wondered if Gran didn’t have plans to make Delilah’s position a bit more approved by whoever ran things here.
“What is she then?” Aria felt her stomach knot. She wasn’t sure she could handle any more shocks tonight, but she had to face this new world head on for her girl.
“Del’s a witch. Potions and spells and such. I imagine she’ll just spell up her own wards to reinforce the ones Grandpa did.”
“Oh.” Aria’s reply sounded thin and scared, even to herself. “A witch. A human witch?” Her mind flashed back to the wicked witches of countless childhood fairy tales. But Gran wouldn’t associate with that kind of witch, would she?
“As far as I know. I’ve never scented anything more than human. But that doesn’t mean she’s only human, most folks don’t exactly like to broadcast that information.” Gran shrugged. “It’s possible she used a concealing spell, and that’s something I couldn’t sense.”
“I see.” Aria’s mind ran circles. She wondered how many of those most folks gran referred to were citizens of Espen. “Are there lots of supernatural people living in this town?” She desperately hoped the answer was no. Because a yes meant that she was woefully inadequate at observing the world and the people around her. Gran’s slow nod made her heart hit the floor.
“How many?” she whispered.
“Oh, about two thirds of the townsfolk are supernatural of some sort or another. Quite a few of those supernatural folks are like you, but there’s plenty who stand with a foot in two worlds.”
Damn, I missed a hell of a lot, maybe I am a brick when it comes to observing folks.
Still, that sounded like a hard road to walk. Maybe it was for the best that her family hadn’t told her up front that they were shifters. But Aria still felt a small sting of betrayal, like she was untrustworthy. She couldn’t figure out why they didn’t trust her.
Unless there was more to this secret than met the eye.
CHAPTER FOUR
Benjamin huddled beneath the boughs of the weeping willow that stood sentinel in the northernmost corner of Victoria Fox’s garden. His bear had scented something deliciously familiar when he’d driven past on his way to the post office. And the presence of a strange car spiked his curiosity and his bears.
Eventually the beast’s demands to investigate had become overwhelming. So he’d clambered over the privacy fence and done a little exploring. He’d managed to sneak up to the back wall of the house. His bear was on high alert, scenting the wind and listening for anything out of place. Neither of them much liked the feeling of being penned in, even though the pen in this case was a glorious summer garden in full bloom. The feel of walls closing in made him and his beast tense, and brought back flashes of the first few months after he’d changed. Ben growled low in his throat and tossed his head side to side, trying to literally dislodge the past that haunted their shared memories.
A terrified wail answered his growl, and sent a spike of adrenaline surging through him. He felt his bear rising inside his skin.
Mine.
His bear laid claim to the crying child with a certainty his human half didn’t buy. Bear had been on the prowl for a mate and a family lately, and this just felt like more of the same. Down, Ben commanded, then tilted his head back and stood on tip toes, trying to stretch his solid six foot frame just enough to catch the child’s scent from the upstairs window. Just as his nose started to tickle, he heard steps pounding up the stairs in answer to the wail.
Fuck, bear. Why’d you go and do that shit? Ben sprinted back to the willow as fast as he could, knowing damn well there was no way he’d make it over the fence before Victoria and her mystery guest reached the room. He kept to the grass and dove under the concealing boughs when tense whispers drifted out the open window. The dark, bare earth cushioned his landing. His gaze locked on the house, hoping to spot Victoria’s guest. He didn’t dare hope it was Aria. To his knowledge, she hadn’t come back to Espen since the night he’d left her stranded at the restaurant in Aurora. The night his bear had taken over his life with a will of steel and claw.
Ben let his bear have a little bit of rope, just enough to augment his hearing and smell. If there was anything to learn from this situation his beast had stubbornly insisted on putting them in, then they were damn-sure going to learn it. Tori wasn’t a woman anyone wanted to anger. He felt his bear’s dismissal of that very human thought. Bear had no fear of humans, or of foxes. But Ben had a very real, very healthy fear of powerful, tricky women. Especially powerful tricky women with connections.
Ben felt his nose prickle. He suppressed a sneeze as he peered carefully through the fronds screening him from discovery. Not that Victoria Fox would hurt him physically. But she had pull in this town, and he’d only managed to avoid the clan’s demands by the skin of his teeth
as it stood. If she got involved, he’d be roped and tied despite his bear’s confident dismissal of foxes and humans and everything in this world not bear.
Bear looked through his eyes with him, both wondering what they’d find. Ben struggled to suppress a roar when he saw Aria peer out the window.
Mine. Mate.
It was only an iron will and a sharp jab of a claw to thigh that pulled them back from the brink of shifting.
Fuck.
Aria was here.
With a baby.
A light breeze carried the scent from the window low enough for bear to get a whiff. Double fuck. Aria’s child was a shifter. And not a fox. How the hell was that possible if Aria was pure human?
Bear took another deep breath, looking for the answers, then huffed grumpily. The scent had passed by too fast; bear couldn’t catch all the nuances the wind carried. Ben’s control slipped when he realized just what his bear had scented. Aria was human. Human and other. The other was almost completely overwhelmed by human, just barely there. If bear hadn’t been actively searching for an answer to Ben’s silent inquiry he’d never have known that Aria was descended from shifters. He’d met her parents for Christ’s sake, and they were human as could be. Still, she might have inherited enough shifter from somewhere to pass the gift on to her children. She was Victoria’s granddaughter after all. But what was the babe if she wasn’t a fox?
Then again he’d met Aria’s parents before bear had so rudely made his presence known. Ben could feel his bear’s lack of faith in his human observational skills. Based on the current state of affairs, Ben couldn’t fault him.
The scorn that rolled off bear was enough to give Ben a moment to regain full control. His beast was ungodly strong, and even though it had been three years he still struggled. Dad would say that they were still working out a compromise.
Too bad dad didn’t compromise. He was all bear. Ben couldn’t suppress his bear’s curiosity or his own. He desperately wanted to know more. So when he heard footsteps treading down the stairs, he stalked ever closer to the house. He had to know.
If Aria still loved him.
If the baby was his.
By the time he’d finished his cautious approach to the house, it was too late to hear anything more. And the scents that had drifted out the window were gone with the wind. Which struck him as odd, because he’d been able to hear and smell just damn fine from under the willow. Now, with his back pressed tight against the log walls, he couldn’t hear or smell a damn thing. Bear’s hackles rose as they tested the air again. Even with both him and his bear seeking the tiniest noise or scent they were coming up empty.
As far as he and bear were concerned, the house was empty.
Temptation lured Ben back across the yard and over the fence to his Dodge dually. He jumped inside, and briefly considered driving around the block and knocking on the front door. Bear growled a low and grumpy veto, so he took a minute to really listen. The last thing they’d scented before Aria went down stairs was exhaustion. Exhaustion and relief. Bear didn’t think interrupting the trio and upsetting the babe again would be good for anyone.
Protect mate. Protect cub. Guard what’s mine.
Bear’s thoughts were fierce and determined. Ben couldn’t argue, even if bear was protecting his family from the two of them. But he couldn’t ignore his beasts’ command either. With a heavy sigh he stumbled out of the truck and resigned himself to patrolling the block until both he and bear were convinced Aria could handle seeing him again.
Part of him worried that again might be never.
Bear was certain that again would be within a day or so.
Ben didn’t want to walk for a day or more straight, but he couldn’t tear himself away from the shadow of Aria’s presence. Not for a minute. He just hoped bear was right as he put his head down and started his first circuit.
He hoped his bear was wiser when it came to women than his human half was. He didn’t want to fuck up a second chance with Aria before it’d barely begun.
CHAPTER FIVE
Ben had been trudging around the block for what felt like ages before the trio secreted in the cabin finally emerged. The sun was low on the horizon, gilding the world with red. His bear huffed a quiet command to get closer, follow them.
Ben argued with bear quietly. He was absolutely certain that it would be a bad thing to be caught following them just now. Especially considering the tension in Aria’s stride.
Ben felt his attention being pulled between Aria and the cub snuggled up in Victoria’s arms. Bear had no such trouble. The scent of the trio wafted back to him as he trailed behind them on silent feet. Bear snuffed, then growled in contentment.
But when Ben tried to get bear to give up the goods on why he was damn near purring silently, bear was silent as stone.
Ben couldn’t help watching the gorgeous curves of Aria’s hips as they swayed down the street. Motherhood had only enhanced her curvy nature. All the better as far as he was concerned. Especially since the cub in Victoria Fox’s arms had a hint of bear to her scent. But Ben couldn’t catch more than that detail with his own senses and his bear was too happy observing his mate and her family to come out and play. At least not when there was no danger whatsoever present.
The thought that the trio could be in danger walking through a known shifter haven like Espen briefly crossed Ben’s mind. But further consideration led to the inescapable fact that since Victoria Fox was de-facto leader of the shifters in town, Ben and bear had to be content with the presumption of safety her influence provided. It’d take one hell of a rabid shifter to violate Clan law and human law in order to attack Tori or anyone accompanying her. Even if one of those anyone’s was a cub with mysterious parentage, which was roundly frowned on in the Clans. Only rogue or crazed shifters abandoned family to the winds. Unlike human family, shifter families really were for life.
Ben strained to hear the conversation between the women as they walked down Main Street. He briefly considered sneaking around the back and beating them to Delilah’s shop but the winds were against him. There was just enough of a breeze to carry the females’ scents to Ben’s bear even though he trailed the group by a good two blocks. If he rushed to the shop though, there was no way Victoria Fox would miss his presence.
No sense in scaring our mate and her family off before we can even talk to her.
The bear chuffed agreeably. He was content to simply have his mate and cub in eyesight, and completely convinced that as long as he could see them, he could intervene before danger could come to them. Ben wasn’t so sure of his bear’s powers, but he was sure of Victoria Fox’s powers.
In short order the girls had made it to Delilah’s shop. Birdie’s Bats and Broomsticks. Ben idly wondered why Del never had bothered to change the name. No matter.
He almost turned to leave when his sharp eyesight noted the closed sign in the window. Bear disagreed. Vehemently. Ben’s skin prickled as bear threatened to take over if Ben left their mate again.
But Del answered Victoria’s knock. Of course she did. Even witches had to make nice with the shifters in their midst. The only species that got a pass was the humans, simply because they were deliberately kept ignorant.
Ben wondered if Aria had known about shifters before she’d given birth to her own cub.
My cub. Bear’s claim was grumpy, as if he was asking why Ben wasn’t bolting through the swiftly closing door. He’d considered it, but before he could decide one way or the other the door clicked shut. He watched through the glass as Delilah locked the door. Her large green eyes locked on his for a moment, brow furrowed slightly. From the scent sneaking around the poorly sealed door, it was curiosity and not anger that twisted her features. Ben was grateful for Bear’s insight into the matter, because making Del mad could easily be as bad as ending up on the wrong side of Tori Fox.
Delilah threw a last glance over her shoulder, eyes wide and round, as she turned to follow Aria into the shop. Ben could have sworn
her mouth formed a single word.
Wait.
Wait for what? For her to let him in to the shop through a secret door? Wait for his mate to come rushing out to him promising undying love? Probably have more luck waiting on hell to freeze. He suppressed a chuckle at the dark turn his thoughts had taken.
The witch’s advice didn’t much matter to bear anyways. Bear wasn’t going anywhere until he knew that Aria was safe. Come hell or high water, witches or rumored fallen gods, Ben and his bear would be there for Aria this time.
No more fucking running, no more hiding.
He just hoped Aria could handle the truth, the wild nature that coiled beneath his human skin.
With a sigh, Ben called bear closer to the surface and began his patrol once more. This time they confined their attention to the witch shop and its grounds. The place made Ben’s skin twitch and ache the closer bear came to the surface. Something in the air made their nose itch. It was hard to suppress sneezes when bear was lending Ben his sense of smell, but somehow they managed together.
Just one of countless compromises they’d made in sharing this life. But underneath the camaraderie, Ben had the sense that bear’s patience with compromise was wearing thin.
Bear wanted his mate, his cub. And he wanted them now.
Ben was so focused on keeping his bear inside while also watching the shop closely that he didn’t bother investigating the scrabble of claws behind him. Bear heard the sound the sound but refused to give in to distraction. All that mattered in this moment was Aria. Aria and Faith.
CHAPTER SIX
Aria hesitated in the entry of Delilah’s shop. An array of flasks and vials sat neatly on color coded racks. Each container had a handwritten label affixed to it. As she scanned the store, she spotted a section that begged her to dive right in. Gorgeous polished stones overflowed velvet lined baskets in the shelves of the bay window. The evening light streamed through the panes, highlighting all the colors in stunning reds and yellows.
