Paul turned to Brice and asked, “Did you ever meet Bruce?”
Brice jaws tightened, “Yes, once.”
Paul leaned forward, “Tell me about it.”
Brice looked at Jennie almost apologetically, “That same day as Jennie… Well, when she got home she was more upset than she’s showing here. Tom was absolutely livid, well, you know how Tom is, and he stormed out of the house. I… followed him.
Brice coughed, “Look, we found Bruce inside the bar, and then waited for him to leave. Tom got more agitated as we waited and well… we confronted him. Bruce was a cocky asshole, even rubbed it in a little not knowing that Tom was Jennie’s brother. Tom started beating the shit out of the guy so fast and hard Bruce didn’t even get a spell off.
“I’m sorry, I should have stopped him, but I figured the guy deserved a good beat down. He had it coming. But things… went too far.”
Celia felt sick, she could picture it too, she’d only met him once but he was… a violent asshole. Still, she could relate to his anger, she guessed Bruce had used glamour to make him extra attractive to Jennie. It wasn’t exactly rape because there was still a choice, but it was closer to it than she was comfortable with.
She asked, “The fire?”
Brice looked at her, “That came after death, by then it was too late and we figured it would throw the human police off.”
Huh. So it was more about keeping the secret than throwing off an investigation by the council? Why didn’t Tom just come forward then, or run?
Jennie’s face drained white, “Is there any chance for lenience here? He must have done it for me.”
She studied Jennie and saw no dissembling, she hadn’t known. Her mind spun, how much of this was staged for the benefit of Ed and the witch’s council? Brice just spilled his guts, why wait? Surely the Alpha could have found out quickly and easily. She was coming to see a lot of it was to keep the peace. The Alpha could have found the shifter responsible and punished them quite easily.
Ed, Paul and she were just there as a dialog of sorts, a connection. Ed was a witness here for the most part, to see proof that justice would be done for the witches. Of course, her thoughts really only applied to the shifter side, the witches may be different. Sure, in that case Paul would be doing the same thing, being a witness, but she doubted the witches would simply spill their guts like Brice had.
Paul shook his head, “I doubt it Jennie. The witch council would call foul. Even if the guy really did deserve it, and I’m not saying he did, but even then it should have gone through channels.”
Ed nodded, “What you described is… very close to rape, not quite but close to suborning someone’s will. He’d have been bound at the least if it’d been reported.”
For the first time she could recall Ed didn’t seem annoyed, he smelled angry and disgusted at what Bruce did. Regardless though, it didn’t justify murder.
Paul’s voice had a touch of regret, “You can both go.”
Tony ordered, “You will reveal nothing of what was said here until after Tom is questioned, go.”
The two shifters got up and left the room.
Tony asked, “You’re all welcome to stay, or come back this evening?”
Paul replied, “We’ll come back tonight I think, thank you alpha.”
Tony nodded and just like that she found herself back in the car on the way to the store.
“Is this the only case we have right now?”
Ed nodded sharply.
Paul added in amusement, “Yes, but the council also has us do other things on occasion, but you probably won’t have to worry about that for a while, until you’re up to speed and can fight your way clear of a paper bag.”
She frowned, was she that bad, or was Paul just a jackass?
“Like what?” she ground out.
Paul smiled, “Easy kitten, don’t let that anger out. That’s what running and training is for. Sometimes unaligned wolves or bears come through, or an odd tiger. Sometimes I, and in the future possibly you, will need to check them out. Make sure they behave while they’re here. It’s just a formality usually, but if they’re here for trouble it usually ends up in a fight to the death.”
“Death?” she asked.
She needed to remember shifters were brutal, even if for the most part they were being nice to her so far.
He nodded, “We are enforcers for the shifter council. Attack by any shifter earns their death, no exceptions. That may sound harsh, but look up human laws on assaulting law enforcement. We can’t allow it, we would look too weak. Of course, if a witch attacks me, then I have to run and tattle to Ed if at all possible, observe the niceties.”
Ed shrugged, “Same for the witch’s council. A visiting witch, one looking for a new coven, or even an entire coven visiting needs to be vetted. There are exceptions as you know, family members who visit are permanently registered, and anyone only staying one or two nights as they pass through is just left alone.”
She could see how it would get complicated. Then Paul dropped a bomb on her.
“Of course, since you’re both you could just kill anyone that attacked you.”
Ed frowned, “Within reason, you’ll have to justify that, we don’t allow anyone to abuse authority either.”
Okay, that was clear… as mud. She wasn’t too worried about it yet though, apparently she would need to be at least decent in a fight before she had to worry about it.
She asked, “Do the investigations usually go so easily?”
Ed snorted.
Paul replied, “Hell no. Usually it isn’t a local. That can get a bit complicated, especially if they moved on after. Then we need to apply through the councils to other city councils, and go play nice with their enforcers. If we’re lucky, they leave behind evidence Ed, or now you, can use to track them with magic. There are other complications of course, to many to list.”
Ed grunted, “I hate to admit it, but shifters are more forthcoming as well, especially with their Alpha sitting in the room. Witches are sneakier, but on the other hand are less inclined toward violence.”
She pondered that for a while.
Paul asked, “We have time now, did you want to run and do your training early, or we can wait if you need to get back to the store.”
She thought hard about it, she felt Silva perk up in her mind, and she felt like she had too much energy. A run sounded wonderful, especially one that wouldn’t end in fleeing for her life. It was also only around eleven, so there was plenty of time before Berny was off…
Crap, what was she going to do this evening though, when they needed to go back to the alpha’s house? She’d figure something out. Hopefully.
She smiled, “Okay, we can do that.”
Chapter 15
They no longer needed to question the bears, so when they arrived they just spent a few minutes chatting with family before moving off into the woods. Now that she was out among the trees she couldn’t wait to shift, but she was also glancing nervously toward Paul. She really didn’t want to strip down in front of him, or maybe the problem was that she really did want to.
Maybe one day she’d get over that, but she hadn’t been a shifter very long and today wasn’t that day. Paul solved the problem for her by very obviously turning his back toward her when they were far enough in the woods, and then started stripping.
He had his shirt of and was working on loosening his jeans when she realized she was staring. She blushed and turned, pulled off her clothes as quickly as possible and yielded her place to Silva. She didn’t fight it this time, Silva surged forward joyfully and the change took her. She wasn’t positive, but it seemed as if it’d gone much faster this time.
Silva twisted their body around and looked toward Paul. He was just finishing up his own change and turned toward her. She stood there as he circled her once, then without a word lunged off into the forest. She grinned, or had the feeling of grinning anyway, as Silva took off like a shot. He wasn’t always in her view, but that hardly matt
ered, his scent was fresh and more than obvious as they pushed their body to catch him.
She was having fun, but after a while she wondered when he would stop, and then he did.
Paul sent, “Your first lesson is territory, it’s important. Trespassers are killed, working for the council or not the wolves would rip us apart and be in the right. Tony might even be a little sad about it later, but it would happen. You have no idea how lucky you were that first night, intense curiosity about your scent and Tina telling them you’re a witch is the only reason their instincts got suppressed.
“Can you smell it? This is the edge of the bears’ range. They patrol it, to both check for trespassers, and to mark the boundary of their range with their scent. The wolves do a similar thing, so if you’re ever in a strange area and smell fresh and increasingly older scents all at once, you’re at a border, don’t cross it without invitation. Even then there is risk involved with crossing.”
Silva growled low in her throat. It sounded like something threatening, but it was truly assent. Neither she nor Silva liked being lectured or told what to do. She smiled internally, no doubt from being a cat.
“Follow,” he sent into her mind.
Silva waited a few seconds as he bound off, as if to reject his demand, and then followed by scent. They came out a few minutes later in a small clearing. She looked around, his scent trail was gone and she couldn’t see him. A moment later she realized he must be in the trees, but before she could look she sensed him behind and above, diving at them.
Silva rolled to the side staying low to the ground, then lunged at him as he passed. She felt more playful determination than anything else coming from Silva as the mock battle commenced. Paul rolled and batted with both rear paws, sending her flying to the side where she landed on her feet. Luckily, neither of them had their claws out, so it was merely her pride that was damaged.
It was actually a little depressing for Celia. Silva was a much better fighter than she was. Paul didn’t lose, but he also didn’t quite dominate her tiger the way he had her last night. Silva even managed to get in quite a few swipes and mock bites, just not nearly as many as he did.
Silva disagreed though, and told her so, “You did fine, and were much better at the end of the night. I learn by watching, you watch, learn.”
She started paying more attention then, feeling suitably chastised. Of course, not everything would translate; two fighting people and great cats were hardly the same. Yet, her human body was amazingly limber, strong, and fast. She knew she could adopt some of it.
The training was also exciting, she enjoyed it, she thought maybe too much. She found herself, turned on, a lot. She’d never been cold, but she was trying to ignore the fact that her libido had increased quite a bit, and the fight was having an effect. A small part of her was horrified by this, as she used to abhor violence, now apparently it made her a little hot.
Silva was no help. She was more elemental and didn’t see the fuss. Still, it was all physical and Celia wanted more than that. She’d never been one for one night stands, but started to worry that desire was just a hold out and was against her new nature. She knew she’d eventually have to work it out, figure out a way to reconcile it, but for now she simply pushed down her desires and focused on learning to fight.
She was surprised by her stamina, as they lunged, rolled, swiped and snapped at each other for over an hour. Sometimes running into the forest and using the trees to try and get the upper hand. But in that second hour both Silva and herself started to feel the strain of it, but both of them were too stubborn to quit, although they got very close by the time Paul called an end.
They laid down for a while in the meadow, just resting. After a while, Paul suggested they go back, but in the trees. She almost groaned at the thought of more training, but Silva took up the slack and lunged into the trees. She was breathing hard when they changed back by their clothes, and she dressed quickly.
She noticed almost immediately she still had sore muscles from the workout even in human form, but the sweat, dirt, and other things caught in her tiger’s coat of fur were just gone, as if they were destroyed in the change.
Paul said grudgingly, “That wasn’t bad, you’re in good shape, but you should start running every morning. Our shifter magic makes us strong and fast, but what it has to work with makes a difference. Now, we go eat.”
She frowned but followed. She didn’t like taking orders but he was her trainer, and partner. Just another set of instincts she had to fight against. On balance though, she liked being a shifter, the gains far outweighed the costs, so far anyway. She felt free, and in a strange way more herself than ever before.
He took her to a steakhouse and ordered them both a twenty six ounce porterhouse steak, with two smothered baked potatoes, and then pushed her to have a dessert. She tried to balk, but he was quite adamant.
“You need to eat more Celia. Yes, our power comes from magic, but we still have a much higher metabolism and that needs to be fed, especially after a two hour work out. You won’t gain weight, trust me.”
She nodded and ate it all. What disturbed her was she wasn’t even really all that full when she finished…
It was close to two in the afternoon when she was dropped at the store. She thanked him but he simply waved it away. She walked into the store, and made it halfway to the back counter when she noticed Berny, Mia, and Dan staring at her.
Her steps faltered, “What?”
Berny tilted her head, “You’re changing, and you look different.”
Dan nodded, “More confident, you’re… graceful and eye catching.”
Berny whapped his chest with the back of her hand and muttered, “Watch it.”
Mia laughed, “It’s just the truth Berny, she’s kind of… hot.”
She blushed, and then joined them behind the counter.
“I’m also the boss, throwing a party back here?”
Berny winked, “A hiring party. Mia agreed to work two days a week when I’m not here, and then a couple of evenings a week. She doesn’t want a full time job, but she also agreed to come in on a flexible basis. I can cover eight to five, but I was thinking you’d have to leave the store at night sometimes.”
I raised an eyebrow, “And Dan?”
Berny grinned impishly, “He just loves me and pines away when not in my presence.”
Dan gave her a look but didn’t deny it, “I brought lunch in. I just haven’t left yet.”
She wasn’t sure what to think of their earlier banter. She was attractive she knew, but not excessively so, did the change in her really have that big an impact?
She smiled lightly at him, “Don’t worry about it, I don’t mind any of the coven being here,” she turned to Mia, “Can you work tonight? I have to go out for a couple of hours after six.”
Mia’s eyes widened a little, “Sure, Berny already showed me the register and had me fill out the paperwork, but I don’t know much else yet.”
She shrugged, “That should work, I’ll show you how to pack the orders and get it ready for UPS later. I’ll have to do it a little early but that should be fine. If there’s an emergency you can always call me.”
Mia promised she’d be back for her shift and took off.
Her senses were picking up something in the room, and it took her a few minutes to figure out what it was. Berny and Dan were both… feeling amorous. She was sensing the pheromones of interest between them, and she could also make out a light a scent that they had been together a couple of days ago, so it wasn’t a new thing.
She cringed inside, she didn’t really want to know who was sleeping with who, who was attracted to who, or any of it. It felt like a violation to her, as if she were intruding into Berny’s personal life. Sure, she liked Berny a lot, she was one of her closest friends even with the difference in years. Goddess knows they’d even gossiped about boys and sex, but this was different, Berny didn’t get a choice in it.
Just one more thing for her
to get used too.
She wondered what else she’d eventually be able to discern once she became more experienced with her new senses…
Mia came in at five and seemed a little nervous. Celia just shrugged it off as first day jitters and started training the young woman on the most common tasks first. She didn’t know Mia as well as she knew Berny, but Mia seemed to have it together and understood things the first time they were explained.
It wasn’t a surprise, seventeen or not, witches needed focus and discipline to cast spells and channel magic, it was rare for a witch to be lazy or scatterbrained. By the time Ed came in the store, she was confident Mia would do fine. She noticed though, that Mia shrunk into herself a bit more as Ed came in, it took her a minute to realize she’d have normally done the same thing if a council representative showed up.
Huh.
Ed had his typical annoyed micro scowl on his face, but she knew it wasn’t about her.
Ed muttered, “Do you know any location or finding spells?”
She went through her mind, she remembered the spell well enough from the book. She was concerned though, she had no idea how much magic it would pull. The last thing she needed was for the council to find out she was crippled that way.
She raised an eyebrow, “I know a tracking spell, though I’ve never used it.”
He nodded, “You’ll get to use it tonight. I want to see if you can do it. If not I’ll show you one of mine.”
The conversation was nonsensical for a moment until the light bulb went off for her.
“Tom ran?”
He grunted and nodded sharply.
She took a moment to grab ingredients she’d need for the spell.
She left Mia to run the store on her first day, reminding herself firmly it would all work out just fine she waved to Mia and followed Ed out. Paul was there waiting in the car with the engine running. As soon as the door closed the car took off.
“In a hurry?” she asked while grasping for the seatbelt.
Paul nodded, “We need to get out to the pack house, find something of his, and track him down before he leaves town. Otherwise chasing him down gets… complicated.”
Witch's Moon: A Celia Winters Novel Book 1 Page 10
