“Uh-huh.” Gramma nodded smugly.
“Okay...” Kaylee said slowly. She couldn't argue with that, but still…
“What are you going to do with four hundred wands? Are you casting some big, powerful spell over the whole town?” Kaylee joked.
Kaylee turned and saw Gramma and Ne-ma glancing furtively at each other.
“A witch can't have too many wands,” Gramma said quickly.
“And they're so pretty! They have sparkles on them,” Ne-ma added, as if that explained everything.
Kaylee narrowed her eyes. Gramma and Ne-ma were giving her their best wide-eyed, innocent smiles. But she just had a feeling that they were up to something.
“Just put the trolley behind the counter,” Ne-ma said as they entered the inn. “Do you want some breakfast? Alisa's in the kitchen. I can ask her to...”
“Thanks, but I've had my breakfast,” Kaylee said. “I wanted to come by and tell you that...I got a job at The Round Table.”
“Oh that's wonderful!”
“The Round Table is a great pub! We love their Witchy Wednesdays! We get free drinks and we get to kiss the hunky bartender!” Gramma made a loud smooching sound.
Kaylee laughed. “The Round Table is closed today. It's my day off, so if there's anything I can do...” She shuffled her feet. “I can help out around the inn, or run errands for you...”
Ne-ma came to hug her. “I'm so proud of you, Kaylee. You're settling in beautifully. We don't need anything done around the inn today. But maybe you could go see how Lorni Jones is doing. Her sister said she's been cooping herself up in her house and not going out much.”
“I'll go see her,” Kaylee said at once.
“Loretta and Mac's house is the second house along Moonshine Avenue. It's just two streets away. You can't miss it. It's the only house that's painted purple along that street.”
“I'll go now,” Kaylee said. “I'll drop by Baker's Hut and get you some cupcakes on my way back.”
“Get the ones with extra frosting,” Gramma and Ne-ma said together as they waved her off.
Kaylee grinned and nodded. “Got it.”
She jumped back in her car and made several wrong turns before she found Moonshine Avenue. She saw the bright purple house at once. Lorni was at the front of the house checking the mailbox.
“Lorni!”
Lorni spun round with a startled cry. When she saw Kaylee jumping out of the car, the fear on her face dissolved and she managed a shaky smile.
“Kaylee, what are you doing here?”
“I came to see you,” Kaylee said, linking her arm through Lorni's. “How are you doing?”
“Not so good,” Lorni admitted. “Come into the house. Loretta and Mac are at work. I wish I could go back to work too, but...” Lorni sighed and closed the front door behind them. “I...I'm really glad you came, Kaylee.”
Kaylee went with Lorni to the kitchen and helped her make two cups of coffee. Lorni had dark circles under her eyes, and she looked like she hadn't been sleeping well for many nights. As they sat at the kitchen table, Kaylee made small talk and told Lorni about her new job and some funny, minor mistakes she made on her first day. She just wanted to get Lorni to laugh and start talking. There was something on Lorni's mind, she could tell.
After a pause, Kaylee put down her coffee cup and said quietly, “You said you wanted to get back to work. Do you want to go back to your shop, Lorni?”
Lorni looked at her and her eyes lit up briefly. “Yes,” she said at last. “I do want to go back to the shop. But Loretta and Mac are worried. They want me to just close the shop and move here and stay with them.”
“They care for you.”
“I know they do. But the shop...I can't give it up. Finley, my late husband, and I set up Nuts and Bolts together. We were a team, a dream team. The shop isn't much, but I want to keep the dream alive. I want my life back, Kaylee. I want to go home and open up the shop. I'm going crazy sitting here, doing nothing.”
Lorni grasped her hand tightly, almost desperately. “Would you do something for me, Kaylee?”
“Anything.”
“Could you...drive me back to the shop? I won't stay long, just an hour at most,” Lorni pleaded. “I just want to see that nothing has been broken or stolen.”
Kaylee nodded. What harm could it do? In fact, it might do her a ton of good. The poor woman was driving herself to distraction worrying about her shop.
“Okay.” Kaylee pulled out her car keys from her pocket and stood up. “Let's go right now.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Kaylee pulled up in front of Nuts and Bolts and looked around at the few shops that were opened. In the day, the quiet street looked peaceful and safe. There were people strolling in and out of the small shops and the row of parked cars along the street indicated that there were people working in the tiny offices above the shops. It was very much cheaper to rent an office space here instead of in the town center. There were a few accounting and printing firms here, a dress shop, a cafe and Lorni's hardware store.
There was a constant hum of activity during the day, and Lorni told her that Nuts and Bolts had a stream of loyal and regular customers.
“Of course we had more customers when Finley was around, but even now, Nuts and Bolts is doing okay. I am doing okay,” Lorni said. “We started it together, but now, I'm running the business myself. I'm proud of it, proud of me. And I'm sure Finley would have been proud of me too. There's a small community here, at the edge of town. I've been a part of this close-knit community for years. I don't want to leave and move to the town center. I like it out here. We all do. Loretta and Mac don't understand. They prefer a busier, more bustling atmosphere. At night, when all the shops are closed and the office workers have gone home, it does get very quiet. But I have neighbors. There are people living here. True, there are quite a number of empty houses out here but some people have recently moved in. I moved here with Finley, and I want to continue building my life here. I don't want to run from my life. I shouldn't have to.”
They entered Nuts and Bolts together. Kaylee looked around the neat little shop as Lorni scurried around opening drawers and doors and checking her supplies. Kaylee saw Lorni's face light up with enthusiasm and she had a spring in her step as she bounded around her shop. She was in her element here.
“I can build you a table,” Lorni said, grabbing a rag and wiping the layer of dust off the counter.
“What?”
“I've been working on a table,” Lorni said, flashing a broad, proud smile. It was the first time she had seen Lorni smile and it was beautiful to see. “It's almost done,” Lorni went on excitedly. “I'm pretty good with my hands. Finley taught me some, and I picked up the rest myself.”
“I think you are awesome,” Kaylee said sincerely. “You really belong here, and Nuts and Bolts belongs to you. You're right. You shouldn't have to leave. You have a right to your life, to be safe right where you are.”
Lorni beamed. “You know what, I'm going to re-open my shop right now!” With that, she went to the door and flipped the “Closed” sign over.
Lorni laughed and clapped her hands. “It feels so good to be home! I'm going upstairs to my apartment to grab a few extra packs of nuts and bolts.” Lorni grinned and winked. “Can you man the store for me for a minute?”
“Sure.”
Kaylee watched Lorni hurry to the back of the shop and disappear up the stairs. Lorni lived just above her shop, and the narrow stairs led straight up to her place. It was a tiny one-bedroom apartment with a kitchenette and a bathroom. Finley had done up the place real nice so that it was roomy and cozy, Lorni said. As a young couple, it was just right for them, and now that she was living alone, it suited her very well. “It's easy to clean and maintain,” she'd told Kaylee.
Kaylee looked out the shop window at the cafe opposite. It was closed, but Lorni told her that it was usually open all night. The owner, Sam, was a v
ampire and the Midnight Cafe's lights would flick on once the sun set.
“Are there customers?” Kaylee had asked in surprise.
“Oh yes. Not many, but people do stop by for a coffee and a good sandwich throughout the night. Sam usually keeps an eye on my shop and apartment at night, but he's out of town. He had to attend his coven's yearly meeting in the city. He's gone for a month, but he should be back soon.”
Kaylee smiled. Lorni had blushed when she was talking about Sam. A budding romance between the vampire and the stubborn, feisty widow? That's awfully sweet, Kaylee thought.
Kaylee drummed her fingers on the counter. What was taking Lorni so long? Maybe she should go upstairs and give her a hand.
Kaylee went to the stairs and whistled. “Lorni, do you need any help?”
There was a thump and a soft, muffled whimper. She heard frantic scrabbling and scratching sounds along the floorboards above.
“Lorni? Lorni, what's happening?” Kaylee raced up the stairs and ducked just in time as a blow glanced off the side of her head.
She twisted away and managed to scramble to a corner of the small apartment. A pair of yellow eyes fixed on her and a fist slammed into the wall just inches from her face.
Kaylee blinked rapidly and saw a man holding Lorni by the throat with one hand. The man was wearing only a pair of dirty jeans and she saw black fur sprouting from his back and chest. She recognized him immediately. The rogue wolf.
He was half-shifted, and while his shape was still largely human, his facial features had turned wolf. His claws and teeth were long and deadly, and Kaylee knew that she was staring into the eyes of her killer.
No! She couldn't allow him to kill her and Lorni.
“Lorni!”
Lorni's eyes fluttered open but she couldn't speak. The huge, hairy fist squeezed tighter around her neck, cutting off her air supply. Lorni made a wheezing, choking sound and her eyes rolled back in her head.
Kaylee glanced desperately around the small apartment before the rogue wolf came at her again. She saw a cupboard door swinging on one hinge, and guessed that the wolf had hidden in the cupboard, waiting for Lorni to come back to her apartment.
The rogue snarled and flung Lorni into a corner. Kaylee heard a sickening thud and Lorni didn't move.
Kaylee tried to still her too rapid breathing. The next few seconds were crucial. There was no time to scream for help. And she couldn't leave Lorni.
Silently, Kaylee reached for the dagger in her boot. Her fingers closed around the jeweled hilt and she gripped it tightly.
As the rogue widened his jaws and charged at her, Kaylee yanked the dagger out and raised it with both hands.
“Go to hell!” she screamed.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Winston didn't bother flashing the lights on his Sheriff's cruiser or sounding the siren. He heard screeching tires as he turned a corner sharply and sped down the street. He was probably going the wrong way and the Sheriff part of his brain told him to give himself a ticket.
But traffic violations were the least of his concerns right now. He could sense his mate's pain and distress. Kaylee was in trouble, and the mate bond was pulling his lion straight to her. He sped to the edge of town and blinked as he braked hard in front of Lorni Jones's shop.
They were in Nuts and Bolts.
He could scent them. Kaylee, Lorni and the wolf.
He knew who the rogue was. Jakim Daud belonged to the Redmoon wolf pack. The Redmoon wolves' territory was in Red Creek, a neighboring town, but Jakim had escaped to Shadow Point. The Alpha of the Redmoon pack had given the order for Jakim to be destroyed after Jakim attacked and killed three she-wolves in the pack.
Winston unsheathed his claws as he ran straight into Nuts and Bolts. He could scent blood, and the pungent smell of fear and anger. He was up the stairs in an instant, and Kaylee's fast, hard breathing sounded too loud in the small apartment.
Jakim's furry back was to him. The rogue had Kaylee pinned to the ground and was snapping his dripping jaws inches from her neck.
Roaring with rage, Winston grabbed Jakim and threw him against the wall.
Jakim pushed himself up and faced Winston. The golden, gleaming hilt of a dagger was sticking out of the rogue's chest.
His brave, clever Kaylee had managed to stab Jakim in the chest. Too bad she missed his heart. Still, she had succeeded in weakening the wolf and saving her own life. She had bought herself time and allowed Winston to reach her. If the wolf wasn't in such a weakened state, he would have finished her off and ripped her to shreds by now.
Kaylee crawled to Lorni and cradled her head in her arms. Winston stood and shielded the two women from the rogue, his claws and fangs elongating as his lion rippled just under his skin.
Jakim was now more wolf than man, but he couldn't shift fully into his wolf form, not with a silver blade embedded in his flesh.
There was not a trace of sanity or humanity left in Jakim's glowing, feral eyes. The predator in him had overtaken his senses, and he now lived for the thrill of the hunt and the kill. Shifters who had less self-control and restraint were more likely to turn rogue. They lacked the strength and discipline to control their beasts, and eventually, they would be completely ruled by their savage, animal appetites and wants.
Jakim was an animal, but he wasn't stupid. He had an animal's cunning and instinct, and Winston saw his yellow eyes flick to Kaylee and Lorni. He was still trying to reach his prey, to spill and taste human blood.
With a snarl, Jakim leaped up from a crouch, aiming straight for Kaylee. Winston moved in a flash and sliced his claws across the rogue's belly.
Winston brought the rogue down before he could reach Kaylee. As Jakim writhed on the ground, Winston grabbed the jeweled hilt of the dagger and pulled the silver blade out of Jakim's chest.
As Jakim began to shift into a full wolf, Winston roared and plunged the silver blade straight into the rogue's heart.
The glow left Jakim's yellow eyes. He remained in his half-wolf, half-human form, his inhuman face twisted in a vicious, ugly smile.
Winston stood and turned to Kaylee. She was shielding Lorni with her own body, even though she was shaking violently.
“Kaylee...” he growled her name.
She looked up at him and stared at the dead rogue at his feet.
“Lorni...she's hurt...” was the first thing Kaylee said.
Winston knelt and put his arms around Kaylee. He just needed to hold her for a moment. His mate was a lioness at heart. She had protected Lorni and herself from a rogue wolf shifter.
Winston radioed for an ambulance and backup. As he kissed Kaylee's matted blond hair, he could hear the sirens in the distance. His deputies would be here in a minute.
Winston kept his arms around Kaylee, unwilling to let her go.
He had just found his mate, and he had so nearly lost her.
He stood reluctantly when the paramedics and officers pounded up the stairs. Winston took less than a minute to brief his officers. His deputies, Aidan and Rico, nodded. They could handle the dead wolf. They would inform the Sheriff of Red Creek and the Alpha of the Redmoon pack that they had taken out the trash.
Holding Kaylee's hand, Winston climbed into the ambulance and accompanied his mate and Lorni Jones to the hospital.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Kaylee turned just as Winston stepped into the pub. Even now, just looking at her mate made her heart skip a beat. He was so strong, sexy and sweet, and she loved him so much. Winston smiled as he made his way to her.
“What can I get you, Sheriff?” she purred.
“There's only one thing I want,” Winston answered and pressed his lips to hers. He ignored the wolf whistles and heckling around them, and gave his mate a long, sensual kiss.
He finally released her and grinned at Gramma and Ne-ma, who were gyrating to the loud music. They sloshed beer all over the floor when they raised their frothing mugs to him.
> It was Witchy Wednesday at The Round Table, and the first twenty witches who came up to the bartender and gave him a kiss enjoyed free flow of beer the whole night.
Gramma and Ne-ma had muscled and elbowed their way to Gareth and kissed him noisily on the cheek. They had started dancing around the bar and telling naughty jokes after their second mug of beer.
Kaylee tut-tutted as she grabbed a mop and mopped up the spilled beer quickly before someone slipped and fell. “Just how many beers have you had?”
Ne-ma held up four fingers and slurred, “Just...two! And didn't you just ask me that five minutes ago?”
“No, I asked you an hour ago,” Kaylee huffed.
“Ask us again one hour later and our answer will still be the same!” Gramma cackled.
Kaylee shook her head at them and went to clear the tables. Gramma and Ne-ma were having a great time. They laughed and chatted with anyone and everyone. At the moment, they were inching towards Lorni and Sam.
Kaylee glanced at Lorni and smiled. Lorni and Sam were huddled in a booth, sharing a drink, a laugh and quite a few kisses. Kaylee was so happy for Lorni. Sam was a sweet, gentlemanly vampire and he was attentive and protective towards Lorni. Lorni told her that she liked Sam a lot, but she wanted to take things slow.
Gareth was at the counter, pointing at the glass case on the wall. The jeweled dagger was back in the locked glass display.
“Yep, that's the one,” Gareth was telling a voluptuous witch who was leaning over the counter and hanging onto Gareth's every word. “My sister-in-law saved Lorni Jones's life with that dagger. And my brother slayed the rogue wolf with it!”
Winston chuckled and pulled Kaylee to him. “He's using our family heirloom to pick up chicks,” Winston grumbled in her ear.
Kaylee laughed. “Well, he's proud of his big brother, the good, brave Sheriff!”
“He's proud of you too.”
“I know.” Kaylee grinned as Gareth scored a big, wet kiss from the busty, sexy witch.
Taming The Lion: BBW Paranormal Lion Shifter Romance (Gray Bears Book 5) Page 5
