Paige stilled. She had a feeling she knew where Alma was leading her. “Demons. Sven, specifically. He was trying to harness an animal spirit.”
“Why?”
Paige rolled her head on her neck, popping it twice. “Shifters know how to strip away a witch’s power.”
Leslie went still.
Alma didn’t even flinch.
Leslie blinked. “What?”
“They don’t do it.”
“But,” Alma said, “they can.”
“Yeah, Grandma,” Paige said, exhaling. “They can. You could also be hit by a bus if you left the house. I don’t see you staying inside for the threat of a bus attack.”
“This is different and you know it.”
Paige clucked her tongue. “I know that a person with a gun can be scary. But so can a person with a pen. I know that a shifter can strip me of my powers. But they’re also people, too. I’ve met these people, Grandma. They don’t all suck.”
And, Paige said inside her head, not a single one of them did anything like you did. To me.
Alma looked down, clenching her teeth.
“What I don’t know is how many witch families there are.” Paige ticked off these facts with her fingers, needing to get the conversation back on track. Information procurement. Emotions could wait. “I don’t know if they’re gathered together. I don’t know how powerful their coven is.”
Dexx’s gaze settled firmly on Paige’s, giving her silent support.
“And I don’t know,” she continued, “what kind of threat Merry Eastwood poses here in Texas.”
“None,” Alma said, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Portland is a long way from here.”
“She’s here.”
Alma’s startled white gaze daggered Paige’s.
“The Nederland pack warned me.” Paige nodded, terror tangling with anger inside her. “Weird thing is, she’s not here for us.”
“Us?”
Alma wasn’t dumb. She had to know something was going on.
“What did you do?”
Dexx stood, closing his eyes. A calm acceptance smoothed the crow’s feet around his eyes. “I was bitten.”
Alma slashed the air with her hand. “A bite doesn’t turn you.”
“This time, it did.”
Alma stared at him as if seeing a dead man.
Paige couldn’t just let Alma kick him out. Well, she had no control over the matter. Not really. This wasn’t her house. It wasn’t her home. “I can use my gift again.”
“What?” Alma demanded. “That shipped sailed. Your gift’s broken.”
A tremor of terror shook Paige’s voice as she admitted, “The animal spirits chose me.”
“Wait.” Leslie leaned against the island. “You’re a shifter?”
Alarm crashed over Alma’s wrinkled features.
“No,” Paige answered Leslie. “But my animal spirit healed my soul and the door to Hell residing within it.”
“Healed?” Alma asked.
Paige didn’t know how else to describe it.
Leslie straightened, concern washing over her face. “How did the other shifters react?”
“They…” Paige paused, not wanting to see the look of condemnation on Alma’s face when they admitted their big secret. “…didn’t.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because,” Dexx said, “they were worried more about me.”
“Why?” Alma and pressed her palms against the counter.
Mandy turned, the water from her dishcloth dripping onto the floor.
Tyler seemed unfazed. He continued to hum to himself while drying off the same glass he had been working on for the last three minutes.
Dexx narrowed one eye. “I’m a saber-toothed cat. I’m more powerful than most alphas. So, yeah. They were more concerned with me.”
Alma slammed her spatula against the counter. Her face visibly bottled her rising anger.
Tyler jumped, his brown eyes wide. He looked between everyone. “Sis, you’re dripping wet.”
“Huh? Oh.” She threw the dishcloth in the not-so-soapy water.
“Hey!” Tyler held his hand up to deflect the water.
“You brought a shapeshifter into my house?” Alma demanded.
Tyler’s eyes widened, his lips rounded.
“I brought Dexx into your house,” Paige answered.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“No, Grandma, I don’t.” Paige stood. “You know why? Because you’ve kept secrets. Because you never even told us about the paranormal community. We never knew shapeshifters existed.”
“I did so for your protection.”
“Who were you protecting?” Paige demanded. “Yourself? You were scared. Just like when I was a kid. Just like when I was an adult. Always scared. Always thinking of yourself.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, really?” Paige advanced. “I’m the one who couldn’t talk to the person raising her about her gifts, her abilities, because everyone was so afraid of what she could do. Including the most powerful witch she’d ever met. You.”
Alma balled her hand into a fist. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Why would I?” Paige threw her hands in the air and slapped them against her thighs. “I’d have to have information first.”
“If the shifters around here find out—”
“They already know,” Paige yelled.
The kitchen went absolutely silent.
Paige blinked, breathing in calm. “Dexx set off their territory wards. They greeted us just outside Fort Worth.”
“Blessed Mother.” Alma tapped her fingers against to her chest. “What have you done?”
Leslie leaned in, her expression carefully blank. “What happened?”
“It was basically a butt sniffing conversation.” Paige walked slowly back to her chair, but she didn’t sit down. “They heard stories about us. They want to meet officially later.”
Alma cringed.
“They asked if they could approach the house.” Paige sat down and scooted her mug in a circle. “I said yes.”
“Why would you do that?” Alma demanded.
“Because we broke the treaty.” Paige dipped her head. “Even with the threat of Merry Eastwood, I couldn’t treat them like they were the ones to blame. They’re good people, Grandma.”
“Good people? Girl-child! You’re trying to kill us.”
Paige stared at the ceiling. “We’re only here because the shifters warned us about Merry. We’re here to make sure you’re all safe and then we’re leaving again.”
“Good.”
That single word felt like a slap to the face.
“Not good,” Leslie said with a frown. “This is her home.”
“Not anymore.”
“We need her here.”
“No, girl-child,” Alma said quietly. “We don’t.”
Leslie balled her right hand into a fist. “No, Grandma, we do.” She straightened. “I’m not losing my baby sister again because you got scared.”
Alma spun on her, spatula in hand. “The last time the Whiskeys faced the Eastwoods, our entire line was nearly erased, girl. They are more powerful than we are. They are stronger in numbers than we are. And they are ruthless.”
“Mark wasn’t,” Paige said.
Alma’s expression softened. “No. Mark wasn’t.”
“What about Leah?” Paige stared hard at her grandmother. “Does Merry know about her?”
“I certainly hope not.”
“Or what? She’ll go after Leah?”
“As the only direct line descendant who’s female?” Alma leaned against the island, her hands wide. “Yes. Merry will be very interested in her.”
“Great.” Leslie thumped the counter. “So, let’s just scatter the Whiskeys to the four fuckin’ winds.”
“Mom,” Mandy exclaimed.
Leslie held up her hand to si
lence her child. “Leah’s already across the damned country, unprotected.”
“Rachel has angels.”
“Who only help her when it suits their agenda. Let’s not forget about that. Do they even care? About Leah? I doubt it. They cared about hurting Paige because she could pull demons from Hell and she refused to remain within the angels’ control.”
Goddess bless, how Paige loved her sister.
“And, now, you want to send Paige away? When we need numbers?”
Alma gripped her spatula until her pale knuckles went white.
“And let’s not forget the pack.” Leslie leaned forward. “Grandma. Think about it. The damage is done. Paige is a part of their world now. So’s Dexx. He is family. Not blood, but I’m not giving him up just because he’ll claw my couch. No. Grandma. Think about it.”
Paige swallowed. Leslie’s arguments were good. “We can’t stay. At the end of the day, it’s just too risky.”
“It’s too risky for you to leave. Pea, Grandma’s not getting any younger. Okay? Her magick isn’t as strong as it used to be.”
Alma flinched.
“I’m the Whiskey matriarch. Me, Pea. The weakest witch of the Whiskeys. I have a pre-teen fire-starter. I have a bard, and a telepath. And I have a crone whose power is fading along with her mind.”
“Child,” Alma warned.
“No, Grandma.” Leslie’s eyes lit with real fear. “The danger is here and we need to face reality. Paige is stronger. She has always been stronger.”
Leslie didn’t know just how strong Paige had grown.
“And now she’s a shifter, too.”
“I can’t shift.”
“Whatever. The animal spirit helps you.”
She would be worthy of choosing as well.
Oh great. A family of witch-shifters. Awesome.
It is something to consider.
“We need her magick in our circle.”
A flame of hope flared in Paige’s chest. She’d never been offered that before.
“We need the support of the shifters.”
Alma grimaced.
“And we need the demons Paige controls.”
“Control,” Paige said, “isn’t what I would call it.”
Leslie ignored her. “We need to consider it. We’re stronger together.”
Alma ran her tongue along her back teeth.
“Besides,” Leslie said softly. “Your old captain called. He’d like to offer you your old job back.”
Silence. A long, drawn-out, much needed moment of silence. They all had a lot to consider.
Paige cleared her throat and scratched the back of her neck. “You bring up very valid points, Les.”
“I’m scared, Pea. I can’t take over the family from Grandma. I’m not strong enough.”
Paige hadn’t even thought about that. She had always been the youngest, had always been the outcast. She’d always assumed Leslie would take over when Grandma was done. To think of the reins of the family being handed to Paige?
Wasn’t nearly as terrifying as it probably should be. “This isn’t my house.”
“No.” Leslie squared her shoulders. “It’s mine.” She glanced at her grandmother.
Alma’s expression was wrinkled stone.
“You’re both welcome in my home.”
The force of magick infused in those simple words washed over Paige. The wards pinged against her soul, changing in pitch until they hummed in tune with her.
She’d never realized before that moment. All those years living in that house, and the wards had never synced with her soul.
She was home. Finally. Even though the thought hurt. “I’ll talk to Henry.” Her old boss. “And we’ll consider our options.”
Leslie sagged with relief.
“That’s all I’m promising.”
Leslie wrapped one arm around Mandy’s shoulders and squeezed, resting her cheek on top of Mandy’s head. “I’ll take it. Just…stay.” She met Paige’s gaze and whispered, “Please.”
Dexx met Paige at the door. “Fuck!”
Her sentiments exactly.
“Are we staying? Going?”
She didn’t know. Not really. “I’m going to talk to Henry.”
“Good?”
It was good to see she wasn’t the only one who was struggling with the idea of staying. “Maybe?”
Dexx raised his eyebrows, his lips clamped shut. “Right.” He pulled his keys out of the car and led the way.
Paige almost groaned when she slid into the front seat. She needed a break from the car. Even from Jackie.
No. Not from Jackie. She was a blessedly beautiful beast of a car.
Dexx started her up and her engine roared, then settled down to a purr.
Yeah. That.
“Is staying here even an option? Really?” Dexx asked as he pulled onto the highway to Dallas.
Paige sucked in her cheeks slightly and stared out the window. “We can’t stay.” Or could they? Her heart had been set when they’d left for Texas, but now?
“Where else would we go? Denver’s out.”
She didn’t know. She’d never thought about what she wanted. Not seriously, anyway. “Where would we want to go?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I’ve been to just about every state. I can tell you New York is nice, if you wanted to get closer to Leah.”
“I don’t like the city.”
“There’s a lot more to New York than New York City, Pea.”
She knew that. She’d driven out there once. Had been almost arrested for trying to see Leah. Yeah. She knew. But how would she keep herself from killing Rachel? Being that close to her for any period of time could be disastrous.
They had a war on the horizon, however. Merry Eastwood had shown up on Alma’s doorstep. So, the woman knew where they lived. It was only a matter of time before she found out about the treaty being broken. They had one move. “Portland.”
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Don’t you think that could be a bit dangerous? What with everything going on with…well, with us?”
With the other witch families also in Portland and, presumably, siding with the Eastwoods, Paige and Dexx would be wildly outnumbered. Especially since she doubted she could talk Leslie and Alma into moving.
Dexx clamped his lips shut, eyebrows high.
It didn’t really matter how much stronger she was now. That idea might be bad. “It might be better than looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives. Or worrying if Merry sent henchmen to Grandma’s door.”
He gripped the wheel and glanced at her, maintaining the brunt of his attention on the heavy traffic. “Well, what if we stayed? What if we moved here?”
“And force the war to our doorstep?”
“Or not. Who says she’s going to find out?”
“Our piss poor luck. That’s what.” And Sven. And Oriel.
“But look at it, Pea. Your family’s here. You’d have a roof. And pie. Let’s not forget about that damned pie.”
She chuckled.
So did he. “You practically have your old job back. It’s an easy fit. All the issues are checked off.”
Move back in? To that house?
That house that was finally a home? “I’ve been on my own for five years.”
“You have.”
“And I’ve learned things like—” She flicked her fingers against the window. “I enjoy eating ice cream out of the tub.”
Dexx tugged the corner of his lips down and pointed a finger to the roof of his car. “That’s an act of ownership right there.”
“And I like having full, one hundred percent control of the remote.”
“Prime TV watching is important to the psyche.”
“And I love taking my baths. Alone. And on my own time.”
“And long showers. You can’t take long showers in that house.”
That was a true statement. “And I like my privacy.”
“Oh. Yeah. You
wouldn’t have that at all in that house.”
“At all.”
“So, staying here is a bad idea?”
Well, maybe staying in Alma’s house with Leslie and Tru and Mandy and Tyler and Kamden? Maybe that.
But, if she and Dexx stayed in Texas, close enough to assist if the war did come down to them? That might be the better plan.
He took the exit. “Just do me a favor and figure it out quickly.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”
“Because I need to know if I’m extending the rental on my storage unit in New York or not.”
Her heart skipped. When Dexx had been bitten, she’d declared her love for him.
Then, nothing.
He survived the bite. They saved the shifters of Nederland from being blown up by a mad man. And they cleaned up the mess that had been left behind. She’d been fired. They’d found out about the threat of Merry, and they’d driven to Texas.
But no talk about their future or her declaration of love. It had been eating at her. When she thought about it. Lucky for her, she wasn’t one of those emotional women who only thought of men and how one could complete her.
Though, truth be told, she wasn’t far off. This man did complete her and she just needed him to want that, too. “You were going to stay here?”
“You’re the one who said I was your home.”
She had.
“I just assumed I was going to stay and be your live-in lover.”
Live-in lover? She’d told him she loved him. Not that she wanted a live-in sex toy.
“Imagine it. I give you unfettered access to this love machine—” He gestured to himself.
He had a good point, but she wanted more.
“And you give me a roof, you feed me, clothe me—okay. I’ll help with that because I’ve seen how you clothe yourself.”
What if all he wanted was sex?
Was she being irrational? Had her woman genes kicked in and taken over her brain? Had she misread the signs?
He shrugged, his expression slipping into seriousness. “I could settle down. I miss having a home. I hate living out of a motel room. I hate take-out food and eating at gas stations. Also, I love Alma’s house. She makes it seem like a real home. Plus, there’s pie. All I have to do is tell her I’m having a really, really bad day, and she makes pie happen.”
He couldn’t get over the pie thing. “But my lover?”
His lips twitched and he didn’t speak immediately. “Sex would be good between us. There’s a good spark, but it’s not always there. We can work with each other without it distracting us.”
A Barrel of Whiskey - (An Urban Fantasy Whiskey Witches Novel) Page 4
