Witch Hunt (City Shifters: the Pack Book 1)

by Layla Nash

  “Yeah.” Her voice, soft and shy, made his guts contract and his chest tighten.

  He wanted to fold her up in his arms and shelter her from everything in the world that might frighten her or hurt her or even just displease her. But she wasn’t ready for that. He could see it in every line of her body and the way she held the sheets around her like some kind of armor. She’d been fighting for so long maybe she couldn’t see how to lean on someone else. He gritted his teeth and stepped back, knowing he couldn’t push her further. “Feel free to go where you like in this part of the building. No one else is allowed up here, so you won’t be bothered.”

  She nodded and he retreated, tense from head to toe, and turned his attention to finding Todd and beating the shit out of him for not knocking.

  Chapter 34

  Deirdre

  I wanted to crawl under the bed or into the closet and hide. What the hell was wrong with me? Maybe I could blame whatever someone had put in my drink for losing my damn mind. I’d never rolled around on the floor with a man in my whole damn life, and yet something about Miles made me want to do things I’d never done before. Something about his confidence, his self-assurance, made me think that none of it was fake. It wasn’t like my ice queen facade that I’d relied on for so long—no, he didn’t have to pretend to be so at ease with himself. He just was.

  I scrubbed my hands over my face and sighed as Cricket head-butted me, still irritated over our morning snuggle time being interrupted, and I resisted the urge to start laughing again. Miles’s face had been priceless when Cricket jumped on him right in the middle of the kiss.

  My cheeks were still hot even after I lingered in the shower. I didn’t think I could face Mercy or Henry or anyone if Todd or Miles revealed I’d been so casual about making out with a near-stranger. When I dared the bedroom of the guest suite once more, I found a few stacks of clean clothes on the newly-made bed and swallowed a sigh of relief. Mercy hadn’t lingered in the room, though I could hear her quiet voice beyond the door. Maybe making breakfast or lunch or whatever meal was next. I had no idea what time it was, but I already wanted a nap.

  I briefly checked the suitcase and duffel bag they left in the closet, finding some of my familiar clothes, but nothing in there was nicer than the stuff Mercy brought. A slight wiggle of guilt worked its way into my stomach. It felt like I was taking advantage by borrowing their clothes, even if they all said it was okay. I didn’t take charity. Even on my darkest, poorest day, I didn’t take charity. I needed to stand on my own feet. I didn’t want to rely on anyone else. It was fine for everyone else to rely on the helping hands. I even volunteered in soup kitchens and at shelters and food pantries and clothes closets. But for me...

  I shook my head and pulled on the borrowed jeans. Maybe I needed to deal with my ego and stubborn pride before I started judging myself. Or anyone else.

  And it was hard to feel bad about wearing the expensive kind of jeans that made my butt look amazing. I paused in front of the mirror, debating whether it was smart to wear butt-lifting jeans, since clearly Miles had been admiring it even in my own less-fitted jeans. Walking around flaunting the junk in my trunk ran the risk of riling him up. Which neither of us needed.

  My cheeks burned more as I rummaged through the shirts and undershirts and other tops that were strewn across the bed. Whatever madness had come over me when he tickled and kissed me, I couldn’t let it take over again. I had to stay serious and focused. The geas remained in place, which meant there was still a threat to Miles’s life. What happened after we left the house the first time was just a blur, so I couldn’t even really say why Miles thought the threat had been dealt with.

  I finally chose a light but long-sleeve top in a deep purple and demure neckline with a ribbon woven through the neck and sleeves, trailing down a little. It felt all delicate and feminine, and was absolutely unlike anything else I had in my wardrobe. But I liked it and figured no one in that building knew what I was normally like or what I had in my closet, so it was okay to experiment.

  And then it was just a matter of steeling my courage to open the door and walk out into the main living area. Mercy and Henry both stood in the kitchen, muttering to each other, and turned when they heard the door hinges squeak. Mercy beamed at me, even though worry tightened the skin around her eyes. “There you are. How are you feeling? Evershaw said you were awake and needed clothes but he didn’t say anything else so I wasn’t sure whether you were actually feeling okay or wanted to stay in bed all day. What happened? Do you remember?”

  I blinked and steadied myself on a nearby chair, overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. Henry jumped forward to help, holding my other arm, and led me over to the counter so I could slide onto one of the high stools. He frowned at Mercy. “Slow down. Let her at least get some coffee.”

  “Right, sorry.” Mercy retrieved a cup of coffee for me and set it on the counter near my elbow, along with milk and cream and sugar and even a small flask of liquor. “It’s not yet lunch, Deirdre, but I made some brunch food. Are you hungry?”

  I wrapped my hands around the mug and inhaled the scent, wishing the caffeine could penetrate through my lungs and then to my brain. “I could eat, if you’ve got something ready.”

  Henry slid onto the stool next to me and we both watched Mercy spin around and start putting plates in front of me: omelets, pancakes, fried chicken, bacon and sausage, croissants, hash browns, some salad... I started laughing and almost fell off the stool. “How much did you think I’d eat?”

  “I wanted you to have options.” She grinned and pulled out three plates. “Plus Henry and I ate breakfast ages ago, so we’ll join you.”

  We all tucked in to the feast, and for a long time the only sounds were chewing, drinking, cutlery, and quiet requests to pass something or another. At least they weren’t teasing me about Miles. I didn’t know whether to be flustered or relieved. Maybe me staying in the guest room was a clear enough sign to the pack that he meant something to happen between us. There really wasn’t a good way to ask without tipping them off that something had happened.

  When I stopped to take a breath and the two shifters kept on eating, I concentrated on getting up to pour more coffee for myself and for them. “I can move back to the other quarters. I’ll just need a hand with Cricket.”

  “The cat,” Mercy said, her eyes brightening. “I didn’t get a chance to play with him. I put a litter box in the closet and some food and water for him, but he didn’t want to leave you.”

  I smiled, glancing over my shoulder to see whether the giant cat had braved the open door to explore the living room. “He’s something else. Just give him a little while, and if you’re the only lap available, he’ll make friends.”

  Henry still focused on his breakfast, reaching for the last three sausages and a fistful of bacon. “You’re not moving back to the other quarters; you’ll stay here. It’s better.”

  “I’ll stay here?” I pushed the plate of fried chicken in his direction. I didn’t want to be tempted to eat even more, otherwise I’d pop right out of those fabulous jeans. “I thought these were…Evershaw’s rooms. Why would I stay here?”

  Henry shrugged but didn’t look at me. “Dunno. Those were the orders. ‘The witch stays here.’ He doesn’t usually explain things.”

  “It’s kind of weird,” Mercy said. She bounced out of the kitchen and over to the guest suite I’d somehow claimed. She made ‘here kitty kitty’ sounds, trying to lure Cricket out, and didn’t pay attention to us as she went on. “He never lets anyone stay here. Not even Todd can pass out on the couch when they’ve been up late drinking. The alpha likes his space and he doesn’t like anyone else up here. Even me and Henry being here is weird. He told us to stay until you were up and had something to eat, and now we’re supposed to entertain you.”

  My ears rang in warning. Being different, at least in magic, wasn’t a good thing. I cleared my throat. “So what does…what does that mean?”

  “Nothing,
” Henry said, cutting Mercy off before she could start blabbing more. I needed to get her alone so she could spill all the secrets. Henry kept his head about him and was thoughtful enough he wouldn’t slip up. Although that meant anything he said was even more important, since he’d said it carefully and deliberately. “It doesn’t mean anything except he wants to make sure you’re safe and close by. In case something else happens.”

  “In case something else happens to him,” I said slowly. I kept my attention on Henry, despite that Mercy kept cooing and murmuring to Cricket, and another pancake called my name. “Right? That’s what you mean by ‘in case.’”

  Henry took a deep breath and his gaze slid away. “Mostly.”

  “Henry, come on.” I held onto the edge of the counter and dropped my voice. “I’m out of my depth here. I don’t know what your rules are, what this shit means in the pack. You’ve got to help me out. Help me understand.”

  He leaned his elbows on the counter and released a gusty sigh. He glanced over at where Mercy caught Cricket up and started dancing around with him, and murmured very quietly so she wouldn’t overhear. “You didn’t hear this from me. And you can’t change how you act around him, okay?”

  My heart beat faster. That didn’t sound good. “Of course not.”

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this,” he muttered, shaking his head. Then Henry took a deep breath and hung his head a little. “He likes you. He hasn’t said anything, but after last night... It’s pretty clear he likes you a lot more than he’s liked anyone else in a long time.”

  “What happened last night?” I really, really wished I could remember. Something huge must have happened for things to have changed so drastically between Miles and me.

  Henry kept his attention on where Mercy tried to fend Cricket off after offering him some of the fried chicken. She was going to lose a finger that way. “You escaped and he didn’t know where you were, so we were tracking you down and he kept getting more and more agitated. We finally found you at that dude’s house and Evershaw almost lost his mind. He wanted to go in and get you, from what Todd said. When you finally left, though, something was wrong, so we followed you back to your house. Evershaw didn’t want to leave you there so he had us pack up some stuff for you and he carried you out of there. Into his car. Next to him. And carried you upstairs to his wing of the building, where no one else ever stays. Ever. He stayed there to watch you breathe, to make sure you didn’t have any problems because of the drugs, even though Mercy could have stayed with you.”

  I couldn’t breathe. There was so much to unpack in what he’d said. Miles hunted me down at the coven meeting and then waited outside to grab me when I was distracted and tired and under the influence of something. And let me drive my motorcycle home. I shook my head, struggling to come up with an appropriate response. “But…he followed me? How did you…how did he find me after I ran?”

  “We searched,” Henry said. His head turned so his brown-gold gaze met mine. “And I think he asked someone for a favor to find your address or the guy’s address or something. But we would have found you eventually. And it’s a good thing we found you when we did—you could have crashed your motorcycle or passed out in the street or stayed at that guy’s house and who knows what might have happened.”

  There was so much wrong with what he’d said. They stalked me and searched for me through the city, somehow knew someone to ask about Palmer—which opened a whole new box of questions—and followed me back to my house. I cleared my throat. “Why did he bring me up here? Why did he…watch me sleep?”

  “Like I said, he likes you.” Henry rubbed the back of his neck and glanced over as Mercy fended Cricket off with a couch pillow, hiding behind it as the cat tried to figure out where she’d hidden the chicken. “With our kind, alphas get very protective of anyone who’s ill or young or weaker than us, and it’s a thousand times stronger if they like the person. Find them attractive, I mean.”

  His ears turned red and he went back to studying his plate. “But I don’t know what all of that means. In the time I’ve been in the pack, Evershaw has never had a woman stay with him. He never brings anyone back here. So it’s already different from everything we know about him. I don’t have any advice or anything. Just thought you might want to know that you’re different around here, and that might be why people look at you funny.”

  Which was good to know, since usually people looked at me funny because I had dirt on my clothes and smelled like manure from the greenhouse. Or because I was a witch who didn’t want to be with a coven. Or a girl who turned down a perfectly nice guy like Palmer in order to stay alone in my old house that was falling apart. I slid to my feet slowly to go rescue Mercy and hauled Cricket up before he climbed her like a tree. “Thanks. That’s all good to know.”

  “What’s good to know?” Mercy panted as she finally got up, giving Cricket a wide berth as she hustled over to the kitchen and started to put away the food. “That cat really likes chicken. Like, really likes chicken. How do you have all of your fingers and toes? Does he bite you?”

  “Not since I learned to put the chicken on the end of a stick before I give it to him.” I was only partly joking. Cricket managed to hunt down his own birds and mice and, unfortunately, real crickets, so I didn’t have to worry as much about him chewing my arm off every time I made salmon. “Probably better not to give him people food, Mercy. But will he be okay here? A cat won’t be a problem in a den of wolves, right?”

  “Nope,” Mercy said. She frowned at her forearms and a few scratches from where Cricket got too excited, and carefully washed her arms in the sink. “A cat that big and aggressive won’t have aaaaaaaany problems around here. Plus he’s yours and no one is stupid enough to do something that might make you mad.”

  I sat on the arm of the couch, scratching under Cricket’s chin as he purred and head-butted me. “Because I’m a witch. I get it.”

  She shook her head. “No, because you’re the alpha’s—”

  “Friend,” Henry said, jumping in. “Because you’re Evershaw’s friend and he likes you, and that’s it. That’s all.”

  I looked between them as Mercy’s face got red and Henry frowned at her. There was definitely something else going on, even beyond what Henry told me. But I could be patient, too. I could play along and save my questions and suspicions up for later. I studied the creamy fur of Cricket’s stomach as he stretched out and rolled over in my arms like a baby. “So what are we up to today, then? Is Smith coming over to get rid of the geas?”

  “I don’t know,” Henry said. “Evershaw didn’t say much about what he’s doing, other than tracking down some business stuff and then maybe reaching out to Smith. We’ll hear more later. In the meantime, we can do whatever you want. But you can’t wear yourself out, so nothing strenuous. And Tom wanted to check you over to make sure your heartbeat and lungs are okay.”

  Cricket stretched out like a slinky and then rolled right out of my arms to hit the floor with a disgruntled chirp. He stalked into the kitchen, tail lashing the air, and cornered Mercy near the fridge. Her eyes got big and she hopped up on the counter as his paw patted her foot, and looked at me. “What the hell do I do now?”

  “Toss him a wing?” I retrieved my coffee cup and went into the kitchen with her so I could shoo Cricket away with my foot. “He’ll leave you alone eventually. Is Tom going to come up here?”

  “I’ll call him,” Henry said. He hesitated a bit before he went to the intercom kind of phone on the wall near the door, and picked it up while still watching Mercy and me. Like he might have been wary of what Mercy would tell me. I filed that away for later and figured I’d need a way to get Mercy alone.

  And I needed to call my aunt to figure out who the hell slipped something in my drink at the coven meeting. It could have been a charm or a hex, though, that mimicked the symptoms of that kind of drug. I should have noticed if it were magic, though. If I’d been focused instead of distracted and exhausted, then maybe I
wouldn’t have gotten drugged. I stopped myself and stared into the coffee as I stirred more milk in until it turned a lovely tan, the same color as the fur on the tip of Cricket’s tail. It wasn’t my fault someone drugged me. There wasn’t anything I should or could have done, since no one should have freaking drugged me.

  I leaned back against the counter and frowned as Cricket hopped up near the sink to explore the plate of pancakes that Mercy hadn’t gotten to yet. I had no idea what to do after Tom gave me a clean bill of health, if I had one, since there was no telling what else went on inside the warehouse. What did a wolf pack do all day? Did they have jobs? Did they just hang around and watch movies all day?

  “I need to call my boss,” I said. “Although I’d prefer to go to the store and apologize in person. I can’t afford to lose my job and I haven’t been in or spoken with her since you guys kidnapped me the first time.”

  Henry hung up the phone and nodded. “I’ll check. We can probably take you there with a security team for a little while; I’ll ask Todd. But we’ll have to come back here pretty quickly.”

  So much for not being a prisoner. “It would be weird for me to show up with a whole crew of dudes, you know. That’s not usually how I roll.”

  “I’ll go in with you,” Henry said. “Or Mercy. The rest can stay outside and make sure no one surprises us. You won’t even notice.”

  I laughed and shook my head, retrieving Cricket from the counter as he tried to drag a pancake off the plate so he could ravage it behind the couch. “My boss will lose her shit if I walk in there with just you, believe me.”

  “You can’t go in alone,” Mercy said. Her expression lost some of its cheerfulness and turned serious. “It might be dangerous. Someone put something in your drink and we don’t know if they might try something else. And since you’re part of our pack now, some of the people who are pissed at the alpha could decide to use you to get to him.”