Shadow Witch Rising (Copper Falls Book 1)

by Colleen Vanderlinden

  “You've still got it for him,” she said softly.

  “I do not.”

  “You totally do,” Layla said.

  “Shut up,” Sophie said.

  “Why are you embarrassed? It's sweet. First loves and all that,” Cara said.

  “It would be more sweet if he wasn't blackmailing me.”

  “Yeah, there is that little detail,” Layla said. “I don't like this. Be careful, girl.”

  “I intend to be.”

  “Calder wouldn't hurt her,” Cara said. “You know that.”

  “I never would have seen him blackmailing her, either. And he's become practically a hermit the past few years. And then all of a sudden he's moving back near town, all to blackmail her? It's creepy and I don't like it. This doesn't sound like the boy we knew.”

  “Lay, he goes hunting with Bryce every month. If there was something wrong with him, Bryce would know,” Cara pressed.

  “Men are clueless. Calder could have a raging case of the crazies and Bryce wouldn't even notice, especially in the thrill of the hunt. As long as they get to kill stuff, they're happy.”

  “How is Bryce, anyway?” Sophie cut in, not really wanting to talk about Calder anymore. As could be expected, Layla shut up, and she and Cara exchanged an amused glance. “I haven't seen him in a while.”

  “Well, the studio keeps him busy during tourist season, but now that it's settled down, he's around more. He's supposed to meet us there tonight, actually,” Layla said.

  “Oh. That explains the skirt, then,” Sophie said, and Cara laughed. Layla was the least girly-girl they knew, happiest in jeans and running the hunt. “Just ask him out.”

  “I'm not asking him out,” Layla said.

  “Why not?”

  “Because my ego is fragile and I'm not ready for rejection just yet. At least this way, I can keep pretending it's a possibility,” she said.

  “He would have to be completely stupid to say no,” Sophie said.

  “Well, since he hasn't done anything about it yet, I'm going to have to assume he's not interested.”

  “Or he's just sure you'd say no,” Sophie said, and Cara nodded. It was clear to everyone but the two of them that Bryce and Layla were crazy about one another. But getting the town's sexy yoga instructor shifter and their resident tough girl together was like pulling teeth.

  “It's like the worst soap opera ever, watching you two,” Cara said, and now it was Sophie's turn to nod in agreement.

  “Can we stop talking about it now?” Layla grumbled. Cara and Sophie exchanged a small smile, and they drove for a while in silence.

  “Who's designated driver?” Cara asked.

  “Me,” Sophie said. “The last thing I need is to do something stupid tonight.”

  They didn't argue, and when they pulled into an empty spot in the gravel parking lot outside of Jack's, Layla pulled the keys out of the ignition and passed them over her shoulder to Sophie, who stuffed them into her purse.

  Jack's was a mostly nondescript building. Low, brick, with a few small windows and a blinking red neon sign over the door that said “Jack's.” A wooden sign on the door said, “No bullshit past this point. Don't make us call our wolves.”

  It wasn't an idle threat. The non-supernatural types just thought it was a clever joke, but everyone else knew better. Jack's was probably the most well-known shifter bar in the state, partially because it was surrounded by some of the best hunting grounds anywhere, but also because the owner was one of the most respected alpha wolves in the state. He was the alpha of the pack that Layla and Cara, and every other wolf in the area, belonged to.

  “Jack would totally do you,” Layla said as they walked in and the alpha's gaze settled on Sophie.

  “Not interested. Boobs are his only prerequisite as far as that goes.”

  “Picky, picky,” Cara said, and Sophie rolled her eyes. Her gaze landed on the table in the corner, where Bryce was standing to greet them, waving them over. The three of them exchanged hugs with him, then sat (Cara and Sophie making sure to put Layla beside Bryce). They ordered, then sat back and relaxed, chatting, watching a few of the patrons playing darts, listening to the music the DJ, which was a Friday night thing, was playing.

  “So if you're not going to get laid, are you at least going to dance?” Cara asked Sophie.

  “Who's getting laid?” Bryce asked, tearing his eyes away from Layla.

  “Not me,” Sophie said.

  “Oh, good. Because if some asshole starts coming on to any of you in here, I'm going to kick some ass. These guys are shit.”

  “You hang out here with Calder and Jon a couple of times a month,” Layla pointed out with a laugh.

  “Yeah, so I know better,” Bryce said. “And you stay away from Jack and his grabby hands,” he said to Sophie. “I see the way he looks at you when you come in here, and he's always grabbing the waitresses and some of the more receptive female customers. I really don't want to have to kick my alpha's ass.”

  “You wouldn't get into a fight over that,” Sophie said, laughing.

  “The hell I wouldn't,” Bryce said. “The guy has no respect. Typical alpha shit, thinks he can do whatever he wants.”

  “It wouldn't be worth fighting over,” Sophie said, at which all three of the shifters at the table stared at her incredulously.

  “Aren't Lightwitches all about protecting and shit like that?” Bryce asked.

  “Well, yeah. But you're not a Lightwitch, and your alpha could make life really, really miserable for you if you pissed him off.”

  “I'm not a Lightwitch but I'm a shifter. I come from a long line of shifters who took no shit. And we used to play in the sandbox in my backyard together, along with those two,” he said gesturing at Layla and Cara, “so if he touches you, I'm gonna break his face.”

  Sophie shook her head and smiled, stupidly touched by the words.

  “Still feels like an outsider,” Cara said, and Layla nodded.

  “Because I am. You all got to grow up here together. I wasn't here,” Sophie said.

  “But you're one of us. All those summers, all that time we spent in school reminding one another not to let on what we actually were to the dumbass normal kids. All those hot days at the falls. You're one of us,” Layla said. “And no one messes with one of our own.”

  “Speaking of which…. Did you know your buddy Calder is blackmailing Sophie?” Cara said to Bryce, and Sophie groaned.

  Bryce looked uncomfortable. “I know.”

  “What?” Layla exploded, and Bryce actually winced.

  “He told me. And he told me why, and I hate it, but I know how desperate he is,” Bryce said.

  Layla and Cara stared at him, and Layla turned away from him in disgust, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “He didn't know who the witch would be, okay? Evie didn't even share her last name! He needed a witch from that line, and he saw an opportunity and took it.” Sensing that he was only digging himself in deeper, he took a deep breath and looked pleadingly at Sophie, then at Layla. “She's gotta break it. And if she can't, we'll find her another place in town. I know it's not the same,” he cut in quickly, interrupting what Layla had been about to say. “I know. I know you need that land to heal, I know you need it to learn more about yourself and what you can do. I know the magic of your ancestors imbues the place, and you need it. I know. Okay? But this shit with Calder… something has to be done and we'll do our best to take care of you if it all goes wrong.”

  “What does it do?” Sophie asked him.

  He shook his head. “That's his story to tell. All I know is, I hope you can end it, Soph.”

  “Speak of the goddamn devil,” Layla muttered. Sophie followed her gaze, to where Calder was walking through the front door of Jack's, along with another man who looked like a slimmer, shorter version of himself. That would be Jon, Sophie remembered.

  Calder's gaze landed on Sophie. His eyes met hers across the crowded bar, and she found it almost impossibl
e to look away. She finally tore her gaze away from his, looked down at her drink.

  “It would be shitty of me not to invite him over,” Bryce said in a low voice. “Bar's packed, we have plenty of room, and we're all old friends. You okay with that?” he asked Sophie. She nodded, barely. “Be nice,” he said to Layla, and she ignored him.

  Bryce stood up and called Calder and Jon over, and they slid into the booth, Calder beside Sophie, Jon beside Layla.

  “Thanks,” Jon said. “Hey, Sophie,” he said, his gaze flicking away from hers almost immediately.

  “Hey,” she said. The six of them sat, mostly trying to avoid looking at one another, it seemed. Layla tapped listlessly on the side of her glass, Bryce seemed to have found something really fascinating about the wall behind Sophie, and Jon pretty much just stared down at his hands on the tabletop. Sophie shared a quick glance with Bryce, who saved the situation by talking about the car he'd just bought that he was going to have Calder restore.

  “What kind of car?” Sophie asked, relieved there was finally talking happening, happy for anything that would distract her from Calder's huge, warm body beside hers, his knee pressing against hers in the crowded booth. He sat silently beside her.

  “It's a sixty-eight Mustang. Mostly in good shape, but it's not running and some of the details are missing.”

  “I didn't know you fixed cars,” Sophie said to Calder, determined to act somewhat normal despite everything.

  “That's what I do for a living. I work out of my garage, no co-workers. I specialize in vintage cars. Restoration, mostly,” he said, and when she looked up at him, he was watching her. “It's something I kind of fell into.”

  “He's good at it too,” Jon said. “Gets calls from people all over the country.”

  Calder didn't say anything.

  “That's great,” Sophie said. “I noticed a car in your driveway. Is that it?”

  Calder nodded.

  “Don't judge on first impressions. It's going to be killer once he's done with it,” Bryce said.

  “It has no wheels and it's the most ugly shade of sky blue I've ever seen,” Sophie said. Layla and Cara laughed.

  “I know. I was with him when he bought it and I tried to talk him out of it. I didn't know you were taking it to Calder, though,” Layla said.

  “Who else would I take it to?” Bryce asked.

  “I don't know. Maybe someone who isn't blackmailing one of your oldest friends?” Layla said.

  “Drop it,” Sophie muttered. Calder had gone rigid beside her, and when she glanced over at him, she saw that his jaw was clenched, a muscle jumping there. He didn't seem angry. Uncomfortable and irritated, maybe. “That's my problem. Not yours,” Sophie said. Layla tried to argue, and Sophie cut her off. “I'm a big girl. I don't need anyone to save me.” Layla looked at her in disbelief, and Sophie shook her head. She couldn't even explain it. As pissed off as she was at Calder, as hurt as she was that he didn't remember her, she wasn't about to let anyone else lay into him.

  “I should go, probably,” Calder said.

  “No. You shouldn't,” Sophie said. “Stay.”

  He stayed, and several times during the evening, Sophie almost wished she'd agreed and told him to go. It wasn't that he was rude or anything like that. He was polite toward her, even laughing with her a time or two over some story she'd told. It was other things. The smell of him, the feel of his body so close to hers. It threw her off, exhausted her. They spent a lot of the time almost trying to pretend the other wasn't there, and then they'd forget and actually talk or joke, and it would be nice, and then get awkward again.

  “You seriously don't remember her?” Layla demanded, and Sophie regretted telling her that part of their conversation.

  Calder shook his head, and even Jon threw him a disbelieving look.

  “Dude, you gave her tongue on that rock down by the falls. You're seriously telling me you don't remember that? You had a goofy smile on your face for days afterward,” Bryce said, and Layla laughed and clapped her hands. “And not just that, but you were obsessed with trying to figure out how to get her to kiss you again. I'm pretty sure 'I'm gonna fucking die if she doesn't kiss me again soon' were your exact words.”

  Calder shrugged and Sophie turned away from him, mortified at the way her face was burning. “You all have better memories than I do, maybe,” Calder said, and Jon gave him another look. “What was I? Thirteen? Fourteen? What guy at that age isn't a raging hormone? I don't remember stuff from that long ago.”

  “Can we stop talking about it?” Sophie said. “This is just a little bit awkward.”

  Even though she put a light tone and a little laugh to her words, it was clear he'd hurt her feelings. Calder wanted to kick his own ass for doing that. For pretending he didn't remember, when she'd been his first kiss, his first crush, his first love. His first heartbreak. He couldn't afford to remember that now, because if he did, he'd lose sight of what mattered. But, damn, did he want to tell her. He wanted to tell her how he'd spent night after night lying awake, even years after her family moved away, craving her. How, soon, it turned into a sad longing, the realization that he'd never have that sweetness in his life again. The universe was an enormous asshole for finally allowing her back into his life, but under these circumstances.

  He just couldn't seem to act right around her, even beyond the whole curse mess. The few times they forgot to keep their guard up, it was almost too easy to lose himself in her soft voice, the way her eyes lit up when she smiled. Amid the typical dank smell of the bar and the scents of so many other shifters around, the only scent that mattered was hers. So he sat next to her, and listened, and occasionally talked to her and tried not to be a complete asshole. He sent warning glares toward any men he noticed looking at her (and there were way too many for his liking), and as a result, they all stayed the hell away. Which was lucky, since he was on edge and would have been more than welcoming of a fight.

  He even held it together when, after dancing with Layla, and then Cara, Bryce pulled a laughing, protesting Sophie out onto the dance floor. Layla and Cara had headed to the ladies' room, leaving him and Jon sitting at the table. He burned as he watched Sophie in Bryce's arms, really trying hard to remember that he probably shouldn't rip his best friend's head off his shoulders.

  “Oh, yeah. It's obvious that you don't remember her,” Jon remarked with a smirk. “Stop growling.”

  “I'm not,” Calder said, a growl still remaining in his voice. He cleared his throat in irritation. “It doesn't matter if I remember her or not. This needs to get done. There's no reason to complicate things.”

  “It looks pretty complicated already, man.”

  “Don't worry. I'll take care of it,” Calder said, balling his hands into fists as Sophie threw her head back and laughed at something Bryce had said, those waves of lush brown curls flowing down her back, over his arm around her waist.

  “Do not kill Bryce,” Jon said.

  “I'm not. I don't even care.”

  “Obviously,” Jon said, taking a swig of his beer.

  Calder's gaze went back to Sophie. The way her top flowed over her hips, the small, teasing sight of her legs between the bottom of her skirt and the tops of her boots. For some reason, that little peek of flesh made him feel warmer than he should.

  What he did know was that he really, really hated seeing her touching Bryce, even knowing that Bryce was stupid in love with Layla.

  “Okay, well, then stop staring at her. Because you're right. This shit has to get done, and she's our last hope. So pull it together, man.”

  “I'm fine.” Another guy approached them, asked Sophie if he could cut in, and Calder was on his feet before he even realized.

  “Next dance was mine,” he said, pulling Sophie into his arms as Bryce stepped back with a smirk.

  It only took the other shifter looking at Calder's face to know this wasn't a battle he wanted. He watched his opponent (since that's immediately how he'd begun to see him)
slink away with some satisfaction, then looked down at Sophie, who was looking up at him questioningly.

  “I didn't say I wanted to dance with you, either,” she said, pulling away from him.

  He stepped back, dropping his hands to his sides. “Right. I just… I figured you might not want a stranger cutting in. He is a stranger, right?” he asked, irritated at the growl that had entered his voice again.

  She raised an eyebrow. “That's none of your business.”

  She turned and headed toward their table, and he stood watching her, mesmerized by the sway of her hips, the swing of her hair, irritated as hell that she was walking away from him. After a moment he followed her, growling at a wolf shifter who was staring after her. The wolf submitted immediately, lowering his head in apology.

  Calder slid into the booth beside her, scented the air, very aware that Sophie's luscious body seemed even warmer beside his, that she was flushed and that she smelled even more delectable than before.

  Across the table, Jon cleared his throat. “I think it's time for us to go,” he said, tapping inconspicuously at his own mouth, their signal that Calder was getting fangy. Calder nodded, now even more pissed off that he was having to leave her. It was just starting to be fun, and her scent was intoxicating.

  “Make sure she gets home all right,” he snarled at Bryce before stalking away.

  “He's very concerned about the curse,” he heard Jon explaining as he stalked outside, leaving everything, leaving her, behind. Before Jon was even out, Calder was heading toward the woods, shucking his clothes once he was away from the parking lot.

  “I'll meet you at your house,” Jon said, picking up the discarded clothing. “Get your head on straight, man.”

  Calder growled at him as he bounded away, into the woods. He knew one thing for sure, even in his wild, somewhat crazed state. He needed to stay the hell away from her. As far away as he could.

  Chapter Five

  Sophie woke up too late the following morning, not because they'd stayed out insanely late, but because, even after she was in bed, she couldn't sleep. Damn Calder. Damn his eyes and his muscular thighs and his arms and the way he'd growled at the shifter who'd tried to dance with her. Damn the way she reacted to him.