Edge of Magic (Tara Knightley Series Book 1)

by Jayne Faith

  I peered up at Judah and shook my head. “I don’t understand. I mean, we need to start packing, but we don’t have anywhere to move into. And who are all these people?”

  Someone called my name, and I swung my gaze over to one of the trucks that had just pulled up. A familiar dark-haired woman waved at me. I raised my hand in greeting as Blake started walking our way.

  She joined us with a broad grin.

  “Looks like everyone’s here. We’ve got a couple more trucks coming.” She twisted to survey the vehicles already parked along the street. “We might have to make more than one trip, depending on how much stuff there is, but we should be able to get the entire move knocked out today.”

  I squeezed my eyes closed, pressed my fingertips over them, and then dropped my hands and looked around at Fel, Mom, Judah, and Blake. They all wore smiles.

  “Okay,” I said. “I really need some answers.”

  I was starting to wonder whether I was actually still asleep in my bed and this was all just a dream.

  Fel grasped my forearm with gentle fingers. “We have a house to move into.”

  I squinted at her. “How? Where?”

  “Judah and I pulled some strings,” Blake said. “It’s a four-bedroom place a few blocks from here. It’s almost as big as this house but doesn’t have a master suite. Two and a half baths, though, so there’s that.”

  Mom laughed and flapped her hand. “Oh, I don’t need a master suite, anyway.”

  I eyed the people on the front lawn, and it dawned on me that every one of the strangers was a shifter. Blake and Judah had called in their friends to help us. One of the guys hauling boxes looked vaguely familiar, though I couldn’t place him.

  “How did you do it?” I asked Blake. “And why?”

  She tilted her head. “You helped us at significant risk to yourself,” she said quietly. “This is the least we could do in return.”

  “And the house? Whose is it?”

  “A friend of a friend of my uncle’s,” Judah said. “The rent will be a little less than what you’re paying here, and first and last months’ payments aren’t due for two weeks.”

  I stared at Judah, my mouth open. “I don’t even know what to say. Except thank you. Thank you both so much.”

  I had to stop speaking or I was going to burst into tears.

  As I bit down hard on my lips and watched the shifters organizing piles of boxes by size, I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt so humbled in my life.

  I turned back to Blake and Judah. “Seriously, this is too much. I can never thank you enough.”

  Blake shook her head. “Psh. Stop. You saved our asses.”

  Fel linked her arm through Mom’s. “We need to get inside and start organizing some things before the moving team descends!” Her expression and voice were so bright I nearly teared up again.

  The two of them disappeared into the house. Blake drifted away to help with the boxes, and Judah and I were left standing alone.

  “I’m pretty sure I know what you were working on. I’m sorry I got so pissed at you on the phone,” I said to him.

  He gave a low rumbling chuckle and grinned down at me. “I’ll get over it.”

  “This is like some kind of miracle,” I said. “And I don’t even believe in miracles.”

  He sobered. “It’s no miracle. I told you I was going to help you, and I meant it.”

  My pulse thumped at the intense sincerity in his gray eyes.

  “You never said anything about something like this, though,” I said with a soft laugh.

  He gave a tiny half-shrug. “It’s just a bonus. After you’re moved, I’m going to help you with the hunt,” he said.

  My agreement with O’Malley came swimming back to the forefront of my mind, and my stomach gave an uneasy turn.

  “Oh, we can talk about that later,” I said.

  Considering my new arrangement, I wasn’t sure I could allow Judah to get involved in my search for the Dullahan skull.

  “I’d better get dressed and start helping Mom and Fel.” I walked backward a few steps. “Thank you again, Judah.”

  Ducking my head, I turned and headed inside. Mom’s laughter drifted from the kitchen, and I found myself smiling. I hadn’t heard her laugh so many times in one day for ages.

  I had just enough time to change clothes before the shifters swarmed the house with their boxes. With Blake directing them, most of them split into teams of two to pack each room. Four muscled men started moving the larger furniture out.

  The rest of the morning passed in a blur of the dusty smell of cardboard and a steady line of people moving in and out the front door. I rode with Blake and one of the movers for the first trip over to the new house.

  “How’s Laine doing?” I asked.

  Blake grimaced, her eyes darkening. “We’re not on good terms at the moment. I’m not sure we ever will be again. She’s violated my trust one too many times.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “She created the situation,” she said with a small shake of her head. “Maybe someday she’ll grow up and start making better decisions.”

  We eased to a stop at the new place. The house was a little older than our previous one, with somewhat outdated fixtures and appliances, but it had lovely original wood floors and charming built-ins. Mom, Fel, and I took a sweep through the rooms to decide where to put all of us. Two rooms were downstairs and two up. We stood in the downstairs hallway that led to the two bedrooms and a full bath.

  “Tara, your sister and I decided something,” Mom said. “And we’re not going to take any argument from you.”

  I narrowed my eyes at them.

  “You should have your own room,” Fel said. “Mom and I are basically on the same schedule, but yours varies. It makes sense to do it this way, and we’re both fine with it. Besides, we think you earned it. A long time ago, really.”

  I pressed my lips together for a moment. It might have seemed like a small gesture, but considering our family history and the sacrifices we’d all made over the years, it felt like a precious gift.

  “Thank you,” I said. “That really means a lot.”

  Blake descended on us with oversized sticky notes and markers.

  “Okay,” she said. “Tell me whose room is where, and I’ll tag them and put up some signs so everyone knows where to take the boxes.”

  Blake was nothing if not impressively organized. She’d made sure everything at the old house was neatly labeled as it was packed, and even took pictures of each room so the movers could do their best to set up the new house as close as possible to how it had appeared before. That was a very nice touch, considering the kids didn’t even know they were going to be sleeping in a new house that night.

  Felicity, Mom, and I had already decided that we’d be the only ones home to meet the kids at the old place after school to explain what was happening and let them say goodbye if they needed to. It was all very sudden, even for us adults, but I hoped they wouldn’t be too upset. At least we’d been able to spare them the stress of a temporary living situation.

  Sasha and Dom got home first. Mom, Fel, and I were outside to greet them before they could walk in and see the empty living room.

  Dom was immediately suspicious. “What’s going on?” he demanded.

  “You probably didn’t know we were having trouble with our landlord,” Fel said.

  Sasha crossed her arms, her black-rimmed eyes narrowed. “I knew.”

  “How’d you know?” Fel asked.

  Mom touched her arm. “Not important,” she whispered.

  “Anyway,” my sister continued. “We can’t stay in this house anymore, and that’s all you really need to know about that. We’ve got a new place that’s about a half mile away. The back yard is bigger, and there’s an old treehouse out there.” She smiled brightly.

  Dom snorted. “We’re a little old for treehouses.”

  I could tell the news had knocked him off balance, and he was trying to pr
ocess the little bomb we were dropping on him.

  Sasha’s face had darkened, but I wasn’t sure exactly what had her pissed off.

  “Look,” I said. “I know this is unexpected, but we got very, very lucky. We had to get out of here fast. The two of you are old enough for us to tell you that money’s been really tight. We were late with some rent payments, and our landlord had run out of patience. It’s okay, though. The new place is cheaper, and we have a connection to the owner, so we won’t get kicked out.”

  I couldn’t guarantee that, of course, but Judah had told me privately that our new landlord was going to make every effort to help us, that he wasn’t in it to be a hard ass or to try to make a buck off our family.

  Fel backhanded my shoulder. She didn’t say anything, but I knew she was irritated that I’d divulged more about our money situation than she preferred.

  “Do you need us to start helping with bills?” Sasha asked quietly. “Because I’ll do it, and I won’t bitch about it.”

  The sincerity in her voice made all our heads swivel her way. Fel went over to Sasha and wrapped an arm around her slim shoulders.

  “No,” my sister said gently. “But thank you for offering.”

  “The twins will be here soon,” Mom said. “We’re not going to breathe a word about any money stress to them. We’re going to talk about the great new yard with the treehouse. Understood?”

  Sasha and Dom nodded. They both stood a little taller. I knew what it was like to worry about the family finances at their age, and that wasn’t what I wanted for them. But I did want them to feel a part of things, and that was why I’d let them in on some of what the adults had been struggling with. Treating them more like grown-ups would make them feel respected. Maybe a little stressed, too, but with college looming, Dom was going to have to understand exactly where we stood money-wise soon enough anyway.

  “So, we need to go pack up our stuff?” my niece asked.

  “Actually, that’s done,” I said. “Everything’s already at the new place.”

  I explained how Judah and his associates had helped us make the move in record time.

  “Sweet,” Dom said. Then he grinned as it really sank in. “That saved us a ton of work!”

  Dom and Sasha went inside with Mom to do a last sweep of the place while my sister and I waited for Luna and Nolan to walk home. When they arrived, Fel gave them a somewhat edited version of what she’d said to the older kids. Luna had teared up at first, but Nolan was stoked about the yard and having more space to practice his sports.

  “There’s a treehouse at the new place, Looney Tunes,” I said enthusiastically to Luna. “And you know what? Sasha and Dom already said that’s all for you and Nolan. You can put your things up there. It can be your own little hideout.”

  She brightened. “Can I get a beanbag chair to put in it? I saw that on a show once.”

  “Sure,” Fel said.

  That seemed to satisfy Luna. We took our last rounds through the old house, and then we all crowded into the Honda and made the short drive to the new digs.

  The next few hours were a flurry of emptying boxes. Most of the shifters stayed to help, and some of Mom and Fel’s friends showed up, too. By five thirty, everyone was starting to slow down and look a little glazed. The witches insisted on getting food for everyone, and a few of the women went out to get pizza, salad, and drinks. As we all took a break to eat, the living room and kitchen were packed with bodies. I found myself constantly aware of Judah’s location.

  Roxanne showed up with a couple boxes of cupcakes. She left them next to the rest of the food in the kitchen and then came to stand next to me.

  “Okay, which one is Judah?” she asked, standing on tiptoe and looking around the room. “Wait! Don’t tell me. Let me guess.”

  I snorted a laugh. “Could you be a little more obvious? Maybe shout his name again.”

  She cast me a withering look. “I wasn’t shouting. I’m the very picture of subtlety.”

  “Right,” I said. I waited while she seemed to examine every male face in the room.

  “I know,” she said triumphantly. “That’s Judah. Tall one with the broad shoulders.”

  She lifted her chin and cast her eyes over to where Judah was talking to one of the shifters.

  “How did you know?” I demanded.

  “’Cause he’s looked over at you three times in the last two minutes. And you’ve looked at him at least that much.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “C’mon, introduce me,” she said.

  “Now?”

  “Yes, now. I’m your best friend.” She poked me in the ribs.

  “I’m kidding,” I said. “Of course I’ll introduce you.”

  We threaded through the crowd toward Judah, and the guy he’d been talking to stepped away when he saw us coming.

  I made the introductions, and Rox grinned much too broadly up at Judah, looking as if she was in on a huge secret.

  “It’s wonderful to meet you,” she said. “And this is quite the operation you threw together.”

  Judah shook his head. “I can’t take all the credit. My business partner did a lot of it, too.”

  “I’m sure you did more than you’re letting on,” Rox said. She glanced at her phone in her hand. “Oh, shoot, I’ve gotta run. Text me later, okay?” she said to me.

  She gave me a quick hug and then began making her way to the front door.

  Judah and I stood side-by-side, surveying the room.

  “I still can’t believe this is real,” I said. “All these people took time off work or whatever they’d normally be doing to help us, and they didn’t even know us.”

  “That’s one of the amazing things about shifter packs,” he said. “They’re tight-knit, and they’re ready to drop everything to help each other.”

  “Are these people all from your pack?” I hadn’t even had a chance to properly get to know the folks who’d been hauling our crap around all day.

  “Mostly, yeah. It’s my uncle’s pack. The one that helped raise me up as a shifter,” he said.

  “All the way from Oregon?” I asked, incredulous. All of this explained why he’d had to cancel our get-together. I felt doubly bad for having gotten irritated with him.

  “Yep.”

  When he talked about the pack, there was a slight hesitance in his voice that I wasn’t sure how to read. His eyes flicked from person to person, almost as if he was suddenly a little uncertain.

  “Is your uncle here? I’d love to formally meet him and tell him thank you.”

  He shook his head. “He’s away on business.”

  Again, there was something that seemed to make him pull back inside himself slightly. I filed that away for later.

  “Who are the ones that aren’t part of your uncle’s pack?” I asked.

  “Acquaintances of Blake.”

  “Is her pack in Oregon?” I asked.

  “No. She doesn’t have tight pack connections,” Judah said.

  Judah had been scanning the crowd, but he turned his attention to me. His demeanor warmed, and the previous sense of distance disappeared. “I have one more surprise for you.”

  My heart jumped. “You do?”

  A mix of apprehension and curiosity, plus a slight stoking of heat, fluttered in my middle.

  He nodded, his eyes playful. “After everyone’s gone.”

  I took a slow breath to try to settle my pulse. What else could Judah have in store?

  Chapter 26

  MOM, FELICITY, AND I did a couple of laps around the house, thanking everyone for their help. It helped to distract me for about an hour. Mostly. My thoughts swung back and forth between my arrangement with O’Malley and Judah’s promise of another surprise.

  As huge as it was for me to be breaking away from Shaw, with the flurry of the day’s moving activities, it felt remote for the moment. I was more and more preoccupied with Judah.

  I was finally coming around to really admitting it: there
was . . . something between me and Judah. Part of me wanted to explore it. Badly. But another part of me thought it much wiser to back away slowly and pretend it wasn’t there. I knew I could maintain the right distance if I had to. I’d done it all those years when we were teenagers, carefully staying within the role of Judah’s buddy. Never exposing the depth of my feelings for him. Always striking just the right chord. Friendly. Sisterly, even.

  I could do it. I knew that part so well. It had been easy back then, when I knew he considered me a friend and nothing more. But fast forward . . .

  Something in the way he spoke to me, stood near me, and looked into my eyes had shifted. It wasn’t just that we were older, that both of us had changed in the intervening years. Blake saw it. Rox had observed it, even after only a few minutes. I wasn’t imagining it.

  It was there, and it was real. There were just so many good reasons to not bring it out into the open. My life was too burdened, too busy, to allow me the time and energy for a real relationship, and something purely casual wasn’t really my style. I didn’t think it was Judah’s, either.

  I tried to reason with myself. Even if Judah was attracted to me, he might not have any interest in acting on it. I needed to keep reminding myself that just because he wanted to take the time to help me move and hunt for the skull, it didn’t mean he’d have time for me later.

  I gave my head a little shake. I was getting way ahead of myself, and these kinds of musings were out of character.

  “Why are you grimacing?” Felicity whispered to me.

  The three of us had spoken to nearly everyone who was still left. It was after seven and time for Nolan and Luna to start unwinding for bed.

  “Didn’t know I was,” I muttered back.

  “Yeah, you looked pretty irritated all of a sudden.”

  “Just got distracted for a minute.” I looked around. “Where are the kids?”

  “In the back yard.”

  Fel and I went out to round up my nieces and nephews. I almost hated to disrupt them. All four were engaged in a game of tag with a handful of children of Fel and Mom’s friends who’d come over for the evening. With the wide spread in age, the four Knightley kids hardly ever played with each other anymore, and the sight made me smile. I took it as a good omen for our new house.