She knew he was outside long before she heard the knock on her door. Right after Mr. Welcome Party left, Adira decided against using magic to clean the small cabin, choosing rather to do it the ordinary, mundane way. She needed the monotony to keep her mind off Jensen and Draven Falls. Besides, with the way her magic had been acting since she slammed Jensen into the wall, she wasn't sure her magic would do what she wanted or would, instead, blow her cabin to pieces. The first thing she did, however, before cleaning up the place was set wards all around her property, protection spells, which would warn her the moment someone stepped onto her property. Fortunately, her magic lasted long enough for that, and it was a safe spell to work. The man who greeted her earlier on her porch seemed to be expecting trouble, which seemed faster than she was led to believe. Of course, Agatha Rochester sent her here—okay, suggested she come here—so that she would get involved in the drama of the small c
The howling continued, as bushes rustled at the edge of the clearing. Dimitri knew the coyotes were prowling, searching for a weak spot, an opportune moment to strike and attack. He grinned, hoping they would do just that. He knew something like this might happen, knew Bane would be foolish, refusing to wait too long to press his advantage in an attempt to take over Bull Creek and drive the humans and their sympathizers out. The woods were filled with panthers, cougars, and bears, patrolling the area for just such an attack. They waited, watching for Dimitri's signal.He glanced over at Adira. If he expected her to be scared, he was gladly disappointed. She stood beside him, her back straight, and he could sense the power at her fingertips, ready to be unleashed. She wasn't afraid; she was ready. He even moved to step in front of her, a shield against whatever might happen next, but she moved to stand beside him instead. She wouldn't hide. There was too much fight in her. He felt his
"Well, that was pretty damn stupid," Alanna said, as she watched Adira stalk off toward her cabin.Dimitri held his hands out to his side, his face a mask of exasperation. "I know, right? She should know I would do anything to protect her."Josh turned to him, his right eyebrow arched. "You mean…"Dimitri ran a hand through his walnut-colored hair, letting out a breath as he did. "I felt it when she arrived, my panther going berserk the moment he scented her. Adira's my mate."Alanna turned to him, her brows furrowed over her nose line. He dropped his arms to his side and took a step back. "Are you serious?" she asked, her hands on her hips. "She should know? Why the hell would she know that? She's not a shifter, you dolt; she's a witch."Josh lifted his beer to his lips and took a sip, ignoring the imploring look Dimitri gave him as if to say, leave me out of it.Dimitri turned back to Alanna, still unsure he understood. "But she's been around shifters. She lived in Draven Falls for t
She fumed all the way back to her cabin, the dust from the road kicking up with her passage. How dare he? I am not some weakling, some poor female needing a man to protect me. I'm a witch damn it! The words continued stewing a morass of anger in her mind until she reached her cabin. With a flick of her wrist, the door burst open, slamming back against the wall. She continued her rampaging pace into her home, using her hand, as well as her anger, to slam the door shut behind her, sealing out her frustration with Dimitri.Entering the small kitchen area of the cabin, she pulled out a wine glass from the cabinet and then reached for the wine on the counter to pour herself a full glass. She downed half of the dark red liquid with one swallow, and then refilled the goblet as she took a deep breath. She couldn't believe how fast Dimitri went from sweet and understanding to an overprotective moron. It must be a record or something. She had already proved to him that she could take care of her
"Why the hell are you sleeping on my porch?" Adira stood there, her hands planted on her hips, legs slightly apart, which allowed her robe to fall open slightly, exposing her creamy thighs. "I told you I did NOT need protecting, damn it."The panther jerked awake at her words, or rather at the seething tone in her voice. He jumped to all fours, his ears perked back as he stood, braced for whatever was wrong. He jerked his gaze to the left and the right, searching for the attack until he realized that it came from right in front of him. His gold eyes told her he knew just how pissed she was. Then he shifted, his fur slipping back into his skin, his bones popping as his four legs turned to two legs and a pair of arms, his paws shifting to feet and hands, and his body completely naked. As soon as the shift was over, he stood, his thick muscles stretching back into shape from being cramped in his animal form for so long and asleep.Adira couldn't take her eyes off his body, his powerful le
"Shots! We need shots," Alanna called out once they found a table. Adira slid into the empty chair, as did Deputy Lainie Everest and Eve Hartlow. It was ladies night at Everglades, a shifter bar in Holopaw, and Alanna was determined that Adira would have a good time, to unwind and forget men and shifters, especially coyotes. It was a dive bar, really, nothing like Shades back in Draven Falls, but it held its own, rustic charm. It was a wooden structure, appearing to be constructed of discarded planks, rather than finished wood, with scratched up wooden chairs and tables, weak mirrors and flashing beer logos on the walls. Serving girls wandered from table to table, taking orders and flirting with the men patrons, whether the men had dates or not. Country music blared from a broken down jukebox, bouncing off the walls, as couples line danced and chugged their beers. It was the perfect place to get drunk and forget. While they were there to put coyotes out of their minds, there was one s
"You did what?" Dimitri couldn't believe what he heard. "Adira, Everglades is not a normal bar." He turned to Alanna and Eve. "You two know about that place. Why the hell did you take her there?"Eve looked at him like he was crazy. "Because it was ladies night. You know? Two for one? Duh."It took everything he had not to throttle the woman. "Damn it, Eve, this isn't a game." He could feel the panther pushing at him, wanting free to wreak havoc on whomever he could. Fur pushed through his skin a little, claws pushing out of his fingertips, the pain of the shift just beginning. He tamped it down quickly. He didn't need to lose control now, not with so much at risk. He spun to Alanna. "Everglades is a paranormal bar. You should have known they would be there. Hell, Sheriff Einstein even told me they were there the other day, shooting off their mouth." The three women returned to Alanna's cabin when they left Everglades, and Lainie went to the sheriff's department to file a report on the
"Here are the stones you asked for," Josh said, as Ezra and he entered Adira's cabin, both carrying an armload of small ordinary stones. "Planning on hurling them at Bane to drive him away?"A new day dawned and, so far, Bane's threat was unfulfilled. That didn't mean it wasn't imminent, however. Ezra chuckled as he walked over to her kitchen table, piling the stones on top. "Might not be real effective, but I'm sure it would be fun." A cloth covered the table, with various oils and gemstones lined along the edges and circled by a trio of tall white candles flickering shadows onto the cabin walls. A mortar sat in the center of the cloth, the pestle ready for action. At the far edge of the table, sage burned in an incense holder. Soft Native American music played in the background, not because she needed it for the spell, but because it helped soothe her nerves, calming her for what she needed to do. If I can focus long enough to pull the shards of my magic back into a steady pulse of