Shadow of the Wolf

grandmother’s engagement ring.” He liked the soft smile that curved her lips.

“When his brother was ready, the ring was lent to him, the spell cast, and his mate came to him within a month.”

She sat back in her chair, frowning thoughtfully. “So every Beckett male casts this spell and boom! Instant girlfriend?”

“More like instant fiancee.”

Her expression turned from intrigued to mildly panicked within seconds. “Uh…”

He placed his hand over hers, reveling in the feel of her smooth skin. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep the engagement short.” He kissed her fingers, resisting the urge to taste her skin again. He already knew she would be addictive.

“And you think it was the spell that brought me here?”

“I’m certain of it.” He sat back, sipping from his coffee. Her face was so expressive.

Every emotion she felt flitted across it. He was certain she’d never be able to tell him a lie without his knowing it.

“Well, bud, let me set you straight. It turns out that I was there for a bachelorette party, with male strippers and everything, and if my car hadn’t broken down on the road, you’d never have met me.”

She sat back with an air of triumph, oblivious to the fact that his coffee mug had begun to crack. Male strippers? She’d been around half naked men last night? He had the urge to shred the bright turquoise v-neck T-shirt she was wearing, knowing where she’d been the night before. It read Go Forth and Sin Some More. He’d smiled when he’d seen it last night, but now? Now it needed to meet a trash can. He set the mug down carefully on his empty plate, hoping she wouldn’t notice the slowly spreading coffee under the mug. “And what drove you into the woods, Lana? Lust?”

She opened her mouth, the closed it, looking startled. “Instinct.”

“Instinct.” Interesting. “And what kept you from accepting Cole’s offer of help?”

She frowned again. “Was that his name?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“He was a wizard.” She waved her hands vaguely. “And his aura was funky.”

He bit his lip to keep from smiling. “Funky?”

“Yuk it up, furball, but you didn’t see the colors that were swirling there. Black and icky green. Not the good green like grass, but that glowing eerie shit that scares you in bad horror movies.”

“Furball?” Wait. “How did you know he was a wizard?”

She shrugged. “The same way I knew you were a wizard. It’s in your magic.”

He blinked. “I had no idea you were a witch.”

“Really?” The surprise in her voice turned into a smug smile. “Cool.”

He rolled his eyes. “I can show you the spell I cast to call you to me if you like.”

She tilted her head. “You think I’ll understand your spell?”

“I don’t see why not.”

Her mouth opened again but nothing came out, the surprise there nearly causing him to laugh. She must not have expected him to offer to show her the spell. “Huh. I never thought I’d see the day a wizard offered to show a witch his workroom.” She stood.

“Bring it on.”

He grinned. “Follow me.”

“Where have I heard that before?” She followed him out of the bedroom and down the stairs. “Oh, wait, isn’t that the time just before you drugged my hot chocolate?”

“Can you prove I drugged your hot chocolate?”

She growled, then huffed out a breath. “No.”

“Well then.” He opened the door to his workroom. “Here you are.”

She walked past him into the room that only family was allowed into. His wards let her in easily, barely rippling around her. “Whoa.” She put her hand to her forehead.

“What was that?”

“My protection spells.”

Her eyes went wide, her face paling. “Am I about to experience being inside out?”

He huffed out a startled laugh. “No, of course not!”

She turned to look up at him, her gaze following him when he moved into the workroom. “Because you’re with me, right?”

He merely raised one brow.

“Right?”

He sat behind his desk, ignoring the open Registry. He had no doubt she would be looking him up in it soon enough, the same way he’d looked her up. “It let you through because it knows you’re family.”

She sat in front of his desk with a thump. “Oh.”

He leaned forward. “Welcome home.”

Chapter Four

Welcome home? Oh crap. What have I gotten myself into this time? Lana stared at the wizard behind the desk, trying to ignore how the mambo dancing butterflies came back every time she saw him. “My home is in Philadelphia.”

“Is it?”

“Geez, I can’t wait until you and Grammy meet. The entire conversation will be questions and obscure Confucius type conversations.”

That slow, sultry smile was taking over his mouth again. The butterflies went from mambo to Macarena in two seconds flat. “Do you want to see the spell?”

“Uh-huh.” She cleared her throat, wondering if he’d heard how breathless her answer had been. “Yes, I would.”

He pointed to a table on the other side of the room. “Help yourself.”

She stood, walking towards the table covered in rose-colored cloth. She stared down at the runes, the remainders of the cinnamon incense still scenting the air. Burnt scraps of blue— Blue? Why blue?— paper lay in the bottom of the cold cauldron, left there until the spell was complete. Colored candles were placed strategically, almost but not quite making sense to her. A rose and an iris, stems braided through an emerald ring, lay across a golden plate, their petals undimmed by the passage of time. And two special candles, one carved with the symbol for male, one with the symbol of female, touched, their wax pooled together, delicately binding them together. “Whoa.”

Chris’s finger reached out and stroked the female candle. Lana could swear she felt that touch through her whole body. “When the candles came together I knew you were near.” The husky whisper sent a shiver down her spine. His hand reached out and took hers, gently cradling it. Lana watched, fascinated, as he took her fingers and stroked the male candle. She felt him quiver behind her. “I could almost feel your presence.” His breath stirred her hair; his nearness warmed her in places she hadn’t realized had been cold. His free arm snaked around her waist, pulling her gently back against him. She could feel his erection pressing against the small of her back. “I could almost taste how sweet you would be.” A soft kiss pressed through her hair to reach the side of her neck.

“If Cole had laid one hand on you, he’d be dead.”

She shivered at the sudden coldness in his voice. “I can take care of myself.”

She felt his smile against her skin. “I know. I was there, remember?”

She licked her lips, ignoring the way his mouth was tickling her skin. “So you still think I’m the one the spell called?”

“Mm-hmm.” He nibbled, sharp teeth gently scraping against her. “I know you are.”

She lifted her shoulder, dislodging that distracting, totally tempting mouth. “How do you know?”

He shifted their joined hands and touched the emerald ring.