Change of Heart
Hailey Edwards
Copyright © 2020 Black Dog Books, LLC
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Edited by Sasha Knight
Copy Edited by Kimberly Cannon
Proofread by Lillie's Literary Services
Cover by Gene Mollica
Illustration by Leah Farrow
Contents
Change of Heart
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Join the Society
About the Author
Also by Hailey Edwards
Change of Heart
The Potentate of Atlanta, Book 3
When a lethal drug targeting paranormal citizens is unleashed on the streets of Atlanta, Hadley hits the clubs to pin down the dealer. The party is just getting started when a mysterious fae with his own agenda offers her a taste of power she can’t refuse if she wants to purge the evil from her city.
Hadley already owes Natisha seven beating hearts to satisfy their bargain, but the price the fae demands from Hadley might as well be her soul. He strips away her tiny spells, her necessary illusions, and leaves her bare to face judgement from the one person she never wanted to see her truth.
Now Hadley’s fate rests in Midas’s hands, and all she can do is hope the future she glimpsed for them doesn’t slip through his fingers.
One
A young girl, maybe eight or nine, greeted me at the only unlocked door. Her dark hair was braided tight against her skull, the tail tucked into the collar of her shirt, and she wore a fitted tee with two crossed cartoon swords appliqued on the front. She paired it with loose pajama bottoms, tiny bare feet, and a feral glare that dared me to underestimate her.
Warg.
Definitely warg.
“What do you want?” She blocked the entrance to the gymnasium the Lollybrook Women’s Shelter rented once a month with her small—but fierce—body. “Well, lady?” She jerked her chin toward the sidewalk. “If you’re looking for Thin Mints, there’s a Girl Scout troop with nothing better to do than take your money three doors down.”
A smile tickled the corner of my mouth, but I kept it off my face. “I’m looking for Midas Kinase.”
“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re one of them.”
Though I could guess, I still asked, “Them?”
“We call them his fan club.” Her laugh was short and mean and made her hard eyes glitter. “They come to watch him teach and hope they’ll get chosen as his partner.”
The shadow at my feet coiled in response to my unexpected spike in temper. “I see.”
“You’re wasting your time.” She bared her teeth. “And mine.” She glared. “The class is almost over.”
“He left his phone at my place.” I reached into my pocket. “I need to give it back to him.”
“Sure, he did.” She shook her head. “Like I haven’t heard that one before.”
Pushing out a slow exhale, I tried again. “Tell him his girlfriend is here.”
I almost choked on the word, but it was guaranteed to snag his attention. It sure got hers.
“You really want me to embarrass you like that?” She glanced behind her, inviting me to do the same, as if I might have somehow missed the standing-room-only basketball court layered in thick mats. “In front of all these people?”
All those craning necks, scrunched brows, and thinned lips curious about me? All those yearning hopefuls praying he would tap their shoulder and ask if he could put his hands on them? All those women without a single shadow darkening their eyes who made a mockery of his dedication because this space was open to the public?
Heck yes.
“Yeah.” I bared my own teeth. “I do.”
“All right.” She propped the door open with its built-in kickstand but held up her hand. “Wait here.”
“Sure thing.”
The girl pivoted on her heel and marched into the packed gymnasium with starch in her spine that made my chest ache. She was a tough kid, and I respected that. But it made me want to break the world’s face for roughing her up so young.
Without her barring my access, I got a clear picture of the chaotic scene and wished I hadn’t.
No seats were available in the bleachers. Not a one. Women stood shoulder to shoulder on the polished floor, their shoes pressed into the mats as they shuffled closer and closer to the action.
Most of the crowd wore flashy clothing and carefully applied makeup. Jewelry. They weren’t dressed to participate. They were here for one reason, and one reason only.
One blond-haired, blue-eyed reason dressed in a sweat-soaked wifebeater and loose jogging pants.
Midas paused in leading a group of rail-thin girls with lank hair and haunted eyes through a kata when he spotted the pint-sized bouncer en route.
“Midas,” she said, her voice loud enough to carry. “Your girlfriend is here.”
An invisible hand pressed a cosmic mute button, and the chatter in the gym died a swift death.
Nostrils flaring, Midas whipped his head toward the doorway where I stood.
And he smiled.
Like I was the only person in the world.
Like the dozens of onlookers no longer existed for him.
Like I had made his whole night by showing up out of the blue.
A tremor in my knees warned me I was in over my head with him and sinking fast, but I held my ground.
“Wait.” The girl scrunched up her nose. “She’s really your girlfriend?”
The kid looked me up and down, a frank assessment of the results from running five miles after I woke at dusk.
Sweaty blonde hair curled beneath a discount Atlanta Braves
