“Jenny, Jenny, at last,” a booming voice announced.
Light flashed and she blinked. Smoke filled the air and when it cleared, a lovely blonde woman stepped forward. She looked like Nia.
A man all in black, his black hair tipped with silver, floated on the table above them. Enormous power radiated from him. So much power she winced. He glowed with it.
Everyone bowed their heads, except Troy, whose grip around her shoulders tightened. Jenny’s hand shot out for her steak knife. Palming it she remained seated, but alert.
Aiden sighed. His mate, Nia released a delighted scream and practically bounded off the chair to engulf her lookalike. They walked away, talking fast, arms around each other.
Twins, Jenny realized. Maybe the new arrival was this person’s mate.
Jenny lifted her chin at the floating man. “Who the hell are you?”
Gasps and dropped jaws at her words. The man chuckled. “I am Tristan, the Silver Wizard, guardian and judge of all Lupines.”
Guardian? “Not mine,” she muttered, refusing to drop her gaze.
Troy glared at the wizard, as if angry at him as well.
Tristan smiled at Jenny. A big smile as if he knew something. He glanced down at the knife she clenched and his smile widened.
“Interesting.”
She tired of everyone calling her interesting.
“Please put the knife down, Jenny. I intend you no harm,” the wizard said. “I came here to formally meet you.”
Troy put a hand over hers, forced her to set down the knife.
She narrowed her gaze. “Well, we’ve met. Buh bye.”
He chuckled again as others gasped. Tristan floated over to the table’s edge like a genie on a carpet she’d read about. He stood and dusted off his trousers, then looked at Troy.
“Troy Gilbert,” the wizard said. “I remember you.”
“Yeah, can’t say it’s a pleasure. What do you want with Jenny?”
The male beside her tensed as if readying for a fight. Whoa. Knowing this wizard had power and probably could flick a finger at her friend and turn him into ash, Jenny placed a hand over Troy’s.
“Easy, big fellow. I’m okay.”
“Yes, she is fine, Troy. I intend her no harm.”
Jenny shot Troy a questioning look, but he glared at the wizard. Tristan picked up a salt shaker, absently spun it around in his palm. It twirled like a top, though he did nothing obvious to make it move.
“Interesting how I can make this material object do whatever I please. I can move it with my mind… or…”
The wizard sent the shaker sailing into the air and flicked a finger. The shaker exploded, but instead of showering salt and glass over the diners, it simply vanished.
Just like what she had done with the diseased crystal. Jenny’s stomach tightened.
“Have you ever seen such a display of power?” Tristan directed the question not at Jenny, but Samantha.
The Lupine shrugged. “Maybe. I dunno, Tristan. You’re such a showoff. Why don’t you make a dirty diaper disappear? Now that would impress me.”
Now it was Jenny’s turn to gasp. How could Samantha act on such familiar terms with the wizard? Troy seemed to loathe him and others fear him, but Samantha did not. Nor did Darius, who nodded.
“Changing diapers on our son takes real talent. Try that,” the beta drawled.
“Or get us more salt.” Aiden stood and went to the wizard. “Instead of these parlor tricks.”
The alpha jerked his head toward the woods and the wizard joined Aiden. As the pair walked off, she allowed herself a sigh of pure relief.
Troy finally relaxed. He rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. “Stick close to me. I don’t trust that one.”
Me either. But she sensed the wizard did not bear her ill will. Unlike Troy’s hostility toward Tristan.
“You,” she stabbed his chest. “Me. Need to talk.”
Troy’s gaze narrowed as he stared after the wizard. “We will. Eventually. For now, know this. There is no way in hell I’m letting you stay alone tonight. Not with that son of a bitch lurking around here.”
Her heart pounded. Mild-mannered Troy bordered now on shifting into a feral wolf, his mouth drawing back to display fangs. He drew away from her and raked nails over the pretty flowered tablecloth, gouging the wood beneath. Not nails. Claws.
Darius sighed. “We just had this table fixed, Troy. Can’t you go scratch up a tree? Plenty of them around.”
With a low snarl, her friend managed to get himself under control, retracting his claws. His fangs vanished. But he still remained tense.
Jenny stood, nodding at everyone. “Nice to meet all of you. I think we’ll take a walk now. Thanks for dinner.”
She grabbed Troy’s bicep, feeling tensile muscle beneath her fingers, and urged him up. He pushed away from the table and grabbed her hand, as if fearing to let go.
What the hell happened between him and this Tristan? She almost hated to know.
For the first time since meeting him, Jenny feared for her friend.
Every time Tristan showed up around the ranch, Aiden knew he’d have a challenge. Not long ago the challenge was much harder – when a rogue Lupine stole one of Tristan’s twins. That was not a good day.
But life at the ranch had settled down after he’d kicked ass and made every single Lupine swear a new oath of loyalty. Or at least he thought it did.
Aiden waited until they reached the forest’s edge. A pathway led to several tents set up on platforms overlooking the river. Out of earshot, he folded his arms. Jenny and Troy were leaving, taking a different pathway back to the ranch.
“Why are you here, Tristan? This isn’t a family visit.”
“No, though Niki adores her twin and always craves time with her. I did want to meet Jenny.”
“Why?”
“I need to know what you think of Jenny. The truth Aiden. It is important.”
“Why is it important?”
“Tell me,” Tristan insisted.
Aiden rubbed his beard, frustrated. That was the tough part about having a powerful wizard as your brother-in-law. Tristan did not confide in him, remained as cryptic and mysterious as he had always been, but now had greater expectations because they
