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A boy like that wouldn’t listen to reason. He was sure he was right, and everyone in his life lined up to confirm it. It would take something drastic to unravel that hubris. She wanted him to have some small inkling of the fear she’d felt. She didn’t want to hurt him, just to humble him…
Somehow.
She was going to sort out one uppity teenager, the wards, the horses, and her own malfunctioning magic.
And then she was going to take Aiden to bed for a week. Or a month.
Or, you know, forever.
11
Aiden was a bit relieved he hadn’t found the teen. He just could not keep a lid on the wolf. The moment he’d walked away from Goldie, the beast had nearly snapped its leash, broken the cage doors, and done whatever else it could to metaphorically destroy his human half for good.
He’d headed for Nathan’s house first, then tracked Buck’s scent to the twin’s house. Then he’d nearly shifted when he’d discovered their trail led back down the mountain toward the stables.
He fought guilt as he set Bonanza to a brisk canter, as fast as he could risk on the steep paths. He’d left her down there alone, and the assholes were heading right to her.
When he reached the flat fields, he kicked the horse into a gallop and made for the barnyard. When he hauled Bonanza to a stop, the teenage trio was nowhere to be found, and Goldie stood in the doorway with Paul. The moment he was back in her presence, his beast relaxed. It helped that she looked calm. That wasn’t exactly the right word; she looked like she was going to single-handedly maul a pack of wolves for him.
“Come on,” she said and marched out of the barn. He looked between her and Paul, who just shrugged with a grin on his face.
Aiden leaped down from the saddle and tossed the reins of his horse to his cousin, then ran after her.
“Where are we going?” he asked when she spun in a circle.
“Where’s your house from here?” she asked.
He pointed to an overgrown path up the far side of the valley.
She started up it but slowed as they climbed, examining the overgrown dirt path.
“Do they fear you that much?” she asked with something like grief in her eyes.
He glanced down at the track that no one ever used as the wolf gave a mournful howl.
This is your fault,he told the beast.
It growled at him.
I’m you, you idiot. You can’t eat me.
Jaws snapped within his head, and Goldie flinched.
“Hey, you okay?”
She nodded once. “I just saw… Never mind.”
“Well, my mother was the one they avoided first.”
“Your mother!”
“Yeah, the witch?”
“Oh, yeah.”
He matched her pace as he thought about the day his mother had given him the keys to the house and started setting up the wards. The day he hadn’t stopped his wolf.
“If they feared her so much, why pursue me?” Goldie asked.
