“Thank you.” Relief settled in me. “I’ll try to set up a meeting with Knight and Hollows. I’ll be upfront with you, it’s highly unlikely to happen. If I get the wolfsbane, I’ll owe you a debt.”
“You don’t. We’re good.” He started toward his car, glancing at me over his shoulder with a peculiar expression as if he’d had another reminder of the earlier awkwardness. Was it that hard for him? Or was it his lack of control that was the real problem? If I could get more favors from him, I’d let him bury his toasty face in my neck anytime. Having an Alpha who owed me favors was an advantage I’d happily accept. It didn’t seem like a big deal. He needed comfort and oddly found it in me. But it hadn’t been just comfort—it was more.
I wanted desperately to let Terran’s strange behavior go without investigation, but curiosity nagged at me. For a brief moment, the Alpha had lost any semblance of control of his wolf and found it with me. That couldn’t be normal. Could that ability be something else that had slipped from my locked magic?
Hearing me calling his name, he turned, revealing another thing that was justtoo. His expressions were too intense. The pained scowl revealed that we shared the same curiosity about what had happened.
He slowly walked toward me. “Based on my intel, you don’t have any magic and aren’t considered a true witch.” His piercing, scrutinizing look made me feel like prey.
The trust between us was tenuous. He didn’t consider me an immediate threat, but if things changed, the pack would handle me like they did any other danger. They wouldn’t care about consequences from the vampire houses.
His wariness was understandable. Control had been wrenched from him, and for a fleeting moment, I was the onewho helped him regain control. Me having some control over his wolf, no matter how brief, had to be unsettling for him.
“I’m immune to wards.” I offered the sliver of information to bolster the fragile trust between us.
“Is that all?”
“That’s all that I know of.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. I hoped it passed his lie detector. His hunter eyes flared before settling.
“Are you trying to discover more about yourself?” he asked.
I nodded, but when I didn’t elaborate, he sighed. “Do you know what a pack’s Omega is?”
“Yes, they’re the only one in your pack without the anger issues,” I quipped in a half-tease. I wasn’t wrong. They were notorious for their lack of patience and poor temperament.
He dismissed my comment with a tiny smile that lifted the corners of his lips before fading. “They bring calm to us. More specifically, to me. I only respond to a pack Omega. I can help others shift into their animal form or even force them out of it and calm them when needed, but only an Omega can truly do that for me. For a moment, you felt like one. Overwhelmingly calm and in control of my wolf. Witches don’t have that ability.” A shadow crossed his face. “At least, I hope none of them do.”
Tension thickened between us.
“There’s no chance you’re a wolf?” He asked the rhetorical question seemingly out of sheer desperation.
“Both of my parents were witches.”
His eyes narrowed at the inflection in my voice. I no longer believed that wholeheartedly. In just a few days, my life had become a chaotic tangle of unanswered questions and uncertainties.
“If there was a chance that I was a wolf, wouldn’t I have shifted by now?”
He nodded. “But there are rare occasions when a shifter can’t attain their form without help.” He extended his hand to me, his brow rising in a request for me to take it.
It took a moment for me to place my hand in his. Terran’s features tightened and his pupils constricted until they were pins. I didn’t think his body could get warmer. It was like sitting too close to a campfire. Closing his eyes briefly, they snapped open displaying his odd glowing eyes. He quickly took several steps back and shook his head.
Terran definitely didn’t have the urge to cuddle with me again. Frowning, he muttered, “Odd.”
“You felt it again?”
“No. I didn’t feel anything.” Instead of relief, his concern had heightened. It made me eager to distance myself from him in the event he considered me a problem.
“We’re probably making more of it than necessary. I need to go get the wolfsbane.” I thanked him again for the help and rushed to get in my car, giving him a dainty finger wave to keep the perception that I wasn’t a danger to him or his pack.
I had a moment of concern that our discussion had inadvertently jeopardized my chances of receiving his help. It lifted when I received a text confirming that it was safe to retrieve the wolfsbane. My relief was immense. Amelia was going to survive.
11
Twenty minutes had passed when I pulled over, studying the map of where I’d find the wolfsbane. I debated again whether to confront Jonah first or get the wolfsbane. Having all the ingredients for the spell would ensure that if a visit with him didn’t yield the result I needed, we could proceed. If Jonah or one of his affiliates was the culprit, then the other ingredients, meeting with a demon, and my odd request of the vampires would be unnecessary. For several minutes, I ruminated over what to do. I’d just made the decision to visit Jonah, when I received a call.
“It is my understanding that you are looking for me.” The rich voice held a hint of amusement.
“And you are?” I asked. The demon didn’t need an introduction.
