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I was cut off by excited squeals and a high-pitched string of words that I couldn’t comprehend because the phone would cut out every two seconds. My ear protested the loud noises, and I pulled the cell away momentarily.
“Listen, babe. I’m almost home, so weoof,” I exhaled as I slammed into a solid body. My phone slipped from my hand and clattered to the ground as I glanced up,way up, to the chiseled features of the darkly handsome and muscled man in my way.
The battery popped out of the cell the second it landed–effectively ending my call with Gypsy. At that exact moment, I lost hold of my bags and tumbled a step backward, knowing I’d crash to the ground. Before it could happen, solid muscular arms shot out and enveloped my waist, preventing a nasty fall. Half the groceries tumbled out of the bags, but I didn’t care. My gaze locked on the brilliant blue irises of the striking man in front of me.
His deep voice rumbled through my chest. “Sorry, sweetness. I didn’t mean to knock you over.”
I blinked. That was it—no words formed in my throat.
He chuckled. “You okay?”
“Cassie,” I managed to whisper. I couldn’t remember the last time I was rendered speechless by a guy.
“Let me help you with these, Cassie.” He bent down and began reloading the bags before he placed the battery back in my phone and slapped it lightly into my palm. “Why don’t I carry these? Seems a bit much for you to handle.” The skin around his eyes crinkled with humor.
Thick dark hair draped over his left eye, but the scruff along his jaw begged for my fingertips, and the full sensual lips spread wide with his grin. Sharp canines flashed with his white teeth along with too-broad shoulders that proved this man wasn’t human.
A shifter. Wolf.
And a wet, sexy dream. Ever seen Magic Mike? Or watch the show True Blood? He was an almost exact copy of Joe Manganiello. The thought made me hot, and not in temperature.
“It seems only fair that I know your name now,” I flirted shamelessly.
His smile widened. “Gabriel Alton,” he purred, his large hand extended, shaking mine before pressing his lips on my wrist in a feather-light kiss. So quickly I almost imagined it, he pressed his nose to my skin and inhaled. Those blue eyes pierced mine as he flashed a dashing smile. “Live close, sweetness?”
“Not far,” I admitted, walking toward Howe Manor.
We fell into an easy conversation about Samhain and the upcoming festival as we approached my home. He didn’t seem to have trouble with small talk. The shifter intrigued me. I wondered about his reason for showing up in Mystic Hallows. No immortal came here without an agenda.
Gabriel’s eyes widened when we reached the black wrought iron gates surrounding the vast property and the towering gothic décor of the manor.
“You livehere?”
I nodded. “Yes, Howe Manor has been in my family for a long time. Ever since –”
“The Salem Witch Trials,” he interrupted. “I remember.”
Shit.What did this shifter know of my family?
“What brings you to Mystic Hallows?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest as Gabriel lowered the bags of groceries inside the gate. They rested on the crumpled leaves and damp ground as he straightened, shoving his hands into his jean pockets.
“Listen, I didn’t realize you weretheHowe, okay? I should have asked for clarification on your name. Doesn’t really matter now. Just know that you’ve got company.”
What the fuck?
“I have no idea what you’re referring to or why it matters. My mother wastheHowe, notme.”
In the history of Salem witches, my mother had been one of the most powerful of the bloodlines.
Gabriel narrowed his eyes and shook his head, more than a little flustered. “She’s gone . . . that honor is nowyours.”
“Listen, I don’t know why you’re here, but I’m nothing special. My Aunt Gwen–”
Gabriel’s face lit up at the mention of my aunt. “Gwen is here?” Without an answer, he opened the gate, scooped up the grocery bags, and hustled toward the front door, calling out in a loud, goofy voice, “Gwen, get your cute ass out here!”
“Gabe?” I heard my aunt answer with a loud shriek that could be heard through the kitchen window.
He dropped the bags as his grin widened.
