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“Yes, indeed,” Eli said. “Whether RWA has any on their books is another matter entirely.”
“Why would they have a weasel wrangler on their books?” I asked, amusement growing.
“Because while RWA might be the government body charged with dealing with adverse situations involving witches, there are plenty of situations that arise that involve shifters and the like.”
“I’m still not seeing why they’d be needed.”
He laughed. “Weasels are very good at hunting smaller prey, and not all shifters are the majestic kind. I know for a fact the association has several rat shifters on their books. I’m not aware of any weasel shifters, but it’s certainly a possibility and doesn’t hurt to ask.”
“Imagine being landed with either a rat, weasel, or, God forbid, a damn snake as your alternate form. Poor sods.”
“In many cases,” Ashworth said, amusement creasing the corners of his eyes, “a common rat, or indeed snake, can go places that a wolf or eagle could not.”
I remembered the magpie shifter I’d met in Canberra and the ease with which he’d flown around. I guessed, given rodents and snakes could be found absolutely everywhere, right across the globe, it would make those shifters a valuable asset for any law enforcement entity.
“I still pity the rat or snake shifters,” I said. “Their animal counterparts are almost universally hated, and that’s got to be hard on them.”
I grabbed the jam and cream, slathered both onto my scone, and took a bite. Eli might have claimed they weren’t as good as ours, but one taste was enough to disprove that.
“Which is why not all shifters advertise their alternate forms.” Ashworth glanced at his watch. “I’ll contact the office once you leave and get the wheels turning. It might take a few days to get anyone here though.”
“It might be worth seeing if we can map its movement in the meantime,” Eli said. “Should be easy enough to do if it does kill foliage as the lessons say.”
“Tracking it could be dangerous.”
“Not if they keep their eyes down and run the minute they scent it getting close,” Ashworth said. “A wolf should be able to do so long before it crosses into the danger zone.”
I nodded. “I’ll ask Aiden to get some of his people on to it.”
Eli raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean you’ve finally stopped ignoring the man?”
“Indeed, it does.”
“And?” Ashworth asked impatiently when I didn’t go on.
“And he asked me to marry him.”
With ecstatic whoops that put Belle’s to shame, they leapt up, ran around the table, and wrapped me in fierce and loving hugs, their utter and very real joy for me forcing me to blink back tears.
I laughed and pushed them both back. “It’s too damn hot to be hugging like that.”
“I’m so pleased for you, lass.” Ashworth dropped a kiss on my cheek before moving back around the table. “Have you set a date yet?”
“No, and we won’t, not until the council has made its decision on him becoming alpha.” I explained the situation and Aiden’s intentions.
“You know,” Eli said, in a wry sort of tone, “he could have avoided so much angst and heartache if he’d just sat down and explained his plans to you initially.”
“I know. More importantly, so does he. He’s promised to do better in the future, but I’m not holding my breath hoping for an immediate miracle.”
“I wouldn’t be either. The lad’s an alpha, and they come with certain traits that are very ingrained.” He paused, gaze narrowing slightly. “Did you tell him about the pregnancy?”
“No, and I won’t. Not until he’s confirmed as alpha and our engagement is officially announced. I don’t want it used against me. Us.”
“Fair enough.” He munched on his scone. “I shall treat the lad a bit more nicely, then, seeing as he finally came to his senses.”
I laughed, and the conversation moved on. But just as I was about to leave, a tiny thread of sunlight peeking through one of the closed blinds reminded me of another problem. “Eli, did you ever finish the translation on that book?”
The book I meant wasEarth Magic: Its Uses and Dangers, an obsolete and rather obscure book written in Latin that Monty had found in Canberra’s archives. Earth magic was what the wild magic had originally been called, and it was through this book that we’d discovered the information about the Fenna and how they were created.
