5. Kiera

FIVE

KIERA

Despite my lingering guilt over staying at the inn, given that I'd already resolved the Ashen Tribe's problem, I decided to stay the full length of time based on three reasons. One, everyone had encouraged me to stay the remaining days. Two, I needed to lie low a few more days while things blew over with Lucius back home. And three, I'd booked a spot at a local repair shop to have my AC fixed. However, if I was being honest, there was a fourth reason for wanting to stay in Crescent Creek. An undeniable force seemed to tether me here. I'd thought it was the quiet charm of the town, the cute shops that lined Main Street, the friendly smiles everywhere, and the slower pace of living.

But then Neo popped into my head.

Even though I'd just met him, and it defied all logic, his magnetism instantly caught my attention. It wasn't his rugged good looks or the bad boy aura that surrounded him.

It was deeper.

He was all I'd thought about. I couldn't explain it, but I knew one thing was for certain: I wasn't ready to leave Crescent Creek.

"Keys?" the guy with massive muscles and tattoos asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

He held his hand out. I blinked, forcing my thoughts away.

"Sorry, here." I passed them to him.

The name on his shirt said Blade, which seemed like a strange first name, but oddly enough, it suited him.

"We'll have your AC working in a day or two. Cherry will give you a call when it's ready," he said, closing his massive fist around my keys.

Although I couldn't be entirely sure, I was almost convinced that Blade, along with everyone else working here, including the receptionist Cherry, were all wolf shifters. A slight scent of fur clung to them, and the fantastic mural on the side of the shop depicted wolves. Plus, there was the name—Dark Moon Automotive.

"Thank you." I smiled.

A loud noise startled me from behind. I jumped and spun around to see what it was, thinking someone had crashed their car into the building. From the looks of it, the person had collided with a trash can instead.

"Oh, wow," I gasped, staring at the scene.

"Did you call the taxi?" Blade asked.

The taxi? Was there only one? Actually, that made sense. After all, Crescent Creek was small.

"Yeah." I tucked a few stray hairs behind my ear. "There were cards for a taxi service in the office. I grabbed one and called for a cab a few minutes ago."

"Well, that would be your ride." Blade nodded to the woman attempting to reverse off the trash can she'd crushed. "We don't call her crazy Tammy for nothing."

My teeth sank into my bottom lip. Crap, this wasn't good. Maybe I should pretend I hadn't ordered her services and walk to Main Street instead. Before I could decide, the old woman rolled her window down and locked eyes with me.

"Kiera?" she asked, and I didn't have the heart to lie to her.

"That's me," I said, flashing her a smile.

"Hop in."

"Best of luck to you," Blade muttered with a low chuckle before turning to head back inside the shop.

I frowned as he walked away.

Well, it could be worse. He could've said, "Nice knowing you." I tried to take comfort in that as I made my way to the woman's car.

I climbed into the backseat, and as I closed the door, the old woman shifted into reverse and gassed it. My body slung forward, and I regretted my decision to get in her car. I grappled for the seat belt, hoping it would be enough to save my life in case she collided with something else going at breakneck speed. If it hadn't been clear enough before, it was clear now why they called this woman crazy Tammy.

"Where to?" Tammy demanded, as she slung us around a corner going way too fast.

"Main Street, please," I squeaked out.

She didn't speak again, and I focused on my breathing while Tammy drove pedal-to-the-metal to the center of town. When we finally reached Main Street, Tammy pulled into a parking space and I gave her some cash and exited the vehicle.

Ten out of ten, do not recommend .

Exhaling a slow breath, I glanced around, soaking in the little shops that lined Main Street. A coffee shop caught my eye, and I headed in that direction. After the shock of nearly dying in the backseat of Tammy's taxi, I needed caffeine and a little sugar boost to reset myself. My cell rang before I reached the place. I stepped to the edge of the sidewalk and dug it out of my purse.

My neighbor, Gretchen, was calling. She was old and retired, but I enjoyed talking with her.

"Hey, what's up?" I answered, hoping she wasn't calling to say the water main in my apartment had busted again or something equally horrific.

My apartment was the worst; something was always breaking. However, the place was in my budget and that made it home.

"Honey, I don't know what you did, but some guy was beating on your door first thing this morning," she said, sounding slightly aggravated.

It was an act. Gretchen was a gossip, and she loved drama. Someone beating on my door first thing in the morning would satisfy her need for both.

I wasn't a fan of either.

Which meant hearing that someone was beating on my door at all had my heart stalling. I knew exactly who it was, too.

Lucius.

While it wasn't a surprise he'd figured out where I lived, it was a shocker to learn that he'd figured out I was the one responsible for his current mishap.

That wasn't good. In fact, it was really, really bad.

Most likely, he was there to kill me.

Lucius was the leader of a massive shifter group, and he was vicious. If the guy who'd hired me to bind Lucius's ability hadn't been a friend, I wouldn't have messed with him at all.

Lucius was a slimy snake shifter who wielded the power of mind manipulation. Meaning, he could get into another shifter's mind and make them do things they normally wouldn't—like start all-out wars. This was also how he'd become the alpha of the largest group of shifters in the city.

Dennis, the guy who hired me, had a little sister who'd gotten mixed up with Lucius and his group. She'd been under his thumb for the better part of the last month, no matter how hard Dennis tried to get her away from him. Thankfully, he hadn't given up—or gotten himself tangled up with Lucius—and came to me for help. He'd offered to pay me a decent chunk of money to bind Lucius's ability, and I'd agreed.

However, something neither of us counted on was nearly everyone in Lucius's group fleeing when I bound his ability.

Which was why I was certain Lucius wanted me dead.

"I hope you're out of dodge is all I can say," Gretchen said, pulling me back to the conversation. "That man was pissed."

"I am out of dodge," I said, knowing better than to tell her where I was. "Luckily."

Gretchen might be a friend, but the old woman also had a big mouth. Telling her where I was would definitely be bad for my health. However, it looked as though getting out of town until things blew over had been the best idea I'd had in a while.

While Lucius's ability would be back soon, he didn't know that. Which meant, for all he knew, I'd stripped him of it forever. I hadn't, but I couldn't even say when his ability would return. My ratios of bindweed and willow bark hadn't been on point. I'd sneezed when adding the bindweed, causing more to come out than I'd intended. While I wasn't proud of skewing the potency for the binding, I liked to think of it as a heavy dose of karma for the prick.

"Thanks for letting me know," I said, grateful Gretchen had called to fill me in.

"No problem. I'll keep you updated."

I was counting on it.

"Thanks. I'll talk to you soon," I said before hanging up.

My stomach rolled. For a moment, I thought I might be sick. Even though I knew Lucius didn't know where I was, there was still a chance he'd somehow figure it out.

Why the hell had I agreed to bind his ability?