11. Astrid

11

ASTRID

A s Dean and I walked toward Last Drop, my stomach churned, the uneasy fluttering of nervous butterflies making me feel queasy. I wasn't sure how the others would react at the sight of me, but I imagined it wouldn't be good. The chances of them seeing me in a skeptical light like Dean had were high.

"It's going to be fine," Dean said, taking my hand in his and interlacing our fingers.

Ease washed over me as sparks danced across my palm where it met his. This man's touch was magic. I could walk into fire holding his hand and still feel at ease.

Once we entered the bar, it didn't take long to figure out who we were there to see. The people sitting at a back table had zeroed in on me immediately. Skepticism twisted their features at the sight of me.

"Hey, guys, this is Astrid," Dean said by way of introduction as we situated ourselves at the table with them. I hadn't needed an introduction, though. Their faces said as much. Everyone remembered me, the same as I remembered them. "This is Ellis, Waylen, and Sienna," he continued, unfazed by the looks they were giving me.

"Hi," I said, giving a small wave and a smile.

No one returned either.

Tough crowd .

Dean grabbed two glasses from the stack in the center and poured us each a beer. The tension thickened, but if he noticed, he didn't let on. It was clear everyone was confused as to why Dean was hanging out with me and what I was doing here.

"All right. Well," he said before taking a swig from his beer. "I'm not one to beat around the bush, so I'll get straight to it. Remember a few nights ago when I asked y'all to meet me here and I told you I felt like someone was watching me?"

"Was it her?" Sienna asked. She flipped her red hair over her shoulder and gave me a venomous look. "Was she the one following you?"

"Technically, no," Dean said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Waylen demanded. "Either she was or she wasn't. There's no in between."

"I was following my brother Xander, and he was following Dean," I chimed in.

"Why was Xander following him?" Ellis asked.

"Because he's not well," I answered. "He's been different since Lucius."

"Haven't we all?" Sienna scoffed.

"Not like this," Dean countered, taking another swig of his beer.

His words caught their attention.

"I think he's possessed," I blurted. "Possessed by Lucius's spirit."

Waylen laughed as though I'd told a wild joke and the others chuckled along with him. When Dean and I didn't join in, or show any signs that we were teasing, they stopped.

Sienna leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and locked eyes with me. "You're not joking, are you?"

I shook my head. "I wish I was."

"I can vouch for it myself," Dean said, leaning back in his chair and draping an arm over the back of mine. "I believe there's a chance he could be possessed by Lucius, too."

Ellis cocked his head to the side, his gaze shifting between Dean and me. "Which means what, exactly?"

"You can't be buying this," Waylen said. "I'm gonna need more info to believe you."

"Wait a minute," Sienna demanded, her intense gaze fixed on Dean. "Something's different about you."

"Different?" Dean questioned.

Her eyes widened as though a lightbulb had gone off in her head. "Oh my God! You're mates, aren't you?"

Excitement spilled into her eyes as her face lit up with a smile. She was genuinely happy for us, which was surprising considering how skeptical she'd been of me seconds before.

"We are." Dean nodded, and my raven fluttered her wings, happy as could be.

Warmth filled my chest.

"Holy shit!" Waylen shouted. "This calls for a celebration!"

Ellis slapped Dean on the back. "Congratulations, man."

The warmth I'd felt in my chest spread. These were loyal friends.

Dean shifted to lock eyes with me, and an adorable grin graced his face. His hand found my thigh beneath the table and he gave it a squeeze. I knew it was his way of saying, see I knew they'd be okay with you and me . We've got this. We're good.

"Thanks," Dean said, shifting his attention back to everyone seated around the table. His face turned serious again. "Back to Xander. We need to figure out how to stop him before things get out of hand."

"Right. Why do you guys think he's possessed by Lucius's spirit?" Sienna asked. That skeptical look was back in her eyes, and they were fixed on me. "What made you come to that conclusion?"

"He got into my head," I said, dropping my gaze to a water ring on the tabletop. "It felt exactly like when Lucius did."

"What the hell?" Ellis muttered. "How is that even possible?"

"I don't know," Dean spoke up. "All I know is she's not lying. I felt it, too." Tension pierced through his tone.

"How do you know it's Lucius's spirit, though?" Sienna pressed. "Could he have had the ability to get into another's mind and control them all along?"

"No," I answered without hesitation.

"How can you be so sure?" Sienna pressed.

"I would know," I insisted. "After all, he's my brother."

"Right. I forgot about that." Sienna nodded.

"Could he have gained the ability after Lucius was in his head?" Ellis asked. "Maybe it messed up his brain chemistry."

"I don't think so," I said. "When he was in my head, I begged him to stop by calling his name, and he said Xander isn't here anymore."

"Creepy," Sienna uttered.

"Oh, shit. This is going to be interesting," Waylen said, rolling his head back to look at the ceiling.

"So, what do we do?" Sienna asked before taking a swig of her beer. "Do we perform an exorcism somehow?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking," I blurted, sounding a little too enthusiastic.

Sienna's eyes widened, and she looked as though she was about to spit out her beer. "I was joking."

"Sorry, but I'm not taking part in any exorcism. I don't get down with all that Ouija board, spooky shit," Ellis said, shaking his head.

Waylen chuckled. "Ouija board, spooky shit—that's hilarious!"

"I'm not joking," Ellis insisted, his tone firm and his eyes serious. "That shit's not my vibe."

Waylen tossed up a hand and gave a shoulder shrug. "Okay. Noted. Damn."

"So, say this is true," Sienna started, but Dean cut her off.

"It is true," he ground out. "He tried to kill her, Sienna. If I hadn't stopped him…"

So much emotion hung in his words—in his expression—that it tore at the edges of my heart. I placed a hand on his and gave it a gentle squeeze. My raven and I could feel him and his wolf's torment as that moment replayed through his head.

"I'm okay," I whispered.

Dean exhaled, and the tension coiling through him faded. "I know."

"What I was going to say before I was interrupted was if this is true, then we need to find someone who can perform an exorcism on him. We need to get Lucius's spirit out of him before things spiral out of control, like the first time we had to deal with that monster," Sienna explained.

"Have any of you ever heard of Maribel?" Ellis asked.

"The crazy old lady who lives in the woods?" Waylen smirked. "Isn't she just an urban legend?"

Ellis looked at him like he was stupid. "No, she's real. I knew a girl who went to her for a weird spiritual fertility treatment. She's a witch or spiritual healer."

"No, she's a shaman," Sienna chimed in. "And an eccentric raccoon shifter."

"Do you think she'd be able to help with Xander?" I asked.

"It's worth a shot to ask." Sienna took another sip from her beer. "The only problem is we have to find her first."

I tried to think back on any stories I'd heard of the eccentric old woman, but none came to mind.

"How do we do that?" I asked.

"The best way to find anyone in a small town is to ask around," Ellis said with a grin. "Someone is bound to know where she's at."

"First things first," Waylen said, holding up his beer. "We're celebrating your mate bond tonight. We'll start our search for Maribel tomorrow."

Everyone lifted their glasses, even me.

"To Dean and Astrid," Waylen said. "And to the Misfit Shifters."

"Misfit Shifters?" Dean asked.

"Yep. We might not belong to anyone, but we belong to each other. As misfits," he replied.

I liked it, and from the looks on everyone else's faces, so did they.

"To the Misfit Shifters," we all said in unison before clicking our glasses together.

Warmth filled my chest again, and a sense of contentment flooded me as I stared around the table at everyone's smiling faces. This felt good. It felt right. Asking for help had been a good decision.

"What's that smile for?" Dean asked, settling back in his seat and placing his hand back on my thigh beneath the table again.

I shrugged. "No reason. I'm just happy."

"Good," he said, leaning close. "I want you happy, and I like seeing you smile."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Because it makes me happy."

My heart pitter-pattered as I stared into his warm eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied without a second of hesitation.

"Gag," Sienna muttered, making a face followed by dramatic choking sounds. "No, I'm just kidding." She smirked, her expression returning to normal before a grin sprang onto her face. "You two are fucking adorable." She rolled her eyes.

"Then buy us another pitcher, Sienna." Dean smirked.

"Only if you sing karaoke with me," she countered.

"I'm not singing karaoke," he said. "Besides, it's not even karaoke night."

"I know that, but when it is."

Dean shook his head. "Not happening."

"I'll sing with you," I offered.

"Okay. Awesome," Sienna said, grabbing the empty pitcher up from the table. "I'll buy another one for us." She winked.

The guys cheered, while Sienna and I burst into laughter. In that moment, I knew this was where I belonged. These were my people now, and Dean was my anchor. Whatever came next—even the uncertainty with Xander—I knew we'd be fine.

My raven and I could feel it deep in our bones.