45. Shay

FORTY-FIVE

Shay

T he ride to the lake house the next morning was long and bumpy. Dirge and I had stayed out way too late, our wolves not wanting to cut the run short under the waxing moon. It wasn't full yet, but the pull was already getting stronger. Now, as our rented black SUV bump-bumped down the pockmarked clay road, I had a pounding head and regrets about not getting more sleep.

Other parts of me had also been pounded, but they weren't complaining. I smiled as I glanced down at Dirge's hand twined around mine, a warm glow in my chest at the memory. We were dynamite together, and I'd never felt so content, let alone so safe. So cherished.

I was happy with my life before, but now I felt complete. It was subtle, but… life-changing.

When we finally pulled to a stop, it was outside a postage stamp of a house, tucked between trees and blending in with its weathered cypress siding. Spanish moss blew in the breeze off the lake, trailing from the trees like ball-gown sleeves.

It was utterly lovely, the sort of place where I'd happily hide away, spend a few weeks enjoying the perfect solitude. But as we all climbed out of the SUV, I was immediately hit by a powerful witch's aura. All thoughts of swimming in the shimmering lake fled as my wolf surged to high alert. My forearms itched as her tawny fur prickled along my arms. It took two deep breaths to will her back down and regain control.

"You okay there?" Dirge whispered at my temple, planting a kiss to cover it.

"Yep. My wolf just doesn't like unknown magical beings, after…" I swallowed down the flood of memories, the flash of the assassin's blade arcing toward me with deadly intent.

"We can wait in the car if it's too much. We don't have to go in." He gripped me by the upper arms, concern etched into his handsome features.

I shook my head, not interested in missing this. Bri's curse had changed her entire life. If Karissma knew about it, I wanted to hear it.

"I'm under control now. Thank you, though." I smiled and did my best to make it look calm. I was on edge, yes, but I was back in the driver's seat.

He held my hand as we walked up the front steps and didn't comment on how I tensed as we walked behind the witch over the threshold into her domain.

She was powerful, even more so up close, though it was evident she had some sort of shield on her aura. Witches had a certain sparkle to them, visible only to that sixth sense that could spot auras. Every now and then, they'd twinkle if you watched them long enough.

Watching Karissma was like viewing a mini fireworks show. Her aura popped and fizzed with light almost constantly. Beyond that, she was stunning. She had deep-ebony skin and wore her hair shaved on the sides, with a thick thatch of natural curls on top. The witch also had keen plum-colored eyes, missing nothing as she watched us file in. She stood with her arm tossed over Bri's shoulders, at ease despite the number of powerful wolves standing in the teeny-tiny living space. There was only one bedroom, as far as I could tell, and only enough space for us to all stand if some stayed in the kitchen.

Granted, the men were all heavily muscled, but still.

"You've got more of an entourage these days than the last time we were together," Karissma said with a chuckle. "Care to introduce me?"

"Of course, where are my manners?" Bri's smile was watery, and I could tell she was trying not to cry at the reunion with her long-lost family friend. "This is Kane, my mate."

"And he's the high alpha. No less than you deserve." Karissma hummed her approval as she shook his hand. Her eyebrows slowly lifted as she felt his aura firsthand. "You've got quite a punch. I bet you're good in bed."

"Aunt Kari!" Brielle gasped.

She winked at her niece's scandalized expression. "What? You're grown now. He's a fine-looking boy." There was no levity in her tone when she turned back to Kane, though. "He had better keep you happy, or I'll zap all the fur off his tail."

"Yes, ma'am," he murmured, not the least offended by her protective manner.

"Good," she murmured, but we all heard it.

She had a brass set of balls, a lone magic user threatening the high alpha and six of his pack mates. Although, as her aura continued to crackle with power, I amended that thought. She was confident in her power, and I had a feeling she knew well how to use it.

"These are my two best friends, Leigh and Shay." She pointed to each of us in turn. "This is Shay's mate, Dirge, and these are Kane's second and third, Gael and Reed."

Karissma nodded to each of us. "It's lovely to meet you all. Please call me Kari. So, as fantastic as this meet and greet has been, I have a feeling something more has caused you to seek me out after all these years. "

Brielle looked down at the floor, guilt radiating off her. Kane spoke up, keeping a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Yes, Kari. We appreciate you going to the trouble to fly in. Brielle's mother died young, which you know. And within the past few years, Brielle has started having the same symptoms of her disease. But after a visit to a shaman who lives near our pack, he was able to confirm for us that it's not a disease at all."

"Of course not. It's a curse." Kari's statement was decisive, her eye more critical now as she studied Brielle as if she could see the curse hanging off her like so many cobwebs.

She was a witch, so perhaps she could.

"You can tell? Did you know that's what killed my mom?"

Leigh gripped my arm, fingers digging in just shy of painfully as she watched the exchange at my side. We were all tense, and the touch helped take the edge off slightly.

"I did, unfortunately."

"Is there anything you can do to lift it?" Brielle asked. "We were told that it can only be lifted by the witch who laid it."

"Your source was partially correct. A curse of this nature can only be removed by the witch who applied it or by killing her and securing a removal from one of her coven, which is often incredibly difficult to do after you've murdered one of their kind."

I bit my bottom lip. That sucked. I mean, I'd really hoped that her aunt would be able to just remove the thing.

"Oh. So, there's nothing you can do." Brielle glanced worriedly up at Kane.

"Can you identify which witch or coven is responsible for the curse? At least if we know the origin, we can keep working on the removal," Reed said, politely not commenting on the fact that as soon as we left here, we'd be hunting down whatever witch she named, probably to brutally murder them.

Anxiety radiated through me, which had my wolf pushing forward once more. She didn't know why this witch made me so nervous or that it was fear that she might not give up one of her own kind, adopted niece or no. She just knew I was anxious and fearful.

"That won't be necessary… because I cursed your mother," Kari said, grim honesty in her eyes.