Chapter 10

Adrianna closed her eyes and let the feeling of well-being seep into her pores. She hadn’t been lying when she’d told Greg she was finally at peace. Something about being with both of them intimately had shaken the bond with Eoghan. It wasn’t gone, but it was far weaker than it had been before.

It still didn’t make sense to her. She had enjoyed being with both of them. Decker was all power and passion, and Greg was more intimate and more moving. She didn’t want to have to choose between them, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to allow anyone else to choose for her.

Thinking about it was giving her a headache. She rose from the bed, pulled on her sweater and skirt, picked up her boots, and headed back to her own chambers. People she passed in the hallway seemed to shy away. She questioned whether or not that was real or just her imagination. If it was real, and the clan couldn’t accept it, was she willing to pull Decker and Greg away from their chosen clan just to be with her? Maybe the weakened bond with Eoghan meant she could escape to a Shadow Sisters’ safe house and live out her life alone. Being a lone wolf, literally, would probably not be the worst thing if she meant to carry on the work of the Sisters.

Adriana made her way back to her chambers and removed her clothes before stepping into the shower and allowed the hot water to cascade over her as she cleansed her body with a moisturizing, liquid soap and soft sea sponge. She sniffed her hair and could still detect the lingering scent of both of them. Bending over at the waist, she washed her hair, ensuring she got a good amount of suds throughout. Once it was rinsed clean, she applied a leave-in conditioner and then stepped out to dry herself off.

Pulling her hair back into a low-set ponytail, she pulled on distressed jeans, a clean sweater and a pair of knee-high, round-toe, flat boots that laced up the side, giving them a steampunk look. She belted the sweater with a low-slung leather belt and headed out to see if she could find Erin. She was feeling a little guilty about tossing her in the footwell of the Bugatti and then just sort of abandoning her. She wasn’t worried about Erin’s safety, but she felt a responsibility for the girl.

As she arrived on the main level of the keep, she could smell the delicious aroma of gingerbread cookies. Colby had brought his long-time cook with him, and she was known for her baking skills. Adriana still wasn’t all that familiar with the abbey but following her nose—especially with her enhanced sense of smell—made finding the kitchen easy.

Adriana wasn’t sure what she had expected, but the dark, dreary kitchen of just about every Masterpiece period drama was not what she found. Instead, she found a bright, modern kitchen bustling with activity. She also found Erin sitting next to Brie on a pair of counter stools while Maya fussed around her, plying both Brie and Erin with the most amazing smelling treats, included some that looked suspiciously like frosted gingerbread.

“Adriana!” called Erin. “Come and try these cookies. Maya says she can’t decide which ones to serve so me and Brie are giving her our opinions. These coconut macaroons might be my favorite.”

“I’ll have to take your word on that,” said Adriana snatching two of the frosted gingerbread cookies. She bit into one and moaned. The combination of sharp gingerbread combined with caramel latte cream cheese frosting was incredible. “I don’t care what the other ones taste like, these are officially my all-time favorite cookie, and I am something of an expert on cookies.”

Maya grinned. “You and Brie are in agreement. Maybe we should call them Shadow Sisters cookies.”

Brie laughed. “Yes, and we can give every woman we get to safety a dozen cookies and the recipe.”

“A new life, a new cookie,” added Adriana, laughing and making Erin giggle.

“Can I have the coconut macaroons instead?” Erin asked.

“You can have whatever you want, sweetheart.” Brie assured her. “Erin was worried she wouldn’t see you again.”

“Why?” Adriana asked Erin. The little girl shrugged. “I know you and I are the only witches here, but everyone here is lovely, and I’m not going anywhere. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like.”

“But what if wolves come? The bad ones, the ones who can shapeshift?”

“Why don’t you like the wolves?”

“Because the wolves were the ones who attacked my village. My mother sent me away to hide. When I came back they were all dead. One of them saw me and they started to chase me.”

“Well, not all wolf-shifters or shifters in general are bad, just like not all witches are good. In fact, I’m kind of a weirdo.”

“You are not,” said Erin.

“Oh, but I am. Not only am I a witch, I am descended from the banshees…”

Erin’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Witches’ honor,” said Adriana. “And I’m a wolf-shifter because a bad wolf-shifter bit me and made me one. But I’ve decided I’m okay with that, as being a wolf-shifter can be a lot of fun.”

“Can you really change into a wolf?” Excitement became concern. “Do you have red eyes when you become a wolf?”

Knowing the little girl had suffered a terrorizing incident, Adriana took her hands in hers. “No. Did the ones that attacked you have red eyes?”

Erin nodded and Adriana risked a glance at Brie. The red eyes were indicative of only two things: vampires or warlocks. Warlock or vampire hybrid wolves? There was nothing good about that. Nothing.

“I can, and Brie there is a lynx-shifter. There are all kinds of shifters here at the abbey. Would you like to go outside and see?”

“Yes, please,” said Erin with more animation than she had shown since bursting into the chapel.

“Okay, grab the gingerbread cookies and the macaroons, and let’s go to the changing room,” said Brie.

Erin quickly transferred the two preferred types of cookies onto one plate and then followed Brie and Adriana into the changing room.

“Is she going to be okay with us being naked for a few minutes?”

Adriana laughed. “Uhm, witches are pretty comfortable with nudity, and we hold a lot of circles and bonfire dances ‘sky clad,’ which is another term for naked as the day you were born.”

Once in the changing room, Brie and Adrianna undressed as Brie explained that Erin would need to stand clear of the powerful, cataclysmic mists that would envelop her and Adriana and allow them to shift. Standing clear of Erin, Brie shifted first, allowing the swirling maelstrom to shroud her as she shifted.

“Doesn’t she need to spin around?” asked Erin.

It took Adriana a moment to realize the little girl was thinking about Wonder Woman from the comics. “No, sweetie. We’re shifters, not superheroes.”

“But isn’t being a witch kind of like being a superhero?”

“A little, but a whole lot more fun. Once we’re both shifted, we’re going to go out that door. I think you can fit, too, if you want. Otherwise, go back to Maya and ask her to take you outside.”

Erin looked at the door. “I can go through that easy.”

Brie’s beautiful lynx purred at Erin as she approached and rubbed up against her. Erin knelt down and stroked the long, luxurious fur of Brie’s altered self. Adriana gave herself some space and surrounded herself in the contained storm that was the shift. Emerging from the swirling mist as a wolf, Adriana bounded toward Brie, all but knocking her over before charging out the dual-flapped creature door.

She could hear Erin giggling as she, too, followed them out the door. Adriana and Brie played and cavorted in the back garden, running along the paths and bounding back to Erin who seemed to be beginning to embrace life at the abbey. Adriana was glad to see it. If Eoghan and his people had slaughtered Erin’s family and coven, the child was in danger, and there was no safer place for her than the abbey.

Adriana had come to love being a she-wolf. There was freedom to be found in the simpler form. She barked and play bowed to Erin and Brie, who seemed to sit contentedly at Erin’s feet and be stroked. To hell with that. Adriana zoomed past them, slowing only long enough to tug Brie’s short tail. Brie yowled and Adriana bounced at her, wagging her long tail and woofing. When Brie turned back to Erin as if to ignore her, Adriana charged back thinking to nip at her again. She should have known better. Brie smacked her with her snowshoe-sized paw—with her claws retracted—and sent Adriana tumbling before she could scramble back to her feet.

She and her wolf barked furiously, and Brie made a playful hiss before galloping toward the fountain in the center of the garden. Adriana gave chase, plowing into Brie as she trotted daintily along the fountain’s edge and knocking them both into the water. Brie snarled and got out of the water, shaking furiously and spraying water all over Erin, who laughed, enjoying the game. Brie hopped off the stones that surrounded the fountain and sat down by Erin, licking her paws and trying to bat away the dripping water.

Adriana was about to charge Brie again when she skidded to a halt as Erin extended her hand, palm facing outward and making signs with her index finger. She was trying to draw magic. She wasn’t doing it successfully and was most likely just mimicking what she’d seen her family and the rest of her coven do. It was no matter, as Adriana could teach her.

Inside her head, she could hear Erin speaking as clearly as if she was talking aloud. “You think you can teach me?” Adriana nodded and Brie looked between them. It would seem Brie could hear her as well. “I’m not so good at spells yet, but I can talk to animals. My aunt said we were related to Dr. Doolittle, but I don’t know if that’s true.”

“Ask Brie something about being a lynx,” said Adriana, wanting to know the extent of Erin’s gift.

“Do you think you could teach me to purr? I’ve always thought that would be nice.”

Brie shook her head, but even as a lynx, Adriana could tell she was astonished. “Unfortunately, as a human, you don’t have the right kind of vocal chords, but when you’re older if you like, you can choose to become any kind of shifter you like.”

“Really?”

“Really.”Brie assured her. “But it’s a big step and you have to be sure.”

“Erin, do you have any other gifts?”asked Adriana, knowing that many times, closely related gifts came in pairs.

“Sure. I can heal animals as well.”She pointed to a field beyond the keep that lay fallow. “There’s a red fox in the undergrowth. She has kits, and she’s hurt; I’m trying to heal her. She has a wounded leg. I’m almost done.”

The three of them headed out to the field. A small red vixen came out of the bushes, baring her teeth.

“It’s all right. These are my friends,” soothed Erin. “They’re not really animals, and Adriana is a witch like me.”

Dancing lights drifted from Erin’s fingertips to the wound on the vixen’s leg. Adriana and Brie watched as the wound seemed to heal itself. They left the fox to care for her young and walked back to the changing room. Once inside, both she and Brie shifted back and got redressed.

“Erin? Outside you could communicate with us without speaking. Can you hear our thoughts now?”

The little girl shook her head. “No. Some of our elders could, but none in my family.”

Adriana nodded and thought to herself that she needed to visit the village where Erin’s coven had once lived. She needed to learn far more about them than Erin would be able to tell. If she was to help Erin become all she could be, Adriana needed to know what that might be.

Given her age, it was remarkable that Erin was as strong as she was.