Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

CASS

(Six months later.)

A bell chimes at the front door of Rook's Apothecary, causing me to glance up. Zero strides into the shop like he owns the place, his majestic amethyst dragon wings tucked in snugly around his back. He's wearing his usual; tight black jeans and a black button-up rolled up, exposing his muscled forearms. I grin at the tall shifter as he makes his way up to the front counter.

"Hey there, pretty dragon. You looking for Rook?" I bat my lashes playfully—he knows my flirting is harmless.

"Pretty? I always knew I liked you, demon." Zero smirks and winks. "You're always so hyper and happy. It's rare for your kind, but you wear it well."

My black tail swishes at his compliment, and my smile grows wider. It's only been two months since I moved to this town, but I'm happy to finally be making friends.

"Where is that bestie of mine?"

"Rook's in town, interviewing someone for the elemental position."

"A witch actually applied? That's surprising." Zero spins around and leans his tall frame against the counter, his lean, powerful thighs stretching out before him. Damn. Too bad I'm not into dragons. Hell, I'm not into anyone nowadays. Not since I met my own big bear of a witch six months ago.

"Yeah. It's a little sus, though. The application only had a first name on it, and it was very basic. I can't remember anymore, something like a John or, what's another common human name?" I peer up at the ceiling as if it has any answers.

"Daniel?"

I grin eagerly, snapping my fingers. "Yeah. I've met quite a few Daniels since moving to Heart's Hollow."

Zero nods, looking alert. "No last name. Got it. Is there anything else I should look into? Should I be worried about my best friend?"

Zero might be one of the most attractive creatures I've ever seen, but he's even smarter than he looks. As a trained assassin and an expert rogue vampire hunter for the Elite Guard, Zero is wired to be suspicious. But when he was a teen, his best friend was kidnapped right in front of him. The story ended tragically, and since then, Zero has protected all his loved ones with a ferocity I can respect.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the dragon considered those he loves to be an actual part of his hoard.

"No, he's fine. He has his phone on him and will text me if he needs any help."

Zero nods and glances around at the shop. "Did you two move everything around?"

I make my way out from behind the counter, walking past him. "We did. There was a new shipment of spell books, and Rook wanted to open up the walkway so we could add a reading chair to that corner." I nod toward the window.

"Smart. Sunlight on the books is a nice touch."

We walk around for the next several minutes as I point out all the changes to the apothecary. Rook's dream has always been to own his own shop. One that witches, paranormals, and humans alike are welcome. It's a beautiful dream, and definitely doable here in Heart's Hollow.

Suddenly, the front door chimes again and Rook walks in, rich brown hair shining in the sunlight behind him. He dips his head slightly to accommodate his large frame. I wave energetically at the big wolf shifter just as Zero's shoulders relax.

"Hey there, boss man. Any luck with the witch?" I ask.

Rook grins, rushing toward the counter. "Actually, yes. I hired him."

"Holy shit." Zero whistles. "Wait? Are you smiling? Please tell us all about this witch who has my best friend grinning like that."

Rook places a brown satchel on the counter and pushes it toward me. "It's amazing news for the apothecary. The elemental witch I interviewed agreed to work with us. We did a trial run and went out to the woods just behind the shop. He found ingredients I didn't even realize were mere feet from my building."

My eyes widen when I open the snaps on the satchel and peek inside. "He found all this?" I pull out some magical herbs, flowers, and branches. Things like basil, poppies, and violets—they might look like common things to a human eye, but an elemental witch can feel the magic within the plants. But I'm really impressed when I place a few snapdragon flowers on the counter.

"I see these flowers everywhere," Zero says as he picks up one of the snapdragons. "How do you know this guy is legit?"

"Oh, he's legit," Rook replies, gathering some of the plants to start preparing them for their proper storage methods. He rushes to the back room with hurried steps.

"Here, let me show you." I pluck the flower from Zero's fingers. "Close your eyes, and hold out your hands."

As soon as Zero's palms are facing up, I lightly place the yellow flower on his hand and start chanting.

Zero gasps. "It almost feels like it's giving me strength."

I giggle. "It is. The weaker flowers might be able to protect you from common spells, but a strong snapdragon will give a person strength. The yellow ones represent happiness. Rook's right: the elemental witch is the real deal."

Zero opens his eyes, forehead scrunched. "But if you can tell that the flower is powerful, why can't you just go into the forest and get them yourself?"

I shake my head. "It doesn't work that way. I'm a demon. Plants usually hide their true nature from me while out in the wild. Only elemental witches can communicate or feel the power of the plant while it's still growing."

Rook reenters the room with several glass bottles in hand. "That's why I can't feel them either. Witches know how to find magical plants. I could go out there and pick all the flowers I spot, but chances are only one of them might be magical."

"Fascinating." Zero swaggers over to the table in the middle of the shop and sits in one of the chairs, crossing his legs. "And is this witch handsome, by chance?"

Rook narrows his eyes. "No. You keep your charming ways away from my new employee."

"Hey!" Zero laughs, grasping his chest. "I'm wounded. You didn't tell your flirty little demon over there not to hit on the new guy."

I stand, throwing my arms up in mock surrender.

Rook peers over at me with a knowing glance. "Trust me, Cass won't be flirting with my employee," he replies, tone sad.

I told him all about my mysterious human mate, who cast a summoning spell out into the world. I'll never forget that night. The pure desperation pulsing through the spell. That pull. It was unlike any summoning I'd ever experienced. It chimed differently for me because it was my mate, and he was dying.

To this day, I still thank all the gods in existence for letting me be close by. If I wasn't in the next town over, I might not have latched onto the spell quickly enough. Another demon easily could have been pulled by the magic, ultimately severing the line that told me exactly where he was.

Blaze Sinclair.

It was only recently I discovered his name. The moment I met the big guy, I knew he was a witch. I could feel what little power he had running through him. My mate was strong. Anyone else, paranormal or not, wouldn't have survived, let alone still have magic in their blood.

Just healing my mate almost drained all the magic from my life force. I almost died trying to help him, not that he knew that. Shame swirls through my stomach as I remember the scared look on my mate's face. Most people don't see demons in their other form, and Blaze didn't react well. Was he repulsed by me?

The next morning when I woke up to find him gone, I was devastated. But I didn't blame him. Blaze had been tortured. It wasn't until a few months later that I realized how long my poor mate had suffered. I don't blame him for running. Without a clue to go on, I decided to look in the witch's archives. I poured myself over their missing person reports for hours. That's when I found a photo of him. A Sinclair, no less.

When I saw that fucking bastard, Orson, his betrothed, was the one leading the search for Blaze, I wanted to bring him back from the pits of hell just to torture him again and again. The death I gave Orson was far too merciful.

Rook nudges my ribcage. "Cass. Your shadows."

I step back and glance over at the mirror and see my eyes have changed from their normal golden hue to demon red. Shadowy tendrils are coiling around my legs and climbing up my waist. "Ah, shit. I'm sorry."

Zero is standing several feet away from me, fangs bared, amethyst scales rippling along his arms. Rook has one big clawed hand pressed against Zero's chest. I forgot the dragon hasn't seen me like this before. It's probably not a good idea to shift in front of a member of the Elite Guard.

I wave my black tail with a grand flourish, the pointed tip swishing through the bulk of the shadows, causing them to dissipate. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and shift back into my other form.

Playfully, I bat my lashes and fake pout at Zero. A part of me is a little hurt that Zero seems on edge around my demon appearance.

The dragon relaxes and shakes his head. "Sorry, Cass. I'm still getting used to the fact that not all demons are cut from the same cloth."

"You mean evil," I reply, not letting him off the hook.

When Rook glances between his best friend and me with that sad wolfy dog look he's perfected, I give in. With my flirty smile back in place, I give Zero a grin and cock my hip. "Don't forget, Dragon, I wouldn't have been able to get into Heart's Hollow, let alone pass through the sanctuary wards that protect the town, if I didn't have good intentions."

Zero nods. "I know."

Rook pats his best friend on the chest and goes back over to the counter covered with plants and supplies. "I still can't believe I finally hired a witch. He claims to be one of the infamous Sinclairs, too. Not sure I believe him since he originally put a fake name on his application, but he sure is powerful enough to be a Sinclair."

My mind goes blank, and shadows swirl in my head as the name ‘Sinclair' bounces around. "Sinclair," I rasp. "As in Blaze Sinclair?"

"Yeah. Big guy. Huge for a witch, at least. Why? How did you know—" His words trail off as he takes in my appearance.

"What's going on?" Zero walks back to my side and rubs a comforting hand between my shoulder blades. It's a nice gesture considering how he reacted to me just moments ago, but I can't even fully appreciate it when my mind keeps swirling.

My eyes lift and meet Zero's amethyst orbs, before glancing over at Rook. "Your best friend just hired my mate to work for his apothecary."

Zero sucks in a breath. "Well, damn. Looks like you were wrong, Rook. This little demon will definitely be flirting with your new employee."