by Eve Langlais
“You know,” Ellie began, “you’re not a jerk at all. You’re actually a really nice guy. Werewolf. Whatever. But you can’t help me, Colin. No one can.”
Werewolves never backed down from a challenge, and one as insurmountable as this was the sort of bait Colin couldn’t refuse. He’d prove his mate wrong and in the process earn her respect and gratitude. He’d free her from this gods-damned curse if it killed him. Luckily, he wasn’t without resources of his own. The only problem was, he’d have to leave her to do a little research. And gods, tearing himself away from her was going to take more willpower than he thought he could muster.
“I’m glad we’ve established I’m not a jerk.” Colin was determined to do what he could to add a little levity to the conversation. “But don’t underestimate me, Ellie. When I put my mind to something, I see it through to the end. You are my mate. Mine to care for. Mine to protect. I will find a solution to this problem.”
The look Ellie gave him was so close to pity, it set his wolf on edge. She doubted him. Doubted his ability to help her. It was true they didn’t know each other well, but Colin was determined to prove himself to her.
“Colin.” Her voice couldn’t have echoed her expression better. “Sarah is long gone. And I don’t know any other witches; do you?”
Not personally, but Colin was far more connected in the supernatural world than Ellie was. “Give me a couple of days.”
Her lips curved into a sweet smile that banished her sadness. “I get the feeling you’re sort of stubborn.”
Owen had once told him that a brick wall was less stubborn. “You have no idea.”
“I just don’t want you to expend a bunch of energy on something that isn’t going to pan out.” Ellie looked away. “I’m not worth the trouble.”
Dear gods. She truly didn’t understand exactly how worth it she was. “You’re my mate, Ellie.” Colin commanded her gaze with his authoritative tone. “I know you don’t understand the magnitude of that bond, but believe me when I tell you there is nothing in this world more important. You are absolutely worth the trouble and then some.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Someday, Ellie, you’ll realize why and how I know it. But until then, you’re just going to have to trust me.”
Ellie laid her palm to Colin’s cheek. “Hope is a very dangerous thing for the hopeless to feel. Do you understand that, Colin?”
She’d lived such an isolated life for so long. Too many endless nights to contemplate her fate and wallow in despair. Colin had never tackled a problem and failed to beat it. Ellie’s problem would be no different. He was going to help her. There was simply too much at stake to accept anything less than success.
“You’ve got me now,” Colin said. “And I’m going to bend over backward to give you more hope than you know what to do with.”
“No offense.” Ellie’s lips twitched. “But I don’t need a knight in shining armor. I might’ve been born before feminism, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t changed with the times.”
Never once had Colin considered Ellie anything other than strong, capable, and independent. His wolf wouldn’t have chosen her for a mate if she’d been weak, helpless, or dependent. His wolf saw in her an equal partner. Someone who would not only make them better but whose traits would complement theirs also. The animal could sometimes be a raging pain in the ass. Pushy and overbearing. But in this the wolf made no mistakes. Ellie was perfect for Colin and he was going to do everything in his power to hold on to her.
“I need to get back to Stanley.” He’d been gone for almost two days. It wasn’t unusual for Colin to be out for a day or more when scouting for game, but he had a lot of loose ends to tie up with Liam before he could get to work finding a witch to break the curse put on Ellie. “I just need to check in with my alpha and do some research. I won’t be gone long; I promise. Just overnight. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Ellie put her mouth to his for a slow, gentle kiss that only served to stoke the flames of Colin’s passion. Gods, he was tempted to spend the rest of the day and night with her. Naked, limbs tangled in her bedsheets until the sun rose again. But he was antsy to find a solution to Ellie’s problem and needed all the help he could get.
“You don’t have to make apologies or excuses.” She kissed him again, just a quick peck. “I don’t expect you to sit here with me. I don’t need a babysitter. Besides, I’m going back to work in the morning. It’s not like I’ll be sitting here pining away.”
Her grin widened and it made Colin’s breath catch. Gods, he loved her snark. “Well, good to know you won’t be pining away. I’d hate for you to despair of my ever returning.”
She laughed. “Oh, you’ll be back. For the cinnamon rolls if anything.”
“They really are delicious.” Colin brushed her dark mahogany hair behind her shoulder. “As much as I hate to see clothes covering your gorgeous body, I think we’d better get dressed. Can you give me a lift to my truck?”
“As much as I hate to see clothes covering your gorgeous body,” Ellie countered, “I’d be happy to. But I should probably warn you, my truck is an antique. The suspension is pretty much shot.”
“Bumps in the road don’t bother me.” Colin hoped she got the underlying meaning to his words.
“It’s a good thing.” Ellie’s gaze warmed with soft emotion that stabbed pleasantly into Colin’s chest. “Because it’s probably going to be a rough ride.”
“Bring it on.” Colin wasn’t afraid of a challenge.
He never lost and he wasn’t about to start now that he was so close to getting everything he’d ever wanted.
* * *
Ellie walked through the front door, shocked she’d had the willpower necessary to let Colin go. She might not have possessed werewolf instincts, but she couldn’t deny she’d formed a strange, almost instant, connection with him. Ellie rarely felt comfortable with people. Mostly because she couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that she wasn’t truly human anymore. She didn’t have those crippling thoughts around Colin. He wasn’t human either. They had that in common.
And the sex … Wow.
Ellie wasn’t exactly worldly, but neither was she a shy virgin. She had a feeling the moments of intense pleasure she’d shared with Colin were only a precursor to what he could give her when he took his time. And she couldn’t deny she was dying to find out.
Careful, Ellie. You’re starting to hope again.
She couldn’t afford optimism. And she’d meant it when she’d told Colin she wasn’t looking for a knight in shining armor. She appreciated that he wanted to help her. That he wanted to find a solution to her problem. But she didn’t want to suffer his disappointment when his efforts were unsuccessful. She didn’t want to suffer her own renewed anguish at being reminded she was trapped with no way out.
She was being punished for eternity and she hadn’t even liked Wendell Bates. The man had been insufferably arrogant, a bully, and a mediocre guide and tracker. He’d come to Lowman thinking he could strike it rich in the fur trade. Ellie snorted. Wendell could barely catch a cold, let alone the animals needed to net him a small fortune. He would have died that first winter, from either starvation or hypothermia, if Ellie hadn’t given him a few pointers. Her fatal flaw was feeling sorry for even those who hadn’t deserved her concern. She didn’t think Wendell loved her so much as saw in her someone who could help him reach his goals. Ellie had been born in the Lowman area. Her father never had sons and so he’d taken Ellie along with him when he hunted, fished, trapped. She’d known the land and its secrets. Wendell wanted to capitalize on her knowledge, strength, and moxie. And all his unwanted attention had gotten her was the vengeance of a spiteful witch.
Sarah Allan had always kept to herself, which made the locals nervous around her. She was the sort of woman you gave a wide berth to when passing. A strange energy surrounded her like a dark, malicious cloud. Many suspected her of dark deeds. Witchcraft. Even the local tribes had been w
ary of her. To this day, Ellie had no idea what Sarah had seen in Wendell, but for some reason, she’d loved him. And instead of returning Sarah’s affections, Wendell had pressed Ellie’s father to let him marry her instead.
Lord, she wished she’d never set eyes on Wendell Bates.
Then again, if she hadn’t she never would have met Colin. She would have been long since dead and she never would have had this wonderful day with him, entwined in his arms. She never would have seen his beautiful eyes, his charming smile, felt the heat of his mouth on her bare skin. Ellie stared at nothing as her mind took her back to those intimate moments. If it hadn’t been for Wendell, and for Sarah, she would have missed out on more than simply centuries of life.
Ellie plopped down on the couch. The gravity of her situation crashed down on her. She liked Colin. Obviously. But her need for freedom, to leave this place and see the world, hadn’t diminished with his crazy proclamation that she was his mate. She sensed that connection didn’t mean to her what it did to him. That somehow a bond had been formed between them. She wouldn’t deny there was something … a connection that went beyond the superficial. But was that apparent bond enough to derail what she’d wanted for so long? Was that bond more important than her own freedom and finally being able to leave this place and stretch her wings?
She knew so little about Colin. Maybe she was making assumptions. Maybe he had no intention of keeping her so close. Maybe the bond was something they could share without it becoming a shackle. Another prison.
Maybe you’re just overthinking everything like always and just need to calm the hell down.
Ellie laughed. Her own brain tended to be her worst enemy. She overanalyzed everything. Psyched herself out before there was anything to get worked up over. Of course she’d received the biggest kick to the gut of them all. An actual magical curse. So could she really be blamed for always jumping to the worst possible scenario in any given situation?
Colin had promised to help her. And he’d demonstrated that it was impossible to lie to her. She had no doubt he was a man—male?… werewolf?—of his word. Maybe for the first time in a long time, it was okay to have faith in someone. In something.
Maybe it was okay to have faith in Colin and a bond she knew nothing about.
CHAPTER 10
“This is fantastic! Congrats, Brother!”
Colin rolled his eyes. Apparently, Owen hadn’t been paying attention to a word he’d said. He let his gaze wander to his alpha, grateful that at least Liam was taking his words seriously. The three of them sat in Liam’s office along with Mia, Owen’s mate, and Devon, Liam’s mate. Colin hoped that between the five of them they could put their heads together to find a solution to Ellie’s—and now Colin’s—problem. So far, Colin was seriously considering his brother as dead weight.
“Whereas congratulations are in order,” Liam began, “this is definitely a problematic situation.”
“Problematic” was an understatement. Colin’s frustration mounted as he attempted to shake the feeling of helplessness that assaulted him. He’d be damned if he’d let Ellie down.
“You know…” Mia’s brow furrowed with concentration. “There were rumors that circulated for years about a woman who’d been bound to the land by a witch’s curse. I bet those stories were about Ellie.”
Mia was a wood nymph whose family had lived for centuries in the national forest land that bordered the Bench Lakes. It seemed logical that word of Ellie’s existence and circumstances would make its way throughout the local supernatural community over the years.
“I don’t suppose those rumors covered how to break the curse?” It was a long shot, but Colin could hope.
“Not that I can remember,” Mia replied. “But that doesn’t mean no one ever talked about it. I can ask around, see what I can find out. It’s worth a shot.”
At this point, Colin would take all the help he could get. “Thanks.”
“I had no idea. Wow.” Devon spoke more to herself than the group at large. “I mean, I don’t know Ellie personally, but I’ve chatted with her at the Sourdough. I feel awful for her. What a terrible burden to live with.”
When Liam had found her, Devon had owned a bar on the outskirts of Lowman. She’d been human at the time, and after they’d faced a few trials of their own Liam had made Devon a werewolf. Colin would have loved to have Liam and Devon’s problems. They’d been a bump in the road compared to what he was trying to fix.
“There’s a possibility the curse can’t be broken.” Leave it to Liam to bring the pessimism. “She’s human and hundreds of years old because of magical influence. What if you break the curse and it ages her? She’ll die before you have a chance to save her by making her a werewolf.”
Gods. Colin let out a forceful breath. He’d never considered that possibility. But Liam was right. He could bite Ellie to make her a werewolf, but the process was slow and the transition wouldn’t be entirely complete until the full moon. “I could try to turn her now,” he suggested. “Get ahead of the game.”
“It might not work because of the curse,” Liam said. “It would be like Owen trying to turn Mia.”
He was right. Colin couldn’t turn one supernatural creature into something else. But Ellie was human. The magic made her immortal, not her biology. He could give it a shot. But then again, what if it backfired? What if the curse had a fail-safe that would have adverse effects?
Fuck. Colin stood and raked his fingers through his hair. He’d never been so gods-damned frustrated.
“Don’t feel disheartened yet, Colin.” Mia stood and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Let me make a couple of phone calls. I’ll be right back.”
Colin was down, but he wasn’t out. As Mia left the room he watched, and turned to face Liam. “Can I have a second alone with Liam, everyone?”
Devon got up from her seat. “I’m going to go see if Mia needs any help.” She placed a kiss on Liam’s cheek and gave Colin a reassuring smile as she left the room.
Owen stayed right where he was. “What’s going on, Colin?” It was obvious he wasn’t going anywhere unless Liam gave the order. Fine. Whatever. It wasn’t like the entire pack wouldn’t find out soon enough.
“I’ve taken a position with the SMT as a sentry.” There wasn’t any point in sugarcoating it. “I met with Wade Robinson two days ago in Garden Valley to shore everything up. But he’s not willing to follow through with any paperwork until my alpha gives the green light.” Colin looked pointedly at Liam. “Considering his experience as a sentry.”
Owen quickly covered his amused smirk with an impassive expression. Colin knew his brother wouldn’t mind; it was Liam he had to convince.
“No one with the SMT is going to help you with Ellie,” Liam replied.
Of course he would assume that somehow Wade had convinced Colin to join their ranks by promising their help in breaking the curse on Ellie.
“Liam, this has been in the works for a long time. I accepted the position from Wade before I even laid eyes on Ellie. If I hadn’t been driving through Lowman on my way to Garden Valley, I never would have met her at all.”
Liam’s expression remained somber. “And if I don’t give my blessing?”
Then it would make Colin’s next decision a hell of a lot easier. “If you don’t give your blessing, Wade won’t hire me. And with Ellie’s unique situation, it’ll leave me with only one option: break from the pack and move to Lowman.”
“Go rogue?” That got a rise out of Owen. He pushed up from the couch and rounded on Colin. “Sorry, but that’s not happening.”
Rogues weren’t favorably looked upon by the supernatural community as a whole and even less tolerated among werewolves. They were considered volatile and disloyal. But what other option did Colin have if his alpha sought to derail his life, and his mate lived over fifty miles away? Those factors alone would make him volatile as fuck even if he chose to remain with the pack.
“This doesn’t concern you, Owen.” Coli
n respected his brother’s opinion, but he wasn’t about to let him butt in.
“The hell it doesn’t.” Owen turned to Liam. “You’re not seriously going to let him leave, are you?”
If Colin decided to go rogue, not even his alpha could stop him. Owen knew that. Colin hated ultimatums, but he’d given one anyway. “I’ll leave if I have to.” He looked pointedly at Liam. “But only if I have to.”
Liam’s sour attitude in regard to sentries had nothing to do with Colin; rather, it was Liam’s bad experience and his skepticism of the bureaucracy. Colin refused to let another male’s prejudice shape his future. He turned to leave, more than ready to focus his attention on Ellie and how to break the curse that bound her when Mia came through the door like a warm summer wind. “I think I found something!” Her eyes lit with excitement. “I’m not sure about breaking the curse entirely, but I think I know how to thwart it in a way everyone can live with.”
It might not have been a permanent solution, but it was promising. If anything, it would buy him some time. Colin needed a win and he hoped to hell this was it.
* * *
Ellie sat on the couch, head tilted back as she stared at the ceiling. The silence she usually enjoyed nearly crushed her with its force, coaxing thoughts to her mind that she’d rather bury. It had been a full twenty-four hours since she’d dropped Colin off at his truck. And whereas she’d coached herself not to expect him to return, a small part of her hoped he’d come back.
She’d eaten every spoon-fed bite of his “you’re my one true mate” spiel and she had no one to blame for it but herself. She’d allowed herself to think, for just one ridiculous moment, that maybe he’d help her. That he believed her and wanted her to be free of this stupid curse as much as she wanted to be freed from it.
A knock at the back door gave Ellie a start. Adrenaline coursed through her bloodstream as her heart began to slow. She pushed up from the couch and walked from the living room to the kitchen. Through the cottage-style window of the back door her eyes met Colin’s, and her heart soared with elation. He’d followed through. Come back like he’d said he would. Ellie was ashamed she’d ever doubted him.