“Are you sure?”
Ezekiel started at the quiet question. He smiled softly. “Positive. Ivy Stevens is our mate.”
“We didn’t tell you at first because we wanted to know if she was safe,” Ezra explained. “We realized that she was a really good person pretty quickly. We just weren’t sure how to bring it up.”
“Then she blew people up in the woods.” She looked so heartbroken, “I’m so sorry you’re mated to a witch.”
Ezekiel shook his head. They had so much ground to cover. “I’m not. Ivy is sweet, kind, and funny. She gave up her job, her friends, and her house to help us. I’m proud Ivy is my mate.”
Cassidy looked skeptical. “I heard she stole magic while everyone was fighting.”
Ezekiel barked, “What?”
“Where did you hear that?” Ezra demanded.
Cassidy flushed but stood her ground. “Everyone is saying it at school. Their parents came home from the battle and said some stuff.”
Ezra threw his head back with a snarl, “I should have just fucking-”
“Language.” Ezekiel murmured without a thought.
Ezra shut his mouth. He closed his eyes and took two breaths. Ezekiel and Cassidy waited for him to calm down.
Ezra pointed at Cassidy, “This does not leave the house. We are telling you something that Alpha Thompson doesn’t want everyone knowing.” He waited for her to nod. “We were the ones to ask Ivy to help Black Bird. We knew that she was a witch and to be honest Cassidy, we were fucking desperate. She saved Grace’s life with magic and kept Lawrence McDowell from getting his hands on a dangerous spell. She protected the Pack and has done nothing to deserve the lies people are spreading about her.”
Ezekiel inhaled the truth of his brother’s words. He reached across the table and grabbed Cassidy’s hand. “She didn’t steal magic. She wouldn’t do that. We would never bring someone into our lives who is dangerous.”
Cassidy pulled her hands away. “You’re just saying that. Everyone goes crazy over their fated mates. I don’t believe that you would just walk away from her.”
“That’s the thing! We did walk away from her. After that day in the woods we were going to tell you but,” Ezekiel trailed off not really sure how to describe his headspace at the time. “The point is that we would walk away from our mate if she wasn’t right for our family.”
“We made the wrong choice keeping Ivy a secret. We made the wrong choice by walking away,” Ezra took the blame head on. “We should have been hanging out as a family this whole time. That’s on us. Be upset with us Cassidy, but please,” he pleaded, “give her a chance.”
“That’s all we’re asking.” Ezekiel added quietly.
Cassidy didn’t say anything. She kept staring at Ezra and Ezekiel like she was looking for a sign or something. “What would mom and dad say?” The question was accusatory.
Ezekiel’s heart constricted painfully. He’d asked himself that question a million times since they had met Ivy. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I would hope they’d wait to meet her before they said anything. I think mom would have loved Ivy if she’d met her.”
Cassidy watched them. She didn’t say anything until the sound had faded away. Quietly she said, “Okay, I’ll wait until I meet her.”
Ezekiel almost slumped onto the table. That was more than he had expected. He had expected a lot more yelling.
Ezra closed his eyes, “Thanks, sis.”
“What happens if I don’t like her?” Cassidy asked softly.
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem. You’ll probably like her more than us,” Ezekiel joked. “She’s never threatened to eat anyone.”
Cassidy rolled her eyes.
“Family first,” Ezra reminded her.
Her eyes filled with tears. She gave a single nod and cleared her throat. “I’ve got homework to do so I’m going to head to my room.”
“We’ve got to get back to work. Dinner is in the fridge,” Ezekiel said as he got up.
Cassidy nodded that she had heard.
“And Cassidy?” Ezra called as she walked up the stairs causing her to pause. “No boys in the house while we’re gone.”
Chapter Nine
Ivy stared a page of handwritten translations and wondered if she had suddenly forgotten how to read English. She rubbed her gritty eyes and looked at the translation again noticing that some of the smudges had cleared up. On second thought, she could just be exhausted.
From the second her door had locked behind her last night until the instant she had passed out at the kitchen table near dawn, Ivy had been translating Caterina Genetti’s diary. Luckily, the woman was brief. She had managed to translate a few years’ worth of diary entries.
She had breezed past Caterina’s remarks about the boat ride to America and passing through Fort Astoria. She skimmed over passages about wet winters and cold summers. She copied down every name, settlement, and physical description that Caterina wrote.
She had her notes spread out across the register at work. She tried to keep everything hidden under invoices and magazines while jotting down comments. If she wanted any hope of finding the grimoire, she needed to multitask.
In her right hand, Ivy scrolled through photos of Black Bird on a local nature website. Her left hand thumbed through the stack of notecards with physical descriptions from the journal. She tried to cross reference the descriptions with photos. She bookmarked the places she needed to look more closely at.
She already had two maps she wanted to show the Coven. Hopefully, she would hit the jackpot on the first try. She doubted she would get a second chance on her hairbrained plan.
The bell over Chic Chick’s door rang. Ivy looked up, suddenly feeling guilty. Discreetly, she moved a stack of flyers to hide her workstation better. She looked back up. Whoever it was had already moved into the racks of clothing. Ivy breathed a sigh of relief. They might be an actual costumer if they went right to shopping.
Ivy was supposed to be watching the shop. Anne had a meeting with Ben and some of the other big wigs from the Pack. Ezra and Ezekiel were there too. A baby-faced Sherriff’s deputy sat in his car outside the store acting as guard until they got back.
The bell over the front door jingled again. Ivy barely kept herself from groaning. She didn’t recognize the woman but her white perm and scowl identified her as one of Pearl Pierce’s crew. There went Ivy’s easy morning.
She kept her eyes on the white perm moving along the edges of the store. When the woman didn’t make a move to accost Ivy, she grabbed a small box of earrings that needed to put on display.
Ivy stood in front of Anne’s jewelry display ready to start hanging earrings when a brown-haired girl came out of a row of dresses. She stopped when she saw Ivy. She froze in place, eyes wide. Ivy recognized that look. Ivy was willing to bet she was the first witch the girl had ever met.
The girl couldn’t be out of high school. She wore jeans and t-shirt under a hoodie. Her deep brown hair was streaked with honey blonde from the summer. Her eyes were chocolate brown. She had that fresh-faced look that made Ivy like her immediately.
Trying to project kindness, Ivy gave her a smile. “Welcome to Chic Chick, I’m just going to put these up,” Ivy held up the earrings, “then I’ll be out of your hair.”
The girl gave a small nod then pretended to browse a stake of blouses.
There was one good thing about the deadline Lawrence had set. One way or another, in a few days, Ivy wouldn’t be living in a town that was split between hating her and being scared of her. Granted, there was a good chance that at the end of her deadline she might be facing an angry mob. She would rather make a high schooler nervous then get the angry mob treatment again.
Speaking of which, Ivy saw the girl’s head jerk towards the front of the store. Her brows were furrowed. She inhaled then turned to look at the “Employee’s Only” door.
Confused, Ivy was about to ask the her what was going on when the back door open
ed.
Pearl Pierce walked through the employee’s entrance like she was walking into her own coronation.
We are going to start locking that back door immediately.
Pearl looked as mean as she acted. Her cheeks protruded through thin skin leaving wrinkles draping in their wake. Her paper mâché lips pursed in a way that communicated how lacking she found everything. Unless she was working hard to emote, her eyes were always narrowed.
If you managed to get past her cruel face, Pearl’s clothing broadcast with precision that she was not one of those kind, grandmotherly types. She wore pale, tan slacks. They were ironed with a pleat down the front of each leg. Her silk blouse was impeccable.
Ivy noticed, with an angry twitch, that Pearl was wearing one of Anne’s new pendent necklaces. The woven copper accented her smoke grey top perfectly. The roughly cut, unpolished pietersite hung, folded into a copper cocoon, over Pearl’s heart. It really pulled the whole outfit together. Damn her.
Ivy had to resist the impulse to pull the necklace off of the older woman. She did not get to talk shit about Anne and then wear her jewelry.
When the woman with the white perm joined Pearl, Ivy almost hung her head. She had brought backup. That did not bode well.
That little biddy had been Pearl’s freaking lookout. That’s why the woman had done a quick circle around the store. She had been making sure that Ivy was alone.
Too bad Ivy wasn’t alone. She looked at the girl besides her. Obviously, the kid was smart because she was darting nervous glances between the approaching pair and Ivy.
Ivy felt fairly certain that Pearl and her lacky wouldn’t hurt a shifter kid but shit. Ivy didn’t want this girl to see whatever was about to happen. She had to get her out of the store. She hoped the kid might send help if they let her go.
Ivy smiled thinly at the girl, “How about you come back tomorrow? I’ll let Anne know to give you a discount.”
Worried, brown eyes focused on Ivy. “Mrs. Kinman locked the front door,” she whispered so quietly Ivy almost didn’t catch what she had said. “I heard it.”
Faster then she could process what she was doing, Ivy pressed her keys into the girl’s hands. Ivy nodded towards the dressing rooms. It wasn’t the best hiding place but Ivy didn’t have time to think of a better plan.
Pearl rounded the corner and saw Ivy and the girl. Her eye twitched when she realized that Ivy wasn’t alone. She looked down at Mrs. Kinman. “Margery, your nose is as useless as your eyes.” Pearl smiled at the girl, pulling thin lips over large teeth, “Cassidy, be a good girl and head on to school. I promise not to tattle that you’re skipping classes,” Pearl sang the last word in an overtly saccharine voice that had Ivy’s skin crawling.
Lightening zapped down Ivy’s spine. Cassidy?
Ivy’s head whipped towards the girl. Her big, hot chocolate brown eyes stared at Ivy. There was no denying those big, brown Tate eyes. This was Ezra and Ezekiel’s little sister. The little sister they were insanely protective of.
Ivy felt her magic start to build in response to her ratcheting heart rate. Using her magic on Pearl would be the fastest way to get Ivy run out of town again. She had to keep it together. Besides, the last thing she wanted to do was to have a magical meltdown in front of Cassidy Tate. She took a deep breath and shoved her magic down deep.
Ivy gave Cassidy another, hopefully, reassuring smile before she turned to face Pearl Piece.
This was the first time Ivy had met the woman formally. Until today, the wicked bitch of Black Bird had delegated her threats to her minions. They’d passed each other in town a few times. Well, Ivy had passed by Pearl. Pearl had made it a point to cross the street whenever Ivy was around.
Ivy had to reminder herself, despite Pearl’s elderly appearance, she was shifter. Her age didn’t matter. The woman could destroy her if she wanted to. No human stood a chance against a shifter.
That’s why Pearl was giving Ivy a shit eating grin. She knew she had Ivy right where she wanted her. Without Anne here, and with her guard conveniently locked outside, Pearl was the top dog.
“Yeah, how about we pause this while Cassidy heads out?” Ivy agreed.
“Patrick Robbins in out front in his patrol car,” Margery whispered.
Pearl nodded. “Cassidy dear, if you will sit tight, this will only take a moment. Then you can be on your way,” Pearl smiled warmly at Cassidy.
“Ladies,” Ivy cajoled, “I can appreciate how dedicated you are to your community but can this wait until there isn’t a child present?”
Pearl’s smile widened showing off too sharp teeth. “My word, little witch, don’t be dramatic. I am here to talk.”
Ivy did not want any part of whatever Pearl Pierce defined as “talk”. She forced herself to relax, using the motion as a way to step in front of her guys’ sister.
“If that’s all you want then I am all ears, but we can’t chat long. Anne and the Enforcers will be back from their meeting soon.” Ivy felt Cassidy tense behind her.
Pearl’s smile dropped. “Then I won’t take up anymore of your time. Get out of Black Bird.”
Ivy waited for her to finish her threat but she never did. “Uh, well, I’m helping Alpha Thompson with something, so until that wraps up, we all will just have to get along.”
Pearl looked off to the side as if she could not believe what she was hearing. When she finally looked back, she took Ivy in from head to foot. “Girl, you cannot be this stupid.” She shook her head. “I will spell it out for you. We do not care why you’re are in our territory. We only care that you leave. This is the point where I suggest you wrap up your business before you over stay your welcome.”
Ivy laughed nervously. She did her best to keep her voice from shaking, “Mrs. Pierce if we were in a play, I’d say you forgot a line. There’s usually a threat at the end of that monologue.” She tried to lay it on thick. She tried to give Pearl an out. To say this was a big misunderstanding.
Quicker than Ivy could react, a clawed hand flicked a strand of hair off of her shoulder. Ivy didn’t flinch because it happened too fast to react. Her heart rate tripled.
Her magic reared forward in defense. Ivy sucked in a sharp breath, fighting to keep her magic from burning Pearl to a crisp. Sweat prickled her neck.
The old bitch misunderstood her gasp. She cackled. Unsettlingly fast, the humor dropped from Pearl’s face. Her eyes narrowed to slits. “If you’re stupid enough to ignore my warning then why would I ruin the surprise?”
Ivy didn’t say anything. She struggled to keep her magic from leaking. She had no idea what it would do if it got loose. She couldn’t risk a fire breaking out again.
The woman stood to her full height. Tension released around her eyes and mouth allowing her face to relax back into her public persona. “Come on Margery, I always forget how tacky this store it,” she threw over her shoulder as the pair made their way out of the employee’s entrance.
Ivy forced her knees to lock. She didn’t move. When the door closed behind them Ivy counted to ten. As quietly as she could managed Ivy asked, “Can they hear us?”
“No,” Cassidy whispered.
Ivy reached out and grabbed fistfuls of small flower burettes. They had been artfully arranged in a decorative bowl on the table. Ivy syphoned her magic into the small multicolored flowers. Before her eyes, the delicate, hand-rolled clay petals became real. Ivy kept syphoning magic until her hands were overflowing with flowers.
She felt her magic settle. Her body sagged with relief. Ivy whipped around, “Are you alright?”
Cassidy didn’t answer her. Her eyes were glued to Ivy’s hands. Ivy blushed and quickly set the flowers down.
Cassidy looked up from the table to Ivy, then back to the pile of flowers. She gave Ivy a strange look before holding out the changing room keys. “Why did you give me these?”
“Oh, I-” looking at the keys made Ivy think of something, “hold on a second.”
Ivy sprinted through the backroom
to the door that lead into the alley. The door Pearl Pierce had just walked out of. Ivy slammed the lock in place then dragged a chair under the doorknob. It wouldn’t stop a determined shifter but it would give Ivy a head start.
Running back to Cassidy, Ivy gave her a quick smile. “Sorry, I don’t want anyone else sneaking up on me today.” Ivy gestured to the dressing rooms. “I wanted you to go hide in there just in case Pearl went all wolfy on me.”
A suspicious look crossed Cassidy’s face.
Suddenly, Ivy felt exhausted, “I just didn’t want you to get hurt.”
Cassidy blushed, “I, uh, doubt Mrs. Pierce would have shifted fully. She would get into serious trouble with Alpha Thompson. That’s like super against the rules.”
Ivy didn’t think Pearl cared how much trouble she would have gotten in. She didn’t want to say that though, so she changed the subject. “Anne warned me that Pearl could be mean but wow.” Ivy shook a little bit. She played it down for Cassidy but she had been spooked. “And don’t think I didn’t notice that she was wearing one of Anne’s new necklaces.” Ivy hummed, “The nerve of that woman to call us tacky when she is wearing our merchandise.” She was rambling but she couldn’t shut her mouth.
“We call her the Wicked Bitch of the West,” Cassidy said flatly.
Ivy gasped for a second then busted out laughing. “I am not going to tell your brothers you said that but,” she paused to gasp for air, “I am going to tell Anne and Grace.”
Cassidy smiled, a little proud of herself.
Ivy held out her hand. “I’m Ivy by the way.”
Cassidy hesitated for a second before shaking Ivy’s hand. “I kind of knew that.”
Ivy chuckled, “Yeah, I figure the only people in town who don’t know about me are the folks buried in the Black Bird Cemetery and that’s only because I haven’t introduced myself yet.” Cassidy’s eyes went wide. “Sorry,” she apologized, “bad joke. If I’m being honest, that kind of scared me. I’m blabbering now.”
“Why?” Cassidy looked confused. “Couldn’t you just,” she made a crazy gesture with her hands, “zap them or something?”
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