Werewolves and Wranglers

by Kristen Banet

  Easton walked into the bank first, letting Remy follow him. Being a canine, he could set the felines off, so Easton knew from experience to take point. They’d had a scuffle once already between Remy and one of the male werecats over a misunderstanding.

  “Felicity in right now?” Easton asked the feline behind the front desk. The female smiled brightly.

  “She is. Let me tell her you’re here.” She didn’t wait for him to say anything else, walking into the back. Felicity stuck her head out the back door a moment later and waved them back.

  Easton prepared himself for another meeting with another Alpha. At least it wasn’t Madam of the vampires. She was probably the scariest thing in the damned town. Felicity, Lawrence, and David were nothing compared to that ancient, dangerous beauty. Madam was probably touching three thousand years old. That was his best guess, anyway.

  “What can I do for you, boys?” she asked as they walked in.

  “We’re just checking up on your newest member and how he’s adjusting.” Easton did the talking, like normal. Remy just backed him up, as said new member stood at the side of the office and bared his teeth. Remy growled back.

  “As you can see, he’s feisty.” Felicity hissed viciously to her lower-ranking male. “You’ll mind your manners with Redstone’s lawmen or I’ll declaw you.”

  The male’s head dropped. “Yes ma’am.”

  “Good. We’re handling it, you two. He’s just having a hard time with all the new instincts he’s dealing with. There won’t be any trouble.”

  “Amazing. Well, if you need anything—”

  “Come to you or Adalyn. I know. Now go on. You probably have busy days.” Felicity waved them back out. “And you better keep taking care of our girl!” she called after them as they reached the front door of the bank again.

  “We’re trying!” Remy called back as they left. He had that toothy grin he got when he was enjoying himself.

  Easton was just feeling tired, which was normal. He was often tired. He desperately wished he could sleep sometimes. Maybe it would push off the terrible exhaustion he was feeling more and more often, thanks to their new lives.

  “Now on to the shifters, right?” Remy didn’t sound excited as they got onto their horses.

  “You don’t have to come with me for this one if you don’t want,” Easton said carefully. Shifters and Remy were a sore spot. He was one of them, but he wasn’t normal or natural. He was also a Coldwell. A railways- and oil-rich shifter family, they had certain expectations of their family members, and Remy had never met them. He’d gone feral as a teen, and Easton had found him for the bounty. He decided to keep Remy instead of giving him back to that life.

  “I’ll go. David doesn’t seem so bad. Forrest looks at me funny, as if he’s expecting something, but for the most part, they just ignore me or treat me as the deputy.”

  “Are you hoping for a pack invitation from them?” Easton was curious. If he felt comfortable with them, he should join, at least in name.

  “No. I’m not aiming for that. Just want to not be the freak, you know?” Remy smiled. “Let’s go.”

  “Remy.” Easton was worried now. He didn’t like when Remy called himself a freak. Hell, it was one of the reasons he agreed to settling in Redstone: Remy would have others like them, other supernaturals, and not just humans for the most part.

  “Let’s talk about something else. What was with you last night?” Remy eyed him as they rode towards David’s home.

  “Tobias. He comes in, her old friend. She sat with him at the saloon and not with us. It bothered me.”

  “And you were just playing it by ear?” Remy smirked. “Not that I’m complaining.”

  “I think we should do nicer things for her. Just to make it harder for her to leave us. I’m not keen on being tossed out for him.” Easton sighed. “Plus, she deserves it.”

  “Are you beginning to have feelings for her? Easton Black has feelings for a woman?”

  “I think I am,” he admitted. “Let’s not get into it. Just follow my lead?”

  “I don’t need to follow your lead if you’re leading to that. I know exactly what to do to make Adalyn feel appreciated.” Remy chuckled. “I’m not terrible with women.”

  “No. They seem to love you.”

  “They love you too.”

  Easton chuckled along with the hellhound now. Yeah, they did. They were supernaturals. It made them look much better than human men. It was a boon. But for once, they were competing against other supernaturals. Others who had their own power, their own allure. He just hoped his own unearthly power and looks kept her interested. He wasn’t ready for it to end, wasn’t ready to go back to hunting a quick romp and moving on. Living in Redstone would only make that lifestyle hard too.

  They stopped in front of David’s home, a large mansion on the outskirts of town. From the top of his side road, Easton could see the tiny dot that was Adalyn’s home and her barn. He couldn’t see the little shed he knew she was probably in.

  Alone. With him. A tiny space with a man who is so very interested. He was lying to me last night. I should have called him out.

  Easton huffed as they were let in, pushing back down the thoughts of Adalyn and the shaman. She certainly wouldn’t jump into bed with him without giving it thought. He was too close to her deceased husband. That eased Easton for a moment.

  “Easton. Remy.” David was walking down a large center staircase. “Here to check in, I’m guessing?”

  “That’s right.” Remy spoke first, surprising Easton. “Should we expect more trouble like yesterday, or is it all handled?”

  “It’s all handled,” David answered. “Esteban is gone. My lawyers are helping Mrs. Martinez with the divorce proceedings. We’re going to make sure she gets everything. She also regrets her behavior last night. Esteban was the issue, not the girls he took advantage of.”

  Easton noticed how David growled at the end, even though he was trying to hold it back. He saw it often enough with Remy.

  “Were there others?” he asked. It could just be that the Alpha was mad his daughter was involved, but it could be worse. It was something to check on.

  “Clarice, and two other young shifter women. Girls who should be looking for husbands their own age and not to a supposedly respectable married man. He’s scum, that one. I can’t believe I ever trusted him. The vampire I’m not worried about. She’s two hundred and just wanted to feed. Drama isn’t something the vampires care about. Madam made it clear that my internal affairs won’t change that, and they’d better not spill into her nest. The message was received.”

  “Madam basically threatened to kill him and his Pack if they tried anything. That’s what he’s saying,” Easton told Remy privately. Remy didn’t make any move to show he understood the words, for which Easton was thankful. He didn’t want David to think there was a private conversation going on.

  “So, Esteban is leaving then? We shouldn’t expect more of this in the future?” Remy was trying his absolute best to fit in, act natural. Easton nearly smiled. He was doing a good job of it.

  “Leaving? Once I was done talking to my daughter, I threw him out. He left last night. He won’t be coming back either, unless he wants a showdown.” David grinned. “Thanks for checking in, though. Tell Adalyn I’m sorry she got caught up in it.”

  “We came to keep her out of it,” Easton admitted. Honesty seemed like the best policy for this situation.

  “Oh, I figured. William never handled anything involving my Pack. He left it to his deputies so that it didn’t seem like he was leaning in my favor on anything. I knew Adalyn or one of you would consider the same thing.” David nodded respectfully. “Now, I’ve got more work today. Do you need me to show you out?”

  “No, we’ll go.” Easton waved as he turned. Remy followed, saying goodbye as they left.

  “So, what do we do now?” Remy asked. “That was the last important stop we had and it’s not even noon.”

  “We get t
o the office and write reports. We can manage that. I’ve noticed Adalyn hates the paperwork. We can wrap all of this up and just stay on watch until we’re off.” Easton was glad they were getting to the quiet of their office. It would give him a moment to just relax, since he hadn’t the night before.

  Another busy day for the new deputies of Redstone, all of it wrapped up in and around one little witch that Easton couldn’t stop thinking about. On the walk home, he picked a flower from the side of the road. When he walked inside, he dropped it into a small cup of water and put it in the middle of the dining table. Remy didn’t ask him about it, but watched carefully.

  “Where’s Adalyn?” he asked, wondering if his hellhound already tracked her.

  “Right here!” she called, blowing into the kitchen. Her hair was wet and pulled back in a messy bun, and the robe she was wearing did very little to leave anything up to the imagination. Not that he minded. He would much rather see her than have to conjure up a mental image. “I just got out of the tub.”

  “Enjoy your day off?” He was curious, but really, he just wanted to know how it went with Tobias.

  “It was pleasant. Doing it again tomorrow.” She smiled and fell into her favorite chair. “Tobias wanted me to pass along some good will. He wants to get to know you both, since you’re with me and he’s my friend. Do with that what you will, but I think it would be nice to see you three getting to know each other.”

  Beside him, Remy tensed a fraction. Easton took charge. “We’ll see. It’s hard for me to make friends.”

  He could see her deflate, but it was just a little. Just the tiniest sign. Easton knew the shaman’s game. He was trying to be the good one, and make them seem like the bad guys. Tobias had no intention of becoming his friend, but he made the offer so Easton would have to decline it or avoid it.

  That son of a bitch.

  “Well, it’s going to be busy until the new moon anyway,” she said, as if she was trying to make reasons why he wouldn’t attempt to be the shaman’s friend. “I’m working with him again tomorrow and he’s going to get us back up for business the day after. He’s going to man the store, so I figure I’ll probably spend the evenings making potions as well and I’m going to mess with the schedule a bit.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “So you really are going to do both?” He’d been somewhat hoping she dropped the potions thing. He knew she loved it, but he really didn’t want to lose time with her.

  “That’s right!”

  “We’re going to have to work hard, my friend, if we don’t want to lose her to Tobias. She’s going to be spending a lot of time with him, it seems,” he said telepathically to Remy, who minutely nodded. “Let’s make her dinner again tonight.”

  Remy jumped immediately to the task.

  Easton mentally prepared for battle against the shaman.

  8

  Adalyn

  “No, Tobias. Let me do this!” Adalyn laughed as he tried to take the bottle away from her. “Come on! It’s just a small addition.”

  “That could possibly knock someone out immediately after they take the potion,” he reminded her.

  “Or help them drift into a really nice sleep, one they’ll need to help recover from the flu!” she retorted. “Please.”

  “It’s too unsafe. Adalyn. We’ve argued about this before.” She could tell he was trying to remain serious. She tipped the bottle a little, making him reach for it over the cauldron with more vigor. She held him back with a leg and one arm.

  “Just a drop in this big of a batch should be fine,” she said. “Just a drop.”

  “We’ll have to test it,” he finally conceded. “But on who?”

  “We’ll just send it back East and let those old farts do it.” She tipped the bottle a little further and two drops were added to the deep blue liquid they had brewing. “Write it down so I can send it back to them.”

  “The worst. You are the worst,” he said, but she could hear the laugh in his voice, the one he was trying to hold back.

  Adalyn put the little bottle back on the shelf and poked his back, as he wasn’t looking at her. “You know I’ve never made a bad potion. Trust me.”

  “You have made accidental side effects, and instantaneous sleep might be one.” He pointed a finger at her. “Like the time one of your potions for dry eye also made people’s eye colors change.”

  “But it cured the dry eye, and the colors reverted back once the potion wore off in a few hours.” She grinned. “Sometimes these things happen. I’ve actually been wanting to try some other new things. Heard things around town. If you’re going to help me make the big stuff, I want to start exploring more…unnecessary potions. Just trying new things.”

  “Oh, that means we’re in for a long week, aren’t we?” He gave her an indulgent smile, like he always did. She could brew anything, and he would let her and sell it. He encouraged her to explore her craft and grow as a witch. It was something she really appreciated about him.

  Among a thousand other things. There are so many things that would make him such a good husband.

  At that thought, she could feel herself shut down. Even just the thought of marriage, how great of a husband he could be, made her want to run. “Oh, yeah. Long week.”

  “You already have ideas don’t you?”

  “A few,” she admitted, turning away from him. “Just let me do my thing. I’ll work on them when I’m done in town. You just sell whatever I give you.”

  “I will,” he promised. “Now, let’s get this all done. With the storms, I have a feeling everyone wants the calming potions.”

  “Probably,” she agreed, getting to it. She grabbed the ingredients off the shelves, trying to ignore where her mind went. “You know, we could work on cleaning this up today.” She waved around. There was still dust on the shelves, and everything was disorganized and a mess. “We’ve never been very good at keeping it clean, but…”

  “We can work on that too,” he affirmed, nodding. “You start up the potions and I’ll get to work.”

  She started cutting and grinding, throwing in what she needed when it was time. Tobias worked around her, dusting the shelves and sweeping the floor. She could already see the expansion she wanted for it. More room to walk around, more space for ingredients. She wouldn’t even need to hire anyone to build it. She could do much of it herself, with the help of her friends.

  “You seem deep in thought,” Tobias noted, moving behind her and looking over her shoulder. “Thinking of modifying this potion as well?”

  “No, just want to make some changes to this work shed. I want to expand it into its own building. Maybe even a little garden we could manage for our ingredients. You know, that sort of thing.”

  “Sounds like a fine idea, but will our little business ever get that big?” Tobias sighed. “You being sheriff, me doing the store front. When would we ever have time?”

  “Who knows, but the space would be nice,” she said, shrugging. “It’s always been very cramped in here.”

  “We’ve learned to work around it. The close quarters have never bothered me.” He didn’t move, but she didn’t expect him to. He liked to watch over her shoulder while he was waiting for her to get done with her part. It wasn’t a bother for her, just part of life. Sometimes, it was even reassuring, knowing he never corrected her and normally just wanted to see exactly what she was using and how much. They had different ways of potion brewing that they had mashed together over the years. It was always a learning experience with each other.

  “You wouldn’t mind a garden, I bet,” she murmured. “A nice big one with all sorts of things only you know how to use.”

  “No, I wouldn’t mind that at all. It would also give me a little piece of your property you can’t claim any control over. Something to come do when I have no other reason to be here.” He spoke softly, leaning in a little.

  “I didn’t know you needed one,” she replied, swallowing.

  “I liked having an excuse to come both
er you and William, so it didn’t seem like I had nothing to do or anywhere to go. Spending time with you both was my favorite thing.”

  “Hope just me is good enough,” she said, unable to turn around now. The time they had all spent together, from dinners at home to camping together under the stars. The memories flooded back. Even though William was just outside on the hill, she missed those times. He was adamant he wouldn’t be a part of the world of the living and she could agree with it, but it still hurt to think she would never hold him again.

  “I’m sorry,” Tobias whispered, wrapping his arms around her. “You’re good enough, Addy. I’m sorry for bringing up William again.”

  “It’s okay.” She turned and put her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. It was foolish, knowing what she knew, but damn, just like the day before, it was hard not to just hold her friend like she used to and accept the comfort. “It’s okay. Sometimes, it’s just hard to think about him and how…perfect life was back then. It shouldn’t be, but it is.”

  “I know the feeling.”

  She pulled away first this time, pushing him away. “I’m sorry. Let’s just get back to work.” She couldn’t be leaning all over him like that. I can’t let him get the wrong impression. I’ll always love William, but I’m not some bleeding, heartbroken mess anymore. I made my peace with it, and William knows it too. Hell, it wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t a fucking ghost out on his gravestone, really.

  “You go back to work as the new sheriff tomorrow, right? Maybe we can ditch this for the rest of the day and just go do something together?” Tobias leaned over her shoulder again as she went back to dicing up whatever dehydrated plant she had out for the potion. She looked it over and realized she was working on the basil. Such a mundane plant. Many had no idea it could be used for magic.

  “Let’s get this simmering, and then you can help me with the horses?” she inquired, smiling at him. “They could always use some love, and I know your mare might be coming into season soon…”