“No? Luciana tells me he would be a shifter. No beastly male has been sniffing around you lately?”
A handsome face, so pretty, so perfect, popped into her head.
Beastly male, huh?
Colton Wolfe.
Wolfe.
Like she teasingly said during that disastrous delivery, it was right in his name—and after the way Luciana reminded her about him, the only man that she could think of.
But it couldn’t be him. Mr. Wolfe had all but snarled at her the single time they met, something close to disappointment mixed with loathing flaring to life on his incredible face after his accident.
Her luck was crap. Always had been.
A mate who hated her? Of course.
And that was still reaching.
Sure, when she first caught sight of him when he came to deliver the dresser, she was almost shell-shocked by how gorgeous he was. She could’ve sworn she saw stars, felt sparks, all that cliche crap—and then he went and dropped the dresser on his ankle.
He had looked at her like his clumsiness was her fault, and then he was absolutely offended when she offered to heal him. He’d hauled tail right out of her shop after that and, if she could’ve sworn she saw him driving his van past her shop once or twice, Shea had convinced herself that that was wishful thinking.
Because, she reasoned at that moment, if she really was his mate, why didn’t he say anything? Why didn’t he come back?
Didn’t he want her?
Eh. Probably not.
She was Shea Moonshadow, the broken witch. No one ever did.
She must have given her thoughts, her feelings… her absolute disbelief... away with her expression. Always a bad bet when it came to poker, she realized too late that her grandmother had read every thought as it flittered through her mind and flashed across her face.
Her grandmother’s voice gentled. “Exactly, Shea. And, whether you know it or not, you must be this poor man’s mate. There’s a bond, a weak one certainly, but an incomplete one all the same. It’s stretched too thin between the two of you. He must have been hurt recently. His regenerative properties would be affected by the strain of the bond. And you, my darling… consider these sympathy pains.”
“Sympathy pains,” echoed Shea. This was just so… so unbelievable. “Ah, come on, Nana. You expect me to believe that I’m hurting because some man I barely know is my mate—and he’s the one who really got hurt? And, if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t have any idea that there’s some kind of bond between us? Really?”
“That’s exactly what I expect.” Her grandmother shook her head royally. Her black curls, so like Shea’s except for the streaks of white threaded throughout, danced around her lined face before settling down the back of her expensively tailored blazer. Like Luciana, Kallista still wore the working witch’s uniform of pantsuit and heels that always made Shea’s ankles give; unlike Luciana, her grandmother chose to show her age instead of hiding it behind a veil of glamour. “Now what are you going to do about it?”
“Me?” Shea blinked. “Why do I have to do anything about it? I don’t know that man. Not really. Besides, it’s only been a couple of days. I’ll heal. I always do.”
“That’s the thing about shifters,” Kallista offered. “They usually do, too.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just something to think about, honey. Finish your tea, hmm? I’m staying in Coventry for the next few days at Luciana’s request. Here.” Kallista reached into the pocket of her pressed pants, pulling out a folded piece of paper. “The wards on the tower make it difficult to send messages. This is a phone number where you can reach me if you decide that your old Nana might actually know what she’s talking about.”
“Nana—”
“Hush.” Kallista clucked her tongue as she slid the paper across the counter toward Shea’s hand. Still, she was smiling as she said, “Drink your tea, honey.”
Shea drank her tea.
8
Shea made it two more days.
On the third morning, a week after she first started feeling off, she woke up and found that she barely had the strength to climb out of her bed. Her sides ached when she sucked in an angry breath. It took everything she had just to pull herself into a sitting position before she exhaled in frustration and reached for her phone.
Just in case, she tried to send a message to her grandmother, sighing when the signal didn’t go through. After hobbling out of her bedroom in search of the paper with the phone number scrawled on it, she punched each number as if it would help to make her feel better, then waited for Kallista to answer.
“Hello?”
“Nana. It’s me. I can’t take it anymore. If someone’s out there hurting even half as bad as me, maybe I can do something to heal him.” And then, she added to herself, maybe it would help heal her, too.
She could hear the proud smile in her grandmother’s voice as she answered, “That’s my girl. I was hoping you’d come to your senses sooner or later.”
“Blame it on how crappy I feel. I don’t want to believe what you’re telling me, but if it’s true, I can’t let the poor guy suffer. I’m betting, if this bond thing is real, I’m probably the only one who can help him.”
“You’d win that wager.”
That’s what she thought. “Okay. I only wish I could be sure it’s the guy I’m thinking of.”
“It wouldn’t be a Para by the name of Wolfe, would it?”
She didn’t even want to ask how her grandmother knew that. “Um, yeah, actually.”
“That’s exactly who Luciana thought it might be. Perfect. I have the address right here. Hold on.” Rustling came through Shea’s receiver, her grandmother’s soft voice as she absently chanted a “find it” spell before she came back and rattled off an address.
“Wait. I know where that is. He lives in a freaking Bumptown?”
“Well, yes, Shea honey. I explained your… ahem, mate was most likely a shifter, didn’t I? He is. So where else did you think you would find him?”
Good question. Since she’d spent the last two days pretending as if her discomfort had nothing to do with that handsome delivery man, Shea hadn’t thought about it. But a Bumptown? Only a Para who preferred not to mix and mingle with humans purposely chose to make their home in a Bumptown.
Ah, well. At least he wasn’t in a Cage.
Yet.
Shea knew the Claws Clause. Not very well, since she only ever focused on the parts that had to do with witches and witches usually didn’t form bonds, but she knew it. And if there was one thing that the government made sure all citizens knew, it was that there was nothing more dangerous than a bonded Para without his or her mate.
Great.
Just great.
And that meant, despite her desire to climb back into her bed, yank her comforter over her head until this all went away, and just sleep until the pain was gone, Shea had to find out if everything her grandmother had told her was true. Because, if Colton Wolfe really was her mate, that left her at the mercy of the bonding laws until they were formally mated or the bond was dissolved.
As she said goodbye to her grandmother, already making plans to travel out to the Bumptown, Shea realized something that stunned her: she wasn’t sure which one she was hoping for.
She shook her head at the fanciful notions running through her head.
Mate with a stranger? Especially one who didn’t seem to actually like her?
Yeah.
No way.
Continue the series today!
There you have it! This short story leads you right to the moment at the end of the first book, when Shea arrives at Colt’s Bumptown after Cilla tossed him out of Evangeline’s window. In Season of the Witch, coming out on Valentine’s Day, we’ll pick up four months later—and see how the two of them find their way together after this rocky start!
And, since you’re still here, why not click to the next page for a sneak peek?
Seas
on of the Witch
Sneak peek at the second book
She didn’t greet him. It was obvious that he wasn’t welcome in her territory. Too bad that Colt was a born alpha shifter who spent his entire life as part of a pack. Gauging dominance, establishing hierarchy, following strength… it came as easily to him as healing came to this witch.
Plus, his wolf was more powerful than her witchcraft. They both knew it. So while Shea wanted him gone, she didn’t try to kick him out.
Instead, she kept on staring until Colt felt his hackles—among other parts of his out-of-control body—start to rise.
“What?” he said gruffly.
“Passion flower.”
What?
Colt blinked. “What did you just call me?”
“Or rhodiola,” the witch mused. “I think either one of those would be good for you. Wait. Can you take herbs?”
“Me?”
“I guess. Well, para wolves. Most of my customers are human, some witches, too, but I’m not sure about you shifters. Do you think it would help?”
She was trying to sell him some of her worthless natural medicines?
“You’re kidding, right?” Colt snorted. “Come on. Humans? Sure. I can see them falling for that vitamin/herbal remedy bullshit racket. They don’t know that it’s just fancy grass in a capsule. And witches… well, I don’t know why witches do anything they do, but I don’t think they’ll do shit for me.” He jerked his chin over at her. “Okay. I’ll bite. What do you think they’ll do for me anyway?”
She uncrossed her arms, placed a hand on each hip. “I thought they might help with your anger management and your stress issues.” Then, under her breath, she added, “Too bad it won’t do anything for your dickish personality. If there was a supplement for that, I’d make a killing.”
Any good feeling he had just being in her presence disappeared in a heartbeat.
“Oh? I’m a dick because I don’t think the grass you sell here works miracles?”
“No,” she said honestly. “You’re a dick because you’re judgmental and you think anything to do with my kind of Para is a waste of time.”
Colt growled deep in his throat, one part pissed, the other part embarrassed that his… well, his almost-mate had pegged him so perfectly.
“Am I wrong?” she dared him when he didn’t argue back.
As her witch’s eyes seemed to darken, the vivid purple turning plum-colored, Colt felt the hairs on his arm start to stand on end. The air crackled with barely repressed magic—and that wasn’t all. Breathing deep, he caught a whiff of something dark, something syrupy.
Great. He’d offended her to that point that he managed to cause a crack in Shea’s shields. A sliver of her masked scent tickled his senses, enough to make his cock harden even further. Even tainted with her annoyance and her frustration, Colt felt drawn to her… which was exactly why he had to fall back, putting more space between them.
The apology was halfway to his lips before he swallowed it. She’d only look hurt, assuming he didn’t mean it—or, worse, that the instincts that insisted that she was his mate were compelling him to pretend he was sorry.
What could he say?
What could he do?
Scowling, he jammed his hands into the back pockets of his jeans, falling back on his heels. “Forget it. I’m not here to be prescribed anyway.”
“Not a doctor. I don’t prescribe. I just make suggestions and prepare the herbs. It has nothing to do with witchcraft, you know. There’s all kinds of research and studies and centuries of history where all kinds of people found uses and benefits for grass.”
Oh, yeah. He’d definitely messed up alright.
Why was he always screwing up when it came to her?
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Season of the Witch
I won’t—
Colton Wolfe has never liked witches.
There’s something about their magic. With a snap of a finger, a witch can cancel out his brute strength, razor-sharp claws, and inch-long fangs. It just isn’t natural. The Para-proof wards constructed by witches always made his fur itch, and it has bothered him for years how they betrayed all paranormals by selling their services to the highest bidders.
Then a witch nearly killed him and his dislike turned into full-blown hate.
His brother thinks his anger is unhealthy. Following his brush with near-death, Colt refuses to even talk to any packmates. Dodge, his best friend and a ghost, can’t even get through to him. Colt keeps himself confined to his workshop, shutting every one out. His wolf is just about rabid and he keeps his beast locked up tight.
His wolf wants its mate. Colt won’t admit it, but he does, too.
Only Shea is a witch.
And Colt hates all witches—
Doesn’t he?
I can’t—
Shea Moonshadow is a healer first, a witch second. Considering her magic has a way of backfiring on her whenever she tries the simplest of spells, she sticks with what she knows will work. Her herbs and her poultices have never failed her before.
Now if she could only say the same about her brother.
Hudson is a Donor, a blood junkie who gives blood to vampires in exchange for a high only a dangerous Nightwalker can give. When he gets in over his head, he does what he’s always done: runs to Shea for help.
She can’t say no. She’s never been able to say no.
Not to Hudson.
Not to anyone.
And that’s how she finds herself pledged to a blood-bonding with an obsessed vampire.
* * *
When a dangerous group of Paras move in on Colt’s territory, going after humans and paranormals alike, the Grayson Police Department recruit him to take on the vicious Nightwalkers. If it’s bad enough that Colt gets saddled with an old enemy, it’s even worse when he discovers that his almost-mate is in it up to her adorable purple eyes.
He might’ve put off claiming his mate. But no way in hell is Colt—or his wolf—going to let some Nightwalker scum take Shea away from him.
* * *
* Season of the Witch is the second full-length novel in the Claws Clause series. It’s the story of a grumpy wolf shifter hero and the sassy witch who has cast a spell over him. With danger, intrigue, and heart, watch as Colton submits to the one woman meant for him.
Available February 14, 2020
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About the Author
Jessica lives in New Jersey with her family, including enough pets to cement her status as the neighborhood’s future Cat Lady. She spends her days working in retail, and her nights lost in whatever world the current novel she is reading or working on is set in. After writing for fun for more than a decade, she has finally decided to take some of the stories out of her head and put them out there for others who might also enjoy them!
Also by Jessica Lynch
Welcome to Hamlet
Obsession*
Devotion*
Don’t Trust Me
Ophelia
Let Nothing You Dismay
I’ll Never Stop
Wherever You Go
Here Comes the Bride
Gloria
Tesoro
Welcome to Hamlet: I-III
(incl. the first three books, plus Execution)
No Outsiders Allowed: IV-VI
Mirrorside
Tame the Spark*
Stalk the Moon
Hunt the Stars
Track Down Dudley
The Witch
in the Woods
Hide from the Heart
Chase the Beauty
The Other Duet
(incl. the first two books, plus Track Down Dudley)
The Claws Clause
Mates*
Hungry Like a Wolf
Of Mistletoe and Mating
No Way
Season of the Witch
Sunglasses at Night
Ghost of Jealousy
Touched by the Fae
Favor*
Asylum
Shadow
Touch
* prequel story
No Way: Colton & Shea (Claws Clause Book 1.75) Page 5