Killer Smile was on the rebound, but the guy next to him mostly just sagged in his chair. I think it was relief.
Dusting my hands of the newbies, I stood and bolted for the parking lot. Thierry ducked into the unisex restroom connected to the building’s exterior while Haden remained inside to kick-start the guided tour. Now that I had acted as figurehead for the day, I could get back to my lawn chair and maybe paint my toenails. All that running through the woods was murder on a pedicure.
“You slept last night,” a quiet voice informed me.
I slowed my escape and allowed Zed to catch up to me. “I did.” After three hours of wallowing on a bare stone floor, boredom got the best of me, and I retreated to the comfort of a real bed before caving to the temptation to shift and scale the damn cliff to rescue that stupid shirt. “This smart guy I know told me I should do it more often.”
His almost-smile was heartbreaking. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“I don’t want to be lost.” I hooked my arm through his and rested my head against his shoulder. “My coping mechanism sucked. Thanks for pointing that out to me.”
The most important duty in any friendship was calling the other person on their bullcrap, and he had my number on speed dial.
“You loved him. That takes time to get over.”
Him, because his name hurt too much to hear.
“Yeah, maybe.” I pushed out an exhale that burned my lungs. “I would have if he had given me an ounce of encouragement.”
“It’s not in his nature to stay.” Zed leaned his cheek against the top of my head. “He’ll want a mate who blows on the same wind as he does.”
A mourning howl tickled the back of my throat, and I swallowed hard. “You’re right.”
“You’re young and strong and beautiful down to the bone. You’ll find someone else.” He tugged on a curly strand of my hair. “Your heart’s too big not to share it.”
The warmth of his brotherly affection eased the knot in my chest. “What about you?”
Zed’s shoulder jerked beneath my cheek, and he came to an abrupt stop. “I should let you enjoy your day off.” He untangled himself from me. “Moore and I have an appointment with a real estate agent in town.” He forced a tight smile. “We’re considering going in halves on an abandoned auto repair shop with an attached junkyard. The place needs work, but it would give us something to do, and the pack needs the income.”
Calling myself every dirty name in the book, I removed my foot from my mouth, but it was too late. The damage was done. I knew better than to push him about moving on. God, I was the last person who ought to tell anyone when it was past time to let go. “I didn’t mean…”
“I know.” He lifted a hand as he walked away. “See you later.”
I let my head fall back on my shoulders. “Son of a motherless goat.”
Masculine laughter rose behind me. “I’m not sure how that would work.”
“Enzo?” I whirled toward the sound, my stomach knotting as Enzo Garza strolled up the path leading from the parking lot, wheeling a polycarbonate suitcase that cost more than I earned in a year behind him. “What are you doing here?”
Dressed in dark-wash jeans that molded to his lean hips, sleek boots and a fitted white T-shirt, he made casual so upscale my debit card whimpered imagining what labels he wore. Pair his fashion sense with the long, black hair secured at his nape and the melted-chocolate eyes that promised he was as loyal as a puppy, and even I had to admit Enzo was a pretty package.
One I had no intentions of opening.
“I invited him,” Thierry called, jogging to meet him halfway. “I’m glad you could join us.”
“How is this possible?” Enzo and his brother, Miguel, were witches aligned with the Chandler pack. Their alpha, Bessemer, was not a fan of his former beta. When Cord split with the Chandler pack in order to found his own with Cam, Bessemer had forbidden the Garzas to contact us. “Does Bessemer know you’re here?”
“Ah, that would be a no.” His mischievous grin flashed a matching set of dimples. “The conclave acted as an intermediary and bartered with my brother for my services. As far as Bessemer knows, I’m at home twiddling my thumbs. Miguel will cover for me.” His tone softened. “They offered him something he can’t refuse.”
Bartering with witches ranked up there with eating Carolina Reaper chili peppers on my scale of one to too stupid to live. The Garzas commanded high fees for their services because they were the best the southeast had to offer. Whatever the conclave had given Miguel in order to tempt him to loan out his brother would cost them dearly.
Curious what their no doubt heated negotiations had bought us, I cocked my head at him. “What services are we talking about here?”
“Perimeter wards to start. The campground must be secure or else the pack has nowhere to fall back when the shit hits the fan.” Warming to his topic, he wet his lips. “I’ll be warding the area around the lake as well. That much water will disrupt any big magic. The best we can hope for is an early alarm system. So if a fae hits the water—day or night—we’ll know to go fish it out.” A flush colored his cheeks after rambling off several other precautions that never would have occurred to me. “I have other ideas. I’ll run those past you before I get started implementing them.”
“That all sounds…” impressive to the nth degree, “…great.”
A burst of rock music erupted from Thierry’s phone, and she excused herself to take the call. The matter must have been urgent, because she hopped in her beat-up sedan and spun gravel, leaving without saying goodbye.
Awkward silence descended in her absence that I was left to fill. “Are you staying here or in town?”
“I rented a room at the Holston Inn for the week.” He took a moment to examine the woodsy simplicity of the park. “That might change later, depending on how long I’m needed and if the weather holds.”
Thinking ahead to my weekend plans, I wondered what he had heard that I hadn’t yet. “The weather?”
“The manager cautioned me against leaving any electronics plugged in unsupervised. Apparently there have been an unusual amount of lightning storms in the past few weeks, and guests have complained of laptops and cells being fried while charging. He warned me the hotel is not responsible for repairs or replacements.”
“Hmm. I haven’t heard about any storm damage in town.” The weather had been peculiar, but I hadn’t thought to ask the locals if they found it strange too or if it was normal for Butler this time of year. I mentally added researching the storms to my to-do list. After all, oak trees were Mother Nature’s lightning rods, and the woods here were thick with them. I gestured toward his luggage with my chin. “What’s with the suitcase?”
“These are supplies that don’t belong inside a human-owned establishment. I was hoping you had a secure location where I could store them, since I’ll be using them here on the property.”
“Sure.” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder. “The rental office has a conference room, or there’s a smaller office beside Cord’s if you’d rather have a door you can lock behind yourself.”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “That would be ideal.”
“Hurry up and you can catch Haden. He’ll get you set up with a key and the security code.” Eager to get my day off started, I shoved my hands into my pockets and rocked onto my heels. “It was good seeing you.” I waved and stepped away. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
“There is one thing.” Those eager puppy eyes latched on to me as if I were a tennis ball about to be thrown. “Have dinner with me.”
My pulse spiked, fight-or-flight reflexes kicking in as the wolf stirred in my gut. “I…um...” The wildness in my blood set my heart beating faster. “I’m not looking for a relationship.”
“Friends have dinner,” he informed me with mock seriousness. “It’s a thing.”
“You’re for real?” Doubt sat heavy in my voice. I had known Enzo for years, and he never faile
d to ask me out each time our paths crossed. I always said no. At first because his brother’s intensity frightened me. Later because he had become an equal partner to Miguel, and their casual cruelty toward my species terrified me. Had I been acting as Dell Preston, I would have brushed him off as usual. But Dell Preston, Lorimar beta, was required to practice diplomacy no matter how worrisome I found our allies. “Just friends?”
“I could have told Thierry no. I probably should have. But you’re here…” His half-smile could have melted butter. “I thought when you left Villanow that was it. How could I turn down one last chance to see you?”
His frank admission drew me up short. The guy had carried a torch for me so long his arm should have given out by now, but he’d never waved the flame under my nose before today. Right now I was all but smelling singed hairs in my nostrils.
“Okay.” I found myself agreeing with him. “Dinner. As friends.” A beat later, I added, “With no benefits.”
Closing the space between us with two easy strides, Enzo leaned forward into my personal space, giving me a heartbeat to decide whether to stand my ground or dropkick his junk, before kissing me on the cheek. This near he smelled of crushed rosemary and leather, and the brush of his lips made my skin tingle.
“It really is good to see you, Dell.” He backed out of the danger zone. “Pick you up around seven?”
“How about we meet in town?” I didn’t want him responsible for getting me home. “I’ll even let you choose the place.”
“You don’t have a car.” He laughed at my sour expression. “And I’m new in town, remember? Tonight is lady’s choice, even if the lady in question wants to go Dutch.”
Damn straight I did, and how frustrating was it that he knew me so well?
Unable to poke any holes in his ironclad logic, I grumbled, “Seven works.”
He spun on his heel, but not before I caught his fist pump.
“Coffee will make this better,” I decided as I set off for my RV. “Coffee makes everything better.”
Chapter 3
Sawdust tickled my nose as I stepped out of my RV onto my new front porch. Not bad for a day’s work. Now I had a nicer perch for my dollar-store lawn chair…which was occupied by an uninvited guest for the second time today. I’d figured I would meet Enzo in the parking lot. I guess he had other ideas.
The witch had made himself at home, elbows braced on his knees while he fiddled with a cluster of vines that slithered over his fingers. In honor of our undate, he had added a gray button-down shirt to his ensemble and topped off the look with a wide black leather belt in the same satin finish as his boots.
God save me from fashion plates.
I, on the other hand, wore jeans and a fresh tee with Target-brand labels sewn into their hems. My tennis shoes had seen better days, but they were comfortable, damn it. Besides, you could barely see the hole at the left toe.
A gust of cool air sent gooseflesh racing up my spine, over the back of my damp shirt, and I eased closer to Enzo in the hopes he would catch the hint and we could get someplace warmer. The mountain air chilled once the sun went down, and my teeth itched to start chattering.
A quick shower had been a necessity to remove all the grime from the hours of labor, but I’d cut it too close to seven and had no time to tame the damp hairs curling around my face in a curtain as clingy as the vines wrangling with Enzo’s fingers.
Forehead puckered in neat lines, the witch kept toying with the serpentine tangle on his lap. As attentive as he usually was, I doubted he knew I was standing there.
With practiced ease, I twisted my hair into a high bun and secured it with a leather strap. “What do you have there?”
“Hmm?” He detangled the knot, strand by strand, until he was left with one long vine.
Amused by his utter absorption, I couldn’t resist the urge to poke fun at him, despite my wolf warning me I was grabbing a tiger by the tail. “Are you done fondling that thing, or should I come back in five?”
That got his attention. His head snapped up, and his lips parted in instant denial before breaking into a grin. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.” He brought his hands to his mouth and blew across the vines, which hardened into a lump he tossed over his shoulder. “New spell,” he said by way of explanation. “I haven’t ironed out all the kinks yet.”
Eyeballing the castoff lump where it sat, I had to ask, “Is it safe to leave that thing there? It won’t climb through my window at night and strangle me or anything, will it?”
“Yes, it’s safe.” He chuckled until he got a look at my face. “I— Sorry. I should have asked if you minded me practicing on your property.”
Magic and I got along fine, as long as it stayed on its side of the yard and I stayed on mine. Watching Enzo practice left a bad taste in my mouth. I had seen him and his brother use wargs as test subjects for experimental spells, discarding them when they were done with just as much blithe disregard as he had shown those vines. I had seen him use Cord that way, back when he was the Chandler beta and Bessemer’s word was law. Our old alpha had let the Garzas use his pack like guinea pigs, and all the Lorimar wargs bore those scars. All of them except me.
Most days I waffled between gratefulness that Cord had protected me from their testing and nausea over what he had suffered on my behalf.
“It’s fine.” I rubbed my arms to rid the memories of finding Cord strapped to a metal table, barely breathing, blood dribbling down his chin. Miguel had stood aside, making his endless notations on a clipboard and being about as useful as a bump on a pickle. “Just maybe no more spells on my porch, okay?”
“You’ve seen me at my worst.” His lips twisted into a grimace. “Maybe the wards can be a step toward my atonement.”
I bit my lip, not at all sure I had seen the worst. Certain, however, that what I had witnessed was bad enough.
Making amends implied a major lifestyle change that included severing ties with his brother. Call me crazy, but I didn’t see that happening. The Garzas were a package deal. Coven witches were stronger than solo practitioners. Breaking with Miguel meant both brothers would kiss their super witchy powers—and the astronomical prices their services commanded—goodbye.
“We should get going.” I took the stairs and started toward the parking lot, leaving him to play catch-up. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” I injected false cheer into my voice. “Wait much longer and I might start gnawing on your leg.”
We arrived at the gravel lot by the rental office without incident, but Zed stepped from the trees to intercept me before I reached the sporty rental that stuck out like a sore thumb among the pack’s weathered pickups. The flat stare he shot Enzo had the witch continuing on to his car to give us privacy.
“What’s up?” I crossed to him and rested my hand on his bare forearm. Touch is a requirement for wargs. It soothes a great many hurts that words fail to ease, and Zed required more than most. “You been sucking on lemons again?” Another thought occurred to me, and I tightened my grip. “Did you miss out on the property?”
“No. We bought the place, God help us both.” His gaze narrowed past my shoulder, eyes flashing gold. “I heard Enzo was here.” He rubbed the spiderwebbed scar tissue across his throat on reflex, the result of an experiment gone wrong. “I don’t like the idea of you going off alone with him.”
“I’ll be careful,” I promised, “but I have to play nice. Thierry brought him here on Cord’s recommendation. That means Cord thinks we can handle Enzo, or he wouldn’t have suggested him.”
Zed would cut off a finger before speaking out against the alpha, but his jaw bulged with the urge to argue the point.
“We need all the allies we can rally.” I gave him a quick shake. “We can’t afford to make enemies of the Garzas. Not when so many of us have family in the Chandler pack. Visitation is already sticky enough without Bessemer learning one of his witches has defected.”
“He’s here for you,” Zed insisted, stubborn to the co
re. “I don’t give a damn what he says. The Garzas don’t need more money or more contacts. They don’t need to do the conclave any favors. What brought Enzo here is the one thing he wants that he can’t have.”
“You said it yourself.” I stepped back. “He can’t have me.”
Zed huffed, appearing mollified. “Does he know that?”
“I told him I’m happy being single, yes.” Though I should have pointed out his snowball was melting while I had the chance. I had let him hope, and that was a mistake I would have to woman-up and rectify soon. Stringing him along until he wrapped up his job and then dropping the hammer on his heart would be pure cowardice. “Tonight is a one-time deal. Don’t worry.”
“Just remember what he’s capable of,” Zed rumbled.
As if I would ever forget. “I doubt that’s going to be a problem.”
“Dell?” Enzo inquired from a respectful distance. “If you need to cancel…”
“I’ll be right there,” I assured him, turning back to Zed. “I’ll be home before it’s time to hunt.”
“You’re off tonight, remember?” A calculating gleam lit his eyes. “Besides, you’re right. About the diplomacy thing.” He gripped my shoulders, spun me on my heels and nudged me toward Enzo. “Enjoy your dinner. Make sure you stay for dessert.”
Somehow knowing Zed figured I was more of a danger to myself than Enzo wasn’t comforting.
Catching my balance, I shot a glare over my shoulder. Zed was halfway to the trees, and if he felt my eyes on his back, he gave no sign. Traitor. I crunched my way toward Enzo and linked my fingers in front of me.
“You don’t have to come out tonight if you don’t want to.” Enzo shoved his hands into his pockets. “We can do this another night or not at all if it makes you uncomfortable.”
The offer was loaded whether he meant it to be or not. There was no mistaking the tenor of Zed’s words as anything but a warning, even if Enzo hadn’t heard them. He was a smart guy and not half as socially unaware as his brother. There wasn’t a wolf in the Lorimar pack except for me that he hadn’t drugged, spelled, charmed or otherwise magicked in the name of finding a cure for wargism. Never mind that wargs were born and not made. All a bite from one of us did was hurt like a mother. Needless to say, he didn’t have many fans of the four-legged persuasion.
Promise the Moon (Lorimar Pack Book 1) Page 3