A Shift in the Water

by Eddy, Patricia D.

  For now, she stuck to water alone if for no other reason than she hated how fire made her feel. The discordant notes of her sister’s final fire charm clashed with her water element. Somehow she’d taken the fire within her, twisted it, concentrated it, and sent it back into her sister tenfold. Katerina hadn’t been able to fight it.

  Mara hated that she’d had to kill her sister. She didn’t regret it. Not really. She would have done anything to save Cade’s life, but she wished she’d been able to subdue Katerina instead. The idea that she’d taken a life didn’t sit well with her. The nightmares of her sister’s final wispy breath escaping her lips plagued her most nights. At least she had Cade to help her through. Likewise, she helped him every time he begged for death in his own torturous dreams. She stifled a shudder and thanked the Goddess that the pack wasn’t sleeping here any longer.

  “Hey,” he said, pulling her from her thoughts. His knuckle dragged along her jaw. “I asked if you thought we’d be able to get out of town without one of them following us.”

  Mara laughed. “Sorry. I was having a moment with my cappuccino. I highly doubt it. Livie won’t want to let you out of her sight.”

  “Shawn will keep her here. Plus, there’s no way she could spend six hours in a car right now.” Livie was due in less than a month and both Mara and Cade hoped that she wouldn’t birth early. They wanted to be here when the pup was born.

  Mara reached for his waistband again. Despite her exhaustion, they’d been unable to keep their hands off of each other. At the full moon on the seventeenth, he’d made love to her for hours, then shifted into his wolf. They’d sat together in the backyard, with Mara wrapped in heavy blankets, and the entire pack around them. A fire had blazed in the fire pit—close enough to keep her warm, but far enough away not to weaken her. One by one, the wolves approached her, bowed, and nuzzled her hand. It was a gesture of submission and acceptance for their alpha’s chosen mate. She’d thought to petition them, but they wouldn’t hear of it. After her actions to save Cade, they’d each told her that she was a part of their pack whether she wanted to be or not. That night she fell asleep with her arms around her wolf and had woken snuggled against Cade’s human form.

  A knock at the door interrupted them.

  “Come in,” she called, pulling up the blankets. Her silk chemise dipped low between her breasts, exposing the burn scar from the battle.

  Livie stuck her head in. “Breakfast? Presents?”

  “Are you six?” Cade asked with a chuckle.

  “No, but I’m the only one who knows what Mara got all of you.”

  The pillow that sailed across the room nearly caught her, but she shrieked and slammed the door.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I swear they won’t always be this . . . invasive. I’ll tell them to back off a little.” He tugged on a sweatshirt and helped her to her feet.

  Running a hand through her hair, she savored the sounds of family. Lil and the pack got along well. Jen’s laugh reached her from the living room. Mara’s best friend was warming up to Cade and really liked Christine. She’d sauntered into Mara’s bedroom a week ago and shocked the hell out of Mara. “So, how much do werewolves eat anyway? I need to know if I’m bringing three casseroles or six for Christmas.”

  Mara had sputtered and tried to get out of bed, but Cade had stopped her weak movements with a single glare. Jen came to sit at the foot of the bed.

  “Mar, I spent my childhood outside of Vancouver. We had our own pack up there. No one really talked about it. At least not the adults, but us kids all knew. We used to sneak out of the window on the full moon and watch them run from my parents’ roof.”

  Adam . . . Adam hadn’t called or come by since the third day after the park incident. He and Cade had words after he’d yelled at Mara for letting a man wear her down. It hadn’t helped that she’d been wrapped in a blanket on the couch, barely able to keep her eyes open when he’d come by. He thought her illness was getting worse and she couldn’t exactly explain that she’d fought a fire elemental. Adam blamed Cade. The pack had nearly torn him apart before Mara’s pleas sunk in and they backed off, but the damage was done. Adam told her that he didn’t appreciate her dropping one of her best friends for a man he’d never heard of. She’d wanted to explain, but what could she say? She was mated to a werewolf? That these other six people in her house were also wolves? So she’d let him go. She’d sent him a couple of emails, but he hadn’t responded.

  “Don’t say anything to them.” Mara accepted her pants from Cade and tugged them on. She chose one of his new shirts, letting the loose flannel drape over her breasts. The burn between them meant she couldn’t wear a bra yet. Thank the Goddess she wasn’t well endowed. “I like having them here. I didn’t think I would, but I do.”

  Cade grabbed her and scooped her up into his arms. She laughed, feigning fear that he’d drop her. “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I know. Now put me down. We’ve got presents to open.”

  The entire pack converged on them as soon as they opened the door. Cade growled at them to give Mara some space, but she didn’t care. She felt good today. Strong. Jen relaxed by the hearth, Christine leaning against her.

  Livie took Mara’s arm and waddled with her over to the couch. “They won’t let me do anything,” Livie whispered.

  “They’re right.” Mara curled her legs underneath her and settled against Cade once he’d joined her with fresh coffee for both of them. Christmas carols played on the stereo and the entire house was filled with the scents of cooking. Shawn and Livie had set the menu: ham, mashed potatoes, cheesy kale, and apple pie. Mara had insisted on making the pies. Five of them. Cade hadn’t been happy that she’d taxed herself like that, but she was going stir-crazy doing nothing.

  The pack arranged themselves around the tree. Presents were passed out. Books. Tools. And for Mara, an unexpected surprise. She unfurled a rolled piece of paper to reveal plans for a backyard pool. It spanned her yard and the pack’s, was covered in a greenhouse-type structure, and would allow her to swim year-round. She hugged the plans to her chest and hoped she wouldn’t cry.

  When most of the pack’s gifts had been distributed, Mara directed Peter to hand out the gifts she’d gotten for everyone.

  Livie squealed when she opened the box with the orange massage oil and a gift certificate for a date night, complete with babysitting, after the pup was born. Shawn got a new ledger in rich leather and a fountain pen. Liam toasted Mara with a mug of Irish coffee after he unwrapped the bottle of Jameson Whiskey. Peter immediately tugged on the thick work gloves and Christine hugged her hardbound copy of Herbalist to her chest.

  It was Cade’s turn to receive his gift. Mara cleared her throat. “That red box is for Cade.” She eased the coffee mug from his hand so he could accept the present that Liam set on Cade’s thighs. He inhaled deeply and grinned as he drew the buttery leather jacket out of the box. “It’s beautiful, honey.” He ran his fingers over the leather until he came to the bulging pocket. “What’s this?”

  In his palm rested a large, teardrop-shaped piece of glass. Blue swirls tangled inside, moving as if they were alive. They brightened as the piece of glass warmed against his skin.

  “I told you I hear music . . . sort of . . . when I use my element.”

  “Yes.”

  “There’s an artist down in Fremont who turns sound waves into art. You pick the melody you want and he’ll run the frequency through sand while he shoots the vessel with a massive jolt of electricity. It creates a unique pattern, a one-of-a-kind design. I pulled a little water from the air in his shop and found a note. This”—she touched a finger to the glass—“is me.”

  Cade grabbed her in a hug so fierce she wasn’t sure she could breathe. “I love it,” he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. “I love you.”

  “I know.”

  Through the entire courtship, all of Cade’s ministrations to nurse her back to health, and even their mating on the full moon, there had been on
e thing that had never happened.

  Mara had never told Cade that she loved him.

  He was going crazy not knowing. She’d repeatedly told him that she wanted him here—wanted to be his mate, was his mate, but she’d never uttered those three little words he longed for. Wolves didn’t mate for love. They mated on instinct. But Cade had fallen madly in love with his water elemental and he ached to hear her utter the words back to him.

  He ran his scarred fingers over the piece of glass. She’d given him a piece of herself. What more could he ask for?

  Cade looked at his beta. Liam sat apart from the rest of them. He always had problems with the holiday season. Cait had died right after Christmas.

  Livie whispered to Shawn and the young wolf picked up a small green box and handed it to Cade. His stomach tied into knots. She wasn’t ready for what was in that box.

  “What’s this?” Mara asked, a shy smile on her lips.

  “Open it.” He wasn’t proud of how unsteady his voice was.

  Pale fingers loosed the ribbon and lifted the lid. Inside, he’d tucked the burled wooden box he’d made right before he’d been taken. “Oh! It’s lovely,” Mara breathed. “You made this.”

  “Yeah.” He hunched his shoulders. She’d open it next.

  “Cade?” The top of the box rested in her lap. She held his mother’s ring, a silver band with an emerald tucked in the swirl of metal.

  “It was my mother’s.”

  “It’s beautiful.” Her eyes matched the emerald in the ring, especially now when they were dark and confused. Her lower lip tucked between her teeth. The entire pack held their breath. He’d told Liam the other day in a rare moment of vulnerability, that he needed her to return his declaration of love. The pack knew his intentions.

  He dropped down to one knee and Mara started to cry. No. I can’t. He sprang up again and fled from the room.

  “Cade!” Mara called for him, but he couldn’t turn back. He shut himself in their bedroom. God, he’d been so stupid. He shouldn’t have risked the ring yet. She’d been so focused on healing, they hadn’t had a lot of deep discussions about their future beyond her telling him that she’d accepted him, that she’d been ready to petition the pack before the full moon. He sat on the bed, staring out the window.

  The door whispered open and shut again.

  “Do you want this back?”

  Cade turned. The ring was in her upturned palm.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I shouldn’t have . . . I thought . . .”

  “Do you want it back?” She held out her hand and her lower lip quivered. “Because if you intended it like I think you did, I would have said yes.”

  “What?”

  “I love you. I know I haven’t said it before. I don’t know why. I was sick, and you were so worried. And then when I started to feel better, it was like this thing between us. This huge chasm I couldn’t breech. We so rarely had time to ourselves—which I don’t regret, don’t think that—and I didn’t know how to fix it. I was going to tell you today. When I gave you the glass. You didn’t see the note in the pocket.” Mara handed him a folded slip of paper.

  For the man—the werewolf—I love.

  “You were crying. You’re not a crier.” Shut up, idiot. She told you she loved you. Why aren’t you holding her? Slipping that ring on her finger and taking her?

  “No, I’m not. But this is a special occasion. Or I thought it was. Was I wrong?” She clutched the ring tightly in her hand. The air in the room was humid and heavy, filled with Mara’s unique scent.

  “No. You weren’t. We’re mated. I’m yours for the rest of my life, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t . . . make things legal someday. It doesn’t have to be now. Hell, I don’t care if it’s a year. Two. But will you marry me?”

  Mara held out her hand—her left hand—and allowed him pluck the ring from her palm. She grinned, her green eyes shining, and flipped her palm, spreading her fingers.

  “Yes,” she said with a grin. “I love you. But Livie’s gonna make us wait, you know. Until the pup’s born. She already has a dress and she’s not going to fit into it for at least another few months.”

  “You knew.” Cade slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit.

  “I might have. She’s not the best at secrets.”

  “Dammit. I’m gonna kill her.”

  Mara laughed when he scooped her up in his arms and held her close. “No, you won’t. You love her. You love all of them. And so do I.”

  “But not like you love me, right?”

  Her hands tangled in his hair and she brought her lips to his. “No. I’ve never loved anyone like I love you.”

  That was all he needed to hear. For the first time in a very long time, Cade and his wolf were at peace.

  A Shift in the Air

  A preview of the next book in the ELEMENTAL SHIFTERS series

  Liam O’Sullivan balanced on a girder fifty feet in the air. The day was clear and cold. April in Seattle was a lesson in dichotomy. Endless stretches of gray, wet, cold days bookended by brilliantly sunny outliers that left residents scrambling to find long-misplaced sunglasses. Today was one of the latter days. Highs in the mid-forties, but almost blindingly bright and sunny.

  His construction company, O’Sullivan and Shea, was building a new condo complex outside of Pioneer Square in Seattle. In the past four months, he’d filed for his permits, accepted three jobs, and hired a dozen men and women to work for him. He and Peter Shea ran things, but they weren’t above getting their hands dirty either. Today, Peter was in the office working on their account receivables while Liam was high in the sky supervising the last of the roof joists. He twirled a hammer in his long, calloused fingers, waiting for one of his crew, a tiny man named Rick, to retrieve his belt bag of nails. Why the bloody hell Rick left his bag on the first story he had no idea.

  The harness that held him to the support girder swung in the gentle breeze. He liked this town. To the west, Puget Sound sparkled. He rubbed a sore spot on the back of his right shoulder. He’d been up late last night plumbing one of the bathrooms in the house he shared with most of the rest of his pack of werewolves and getting under the old sink had been a tight fit.

  His alpha, Cade Bowman, had been captured and tortured by a fire elemental who blamed him for the death of her mother. It hadn’t been Cade’s fault, but Katerina was delusional. She’d trapped him as his wolf for seven months until he’d escaped and climbed into the back of a car. Now, he was mated to the owner of that car, a water elemental named Mara.

  Cade and Mara lived next door to the rest of the pack. Cade had his woodworking shop down the street and consulted on some of Liam’s jobs. For these condos, Cade was going to design an art piece for the lobby.

  Fig blossoms.

  The scent reached Liam high in the air. God. He hadn’t smelled fig blossoms in ten years. Not since Cait.

  The blond-haired beauty had been the love of his life. He’d thought to mate with her, but though he’d loved her, they’d only been in close physical proximity for a few days. He’d met her when he’d still lived in Ireland. She’d been working in a pub part-time while going to school and he’d found her bright blue eyes intoxicating. They’d spent the entire night together talking, but sweet Cait had been too shy to make love to him. Three glorious days they’d spent together, until Liam had to leave for a long trip with his family. Three days later, she’d gone up to the Cliffs of Moher and thrown herself into the sea.

  A tear burned in Liam’s eye. He’d been thinking of Cait too often these days. Being around Mara brought up her memories. And now, fig blossoms. Liam crouched down and rubbed his eyes. He tugged his long red hair free from the band that kept it out of his eyes and stared out over the street below. A lone woman stood on the sidewalk, looking up at him.

  Liam narrowed his eyes. She was petite, with curvy, luscious hips and a round bosom. Her black hair was cut in a short, spiked style and his wolfish vision picked out a stud in her nose and a ring pi
ercing her eyebrow. Her nails were painted a bright purple. She wore a military-style green peacoat, heavy black boots, and ripped jeans. Her black sweater dipped slightly, exposing the creamy skin of her throat.

  The wind whipped up, tangling his hair over his eyes. He reached up and tied it back, searching her out again. There was something about her. Something familiar.

  The scent of fig blossoms wafted over him again. The voice, when it came, was soft and light, and the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. “Liam.”

  “Cait. My Cait.”

  He scrambled back towards the ladder, fumbling for the release of his harness. He had to reach her. Had to touch her. Caitlin Roarke. His love. He flew down the rungs two and three at a time, passing Rick, who was on his way up. Liam ignored the young man’s questions. The only thought in his head was reaching the woman he’d long thought dead.

  “Cait!” He called out for her, desperate, but when he reached the spot where she’d stood, he was alone. Alone with the scent of fig blossoms.

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed reading about Cade and Mara’s battle for their lives. Every character is special to me, but these two get me right in the heart every time.

  If you enjoyed this book, I would really appreciate it if you could post a review on your purchase site of choice. If you do, please email me at patricia@pdeddy.com so I can personally thank you. I hope you’ll also consider recommending this book to your friends and book clubs.

  The next book in the Elemental Shifter series is A Shift in the Air. I hope you enjoy reading more about Liam, as well as Mara and Cade. And you’ll get to see Livie as a mom.

  For a special bonus scene from A Shift in the Water, email patricia@pdeddy.com with the subject line Bowman.

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