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With trembling legs and shaking fingers, she made her way onto the narrow wooden path that would lead her to the mountains. Avoiding the lake made this quite the trek, but she was determined to get the answers before meeting Cohen and the council.

Was walking alone in the woods a good idea? No, of course not, but she had her flashlight that was going to work again just as soon as the power came back on in town.

Alana also had her magic, but that was it. On a whim ... and to quiet Cohen’s voice in her head ... she grabbed a long piece of wood from the ground that would make a good weapon.

“There,” she said to the trees. “If he somehow manages to find me, he won’t be able to say I am irresponsible. Besides, who does he think he is, anyway?” she asked the trees, which remained silent. “Now I am talking to myself because that is super fucking normal.”

She was a witch. Of course, being normal for her looked a little different, but she wasn’t sure that her normal should be all wrapped up in Cohen Pierce because he had kissed her a couple of times.

She still hated him, didn’t she? Cohen had been making her life absolutely miserable since the council hired him to be the sheriff of Half Moon Key.

He didn’t like magic or witches. He didn’t trust her, and there was this low aggression always wafting off of Cohen like he was a prisoner in his own body. She couldn’t imagine that it was easy for him to be an alpha without a pack to look over, but surely, being the sheriff that the council totally adored was enough. Not to mention the three other shifters in town, who totally looked at Cohen for leadership.

Cohen had found his place in Half Moon Key with more ease and less time than it had taken her, and Alana didn’t know what that meant about her or about him. Was he more lovable than her? They were both very intense and standoffish people, but folks in town gave Cohen more grace for his behavior.

“Probably because of his dick,” she mumbled to herself. “It’s because he is a man, and I am a witch. Total bullshit. And here I am in the woods, scared that he will scold me for doing my part.” She snorted out a laugh as she continued to follow the path deeper into the woods.

Up ahead, the final embers of the green glow began to vanish, pitching the woods into an increasingly terrible darkness.

EIGHT

COHEN

Just as he had expected, the police station on Main Street was crowded with his deputies and a few council members. The other elders were at the community center, setting up the information table. It helped Cohen to know that his friends were already in the woods, trying to find any possible thing responsible for the earthquake ... or any damage.

With any luck, this was only a fluke and wouldn’t turn into another one of those strange things that seemed to always happen in Half Moon Key.

He barked his orders to his deputies and went right to the community center to speak with Mrs. Francis. She was basically the mayor of the town, and whatever happened had to be run by her first. Mrs. Francis would also be the person to ask about earthquakes in Half Moon Key.

When he finally had a moment alone with the eldest elder, he couldn’t find the words to ask, and it bothered him that he was so tongue-tied. He was a hardened cop with no heart. He shouldn’t be having any kind of strange emotions for his town and its resident witch.

Especially the latter.

That made no sense to him. The timing of it all was too strange for his liking.

“Has something like this happened in town before today?” he finally managed to bite out.

Mrs. Francis considered this question for a few moments. “No. It’s never happened. Not that I can remember, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have happened at all. But you’re asking the wrong questions, Sheriff.”

“Am I? And what should I be asking?”

The old woman shrugged, pursing her lips. “I would have thought it obvious. Who we need is Alana Wixx,” Mrs. Francis said. “Where is she? I would have thought that she would be excited to be here, given that she finally has a seat on the council.”

“I dropped her off with Lila,” Cohen answered. “They’re going to be organizing some stuff for the town.”

Mrs. Francis pursed her lips. “Oh, Cohen. Youdropped her off?”

He winced, knowing he had said far too much to the one woman who could see right through him. After all, Mrs. Francis was the one person in all of Half Moon Key who knew his past. Mason, his brother, was the exception to this, of course, but it didn’t stop Cohen from disliking that the elder had so much on him.

It made hiding his true feelings that much harder.

He could totally hide how he felt from himself, but how was he supposed to do that with Mrs. Francis? She could probably see right into his soul with that age-earned wisdom of hers.

“Hate is such a funny thing. You need to bring Alana here, Cohen. Right now.”

“Fine,” he grumbled. “But I don’t know what she can do to help.”

“She can help because I don’t think for two seconds this earthquake was natural. I don’t think it was nature. In fact, it felt like magic to me.”