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Cohen stared deep into her eyes. “You just said a whole lot there, Alana. Did you mean it? You trust me?”

Did she? Alana lost track of time for a little while, lost as she was in his eyes. She blinked herself back into focus and looked at the man that had rocked her world. The very same man who had driven her nearly insane with anger last week. Hell, even a few short days ago. Chances were, he would always drive her a little bit insane.

“I do trust you,” she said, finding that she meant every word. “Don’t ask me to explain how or why, but I do. I think that it might be because you’re the sheriff. I can’t believe that you would do something to harm this town.”

“I would never,” he assured her. “And I would never do anything to put you in harm’s way either.”

“Oh, how times have changed,” she teased. “You were ready to kick me out of town for good a little bit ago.”

Cohen laughed softly. “What the fuck did I know?” He laughed again, placing the book on the coffee table before coming to stand in front of her. He cupped her face in his hands and leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. “I didn’t know anything until last night, Alana. It’s like this light has been turned on in my head. In my heart.”

She could’ve pointed out that he still didn’t know very much, but that would only cause a fight, and Alana and Cohen had fought enough to last them a lifetime. Besides, she didn’t think it was true anymore. Cohen was hardly the close-minded asshole she had needed to believe he was.

“You sound very sure of yourself,” she pointed out instead, trying to be teasing. Yet after the intimacy they shared, she needed to add something else. Something to make her a bit more confident in whatever they were starting. “You’re not going to change your mind back again, are you?”

“I’m not a changeable man. Now, I want to show you something.” He grabbed the book from the coffee table and tapped the page to which the book was opened. “Look at this.”

Alana gasped, her eyes going round with shock. She grabbed the tome from his hands and stared down at the picture. “Oh, my god. There’s no way …”

But there was every bit of a way. Cohen told her so. “What are the chances that the rocks split open the very moment we kissed for the first time?”

Alana’s breath came out in sharp little pants. Cohen’s explanation was shocking, but nothing could have prepared Alana for what happened next.

It confirmed so much.

A little red candle tucked into one of the corners of the room on one of the many tables sputtered to life. Alana couldn’t even blink as she watched the fresh, still-unused candle wick ignited from the smoke it had somehow begun to create out of thin air.

The witch gasped when a little orange flame began to dance. She reached out and grabbed Cohen’s arm, her other hand going to cover her mouth in shock. “Do you even realize what this means?”

Cohen nodded, staring at the candle. “Yeah, actually, I do. And I’m up for it if you are.” He smiled at her and kissed her again. “What do we have to lose?” he whispered between sips of her mouth.

Everything.

That was the answer. How a man who had gotten this heartbroken by his ex could be so flippant about the potential of heartbreak, Alana didn’t know. It terrified her because there was no going back if they chose this path.

* * *

The councilof Half Moon Key was made up of the eldest and most respected shifters in town. These were the people who had life experience, but they also remembered things that others didn’t have the benefit of knowing.

Keeping them out of this plan was probably not the best idea, but both Cohen and Alana were reluctant to take a plan to the elders that wasn’t foolproof or an untested plan. There were other residents that had a better and more recent understanding of the impact of the magic on their lives, and that’s who Cohen and Alana had decided to reach out to for some help.

Mason, Parker, and Jack sat on the back deck of Cohen’s place, each man with a beer in his hand. Mason’s fiancée Lila sat beside him on the wicker loveseat while Parker and Jade shared one of the lounge chairs. Jack was sprawled at Nora’s feet, the woman’s hand passing through her mate’s thick hair over and over again.

The whole scene would have appeared quite domestic and peaceful if it weren’t for Alana’s nervous energy. They had gathered Cohen’s fishing buddies and de facto pack to ask their opinions, but neither she nor Cohen had been able to broach the topic yet. Probably because both of them were a little reluctant to admit what they had discovered.

Choosing to stall a little bit longer, Alana made her way into the kitchen, passing through the French patio doors. She was pouring herself a glass of water when the door opened again.

“Psst! Over here! We need to talk.” Lila waved Alana forward frantically.

Alana quickly peered around, making sure the Pierce brothers were well out of earshot behind Lila and the closed door. “Can the wolves hear us from all the way over there?”

Lila shook her head, but she pulled out her phone. “No, but Mason also knows not to listen in whenever I have this song playing.” The soft notes of a rock song began to play over her phone’s speaker. “What’s up?”

“The candle turned on,” the witch whispered.

Lila’s eyes widened. “No way!”

“Yes, way.” Alana was faint, just remembering the sight of the little red candle turning on all by itself. Of course, Lila was her best friend, and she knew exactly what that meant.