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“Who is Amanda?” Jack asked.

“No one of importance,” Cohen answered, his surly demeanor rearing its absent head with a vengeance. “Not anymore.”

“Are you telling us what the plan is now?” Mason tapped his foot. “It’s not like there is an enemy out there for us to fight.”

Parker smacked Mason’s shoulder. “Way to jinx us! Now, no matter what, we know things will get bloody.”

Mason rolled his eyes. “We’ll be fine. We have a witch on our side.”

“Exactly,” Cohen cut in. “We have a witch on our side, and we are going to try to use her magic to save us and the town, but we need to keep a few things in mind. The first, of course, is that Alana doesn’t believe she is as powerful as her grandmother and mother, the two witches who cast the protection spell in the first place.”

“Oh, okay. What’s the other stuff?” Parker was listening intently, no doubt ready to do whatever needed to be done to save his new but beloved hometown.

“The second thing we need to keep in mind is that we cannot go to another witch. There is no way to know if we can trust anyone that isn’t actually and actively connected to Half Moon Key.”

“Makes sense,” Jack acknowledged. “Makes a whole lot of sense.”

“We will have to help Alana however we can, and I’m not too sure what she will need from me.”

“Then why call us here?” Mason’s question was fair, but Cohen’s answer was going to rock them to their core.

“I’m pretty sure Alana Wixx is my mate.”

SIXTEEN

MRS. FRANCIS

YEARS AGO

The storefront hadn’t changed much since Helena and Lina Wixx had moved to Half Moon Key. Theirs was to be a family business, a candle store that also sold all kinds of magical paraphernalia. There was even a back room where the mother and daughter duo invited some of their guests for readings.

Mrs. Francis didn’t believe in magic, but she was a rabbit shifter. Was that not some kind of magic? Didn’t it make her a bit of a hypocrite for not believing that Helena and Lina could do magic? Probably. At least a little bit.

Theclosedsign was turned over in the window, and Mrs. Francis rapped her knuckles on the glass door. It was quickly opened by a beautiful young redheaded woman with green eyes. Lina was stunning, just like her mother. The only difference in the pair’s appearance was that Helena’s hair had started to turn gray, giving the older witch a very dignified look that Mrs. Francis admired.

“Mrs. Francis,” Lina greeted her. “Please, come in.”

She did as she was asked and followed Lina beyond the thick green velvet curtain. The room that lay on the other side was the small living room where the Wixx witches practiced their magic. There were two huge plush chairs with a little round coffee table where a crystal ball sat.

“Take a seat,” Helena said, pointing to the vacant chair.

“Thanks. How are you?”

Helena gave a small smile. “It’s okay to be nervous, dear. It would be very odd if you weren’t at least a bit scared.”

“Right,” she nodded. “What do you need me to do?”

“Just sit there for a moment. Tell me what troubles you.”

“Well, as you know, my husband was the alpha of Half Moon Key …” Her voice trailed off, heavy with grief.

“Yes, I heard about your loss. I truly am sorry, Mrs. Francis.”

The shifter woman wiped tears from her cheeks. She wanted to berate herself for crying, but there was nothing for it. Ever since her husband had died in a bloody battle to protect Half Moon Key, Mrs. Francis was always on the verge of tears. It was very easy for her to cry and a little bit more difficult tostop.If she got going, she would never be able to dry her eyes.

“You know it’s too soon to try to contact him, don’t you?” Helena asked softly with all of the compassion and sympathy in the world.

“I figured, yes. But that’s not why I’m here. They won’t stop coming. They really won’t. I have lost my husband because of this, and that is enough. There should be no more loss in this town. We need to defend and protect what is ours.”