Page 48

I am not even mad about that. His wolf cut in.I totally agree.

Cohen laughed, earning him a questioning look from Alana. “My wolf is on board. He mightnothave told me that you’re my mate, but he might as well have with that line.”

“Match. Mate. It’s all the same, isn’t it?” she asked. “Because we know you’re the one my family foresaw …”

He nodded. “Yeah. I guess we’re gonna have to talk about all of this, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Maybe we were just so dead set against liking each other because of …” She gestured to the rock. “Maybe it was the spell keeping us apart so that this didn’t happen?”

“It’s as good a guess as any,” he conceded. “Okay, now, back to the dream and visualization. You’ve got this, love. I’m right here with you.”

He always would be beyond the shadow of a doubt.

TWENTY-ONE

ALANA

Alana scanned the clearing that surrounded them, along with the massive rock formations formed on the ground. She had stood in this same very spot with her mother and grandmother many times before. They had done all kinds of magic here because her family explained that the height of the rocks and the proximity to the other elements ... water and air ... made it the best place to practice magic.

To be here with Cohen ... to know that he was willing to watch her back and be there for her ... was intense. It did things to Alana. Mostly in her heart.

Her heart was fully involved with the grumpy Sheriff Cohen Pierce, and if she was honest with herself, she had probably always been completely taken with him. Yet, her wary nature made it hard for her to focus onwhyshe could never stop looking at him now that they weresomethingto each other.

Now Alana knew why she was incapable of staying away from Cohen. It was because her heart and soul were trying to tell her something: that he was it for her. Too bad her family had made her into a very suspicious and untrusting person.

“I need to focus,” she whispered. “But there has got to be something wrong with me because you’re all I can think about.”

Cohen stepped closer to her and chuckled. “That’s very flattering, love. Tell me what you need to focus.”

“I don’t know. Maybe just hold my hand?” she offered on a whim, but it felt true. It felt like it could make all of the difference in the world.

He took a few more steps toward her and intertwined their fingers together. Contact with Cohen always made her a little breathless, but not in a way that felt like floating away with happiness. He was more of a grounding presence, and Alana chose to sink into that, even if it was just for a moment. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

His fingers tingled against hers with so much force that he looked at her in confusion. Alana was just as stunned as him, but they had a silent understanding not to speak. She continued to focus on the stones and the spell she had to remember.

Alana’s entire body seemed to take root in the woods. Her feet felt so heavy that she was sure she wouldn’t be able to lift them to walk or run. Her fingers buzzed, but it wasn’t merely because of Cohen anymore.Something was happening.

Her mind was opened, willing, and ready to receive the incantation. As soon as she spoke the words, her body lightened from the inside out like a huge weight was lifted.

“I think I know what to do,” Alana whispered.

Cohen nodded. “Okay, okay, good. What do you need from me?”

“Can you keep standing there? Maybe behind me?” As soon as she spoke, Cohen did as she asked, but it wasn’t enough. “Put your hands on my shoulders,” she suggested. “Let’s see if that works.”

Through the thin material of her T-shirt, Alana felt the warm, dry hands of her lover, and it did a whole lot to make her feel stronger. She closed her eyes again and took deep and steadying breaths. She continued to do this as she let the memory of her dream take over. She could recall nearly everything about the spell.

The words of the incantation were the only thing that was just about out of reach.

She strained, frowning though she kept her eyes closed. Her forehead was creased with her efforts, but soon, she felt her center of gravity shift, and if Cohen hadn’t been holding her, she would have fallen flat on her ass.

“What the hell was that?” Cohen asked, steadying her.

She turned to face him in consternation. “What do you mean? You felt that too?”

He nodded, his eyes dark with concern. He scanned the clearing, his shifter nose sniffing the air as if he could spot a foreign scent. His keen eyes were sure to pick up anything that didn’t look like it was in its right place ... even trees and grass, bless his predatory nature.

“It felt like there was a huge pressure drop. Like I was being crushed onto the ground,” Alana offered.