Page 7 of Bewitchingly Hers (Witches of Pleasant Grove #3)

CHAPTER FIVE

eryne

I ’d never slept so peacefully. Warm and surrounded by the coziest smell of all time—like spice and leaves—I was more content than I’d ever been. Nuzzling my head further against my pillow, I let out a happy sigh.

Apparently, I should have adopted a wolf as a pet way sooner, if it meant I was getting this good of sleep.

Last night, he’d been so cute, wagging his tail when I got home and perking up his ears as I made him the steak.

I was probably getting too comfortable, inviting him into my bed like he was my new dog, but what did I care? He was so soft, and... wait .

Something hard pressed against my back. My eyes flew open, and I held my breath as looked down. I wasn’t wrapped around the fuzzy, soft wolf this morning.

At some point in my sleep, I’d rolled over, and there was an arm wrapped around my stomach. A very human arm, coated in a fine dusting of reddish hair. I sucked in a breath.

Okay, Eryne, I tried to calm myself down, breathing in deep. I’m sure there’s a simple explanation. My mind raced, but I couldn’t come up with any ways to explain what was happening.

There was a man in my bed—in a spot where I knew the red wolf had been when I’d fallen asleep. A man who was spooning me, which meant that— oh, goddess. I turned my head just a little bit, confirming my fears.

He was totally, completely naked. My cheeks burned, and I tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but the arm around me was tight.

I had to look at the facts.

Last night, I’d fallen asleep next to the wolf. This morning, there was a very naked man in my bed. A man with dark auburn hair and a loose bandage wrapped around his leg.

What did this mean? My heart stuttered in my chest. It was almost like I couldn’t accept the reality that was staring me in the face.

Maybe Rina was right, and our elders had been keeping something from us. After the Clarke sisters married a pair of demon brothers, nothing should have surprised me. But this did .

I didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

The man groaned, rubbing his nose against my neck, and I held in my gasp. He was still sleeping, but if I moved even a fraction of an inch?—

All I could do was stare at the muscular arm curled around me.

I was wearing a large, oversized t-shirt and panties, but no shorts.

It didn’t really seem necessary to wear super thick pajamas when the wolf kept my bed nice and toasty.

Only now, I was regretting the decision.

My t-shirt had ridden up, and there was only a thin piece of cotton covering my bikini area.

His hand creeped lower down my abdomen as he continued to bury his face against me, and I didn’t know what to do. My face flushed. Was he going to… touch me?

And why was I watching all of this in slow-motion, like it was happening to someone else? Like I was powerless to stop it. Like I didn’t want to.

I let out a small exhale.

Was he having a dream? His fingertips reached the waistband of my underwear, and then they… stopped. Froze. I could instantly hear his breathing change behind me.

“ Fuck .” His voice was thick— deep— but hoarse, like it hadn’t been used in a while. I supposed it hadn’t. It had been almost two weeks since the night of the full moon. The man sat up, looming over me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” He cleared his throat.

“You’re—” I blinked at him, my brain finally accepting what I’d been struggling with the last few minutes.

He wasn’t just a wolf at all. All the confirmation I needed was staring right back at me in those amber eyes. Those human eyes. Somehow, I’d felt it all along.

“You’re the wolf?” I stuttered out.

I felt my eyes practically bug out as I took him in. His immense size… everywhere. His gaze followed mine, looking down.

“Godsdamn.” He grabbed a pillow, covering his well-endowed erection, like he’d only just realized he was completely naked. “I know this may be hard to believe.” His chest was muscular, covered in a thin layer of red hair, and he had freckles everywhere .

“You think?” My jaw dropped. “I-I’ve been nursing you back to health. You were a human the whole time? How is this possible?”

He swallowed roughly. “I’m not a human—not really.” He tilted his head to the side, and I could almost picture his wolf form doing it the same way, those ears perked up on the top of his head. His nostrils flared. “But you’re not either. You’re a witch.”

“You don’t have to say it like it’s a bad thing,” I said, wrapping my arms around myself, hoping to hide my body’s reaction to his naked one.

I wasn’t wearing a bra, and my nipples were hard, poking through my thin shirt.

“If you’re not a human, and you’re not a wolf, what are you?

” My eyes widened. “You’re not a demon, are you? ”

“Did I say I wasn’t a wolf?” The man raised one auburn eyebrow.

“I’m not a demon , no. Though I’d love to find out how one of those made your acquaintance.

” He let out a bark of a laugh, like that idea was preposterous.

“I’m a shifter.” He looked at me expectantly, but I just blinked.

“A wolf shifter. You… don’t know about us, do you? ”

I shook my head. “I’ve never heard of anyone with that ability.

Though, to be fair, until last year, I didn’t know demons existed, either.

” I frowned, a thought popping into my head.

“It’s like the town founders chose to ward us off from the outside world instead of telling us what, exactly, was out there. ”

He winced. “Well, guess that’s why getting through the wards hurt like a bitch.” His hand reached up, massaging his neck. I wasn’t really sure what he was talking about—the wards were supposed to keep us safe and keep humans out, so why would they hurt?

“What attacked you?” I asked, reaching out running my fingers down the scars on his bare chest absentmindedly. I couldn’t help it. His abs were rock-hard, and even though there were still some cuts and bruises, he looked like he’d never been hurt at all.

Realizing what I was doing, I pulled my hand back, clutching it against my chest.

“Honestly, I don’t know.” The man sighed. “That night… My memories are hazy at best. All I can remember is flashes of black, and teeth, and then dragging myself towards this sweet scent.”

“Oh.” The bakery, I supposed.

I had no idea why I wasn’t freaking out right now. Why I felt comfortable around him. It must have been because of all of the time I’d spent with him in wolf form—at least, that was what I was going with.

He reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “You are so…”

My cheeks were even redder now, and I scrambled to find something else to say. “I-I’m Eryne, by the way.”

“Eryne.” He said my name like he was tasting it on his tongue, and I decided I loved the way it sounded in his deep voice. “I’m Barrett. It’s nice to finally meet you. Officially, I suppose.” He chuckled.

Barrett. After so long of just calling him the wolf, I finally had a name. And gods, he was beautiful. It was hard not to ogle his naked chest. All of him, really.

“Should we maybe…” I looked away. “Finish the rest of this conversation when you’re not naked?”

“Oh.” Barrett looked down at the pillow he was clutching over his waist. “Well, I uh… I actually don’t have any clothes?”

I stared at him. “What do you mean?” I mean, logically, I should have assumed that, but I was still a little dumfounded.

“Kind of the thing about being a shifter. You lose your clothes when you change forms.” He tilted his head. “Everything I have is back at the motel I was staying at. I’ll need to get back there to get my stuff.” He ran a hand through his auburn hair.

It was the same color as his fur.

“Huh.” I mused out loud, staring at him. He was handsome, with a sculpted jaw and freckles that dotted his face, shoulders and collarbones. Though handsome didn’t begin to describe Barrett. He was simply… gorgeous .

He grunted. “What?”

“You know how people always ask, does the carpet match the drapes?” I asked, fiddling with a strand of my hair.

Barrett blinked. “You— what?”

I pointed at his hair. “Your hair is the same color as your fur.”

“Yeah. That’s kind of how it works.” He thrust his hands in his hair—and gods, they were big—and tugged at the ends. “So, do you want me to—” He gestured down there .

Oh my goddess. I turned around, hearing him get up off the bed. “Right. I’ll leave you alone. If you want to shower, there’s towels in there. In the meantime, I’ll…” I turned to look at him and lost my train of thought.

He was tall . Definitely over six foot, and that shouldn’t have surprised me, given how massive his wolf form was. But I was still mesmerized. Struck stupid. Dumfounded.

Unable to make a single cohesive word come out of my mouth.

“Wow.” Shit, had I just said that out loud?

Barrett kept the pillow over his waist, but his thighs were thick, corded with muscle, and my mouth was dry.

“Um. There’s probably a pair of old sweats in my closet you could wear,” I squeaked. They were way too big on me, so I had no idea why I’d kept them all these years, only that they were cozy in the cold winter months.

He made a grumbling sound. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said, still holding the pillow in place. His voice was rough—like gravel, and it scraped over my skin.

I tried to ignore the way my nipples pebbled at the command.

Sure, he was attractive, but it wasn’t like I was actually going to act on that attraction, right? Even if he was hot as sin, and he’d had his erection pressed up against me this morning. I was trying not to think about what it felt like, how big he was.

“I’m gonna go.” I needed to get out of here before I did something stupid.

“I’ll be back with… clothes.” I grabbed a baseball cap from my closet, pulling it over my hair, as well as a pair of jeans and a baggy sweater.

Grabbing a pair of socks and my favorite boots, I hustled it out of there, needing some air.

Fanning at my warm cheeks as I stood on my front porch, I was grateful for the cool air to aid me in cooling off.

I pulled out my phone, thinking about my options. I really only had one, unless I called a friend and asked them to bring me their brother—or boyfriend’s—clothes. And the thought of doing that was mortifying.

Even more mortifying than buying men’s clothes from Dark Moon Fashions—the biggest clothing boutique in town.

But I could pull my big girl panties on and go find him something.

“And you had no idea?” Rina asked, blinking as we thumbed through the racks at Dark Moon an hour later.

I’d just finished summarizing what all had happened with the wolf—Barrett—to them.

Well, I’d left out a few key details, including waking up to him wrapped around me, naked, and the very generous package he was, um, packing.

Also that I’d gotten attached to said wolf enough to let him sleep in my bed.

They’d definitely think I was pathetic and lonely if I revealed that.

“Of course not,” I said, letting out a huff as I pulled a jacket off the rack, inspecting it.

So far, we’d found a few pairs of pants I was pretty sure would fit him—though I was really guessing at the size.

“You think I was caring for an injured wolf because I knew he was actually a shifter?” I whispered the last word, though it still came out louder than I intended.

“She’s got a point, Rin,” Wendy said, nudging Rina out of the way as she pulled out a soft gray henley.

“We were there that night. He really did seem like a wolf.” Wendy was wearing a sports bra and matching leggings, like she’d come right from the yoga studio.

She always looked put together, even after a workout, which was much better than the sweaty mess I became.

I bit my lip. “Mostly. He certainly had some… quirks.” Like following me around like a dog.

And the way he whined at me, but growled at Rina and Wendy that night.

“Either way, I need to get him clothes, and then I’m going to take him back to wherever he was staying, help him get his stuff, and then send him on his way.

After that, he’s not my problem anymore.

Clearly he’s all healed now.” Saying the words felt almost cruel.

There was part of me, however small, that felt bonded to the wolf I’d spent night after night caring for. The one I’d checked on just to make sure he was still breathing. It hurt to think that I was just going to kick him out and send him back out there.

What if whatever had come after him did again?

But he wasn’t from here.

Our little town had enough drama last year after Willow and Luna had revealed that they’d fallen in love with two demon princes. If everyone discovered that there was more than we knew outside, who knew what sort of cataclysmic reactions it would set off?

I thought about his comment about the wards. Maybe everything we knew was a lie.

But was it my job to expose that? No . Though the little voice in my head couldn’t quite agree.

“You should find out what really happened first,” Wendy said. “We need to know if we need to protect the town from whatever it was that attacked him. It could still be out there.”

It was like she was reading my mind. “Do you think we can really go after it? I mean, Barrett’s a wolf. A giant wolf. And you saw what happened to him.”

“Yeah. It looked like someone used him as a chew toy,” Rina retorted.

I glared at her. “If that happened to a witch, they’d be done for— instantly . None of us can survive that, and you know it.” Even with an entire coven, what hope did we have against something with claws or sharp teeth?

“So we ask for help. If there’s more people out there like him, wouldn’t they be willing to lend a hand?

Isn’t it worth it to at least try?” Wendy crossed her arms over her chest. She was ever the pragmatic one, while Rina often jumped to fighting with her fists first and asking questions later.

Between the three of us, we balanced each other out.

She had a point. “But can I ask him to do that? To put himself in danger all over again?” My heart clenched at the thought.

Even if I didn’t know the man, I’d become attached to the wolf. I loved the way he would follow me around, the way he’d tilt his head to the side and perk an ear up, and the way he curled up at my feet. Maybe I liked the way my loneliness had been cured, even if just for a bit.

Wendy and Rina both shrugged. And I knew what that meant, too.

Carrying the pile of clothes we’d found to the register, I sighed. “Alright, I’ll ask him. But no promises.”

I didn’t even really know him. It was a reminder that I needed to keep my walls up. He might have not been a wild wolf, but he was still a stranger. A stranger who needed my help.

And now, I needed his.