Page 17

There were no nice Jeeps, or even a beat-up truck to take us from the bridge to the town on Ensign.

Using cars was, apparently, a sign of weakness, so it would have been offensive in the extreme to offer such transportation to a visiting Alpha.

I personally would have preferred to be grievously offended and not have to lean on Ethan the rest of the way to Ensign town.

With every step, I was pressed more into Ethan’s warm torso, his arm tight around my waist to help me along, and I knew that by the time we arrived, I would be covered in his steel and leather scent.

My wolf purred at the thought, the stupid slut.

Maybe we were both stupid sluts, because if he’d kissed me on the bridge, I would’ve let him, even after all his bullshit.

A few kind words and I’d be putty in his hands. It was embarrassing.

I should have insisted that Xander helped me back to the house, but Ethan had made it clear how he felt about that option. I didn’t think I’d ever seen Xander so taken aback, but thankfully, he didn’t take offence at Ethan’s bared teeth and harsh growl, only said,

“Don’t let any of my guys see you doing that. They’ll take offense.”

It seemed there were a lot of ways to offend the people of Ensign, and I got the distinct impression that offending someone meant getting ripped to shreds for your mistake.

It was difficult to imagine that Xander, who was always cracking jokes and who never seemed to take anything seriously, could be the Alpha of such a brutal place.

All in all, I was grateful that it was nearly midnight by the time we reached Xander’s home in the center of town: the streets were dark, and the people on Ensign had mostly retired to their homes for the night. I was desperate for a bed myself, but one thing still took priority.

“Hey, Xander?” I said as I sorted through the pile of women’s clothing he’d dumped in front of me, trying to find something suitable for sleep.

“A High Witch? What do you need a High Witch for?” Xander asked, not bothering to cover his mouth as he yawned. It was late, and we all wanted to go to bed, but I was going looking for that witch first thing in the morning if I had my way.

“I… might have a few powers of my own—recently discovered,” I confessed, and Xander’s eyebrows shot up. He glanced at Ethan for confirmation, who nodded.

“Oh, wow.”

“It’s been an intense few days,” I said, fishing a large, soft tee from out of the pile; that would do for a warm night.

“I bet,” Xander agreed. “Look, let me check with Damien in the morning. I’m pretty sure we’ve got a High Witch still kicking around somewhere, but I’m not sure where. He’ll know—his mate’s pregnant.”

“What’s that got to do with the witch?” I asked.

“The females all go to her if they suspect they might be—” Xander made a motion like he was holding a big belly “—there’s an energy shift or something.

I don’t know how it works. She’s good to have around for difficult births, too.

Usually, the midwives can handle it, but we’ve called on her a couple of times this year. ”

That was news to me. From what Sybil told me, I would have imagined that Hedge Witches were more equipped for stuff like that.

I hoped I hadn’t made the journey only to find another herbalist healer who knew nothing about Shadow Magic.

I would only find out by going, and if I was going to go, then I needed to rest.

As my head hit the pillow, I found myself thankful for the exhaustion that weighed down my every limb; without it, I might have spent all night tossing and turning with nerves and excitement.

Instead, I slipped quickly into a heavy, dreamless sleep, waking late the following morning.

By the time I stumbled down to breakfast, Xander had already located the witch and was busy drawing me a mostly legible map on the back of a napkin, Xander watching over his shoulder like a belligerent schoolmistress.

“Thanks,” I said between mouthfuls of egg and bacon. “I’ll set off when I’m done and be back by dinner.”

“You’re not going anywhere by yourself,” Ethan cut in, scowling.

“I am perfectly capable—” I began, but Xander cut me off.

“Ensign isn’t the place for a lone female,” he said. Traitor. “Ethan will go with you.”

I never appreciated being babysat, and every moment I spent with Ethan was another moment I risked losing my entire mind because my wolf was horny.

I’d have preferred to go alone, but the looks on both their faces told me that my options were going with Ethan or not going at all.

I chose not to argue, instead concentrating on stuffing as much breakfast into my mouth as possible.

After my huge magic expenditure the previous day, I was absolutely ravenous.

Xander looked impressed as I reached for a third slice of toast, and Ethan slid me a pot of dark jam.

I sniffed it. Blackberry? Blueberry? I didn’t care.

By the time I was done with breakfast, I had eaten Xander out of half of Ensign’s rations and was raring to go.

I would have preferred to shift and make the run as a wolf, but with Ethan accompanying me, I didn’t trust myself to think clearly while she had so much control.

Plus, it was probably considered rude to show up at a witch’s house stark naked.

The walk through Ensign town was the worst part.

It was embarrassing to admit—even to myself—that I was glad of Ethan’s company as we made our way through the maze of long buildings.

Unlike Lapine or Ferris, Ensign shifters did not live in family units in little cottages; instead, they shared sparse dormitories with shifters of the same sex, divided according to their rank and role within the Pack.

I wasn’t sure how mated pairs and their families were supposed to work—I would have to ask Xander.

Ethan stuck close to me until we were out of town, fogging my mind with his scent and the quiet sound of his breathing.

I was haunted by memories of the almost-kiss on the bridge, of how he’d made me his in the Argent woods.

I’d begged him, debased myself, loved every minute of it, but he still refused to mark me, to claim me, to accept what was obvious.

As desperate as I was for answers, I wasn’t going to be the one to bring it up, and so we walked in silence out of town and down the path Xander had sketched out on his crude map.

It took us into the woods and down a path carved only from frequent footfall until we emerged into a clearing where a sweet wooden cottage stood.

Its roof was covered with moss, and the wood of its walls was tree branches and rough-hewn planks.

“Wait out here,” I told Ethan, and he made a face.

“I’m not waiting out here. What if she’s dangerous?” he said, because of course he did. I half expected him to start insisting I eat my cereal dry, just in case I drowned in the milk.

“The nice lady who helps the women of this island safely deliver their babies?” I reminded him, and he scowled.

“Maybe High Witches and Shadow Witches are mortal enemies,” he suggested, but we both knew he was clutching at straws.

“I feel like Sybil might have mentioned that, if it were true,” I pointed out.

“Fine. But if you’re not out in ten minutes, I’m coming in.”

That didn’t give me much time, but I knew the expression on his face too well to continue arguing.

“Fine,” I said. “See you in ten minutes.”

I strode across the clearing, hoping I looked more confident than I felt. With a glance to where Ethan stood watching me from the edge of the clearing, I forced myself not to hesitate before raising my knuckles to rap on the blue-painted wooden door.

“It’s open, honey.”

Inside, the cottage was as cozy as it appeared from the outside.

Unlike the shifter cottages, it was all one room, with a neatly made bed in one corner, covered by a patchwork comforter, with a few other items of furniture dotted around.

Everything was mismatched and handmade, the walls cluttered with drying herbs and art and hanging textiles.

The witch herself had her back to me, bent over a small stove. She was shorter than me, like most females, wearing a simple green tunic dress, belted around her thick waist.

When she turned to face me, I knew exactly why Sybil had told me not to mention Lapine. Her mahogany curls were salted with gray, and her round face was beginning to crease, but her hazel eyes were bright and warm. I felt as though I was looking at my best friend twenty years in the future.

“Don’t get many new faces around here,” said Alyssa’s mother. “What brings you to Ensign?”

I froze. I should leave. I should return to Ethan and never speak of this again. I should go straight home and tell Alyssa where her mother had been hiding out in the years since she left baby Alyssa on her father’s porch in the middle of the night.

She’d asked me a question. She was looking at me, expecting an answer. Shit.

“It’s a long story,” I said quickly, trying not to make eye contact.

“I’ve got time. Tea?” A kettle was already bubbling on the stove, with two mugs lined up next to it, as if she’d been expecting company.

“No. Thank you. Someone’s waiting for me.” Normally, I wouldn’t care how long Ethan lingered outside—in fact, the longer I made him wait, the better—but I wasn’t about to have tea and story time with the woman who had abandoned my best friend.

Eve ignored my rudeness, only nodding with a twinkle in her too-familiar hazel eyes.

“Your Alpha is outside.”

“He’s not my Alpha,” I said instinctively. Was that true? If he were my mate, but he refused to acknowledge the truth of it, could I still call him mine? Did I even want to?

“Another story there, I think,” said Eve, as though it was her business.

“I’m not here to entertain you,” I snapped.

“I’m here for information on Shadow Magic.

” I should probably be more polite if I wanted this woman’s help, but being here at all felt like a betrayal.

I might need Eve’s help, but I wasn’t going to be friendly with her.

Fortunately, Eve either didn’t care or my question was interesting enough for her to overlook my rudeness.

“Shadow Magic?” she repeated, a little incredulous. “Well, that’s a question I’ve not been asked in a few years. What makes you so curious?”

“I think—I think I can do it.”

To her credit, she didn’t tell me it was impossible. Her gaze lingered over my blind eye, and she smiled.

“You’d be the first in a century.”

“So I’ve heard.”

Eve parked herself on a rickety wooden chair, looking up at me expectantly.

“Go on then,” she said, “show me. I’ve always wanted to see this.”

It felt strange, wrong, to do magic in front of someone who wasn’t Ethan. Of course, half of Arbor had seen me do magic now, but they hadn’t been watching me do it, hadn’t been examining me with expectant eyes.

I breathed in, trying to calm my racing mind.

I had done this before. I had cloaked whole rooms, a whole bridge, in shadow.

I could do a simple trick. Closing my eyes, I let the shadows come into focus; the room was crowded with furniture and knick-knacks, so many of them overlapped, warping each other’s shapes where they met physical obstacles to the shape they wanted to take.

Reaching out, I gently pulled every shadow in the room, letting them stretch out the way they wanted to.

I heard Eve gasp, and I smiled, knowing that it must have worked.

Sure enough, when I opened my eyes, the room was far darker than it had been before, full of long, drawn-out shadows that refused to be hemmed in by the physical space.

A blink, and they snapped back into place, the room becoming warm and cozy once more.

“You can really do it.” Eve’s eyes were wide, her ever-smiling mouth slack with shock. I didn’t know why that simple proclamation held more weight than any of Ethan’s amazement or Arbor’s accusations, but suddenly the truth of it landed on me like a ton of bricks.

“I honestly don’t know how I’m doing this,” I blurted. “I have no idea what I’m capable of, if it’s just a few tricks or—”

“Honey, you’re capable of far more than a few tricks,” Eve assured me, her voice low and calm despite her evident surprise. “A fully trained Shadow Witch is more than a match for someone like me.”

“And who’s supposed to train me, if I’m the only one?” I asked. Eve shrugged.

“Me, I suppose.”

“But you’re not a Shadow Witch.”

“I’m not,” she acknowledged, “but I do have a book kicking around here somewhere that details how Shadow Magic works. I can loan it to you so you can make sense of it yourself, or I can guide you through it. At the end of the day, magic is magic, and I’m sure I’d have something of use to add.”

She was probably right, and I hated that I wanted her help so desperately.

“Why?” I asked. “What’s in it for you?”

Eve smiled.

“Call it professional curiosity mixed with more than a touch of vanity. To be the first witch to witness Shadow Magic in a century is one thing, but training the first Shadow Witch is quite another. I’ve always wanted to have my name in a niche history book.”

Would Alyssa forgive me when I got home? She probably would; she’d never ask me to give up on the chance of understanding my own magic for her sake. I took the plunge.

“Fine.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, and I couldn’t help blushing a little, embarrassed by my lack of manners. “I’ll come into town tomorrow at dusk.”

“I’m staying at the Alpha’s residence,” I told her, and she raised an eyebrow.

“Friends in high places.”

There were so many things I wanted to say to that: “Yes, my brother is Alpha over on Lapine. You’re familiar with Lapine, right?

” I wondered what would happen if I did.

Would she kick me out of her little cottage, forbid me from returning, and slam the door closed on me and all my chances of developing my magic? For once, I kept my mouth shut.

“I know you’ll be excited to try things out,” Eve continued, “but please don’t do any extra magic today, and nothing until I come and meet you tomorrow.”

“Why not?” I asked. I’d been doing magic without any disastrous consequences for at least a week now. Did she really think my magic was so dangerous?

“You need to rest. I don’t know what you got up to before you came here, but it clearly wiped you out. You have to be careful, in your condition.”

I frowned, confused.

“What condition?”

Eve’s eyes were kind, and her hand soft where she pressed it gently against my belly.

“Honey, you’re pregnant.”