Page 7

CHAPTER 7

“I know I keep saying this, but I can’t believe you’re not a woman.”

Jonah grinned at Bren. “If it helps, you can keep calling me Lilianna.”

Bren laughed. “It might, actually.” He smoothed his hand over Kaida’s pregnant belly before resting his hand on her leg, studying Jonah across the table as Jonah grabbed another slice of pizza.

He didn’t need another slice, he’d already eaten plenty, but the novelty of eating in his human form hadn’t worn off yet. He wasn’t sure if it ever would.

He bit into the cheesy pepperoni deliciousness, making a soft sound of delight. “Oh my God, this is the best pizza ever.”

“It really isn’t,” Elora said as she nibbled at the slice on her plate. “Mediocre at best, but they deliver the fastest, and they’re the cheapest.”

Jonah frowned inwardly. Elora had given the potions store owner an obscene amount of money to convince her to sell Jonah to her. She’d wiped out her savings to rescue him, and as soon as he had access to his money again, he’d repay her every penny.

“Bones’s clothes fit him pretty well,” Bren said to Kaida.

She nodded as Jonah stared at the plain t-shirt and jeans he wore. “Bones clothes?”

“Bones is a dragon in my clan,” Kaida said. “When Bren said you were big for a human, I figured Bones’s clothing would fit.”

“Tell him thank you for me,” Jonah said. “I’ll return them as soon as I can.”

“What are your plans now that you’re back to your human form?” Bren asked.

“Bren,” Elora said.

“What? I can’t ask questions? Asking questions is what I do, Elora. It’s why I’m such a great detective,” Bren grinned.

“There’s a difference between questioning and interrogating,” Elora said. “Stop acting like Jonah will murder me in my sleep.”

“Oh, I know he won’t. Because he knows who I am, and he knows if he did anything to hurt you, they’d never find his body.” Bren smiled at Jonah.

“Oh my God,” Elora said in exasperation.

“I can’t help it if I know all the good places to hide a body in this city,” Bren said.

“You don’t have to hide the body. I’ll just burn it to ash,” Kaida said.

Elora’s mouth dropped open, but Jonah burst into loud laughter. “Nice one.”

He drank a swallow of beer before saying, “You don’t have to worry, Bren. I promise I have nothing but the most honourable intentions toward Elora.”

“Enough,” Elora said with a scowl. “You,” she pointed at Bren, “stop acting like you’re my father, and you,” she pointed at Jonah, “stop acting like you’re some kind of Victorian suitor here to court me and win favour with my father. I’m a grown-ass witch who doesn’t need protection from anyone.”

“Sorry, Elora,” Bren said. “I know you can take care of yourself.”

“And I’m sorry for sounding like I came straight out of a Regency romance,” Jonah said.

They all glanced at Kaida, who stared unblinkingly at Jonah and said, “Elora is my friend, and if you hurt her, I will fry you to a crisp without hesitation, shapeshifter.”

Jonah and Bren laughed, and even Elora giggled. Jonah loved how protective Bren and Kaida were of Elora, and even if they didn’t see him this way yet, he considered them friends.

Oh yeah? So you lie to your friends? Your intentions regarding Elora are far from honourable, and the longer you stay with her, the more likely you are to hurt her. You have to leave, Jonah. You have to go and forget all about her.

He reached for his beer and drank the rest of the bottle in three big swallows. He would never hurt Elora. He loved her.

Which is why you need to leave!

“Jonah?” Elora nudged him. “You okay?”

“Yes,” he said. “Never better, little witch.”

* * *

“Grab your things, and Kaida and I will give you a ride to your house,” Bren said, helping Kaida into her coat.

Elora couldn’t help but roll her eyes as Jonah grinned. “I don’t have any things.”

Bren hesitated. “Right, of course. Ready to go?”

“I’ll give Jonah a ride home,” Elora said.

“Easy enough for us to do it,” Bren said with a pointed look at her.

Elora turned to Jonah. “Can you give us a minute?”

“Sure. It was good to meet you officially,” Jonah said, holding out his hand.

Bren shook it, and so did Kaida, and with an amused look, Jonah crossed the apartment to Elora’s bedroom. He shut the door behind him, and Bren said, “You’re not staying alone with him tonight.”

“I’ve stayed alone with him hundreds of times,” Elora said. “He’s slept in my bed, for God’s sake.”

“As a crow,” Bren said. “It is not the same.”

“Do you really believe Jonah would hurt me?” Elora asked.

Bren sighed. “No, I don’t. But if I’m wrong…”

“If you’re wrong, I’ll take care of myself,” Elora said before holding out her hand and muttering an incantation. Blue light glowed from her fingertips before turning into flame. She wiggled her fingers, making the flames shimmer and dance before she shook her hand, and the flames disappeared. “I’m a witch, Bren. I know how to protect myself.”

“He’s a shapeshifter,” Bren said. “I know exactly who they are and what they’re capable of. He doesn’t make his living doing something legal and above board.”

Elora didn’t reply. As a cop, Bren knew some of what the shapeshifters were capable of and that they killed people for a living, but he didn’t know just how bad it was. Didn’t know how they were kidnapped from their families and trained to become ruthless, unstoppable killers. Very few people did. And the ones who did find out didn’t tend to live long after that.

“Does your sister know you broke the spell and he’s a shapeshifter?” Bren asked.

“Sarina is off the grid for a couple of months,” she said.

Bren frowned. “That’s a long time for her.”

“It is,” Elora said.

Bren glanced at Kaida, who squeezed his hand. “Elora can take care of herself, my mate.”

He nodded, although he didn’t look entirely convinced, and gave Elora a rough hug. “If you need me, text me.”

“I will, buddy,” Elora said. “Love you both.”

“Love you too,” Bren said as Kaida hugged Elora.

They left, and Elora locked the door before returning to the kitchen. As Jonah joined her, she added the dinner plates to the dishwasher.

“Convinced the detective and the dragon that I wasn’t a threat, I see,” he said. He carried the remaining plates to the counter, and she loaded them into the dishwasher.

“More like I convinced them I could take care of myself if you were a threat,” Elora said.

He ran the dishcloth under water and wiped the table clean. “I have no doubt, little witch.”

She put the napkins in the garbage as Jonah wiped the counter. When they were finished, awkward silence descended over them. It was time to drive Jonah to his house, time to let him get back to his brother and his friends and his life that didn’t include her. So, why wasn’t she?

“Elora, did you -”

“Jonah, are you -”

They both stopped, and he made a ‘go on’ gesture. She cleared her throat. “Are you ready for me to drive you home?”

“It’s Chopped night,” he said.

She blinked at him. “What?”

“You watch a marathon of Chopped on Tuesday nights,” Jonah said.

“How do you…” she shook her head. “Right, of course, you know that. You watched it with me.”

She cocked her head, sudden hope blooming in her chest. “Or maybe you didn’t? Did you comprehend things the same as a crow that you would as a human?”

“I did,” he said. “Why do you look so upset by that?”

“Because, Jonah, I told you shit that I didn’t tell anyone else, not even Cece. You know all of my insecurities and fears and secrets,” Elora said. “Do you have any idea how embarrassed I am?”

Her face was red, and she was alarmingly close to tears.

“Baby, don’t be embarrassed.” Jonah stepped closer. “I would never tell anyone the things that you shared, okay?”

“That’s not the point,” she said. “I wouldn’t have shared them with you if I’d known that you… you were you.”

Hurt flickered across his face before he nodded. “I know, and I’m sorry. What can I do to fix this?”

“It can’t be fixed,” she said. “You know everything about me - the good and the bad, and nothing can be done about it.”

His face was pale, and he looked physically ill, but he said, “Do the amnesia spell on me.”

She stared at him as shock rippled over her. “What?”

“Make me forget,” he said.

“No,” she said firmly. “Absolutely not. That was just a stupid joke earlier, Jonah. I told you - I would never do something like that to you. Especially not after you’ve spent the last few years trapped as a crow because of a witch’s spell.”

She leaned against the counter, too aware of how close Jonah still stood to her. She wanted to kiss him again, but he’d already been clear that it was a mistake on his part. Why the hell he was attracted to her even briefly was a mystery she’d never figure out.

“I peed my pants once,” he said.

“You… what?” she asked.

“I peed my pants,” he said. “Oh, and another time, I fell down an entire flight of stairs in front of three legitimate supermodels who I desperately wanted to bang.”

“You wanted to bang them all at once?” she asked.

“Yes.” He grinned at the look on her face. “And I’m afraid of snakes. Seriously afraid. Scream and run away, afraid.”

“Okay,” she said in confusion.

“I know embarrassing things about you. Now you know embarrassing things about me,” he said.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “I really want to know the story of why you peed your pants. Was it the same night you fell down the stairs and then banged three supermodels at once?”

“I didn’t bang them,” he said sadly. “They were not at all into me once they’d watched me slip and roll down the stairs like an uncoordinated panda.”

“Wait, were you a panda when it happened?” she asked.

He laughed hard, his face lighting up and increasing his handsomeness to about a thousand. “No, I wasn’t a panda when I fell down the stairs. I was human. Although, if I’d been a panda, that might have been better. They would have found it cute, right?”

“Absolutely,” Elora said, trying not to giggle. “Pandas falling down stairs - super cute. Grown ass men falling down stairs - not cute.”

He laughed again, “I know you’re mocking me.”

“Why did you pee your pants?” Elora asked.

“The Academy sent me on my first job. I was fourteen and terrified,” Jonah said.

The amusement fled Elora’s body. “Fourteen? They sent you out at fourteen years old to kill a person?”

“I didn’t,” Jonah said quickly. “I failed the mission.”

Elora just stared at him, and he shrugged. “They sent some out when they were twelve.”

“That fucking place,” Elora snapped. “Someone needs to burn it to the ground.”

“It’s been around forever,” Jonah said. “As long as there are shapeshifters, the Academy will…”

“Steal them from their loved ones and turn them into merciless killing soldiers,” Elora said.

Jonah nodded, looking sick to his stomach again. “Yeah.”

Elora’s stomach twisted, and she stepped closer, placing her hand on Jonah’s arm. “You’re a good person, Jonah. I know you are.”

His smile was faint. “If I were a good person, I would have stopped killing people when I left the Academy, Elora.”

“Sarina didn’t stop either,” Elora said.

“Sure, but she only kills -” he stopped abruptly.

“She only kills what?” Elora asked.

“Let’s just leave it at your sister does what she does to,” he paused, “protect people. People who deserve to be saved.”

“But you didn’t,” she said.

“Not always,” he said bluntly.

“You haven’t killed anyone for a long time,” she said.

“Because I was a crow,” he said.

“So, you’ll go back to killing people now?”

“It’s all I’m good for,” he said.

She scowled. “Stop believing that bullshit, Jonah. You can do or be anything you want. You are not defined by your experiences or what a bunch of asshole tyrants put you through as a child.”

“I have no other skills,” he said.

“How do you know? You haven’t been given the opportunity to develop other ones, so you could be a wealth of untapped abilities,” Elora said. She was getting worked up, and her anger over the unfairness of Jonah’s life had spiked her magic.

Her hands glowed blue, and Jonah gave her an alarmed look before taking her hands and squeezing them. “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t set something on fire, baby.”

She sucked in a deep breath before giving him a startled look. “I learned something from Cece a few days ago, and I’m just wondering if… um, did I ever start fires in my sleep when you were in my bed?”

He nodded. “All the time. You mutter spells in your sleep, and then,” he made an exploding gesture with one hand, “fireballs floating everywhere.”

“Shit,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

He shrugged. “They never burnt me.”

“I can’t believe I haven’t set this place on fire,” Elora said.

“They don’t burn,” Jonah said. “When the fireballs land on stuff, they don’t burn it. They glow for a few seconds and then go out.”

Elora stared at him in confusion before understanding shot through her. “Helen.”

Jonah glanced at Helen’s bedroom door. “What about her?”

“She obviously put a fireproof spell on my bedroom,” Elora said.

“She can do that?”

Elora nodded. “A powerful witch could.”

“Then why didn’t she do the spell for the entire apartment.” Jonah inspected the char marks on the ceiling. “You’ve almost set the living room on fire a few different times.”

“It’s a hard spell to perform and maintain,” Elora said. “Trying to protect the entire apartment would sap a lot of her strength and magic.”

She stared morosely at her hands. “I can’t believe I’m setting fires in my sleep. I really thought I was getting better control of my magic.”

“Hey,” Jonah squeezed her hands again. “You are. I’ve seen the improvement even in the last year or so. Don’t listen to that voice in your head telling you that your magic will always be uncontrolled. It won’t be.”

“It’s kind of great and kind of awful that you know my darkest fears,” she said.

“You know mine now, too, remember?”

“Right. Spiders and commitment.”

He grinned. “To be fair, all shapeshifters have commitment issues.”

“Yeah, I know.” She took a deep breath. “Do you really want to watch Chopped with me rather than go home, Jonah?”

He nodded. “If you’re okay with me staying one more night.”

“I am,” she said. “But, uh, you’ll have to sleep on the couch. Helen put a spell on her bedroom door, and I can’t break it. It’s probably for the best anyway. Who knows what kind of potions and spells she has in her bedroom.”

“The couch will be fine,” Jonah said.

She stared at their clasped hands as all sorts of dangerous thoughts ran through her head. Inviting Jonah to sleep in her bed would be a mistake, so why was she tempted to do just that?

He’s slept in your bed for the last two years. What’s one more night? It’s no big deal, Elora. Just tell him he can sleep in your bed with you.

She wanted to pretend her inner voice was right about it not being a big deal, but she wasn’t that delusional. Jonah in her bed as a human would lead her to want all sorts of delicious things from him, and he’d already made it clear that kissing her was a mistake.

She stared at him, and as if he could read every thought in her head, he pulled his hands free with a quick jerk and said, “So, are you ready for the Chopped marathon?”

She shoved the disappointment down deep. “Ready.”