Page 7 of Spellbound & Speechless (Witches of Starbrook #2)

Mac

Once everyone leaves and the bar is locked up, we gather around the bar. The owner, her partner, a redhead witch… and Aspen. The blonde. She’s their sister, or so I’ve learned from listening in on their conversations.

“Will you give us answers now?” The owner, Juniper, asks. It sounds like less of a question and more of a command.

My jaw tightens. The wolf in me doesn’t enjoy being spoken to that way, but I can understand her impatience.

This is the first time I’ve found a corrupt witch in months—nearly a year .

I always smell them before I see them. Any wolf can smell the magic in a witch, but it’s nothing like the putrid stench of a corrupt one.

They taint their souls and live on borrowed time, stretching their age past its natural length.

Unlike vampires, frozen in time, these corrupt witches rot even though they’re alive.

Something tells me the locals of this small town don’t realize what they witnessed.

“She was a corrupt witch,” Aspen says before I can speak. Her voice is unwavering, but how she plays with the ends of her hair gives her away, as does her scent. She’s afraid.

I wasn’t expecting Aspen to know much about the corrupt ones, but maybe that was ignorant of me. The corrupt ones are a threat to witches, too.

“But why ?” Juniper shakes her head. “Was she here to steal our magic?”

“Maybe,” I say, “but it sounds like she was here for a weapon. Do you have any clue what that could be?”

“No!” Juniper’s voice rises, becoming shrill. “I don’t know what is happening, but you claimed to have answers, so… give them to us.”

“There’s no need to talk to me like that.” My jaw tenses. “I’m here to help.”

“You need to understand,” Ozan murmurs. “The last time someone attacked this shop, their mother died.”

I look at Aspen, but she doesn’t search for my gaze. Not the way I seek out hers. She shifts, her expression dropping. This is the first time I’ve seen her without a smile.

“I get it,” I say. “Trust me. I do.”

“Then tell us what to do.” Juniper looks at me with wide, blue eyes—almost like Aspen’s, but brighter. “Tell us everything you know. Please.”

“Have you ever met their kind before?” I ask.

Juniper shakes her head.

“I have.” Ozan shudders. “Just once.”

“Well, I have history with them. That’s why I’m offering to help,” I say. “It’s not a pretty history, either. These witches steal magic. Not just from other witches, but from everyone. The issue is, the magic they steal comes with an expiration date.”

“They need more and more.” Ozan stares at the front door. “They live a hard, hungry life. ”

“It’s one they chose,” Juniper says coolly. “Do you know what kind of weapon they’re looking for?”

“No.” My gaze locks onto hers. “I’m going to ask again: is there anything you can tell me?”

“Well…” Juniper’s jaw stiffens. “This was once an apothecary, full of powerful magic.”

“And now? Do you have anything she would want?”

“We still have ingredients, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I’m asking for anything she might see as a weapon.” I pace through the room. “Something they want, or something they can use against you. If anyone has any ideas, I’m all ears.”

Everyone goes quiet.

Aspen is the next to speak. “Do you think these corrupt witches could have killed our mother? It was supposed to be demons, but…” Her voice wavers.

“Demons give the corrupt witches their powers,” I say. “A particular demon. This could be connected.”

Not every witch who works with a demon is corrupt. Some demons are good-doing, or at least neutral. They have their own moral code, after all. Angels do, too, but they tend to keep to themselves. There is an exception—one demon who corrupts his witches in exchange for power.

“Which demon?” Ozan asks.

“We don’t say his name,” I say. “Especially not in a room full of witches. Don’t want to risk summoning him, yeah?”

“That’s a superstition. It’s not that easy to summon a demon,” Ozan says.

He probably knows more than I do, but I’m still not risking it. My mother taught me better.

Juniper watches me through narrowed eyes. “How do you know so much about them, and how are we supposed to believe you’re not working with them?”

I hold my hands up. “I’m a werewolf. They have as much to steal from me as they do you.”

“Shapeshifting.” Ozan nods. “And moon magic.”

“That’s right. They steal our wolf forms.” And we can’t exist without our wolf. A witch without her magic can live like a human, but I am one with my wolf. “You know about moon magic?”

“My goddess has some dominion over the moon. Hecate.”

“Mother of wolves, yes. I know of her.”

The potion that helps wolves with our transformation is said to draw upon the goddess Hecate. I know nothing about the spell, just that it keeps me from going haywire on full moons.

“What are we supposed to do?” From what I know from observing Juniper, she’s usually calm and collected. Little seems to get to her, but it does now. The scent of sour desperation clings to her dark clothes.

“I wish I had more answers,” I say, “but I’m still studying these witches. For now, up your security and wait. If they attack again, we capture them and ask our questions.”

“Sounds easier said than done,” the redhead witch—Rowan, I think—says. “Unless you have any plans for capturing them.”

“It’s the same as any other witch.” I smile, hoping they don’t take my words as a threat. “You’re easy to bind in place, at least for a while.”

“Why should we trust him?” Juniper asks.

Aspen finally looks at me. “Because he’s the only one with answers. ”

“I’m willing to give more than answers,” I say. “Studying these witches and whatever they’re after is… well, my life's purpose. It’s what brought me here.”

“You knew they were in Starbrook?” Rowan crosses her arms.

“I had a feeling. I’m a tracker—or my wolf is.” I speak to Juniper. She’s the one in charge. “That’s beside the point. You need more security, and I’m offering it.”

“We accept!” Aspen exclaims.

I have a feeling she doesn’t have the right to hire me. As cute as Aspen is, I keep my attention glued to Juniper.

“We can’t pay you much,” Juniper says.

“I don’t care. If I can get my hands on the corrupt witch… that’s all the pay I want.”

After years of chasing the corrupt witch, her ugly face is seared in my mind like a deep scar. Permanent. I’ll never forget the face of the one who killed my father… and I know she’s coming back. This time, I’ll kill her before she can lay a hand on anyone else.

The witch didn’t make much of a mess in the bar, but they’re stuck cleaning up the usual Saturday night debauchery. I linger in case the corrupt one comes back.

Aspen zips around the room, carrying glasses and plates back to the kitchen. I glance at her now and then but otherwise don’t pay her any mind, much to my wolf’s displeasure.

Giving her attention once was dangerous, and I can’t keep it up. Her life is dangerous now. The best thing I can do is protect her from the danger—her and everyone else.

My arms are piled high with plates, so high I don’t realize Aspen and I are side-stepping each other until it’s too late.

“Whoops!” She holds my arm, and my wolf curls up like a happy pup, pleased with the slight touch. “Watch where you’re going.”

“I could say the same to you.” My tone goes flat.

She holds the kitchen door open for me—unnecessary, considering how easy it is to swing open. “Okay. Rude .”

I say nothing as I slide the dishes into the large sink. Ozan is a dutiful partner, scrubbing plates as if it’s his job. It isn’t; he has a business of his own. I’ve already stopped by his apothecary, however briefly, when I was inspecting Starbrook.

Nothing was out of the ordinary in the Lapin Apothecary, but being too careful is better than recklessness. If the corrupt attack one witch spot, they may go for another soon.

“Not trying to be rude,” I say. “Just trying to get home.”

“Oh…”

I’m lying, and I am being rude. It’s the only way to push her away after letting her in. My wolf is getting ideas— wrong ideas.

It’s too late.

Mate… mate…

This isn’t the first time my wolf has craved love, sex, or something else I can’t give it. Occasionally, I give in to the sex. I like that part, but love? Mating? That’s the one thing I won’t give in to… especially not with this love witch.

She’s in danger, and as much as I want to protect her, I may be unable to. That’s the reality. Claiming she’s a mate is new behavior for the wolf, but it must be her magic. She’s clearly charmed the wolf in me. It doesn’t matter. There’s no way in hell Aspen Hawthorne is my mate.

I push the screaming, howling thoughts away and return to the main room. Aspen is close behind, her heels clacking against the floor. How the hell does she work in those things? She makes walking look like magic.

“Did that witch steal your personality while she was here?” Aspen snaps.

I hold back laughter, amused by her attitude change. “I guess she did.”

“That’s too bad.” She slips past me, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “I liked you better before.”

My wolf wants to reach out with claws, to hold her and never let go, but I let her go instead.

I know what she means. I liked it, too. The brief moment that I let myself touch her… well, it was like I was me again. I haven’t been that person in a while.

I can’t remember the last time I let myself relax and smile. Really fucking smile.

No matter how much I want to, I can’t be that person again. Not until this is all over. The temptation is still there, and I want to give in to it—to give her anything she wants. Her little dress swishes, just high enough to give me a peek of her thighs, and my pants grow tight.

Fuck…

This isn’t just my wolf anymore, is it?