Page 3 of Touched By Moonlight

Never trusthim.

Near the cash register sat a potted ivy no one bothered watering in two weeks. I had deliberately let the leaves wither and droop. It served as a canary in a coal mine. No Fae could resist tending to a dyingplant.

Exceptme.

As Cass poured his beer, I returned and watched the Fae. His gaze went from the stripper on stage to the plant. He frowned. “Your ivy needswater.”

Pulling out the cheapest bottle of gin, I dumped a shotful into the plant. The Fae winced. “You’re killing it. I shall makeamends.”

I pushed the plant a little closer to the woodland Fae. Frowning, he stood up and sent a flicker of green energy at the plant. It immediately grew lush and greenagain.

About to slam his beer on the counter, Cass withdrew it instead and returned his twenty. “That’s it. No unauthorized magick in thebar.”

She pointed to thesign.

“I was only trying to help your plant grow. She was deliberately trying to kill it,” the woodland Faewhined.

“Rules are rules. Getout.”

Pouting, the Fae took out a cell phone and dialed. He skulked off and slammed the door behind him, talking as he left. Only then did I sigh withrelief.

“Was he a shifter? I’ve never seen magick like that before.” I pretended ignorance with Cass to getanswers.

“Fae.” Her pert nose wrinkled. “Judging from the reek, one of the forestdwellers.”

“What was he doinghere?”

She shrugged and grabbed the vodka. “Probably passing by on the way to his colony. There’s a few of them inColorado.”

I knew this, which was why I had moved to Wyoming. My people prefer mountains and forest, not wide, sweepingplains.

And then there was no time for more questions, because a dozen orders were shouted at the bar. I paused only for a minute to stare at a bear shifter licking salt from two empty margarita glasses someone else left on thebar.

He blushed and shrugged. “I have a salt deficiency. Longhibernation.”

“It’s summer.” I grabbed the glasses and dumped them into the sink as he slunk off, hanging hishead.

Pouring drinks for shifters was so not how I envisioned my life. When I was younger, I had thought about leaving my Fae colony to live among humans, but never imagined I’d be here mopping up beer or chasing away bear shifters fromempties.

Then again, I never thought I’d be responsible for my best friend’s agonizingdeath.

Life has a funny way of laughing atplans.

The show on stage ended. The four arguing werewolves started boasting about who had the largest penis. Next thing they’d start sending dick pix to the strippers.Nice.

Fast rap music played, accompanying Kelly, the next stripper on stage. Milling about the crowd was Dante, the owner of Crossroads. Dante was a powerful alpha wolf. No one messed with him. He was tough, but fair. The alpha was sexy as hell, as lickable aschocolate.

Andtaken.

He only had eyes for Peyton, his mate. His expression, usually serious, turned into pure joy each time she entered the room. I’d heard some rumor about how human psychic Peyton had mated with not only Dante, but his two betas Alexander and Gabriel. Seemed odd, but if Peyton was happy, and the guys were good inbed…

My hands glowed a soft pink.Damnit!

Fumbling for the bag I kept under the bar, I found the black leather gloves and slid them on. Made of calfskin and infused with a special spell cast by a 100-year-old witch, the gloves calmed my power and kept it atbay.

Usually I could contain the power. Thinking of sex had released themagick.

Best case scenario for tonight? No thoughts of sex and hot, hungry males in bed. I could control this. Hadto.