Wild Wolf (Shifters Unbound, #6)(78)

“I’m not closing,” Misty had answered, irritated. “I’m waiting for the rest of my repairs then I’m back in business.”

“Oh,” the woman had said, giving her a false smile. “That’s so brave of you.”

Misty had taken her flowers without further word and departed. Xav helped unload them from her car back at her own shop, where Dougal and Ben had waited with the cubs. Misty thrust the bunches of flowers into Ben’s, Dougal’s, and Xav’s hands and told them to follow her back to the convenience store.

“I hope no one sees me like this,” Dougal said. He glanced around, as though worried other Shifters, the grizzly brothers maybe, would pull up, point to Dougal with his arms full of blue blossoms, and laugh.

“Suck it up,” Misty said. She gave Dougal a smile to soften her words. “Hey, Graham’s right about that saying—it’s useful.”

She led the way back into Pedro’s store. Pedro only sighed when Misty asked to use the back room for a few more minutes and agreed, as long the owner didn’t find out. He didn’t ask questions—Pedro had once told Misty he’d seen it all. Maybe Misty charging into his storeroom with two wolf cubs, a Shifter, an armed security guy, and a whatever-he-was carrying armloads of flowers wasn’t the oddest thing he’d ever encountered.


Misty followed Ben to the spot he indicated, and started laying the flowers in the patterns specified by the book. It seemed a shame to toss the blossoms to the floor, when they would look beautiful arranged in a big vase—small purple blooms of the violets and the vibrant blue of the forget-me-nots against the large yellow roses.

The florist had carried rosemary sprigs as well, in bloom. Their spiky leaves and tiny, pale blue flowers would also look good in the arrangement. The pungent scent of rosemary mixed with the heady odor of roses as Misty worked.

She laid the flowers out in a swirling pattern, leaving enough room in the middle of it for herself and her companions. Then she stripped the rosemary from its stems, as the book told her, and sprinkled the little leaves over the rest of the flowers.

“Now the circles?” Misty asked, thumbing to the page in the book.

“The blessing of the Goddess first,” Ben said. “That’s the most important thing. The other stuff is . . . pizzazz.”

Misty held the book closed, her finger on the spell. “How do I call the Goddess? I’ve never done that before.”

“I know how,” Dougal said. He handed the cubs to Ben and stepped to Misty in the circle. Matt and Kyle settled down in Ben’s big arms, having decided he was a friend.

Dougal took Misty’s hands. His were more rawboned than Graham’s, but just as large and strong. “Think of deepest moonlight,” Dougal said. “Close your eyes, and picture it.”

As soon as Misty shut her eyes, she saw moonlight as it had poured into her backyard last night when Graham had lain over her, his weight warming. His eyes had filled with reflected moonlight as he’d thrust into her, his lovemaking rough, but his hands so gentle.

Misty thought she could feel the cool light here in this dim storeroom. A calm stole over her, one sweetly peaceful.

“The Goddess,” Dougal said in a soft voice. “Be with us.” He twined his fingers more tightly with Misty’s. “I ask your blessings to be upon Misty, as she walks the dangerous path.”

More peace. A breeze touched her cheek, one so tender Misty wanted to melt. “And on Dougal,” Misty said softly. “And the cubs, and Ben.”

A sigh, a breath, perhaps a faint laugh. Misty opened her eyes. The sense of the moonlight evaporated, and she stood again in the dingy storeroom, its fluorescent lights flickering.

“Well done,” Ben said. He handed the cubs to Dougal. “Now the turning and the chanting. Has to happen. Dougal, stay close to her, so that when she goes through, you do too.”

Misty stopped. “No, no, Dougal is staying here. With the cubs. I thought you’d be coming with me,” she said to Ben.

Ben shook his head. “The way to Faerie is sealed for me and my kind. Was ages ago. Dougal can protect you—he’s stronger than he knows.”

“Not the cubs,” Misty said firmly. “You can cub-sit.”

“Yeah,” Dougal agreed, and tried to shove the wolves back at Ben.

Ben took a step back and raised his hands. “Oh, no, you’ll need those little guys. Trust me. They’re essential.”

Dougal and Misty looked at each other. “Graham will take my head off for bringing them,” Dougal said, worried.

The two wolves stared up at Misty with perfect confidence. She reached out and petted each of their heads in turn. “Why do you want me to take them?” Misty asked Ben.

Except Ben wasn’t there. He was gone, the half-empty shelves in the stockroom silent.

“Crap,” Xav said, looking around wildly. “I don’t like that guy.”

Misty took a cub, Kyle, and cuddled him into the circle of her arm. “Doesn’t matter. We might as well take these two,” she said, heaving a sigh. “They’d probably just find a way to follow us.”

Matt and Kyle wagged tails and squirmed in delight.

Dougal moved his head as Matt started licking his chin. “Why do we have to use this spell? When you went through the basement, and when the cubs did, you didn’t have to use flowers and rituals.”