He reached for his neck and pulled on a leather cord until a glowing pendant came out of his shirt. The center had a blue stone that shimmered like his eyes. A sorcerer’s talisman. Warlock magic. There was a rune carved into the back, but I’d never seen the symbol before.

  “Where did you get this?”

  “My employer sent it.”

  The law firm? Could one of the lawyers be a warlock? Oh shit. I blinked and glanced over at Zeke before focusing on Bruce again. “You should give me this.”

  He lifted the leather cord over his head and handed me the pendant. “It’s yours.”

  His eyes stopped shimmering as soon as I grasped the glowing stone. I whispered, “You won’t remember ever seeing me in Salem.”

  He nodded slowly.

  “Good.” I called my magic back. “You’re free to go.”

  He turned around and hurried down Essex Street away from us.

  Zeke came to my side and smiled. “We make a good team.”

  He wasn’t wrong, but if my vision came true, this team might be short-lived. I handed Zeke the necklace. “This is a sorcerer’s talisman. They put the magic inside the stone and whoever wears it will be able to use the magic as if they cast it themselves. But in order to make it find me, they had to have something of mine in their possession.”

  I took out my phone and quickly looked up Hinterland and Bloodstone. I clicked on different old news stories before opening their website. Their specialty seemed to be…almost everything. Shit. I kept digging, searching for anything that might have to do with me or witchcraft, but the only thread I could find was a lawyer who specialized in missing-persons cases.

  Did someone tell him I was missing? And what could they have that would link their magic to me?

  I lifted my gaze to Zeke’s face. “I’m sure I’m a little paranoid, after being followed by a man wearing a sorcerer’s talisman, but this law firm is one of the oldest in America, founded in 1785. One of their specialties is representing clients seeking to locate missing persons and settle estates.”

  “Could someone be trying to find you?” He shook his head. “Did your parents leave you a trust fund someone else could claim?”

  “No.” After the fire, all I’d had my car and the charred earth where our house had been. “I’ve got an uncle and a couple cousins in California, but I haven’t seen them since I was a kid.”

  “If this firm is willing to use magic to find you, it’s probably not for something innocent.”

  He was right, but I couldn’t think of anyone who might want to hurt me. I met his eyes. “As far as I know, I’m not on anyone’s shit list. I don’t know why this firm would be searching or me.”

  He stared down the street in the direction the PI had vanished. “Jackson from our pack is a private investigator and part-time bounty hunter. I’ll see if he can find anything out.”

  “Thanks.” I took his hand, and something about feeling his skin on mine settled the scattered thoughts in my head. “We still need to talk.”

  He nodded. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Zeke

  I took Ruby back to Munro Manor Farms and down the dirt road through the apple orchard. There was a hill at the back of the property that was far from the lights of the city, making it a perfect spot for stargazing. I’d started coming here after I’d lost my brother.

  I’d never shared it with anyone else before. I turned off the engine and looked over at her. “Is this private enough?”

  She smiled. “As long as those stars aren’t listening in.”

  I chuckled. “I think we’re safe.”

  Ruby nodded, looking up at the waxing moon. “I told you before that I’m a water witch. My magic is powered by emotions, but I didn’t tell you about my gift.” She rolled her eyes. “Sometimes it’s more of a curse, but still…” She looked my way, and her gaze locked on mine. “I’m clairvoyant.”

  I wasn’t sure what that meant exactly. “Magic, right?”

  “It’s separate from that. I catch glimpses of the future, but I can’t call up a vision on command like I can with spell casting.”

  It was tempting to ask her about winning lottery numbers, but I was pretty sure if that were possible, the coven wouldn’t need to run the Crow’s Nest metaphysical shop to make ends meet. “Did you have a vision?”

  She broke eye contact. “Yeah.” She rubbed her hands up her arms, and I started the truck again to fire up the heater. She gave me a half-hearted smile. “Thanks. I don’t know if the chills are from the cold or acknowledging about the vision out loud.”

  “That good, huh?” I put my hand on her leg in support. “Can I ask you something first?”

  “Sure.”

  “Can the future be changed?”

  “Yeah, sometimes.” She shrugged. “We still have free will, so nothing is set in stone, but I’ve learned if the vision is part of destiny’s plan, it usually comes to pass.”

  “So they’re not just warnings of what’s to come?”

  She nodded slowly. “Right… I had a vision of the fire that killed my parents, but I never saw how it started. We did everything we could to prevent the vision from coming true. My parents installed new fire alarms, and we had fire extinguishers. They thought we’d avoided the vision, but—” She shook her head. “We had no way of knowing lightning would strike the roof right over their bedroom.”

  I squeezed her thigh. “I’m sorry. How did you get out?”

  Her voice shook. “I woke up to the fire alarm. The smoke was so thick I couldn’t see, but somehow my mom crawled through the smoke.” She swallowed. “She pushed me out my bedroom window. Before she could follow me out the roof collapsed.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She lifted her gaze to my face. “She and my dad didn’t make it.”

  Her mother was a hero. I took a deep breath, bracing myself. “What did you see in this new vision?”

  “My death.”

  Her words sent a wave of dread through me. Every muscle in my body tensed as I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Her eyes met mine. “You couldn’t stop it. In the vision, there was a massive red wolf. He had green eyes like you, and he was chained to a flat granite rock next to a ritual table.” She broke eye contact, focusing on the stars above us. “I couldn’t get to you, and I was gagged so I couldn’t call my magic. They cut my throat and caught my blood in a ritual bowl. Then the vision was gone.”

  I could hardly breathe. “Who did this?”

  “I couldn’t see their faces. There was snow on the ground, though, so I’m thinking it must come to pass during a full moon in winter. Maybe the ice moon later this year.”

  So we had some time to change course and keep this foreboding future from becoming reality. I’d just found her. I wasn’t about to lose her in some ritual sacrifice.

  “It has to be the Coven of Shadows.” My heart pounded as I took her hand. “After the new moon ceremony next week, we can lead the pack and the coven together and stop them.”

  She finally looked at me again. “Or we can die trying.”

  I frowned, shaking my head. “You sound like we’ve already lost. This can’t be our destiny. I just found you—my mate. And it wasn’t so we’d have to hide our relationship from everyone and die.” I released her hand and opened my door. “No fucking way.”

  I got out and slammed the door. I needed a minute to cool off. Why was she giving up? Did she think we weren’t strong enough to fight this? I didn’t know her well enough yet to put the puzzle together. But I wasn’t going to go softly into that good night. I was going to rage the fuck out of every step if that was what it took. I walked to the front of the truck, leaning against the grill as I stared up at the stars.

  When I’d touched Ruby last night and realized she was my mate, I’d thought I could finally see a future. I’d sweep her off her feet, marry her, and we’d start our lives together. Some kind of werewolf happily-ever-after. Was I really that naive? Nothing ever came that easily. But I hadn’t realized how bad I wanted it until now.

  I was willing to fight for it. But Ruby didn’t seem so certain.

  The other door slammed shut, and a moment later she was standing next to me. “I’m sorry. I thought you should know about the vision. It upset me, too. I just…”

  I wrapped her in my arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, Ruby.” I looked down into her eyes. “I’m going to fight until my last breath, but I need your help, too.”

  “Why would Fate choose me? I couldn’t save you.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “They gagged me. I couldn’t use my magic. Just like in Boston, I was helpless.”

  Her fear stung my nostrils. I was starting to understand. The vision had triggered her. I cupped her face, wiping the tear from her cheek with the pad of my thumb. “Then we’ll have to learn some magic that doesn’t have to be spoken out loud.”

  “There isn’t any, at least not that I can wield.”

  “Bullshit.” I shook my head. “You said your magic is tied to your emotions. You don’t have to speak them. You feel them.”

  “That’s not how magic works.” The faint moonlight shimmered in her brown eyes.

  “Who says?”

  She hesitated and finally shrugged. “That’s not how our magic has ever worked in the coven. Unless you’re an Elemental Witch, you need an incantation.”

  “As far as you know.” I rested my forehead against hers. “Maybe you don’t need magic at all.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I wasn’t exactly sure yet, but an idea was germinating as I thought out loud. “If you had the strength of a werewolf, you could overpower anyone trying to hold you. You could rip the gag off your face and cast your spell.”

  She blinked, locking eyes with me. “Are you…talking about biting me?”

  “We already broke all the rules with that kiss last night. Why not break a few more?”

  My wolf howled inside my soul, aching to claim his mate. Was I thinking clearly, or was it the wolf coloring my thoughts? I couldn’t be sure, but I did know that if she were a werewolf, she’d be faster and stronger and harder for witches to capture and sacrifice.

  Maybe it was selfish, but I didn’t give a damn. She’d be alive.

  “It’s never been done before. What if…it hurts my magic?”

  It was a good question. “We’ve got three weeks before the full moon anyway.” I racked my brain. How could we find out if none of the other witches in her coven had ever been bitten? Then it hit me. “I’ll get General Sloan’s number from Mathias in the morning. Sloan’s been in contact with wolf packs all over the country. If a witch has ever been bitten, he’ll know.”

  She considered me for a second. “He’s the one who found Hope, the Elemental Witch, right? Lillian went out to meet her in Arizona.”

  I nodded. “She’s the mate of one of the wolves in the Sedona Pack, but I don’t know anything about her being a witch.”

  Clouds blew in, covering the blanket of stars overhead. Ruby trembled against my chest as a gust of icy wind stung my cheeks. “Let’s get back in the truck.”

  I walked her around to the passenger side and helped her in just as the slush started dropping from the sky. Where was fucking spring? I jogged over to my side and got in, warming my hands in front of the heater vent.

  “You’re all wet.” She grabbed her wrap off the seat of the truck and pulled it around her shoulders.

  “I’ll dry. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” She rubbed her hands on her skirt. “Do you really think General Sloan will know something?”

  “He’s our best bet for information.” I took her hand. It was like ice. I frowned. “I better take you home before you freeze.”

  Her teeth chattered as she smiled. “Good idea.” She squeezed my hand. “Sorry this wasn’t a fun date.”

  I chuckled as I put the truck in reverse. “Night’s not over yet.”

  Ruby gave me directions to her place, and I found a parking spot on the street a few houses down. She pointed to a two-story, dark-gray Victorian with violet trim. It was a block away from the McIntire Historic District in Salem, not too far from the Pickering House, which had been standing since 1660. I didn’t know how old her place was, but it seemed to fit right in with the neighborhood.

  I looked over at her and raised my eyebrows. “Lillian must be paying you really well at the Crow’s Nest.”

  She laughed, the sound warming me despite my cold, wet clothes. “Not quite.” Her smile softened. “I got my parents’ life insurance when I turned twenty-one, sold the land where our old house was, and then sank everything into this place.”

  I thought about it for a minute, taking the small bits of stories she’d told me to weave together a timeline. “After you dropped out of college?”

  She nodded slowly. “I’m pretty sure they would’ve wanted me to spend the money on college, and I had planned to get as far away from Salem as I could, but after that night in Boston…”

  “You came back home.” And if she hadn’t, I would’ve lost her forever. We never would have met.

  “Come inside. I’ll dry your clothes, and you can have some hot tea.”

  “I’d like that. Thanks.” It was still cold and drizzling when we got out, but at least the wintry mix hadn’t followed us. We hurried down the janky, cracked sidewalk and up the porch steps to her house.

  She opened the door, and we hustled inside. I breathed in the lingering scent of sage and a dash of some kind of spiced potpourri. The lights came on as she closed the door and set the dead bolt.

  “Nate!” she called. “Where are you hiding?”

  A flurry of little feet skittered down the stairs, and I chuckled as a portly chihuahua raced toward her. She scooped him up, and his tail was wagging so fast it was a blur as he licked her cheek. “I missed you, too.” She adjusted him in her arms so he could see me, and his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth, reminding me of Pinky, the goofy mouse from the old Pinky and the Brain cartoons.

  He tilted his head slightly, his ears flipping back until I had to laugh. “Good to meet you, Nate.”

  Ruby grinned, and damn, she was beautiful. “His full name his Nathaniel Barksalot Hawthorne.”

  I offered my hand, and her little, black, toothless dog gave me a tentative sniff. “I guess I’m his first werewolf.”

  “That’s safe to say.” She rubbed his head. “But he usually barks at strangers so this is pretty impressive.” She met my eyes. “I think he likes you.”

  I grinned as I met her eyes. “What happened to his teeth?”

  She kissed the top of his head. “He’s still got a few molars in the back, but he’s an older guy and Chihuahuas are notorious for periodontal disease. Short answer is he got them pulled a couple years ago.” She set him down, and we wandered into her kitchen.

  Although the outside of the house had that old-time Victorian feel, the kitchen was full of new appliances and granite countertops. There was an island with a second sink in the center, too. Our kitchen at the farm was good-sized, but this one put ours to shame.

  “You like to cook?” I asked.

  Ruby nodded. “Yeah. My mom was an earth witch so she was always concocting things with herbs and spices. When I cook, I feel like she’s with me.”

  She placed her wrap on the table in the breakfast nook and took her phone and wallet out of her pocket, laying them on top. When she turned around to face me, her bare shoulders were on full display, and just like that, I wasn’t cold anymore.

  She held her hand out. “Want me to put your clothes in the dryer?”

  I took off my wet shirt without any hesitation. The way her breath caught and her gaze slid up my chest had me ready to take off everything else. I liked knowing she wanted me, too. We might not be in love yet, but the physical connection seemed to be a step in the right direction.

  “Thanks.” I offered her my shirt.

  Her eyes dipped to my jeans, and if she asked for my pants, there would be no hope of containing my growing erection. She cleared her throat. “I have a robe you could borrow if you want to dry your pants, too.”

  “Okay.” I unbuttoned them, and my sensitive ears had no trouble hearing the way her heart rate surged. Mine raced to keep time as my fingers moved to the zipper.

  Her lips parted slightly, driving me out of my fucking mind, but just like that, she walked past me.

  “I’ll be right back with the robe,” she called over her shoulder from the staircase.

  I smirked and pulled out a chair to take off my shoes. Nate eyed me and came over to sniff them. I held my hand out. “It’s okay, buddy. She loves you, so I do, too.”

  He wagged his tail and came closer. I scratched behind his ears and reached down with my other hand to lift him up. He licked my cheek, wriggling like a fish as I chuckled. “You’re ferocious.”

  A giggle came from behind me. We both looked back as Ruby came into the kitchen with a fluffy black robe in hand. “Wow. He really does like you.”

  I nodded as a smile curved my lips. “I’m not usually a small dog kind of guy, but he’s got big dog spirit, right, Nate?”

  The little guy barked and licked my face again. I set him down and stood, taking the robe from her. “Thanks.”

  I slid my arm into the sleeve. It was a little tight around my bicep and the cuff only came to just below my elbow, but it was close enough. I reached for the other sleeve and pushed my arm as deep as I could get it, but it was obvious there was no way my shoulders were going to fit in this robe. I shot Ruby a look when she started to laugh.

  “I don’t think this is going to work.” I mumbled.

  “It’s big on me. I was sure it would fit.” She came closer, struggling to bring the sides together. Her hands brushed my chest, and this time it was my heart racing. Her eyes met mine. “I have a blanket on the couch. We could watch TV while your clothes dry.”