Season of the Witch (Claws Clause 2)

“Was it Priscilla? Was she the one trying to take out the wards?”

Colt was hopeful. Maybe, if he got his claws into the witch that ruined Maddox’s life—the witch that hit him with a spell that had him tossed out of a sixth-story window—he could start to get over his very rational hatred of witches.

And if he got over that, then maybe he might actually have a chance with—

“I wish. It’s been months and there’s still no sign of her.”

Colt tightened his grip on his cell, disappointment deepening his own voice. “If it wasn’t the witch, who was it?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll tell you one thing. Vamps don’t live in Wolf’s Creek, but I scented one in the trees behind my place.”

Colt cursed under his breath.

Maddox let out a soft growl. “What do you know that I don’t?”

As quickly as he could, Colt explained the reason behind his phone call.

“Fucking great,” grumbled Maddox when Colt was done. “Another dead human, this time so close to Bumptown lines, no one’s gonna believe a local’s not involved.” Maddox hesitated. “You didn’t recognize the scent, right? ‘Cause I didn’t know the vamp out here, but I haven’t been by Little Transylvania since I’ve been out of the Cage.”

“You know Nightwalkers. They all smell like rotten meat. I can promise you, though, as foul as that shit was, I’ve never picked up on that particular stench before. It’s not one of mine. My Bumptown’s clear.”

“You think the Ants are gonna buy that?”

Not even a little.

Colt chuckled. The sound didn’t have a single drop of humor to it. “Good thing that Dad’s still Alpha, huh?”

Maddox ignored that. “Between that poor girl and someone beating at my wards, I’m not taking any chances. We gotta take that Nightwalker down before it gets any worse.” He paused, air crackling through the speaker as he breathed heavily, barely holding back his anger. “I know you don’t want to hear this, bro, but maybe you should check in on Shea, make sure your witch is doing alright. The Nightwalker attacks haven’t hit the news yet, and Grayson is near enough to your Bumptown that, hell, it’s better to be safe than sorry, right?”

“Mad, you know I can’t.”

“No. What I know is that there’s a rogue vamp causing trouble in town. Two bodies drained in two days, one right outside of your territory. Someone scratching at my wards… and that’s not even counting the three other deaths Dad told us about. Listen, I’m going to do whatever the hell I have to to make sure my mate is safe and protected. I’d suggest you do the same with yours.”

“She’s not my mate,” Colt argued.

But he wasn’t as adamant about that fact as he’d been earlier when he spoke to Maddox on the phone.

Remembering the dead girl who had looked so much like the witch, it was like a punch to his gut, Colt’s wolf whined, crying out for its missing mate.

Shea wasn’t his mate, though. And, because of his own stubborn nature, she never would be.

3

From behind the partition with the strange glossy black countertop, the witch stared at him. She bit down on her bottom lip, the flash of hope and recognition that whispered across her face earlier when he entered the shop vanishing as quickly as it came. Shea cocked her hip against the side holding her old-fashioned cash register before crossing her arms over her chest.

Her body language was as big a clue as her closed-off emotions that her guard was up.

Her guard and her shields.

Breathing deep, Colt could separate the hundreds of different scents permeating Moonshadow Apothecary. There wasn’t even a hint of the leery owner who watched him warily.

Though he would never admit it to another soul, it actually made him kind of uneasy, just how closely those otherworldly purple eyes regarded him.

His gaze dipped down to the cleavage peeking out from behind her folded arms.

Okay. Definitely uneasy, and a little bit turned on, damn it.

It had seemed like such a good idea when he allowed his instincts to guide him back toward Grayson. He’d tried to work through his concerns, but even shaping the armoire guaranteed to earn him a quick grand hadn’t held his attention. It was too much of a battle so Colt finally gave in and let the wolf take over.