Wolf Marked (Magic Side: Wolf Bound 1)

“That, my dear, is Rayne. Hottest she-devil in town.” Casey smirked as he watched her disappear into the shop.

I blinked twice at him and choked out a laugh. Not because there was anything wrong with Rayne—she was wicked hot—but because Casey looked love-stricken.

“Come on, Romeo, let’s get my ride,” I said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Zara was under the car on a red mechanic’s creeper, her legs sticking out from beneath the front bumper. My eyes rounded with shock. The Fury had never looked so good. Its deep reddish-brown paint looked like it had been detailed, though the claw marks were still visible on the hood. They added character, I decided.

“What up, Zar?” Casey said, knocking loudly on the hood of my Fury.

I shot him a glare as Zara rolled out from under the car. “Hey, you two. Your baby is ready to go,” she told me. “I was just double-checking everything. It was a lot of work for a rush job.”

As she got up and wiped her stained black hands on a rag, I took in her attire: gray skinny jeans, a black crop top, and biker boots. The smudge of grease on her forehead completed the look. She was beautiful in a biker chic way, and I was sure she could kick some ass with those boots.

It seemed like she’d done a lot more than just install the magic regulator, and she didn’t seem the type to hand things out for free. Worry twisted in my gut. “How much do I owe you for…?”

I didn’t even know what all she’d done. What if I couldn’t pay for it? Would she just keep my car?

“Your tab’s been paid,” Zara said dryly.

/> “What? How?” My mind reeled, but I knew the answer as soon as I asked. Jaxson fricking Laurent. It had to be.

“Jaxson ponied up. He told me not to tell you and to just say that I’d fixed it for free—but that would set a bad precedent. I don’t give friends discounts, so if you need more stuff done, you’ll have to pay full price. Triple if I have to steal the car first.”

“Of course he paid,” I hissed, feeling a scowl cut across my face. I wasn’t averse to handouts—hell, I was poor and currently unemployed—but not from Jaxson. For whatever reason, he couldn’t keep his meddling paws away from my ride. I already knew it was just one more way he’d weasel himself back into my life to exert his power over me. “I’d actually like to pay for it myself,” I said, trying to hold my voice steady.

Zara cocked a brow and frowned. “Not possible. Money’s already been exchanged, and I don’t want the pack sniffing around here. I’ve had my share of wolves, and though they’re dynamite in the bedroom, they’re bastards.”

An image of Jaxson in my bedroom flashed through my mind, and my cheeks burned.

Casey smirked. “Don’t get any thoughts, Cuz. I think you’ve already got enough scratch marks on you.” As he snickered, I fought the urge to crawl under my car and die.

Zara laughed and put her kit away as I tried to regain my composure.

Fine. Let him pay. Jaxson was an asshole, and he’d dragged me through hell and back, so I might as well milk the situation for all it was worth. And really, I just wanted my car. I’d worry about the strings another time. “What all did you do?”

Zara threw me the keys. “I fixed the busted taillight and replaced the tranny. This baby is a classic and tough as nails—though when I brought her in, I was surprised she would even run. That was, until I popped the hood. You’ve got some wicked good enchantments on her.”

“Wait a second, what?” I gaped at her.

“You didn’t know?” Zara laughed. “Check this out.”

She lifted the hood and pulled out a little flashlight, which glowed purple when she flicked it on. She shone it over my engine, and wherever the light fell, lines of tiny, glowing symbols appeared running over the components, like the miniscule printing on medicine bottles.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Someone wove some killer enchantments on your engine that kept it running. Honestly, without them, she’d have been a pile of scrap metal years ago.”

The blood drained from my head and the world spun. “My car…is magic? Did Jaxson have this installed?”

“Nah. Wolves only use aftermarket shit. These are custom. Really old-school and kinda obsessive. Like, I think you don’t even have to have a working carburetor with this one, here.” Zara pointed, her voice clearly bemused.

“Let me see that.” Casey plucked the flashlight out of Zara’s hands and leaned over the hood. “Whoa. These are some tight spells! Really precise. It reminds me of my mom’s…” He stood up, slammed his head on the hood, and swore, but then he beamed at me. “Damn, Savannah. I bet your dad enchanted your car. How sweet is that?”

I shook my head, trying to clear away the shock. “But my mom was the mechanic. We spent hours working on it together. My dad said he barely knew how to change a flat.”

Casey’s grin reached ear to ear. “Yeah, well, I think he was tinkering around with it when you weren’t looking.”

My dad had spent a lot of time alone in the garage. I’d thought it was because he’d liked swearing loudly at the TV when the Bears played. “Holy crap.”