“I’m questioning my oldest friend.” She swept her shoes off her desk and sprang to her feet. “You’re getting worse. Two weeks ago, you seemed fine. Last week, you stopped being able to hide the pain. Are you going to even be able to stand next week? You were cursed. That’s not something you can heal naturally.”

  Nora took another deep breath and let the pain radiating from her abdomen settle. “If it gets bad, I’ll get it checked out.” She’d been saying that for weeks. She could almost picture the look on Julian’s face the first time those words had left her mouth.

  Estelle didn’t let it go. “What’s bad? Bleeding from the eyes? Passing out on the job? Losing your ability to shift?”

  “That’s enough.” Nora wasn’t going to get into this right now. “Shouldn’t you be working on something?”

  “I am.” Estelle stared at her, one eyebrow raised, arms still crossed. Right. Nora was the thing she was working on. “You’re doing so well, why don’t we spar?”

  The smart thing to do would be to say no. This wasn’t a dominance challenge. She sparred with her people all the damn time. But Estelle was trying to prove a point, and Nora wasn’t sure she could win today. But if she said no, she’d validate Estelle’s fears.

  There was no winning.

  “Get it set up,” she said.

  Estelle’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth as if to say something before snapping it shut and heading for the sparring room.

  Nora straightened to her full height and sucked in deep breaths. The pain was still there. It hadn’t fully gone away in days. But she’d fought three enraged shifters after being nearly disemboweled once. Right now, her pain was basically a paper cut.

  And if she kept telling herself that, maybe her body would start to believe her.

  Estelle was waiting when Nora entered the room and slipped off her shoes. “Let’s keep to human form today,” Nora said. “Enrique just buffed out the scratches from our last shifted round.”

  Estelle nodded. Good. Nora wasn’t going to shift today. And Estelle wouldn’t see her try.

  Estelle started the timer.

  They circled one another, looking for weaknesses. Two months ago, the fight would have already been over. Nora had been stronger and faster than Estelle since they were teenagers and knew her every tell.

  But today, Nora didn’t know how much strength she had, and she wasn’t going to waste it on moves that would go nowhere.

  Estelle knew all of Nora’s tells too.

  Finally, Estelle charged. Nora let it happen and used the other woman’s momentum against her, flipping her over and flattening her back on the mat. Estelle grunted, and it covered Nora’s wince as pain ripped through her gut.

  Stupid curse.

  She was the boss of her own body, she wasn’t about to surrender to this fucking thing.

  Estelle didn’t give up so easily, and she and Nora grappled. It felt like forever, even though the timer was set for six minutes. Nora threw every trick she had at the other wolf. She refused to give up, and her pride would not let Estelle pin her.

  But her body was too weak to let her win.

  Six interminable minutes later, the timer buzzed. She and Estelle were locked together, neither dominating the other. Estelle gave up her hold and backed off.

  “Want me to reset the timer?” she asked. Her cheeks were pink and her breaths came easily.

  Nora panted, covered in clammy sweat. “Do it.” She wasn’t going to throw up. She couldn’t. She’d never live it down.

  Estelle’s jaw tightened. “You’re really going to kill yourself to prove a point?”

  “I can take you.” And she would. She was alpha. That was what alphas did to mouthy betas who stuck their snouts in where they didn’t belong.

  “If we go again, we both know I’m going to pin you. Then you’re going to get pissy. And what will you do if Enrique and Shannon come back and see? You’re sick, Nora. You need a healer. You need to call someone. I’m not going to fight you while you’re fucking dying. Take care of it. Today. Or I’m out.” Estelle grabbed a water bottle from the shelf and drank before heading back to the office.

  Nora tried to follow after her, but the pain in her abdomen spiked, and she doubled over, clutching at her stomach.

  Okay. Maybe Estelle had a point. Maybe she was being a hard ass and not listening to reason.

  She breathed through the pain again and clenched her fists. This time, Estelle wasn’t there to see her. When she exited the sparring room, she was alone in the office. Estelle had left a note on her desk.

  Taking the rest of the day off.

  Beside the note there was a business card.

  Julian Frankfurt

  Alternative Medicine

  She picked it up and tried not to picture his face. Deep, deep, deep inside of her, her wolf roused for a second, picturing the witch as he’d been a month ago. He wasn’t like her, wasn’t a fighter. He healed people.

  But he’d run into battle when it counted. He’d saved lives in more ways than one.

  Could he save her?

  She wanted to see him almost more than anything in the world. And that was what made her put the business card back down on Estelle’s desk.

  He wasn’t the only healer around.

  Estelle was taking a half day, so Nora would too. And maybe by the time next Monday rolled around, she’d have her head on straight and this stupid curse would be a thing of the past.

  CHAPTER 4

  Julian had gone mad. There was no other explanation for why he was walking in a very nice park less than a mile away from his… his what?

  His nothing.

  He hadn’t seen Nora in a month. There’d been no word from her or from anyone in her pack. Julian should have left it at that. Instead, he’d put out word with every healer in the region to be on the lookout for a shifter suffering from a nasty curse. He didn’t get any replies.

  No one had treated her.

  Of course, healers were normally bound by confidentiality. They might not have been human doctors, but they had professional standards. Even if that were the case, one of Julian’s contacts would have given him a hint.

  Was she dead?

  His heart just about stopped, and he had to suck in ragged breaths to keep from keeling over. She couldn’t be dead, his soul wouldn’t allow it.

  Magic churned within him, desperate to be let out, to seek her out and bind her up until he could find her and talk some sense into her.

  But he was a healer, and he wasn’t about to use harmful magic on someone just because he had a nagging sense that something was unfinished between them.

  If only they’d had time to talk a month ago.

  Then again, the few conversations they’d had hadn’t gone well. Nora had been acting as the bodyguard for his coven, a job she’d taken deadly seriously. She wouldn’t bend her professional code for a bit of attraction.

  The firestorm inside of him was more than a bit of attraction. It was an inferno that threatened to consume him whole.

  She’d been the only thing he thought about for weeks. Every time he closed his eyes, she was there. Every time he went to sleep, he imagined her in bed beside him. And when he dreamed, he was tangled up in her, taking her body to the heights of pleasure and showing her exactly what a skilled witch could do to a willing partner.

  And then he would wake alone in his cold bed. Hard, aching, and unsatisfied.

  He should have been over it by now. Instead, he didn’t even notice other women. All he could see was how they stacked up to Nora.

  None of them compared.

  He had to see her. Hopefully then this madness would disappear, and he could find a way to live his life. Or he would find out she was just as obsessed with him, and they could burn up together.

  He knew where she lived. He could go to her apartment right now and find her. If she wasn’t there, it would be no trouble to break in and wait for her. He doubted she had any magical safeguards warding her, and locks were no obstacle to magic.

  Craziness.

  Julian sank down on a stone bench and cradled his face in his hands. He’d traveled from New York City up to this tiny commuter town nearly two hours away. It was the perfect place for a shifter pack. The forest around the place gave them ample room to run. The sane thing to do would be to go back to the train station and pretend he’d never come. No one had to know.

  If Nora spotted him, she’d know he came for her. How could she not? There wasn’t any reason for a lone witch in these parts. This area didn’t even have a coven. He could make up some excuse about visiting the alternative medicine practice one town over, but it wouldn’t hold.

  His Nora had a very good bullshit detector.

  She wasn’t his anything!

  He had to go before he crossed a line. Already this obsession had gone too far, and he feared what would happen if he did see her. He could go home and start a heavy purification and meditation program that would have his mind clear in another month. Whatever he was feeling now would be washed away with all his other worries.

  But he didn’t want to walk away. He didn’t want to give these emotions up without at least speaking to Nora.

  Maybe he was crazy. Maybe he was alone in his obsession. But he’d felt the spark between them, and he just needed one minute. If she pushed him away, he’d go.

  No matter how much it hurt.

  His phone buzzed. Julian almost ignored it—that was what voicemail was for. But at the last moment, he yanked his phone out of his pocket and answered the unknown number.

  “Hello?” If it was a telemarketer, he was going to scream.

  “Julian Frankfurt?” a woman’s voice asked. She sounded vaguely familiar.

  “Yes.”

  “My name is Estelle Wolfe. I work with Nora West. I think she needs help.”

  He shot up off the bench. “Where is she?”

  CHAPTER 5

  Silver chains tied Nora down, and the more she struggled, the tighter they became. Her flesh burned under the metal, and she tried to cry out, but her mouth wouldn’t open. She couldn’t scream, no matter how much pain she was in.

  Her eyes flashed open, and she saw flickering flames. A witch towered over her, magic circling in a green wave rushing towards Nora. It engulfed her, and the pain of the chains was nothing compared to the icy green fire.

  As she struggled, she rolled, and the chains somehow grew, binding her even more tightly and searing her naked flesh. Every move she made bound her more, but she couldn’t stop struggling. Holding still meant giving in to whatever the witch planned to do to her.

  If only she could call for help. If only she could scream.

  If only she could resist.

  Her wolf was buried deep, but it was fighting against the magic just as hard. And in doing so, it fought against Nora, too. She wanted to shift and free the creature, but the silver chains made it impossible.

  If she got free, she’d kill this witch. No one would even recognize the body.

  Another wave of evil magic rolled over her and Nora tasted blood, even though her mouth wasn’t there.

  She was dying.

  She knew the limits of her body. She could take a lot of damage. But she was at the edge. And there wasn’t any help coming.

  Inside, she wailed. There was nothing she could do.

  Warm hands clamped on her shoulders, and a flash of bright blue magic nearly blinded her. But suddenly, Nora had a mouth and could suck in deep breaths of air.

  She opened her eyes, and the evil witch and silver bindings were gone.

  She was in her apartment, collapsed on her old gray couch, her body covered in sweat, wearing her work clothes but only one shoe, with Julian Frankfurt weaving spells over her head.

  “Wha—” she tried to speak, but her throat was dry, and the word was too weak to make much noise.

  She didn’t hurt, and something told her that was bad. Her body had been in a constant state of pain for the last month. For that pain to be suddenly gone, she had to be close to death. Shock.

  Shifters didn’t go into shock. They healed too fast.

  And yet.

  At least she wasn’t dying alone. Her mate was over her, doing his magic for some reason, his face scrunched up with worry. He said something, but she didn’t understand the words. Everything was muted and the room was darker than it should have been.

  Julian waved his hands, which glowed with magic, the color growing stronger as his voice droned on. She wanted to know what he was saying, but no matter how hard she focused, she couldn’t understand a thing.

  It didn’t matter. She was a shifter, not a witch. She’d never be able to perform spells anyway.

  Julian reached down and ran his finger down the center of her shirt. Despite the muted pain and the cold of her shock, Nora shivered at his touch. Her body yearned for him, even in her dying moments. She wanted to clutch his hand close to her and absorb the feeling until she stopped breathing.

  If he could tell what she was feeling, he ignored it.

  He’d used magic to split her shirt in two, and he spread the sides open, exposing her chest to the cold air of the apartment. His chanting stuttered for a moment, and he cursed.

  Nora looked down. Bruises blossomed from her abdomen and crawled all over her torso. She didn’t know if they spread to her legs or neck, and she didn’t have the strength to ask.

  Julian’s magic swelled further, and he flattened his palm on her chest, his thumb resting between her breasts and his fingers over her heart. It burned and she screamed.

  And then in a bright flash, it stopped.

  Nora froze, afraid that if she moved, the pain would come back and she’d wake up to find this was all part of an impossible dream.

  She didn’t want it to be a dream.

  Julian perched on top of her, staring down, his eyes bright, glowing with faint magic that made them appear almost silver. She realized the reason it was dark was that night had fallen and the curtains were half shut. Her senses hadn’t betrayed her that far yet.

  He was a comfortable weight on her, one she would have welcomed in other circumstances. She welcomed him now. For the first time in a month, she didn’t hurt, and it was all due to him.

  “Am I cured?” Her voice was scratchy and her throat dry. But she didn’t move to go get water. Why would she when she could feel the weight of Julian perched on top of her?

  Julian swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. He nodded. He shifted to slide off of her, and Nora clamped her hand on his wrist to keep him from moving.

  If she was at her full strength, she could have whipped him around and changed their positions without breaking a sweat. Right now, she was happy to stay where she was, so long as he was right there with her.

  “There might—” Julian started to speak.

  Nora’d had enough of words. She slid her free hand up his arm and clamped him on the back of the neck, pulling his face down towards hers.

  He didn’t resist.

  Their lips met and whatever tension was left from the curse dissolved, only to be replaced by something hotter. The kiss started off gentle, a brush of the lips that could have been an accident or a thank you. Then Julian’s lips teased hers and Nora opened for him.

  Her witch wasn’t afraid to take control, and Nora let him lead. What else could she do when he had her pinned and at his mercy?

  She moaned under him, fire racing through her veins unlike anything the curse had thrown at her. The pleasure was so overwhelming it was almost pain, but Nora didn’t shrink from him. She would have torn his clothes off if it didn’t mean breaking the kiss.

  This was the promise of their meeting a month ago. This was what she’d so strongly resisted.

  She’d been a fool.

  Fate didn’t give second chances. She’d been teetering on the edge of death and still too stubborn to call. But Julian was here now and Nora wanted to sob at how happy she was. Her wolf was still sleeping inside of her, but today she didn’t worry about it. That was a problem for tomorrow.

  She was kissing her mate. The curse was broken. For the first time in far too long, everything was almost as it should be.

  Something nagged at the back of Nora’s mind, but she ignored it and ran her hand through Julian’s hair, the short strands tickling her skin. She nipped at his lip, pulling him even closer. There was no space between them as she wrapped one leg around his hips and felt the hard press of his cock through their annoying layers of clothing.

  Yes. Now.

  If she were the witch, she’d magic their clothes off right then and there. She didn’t know how Julian was stopping himself. She was holding onto him tight enough to bruise, and he kissed her like a man possessed. All of the longing of the last month poured into her, all of his lust and frustration and need.

  The curse was nothing compared to the inferno roaring within her. And Nora kept kissing him.

  His hand cupped her naked breast, and she realized whatever he’d done to tear her shirt had also ripped her bra in two. She’d care about that later when she wasn’t being bespelled by his touch. His finger teased her nipple and she moaned.

  More.

  She didn’t know if she spoke it or if he read the need in her body, but he kept going. She was frustrated by the feel of his shirt under her own hands and dug in. He grunted, but didn’t push her away.

  Even in her human form, she was stronger than a normal woman, and she should have been careful.

  But Julian wasn’t complaining.

  She could kiss him forever.

  This was what they were meant to be. Ignoring the curse had been stupid. Ignoring her mate? Nora didn’t know what had possessed her.

  The thoughts piled on, one after another, and Nora tried to lose herself in the kiss once more. But all she could think was mate, Julian, Julian, mate. She wanted to surrender to it, to let herself be taken by the witch.

  She’d never felt this way before. It was beyond impossible. She didn’t think things like this. It was like someone was rooting around her brain and rewiring her until all that mattered was Julian.

 

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