Page 32 of Bewitchingly Hers
“You think she’d be able to find anything for us?”
“If I tell her what’s going on—the whole coven, actually—I know they’d all be on board. Ever since Damien and Zain came to Pleasant Grove, there’s been a shift in the energy here. I think we’d all like answers.” She took another bite of her eggs, finishing off the plate.
“And that’s… your coven?” I asked, wanting to know more about her. “Are your friends from yesterday a part of it?”
She blushed. “I was hoping maybe we could forget about that.”
I leaned in close. “Not a chance.”
Eryne just sighed as she stood up, setting her plate in the sink before turning on the faucet. “Yes, they’re a part of the coven. My coven now, I guess.” She looked a little in awe. “That’s the first time I’ve ever said that out loud. It’s… new. I was never a part of one before.”
I tried to imagine what it would be like to be a wolf shifter without a pack, but the idea sent a pang of loneliness through myheart. Was that what Eryne felt like before? All alone, without anyone to call her own?
Finishing my own plate, I stepped beside her, practically pinning her against the counter, towering over her with my much taller form.
“You’re not alone anymore,” I promised.
Her eyes held mine. Those beautiful blue eyes seemed to swirl with a myriad of emotions—ones I couldn’t even dare to try to understand. But the longing on her face was unmistakable.
“I know,” she whispered.
I wanted to wrap my arms around her, to hold her tight. To whisper sweet nothings in her ear and tell her that I’d never let her be lonely again.
But I couldn’t.
That wasn’t what this was.
I stepped back, clearing my throat. “I guess I’ll head out then. See you after work?”
Eryne nodded in response, focused once again on the dishes in front of her.
Heading for the door, I shoved my feet into my boots and grabbed my coat off the front rack where I’d left it yesterday. I pulled it on, pausing for a moment to find Eryne with her hip propped against the counter, watching me.
She gave me a small smile. “Barrett?”
I stopped in my tracks. “Yes?”
“Do you want to get a drink tonight?” She wet her lips. “With me?”
A grin split my face, and my relief was palpable. “Thought you’d never ask, sugar. I’d love to.”
Hours later, I was sitting at the bar at the Enchanted Cauldron, nursing a glass of whiskey that had seemed like a better idea when I’d gotten here then it did now, waiting for Eryne to arrive.
I’d spent my day digging through dusty books at the library, though she was right that I could be researching for a week and not find anything. So far, I’d found a few leather-bound history books that talked about the founding of Pleasant Grove—how they’d made the town as a safe haven for witches to avoid persecution—but nothing about the wards or the magic that powered this place. If they’d known about shifters, they hadn’t left any indication in their writings.
Something had to explain what was going on here. And I was determined to find it.
Even without my wolf senses, I would have known the exact moment Eryne entered the room. It was like my body came to life with awareness, a prickling against my skin that couldn’t be denied. That golden, shimmering thread between us strengthened.
I sat up straighter, as her eyes met mine, unable to hide my smile at the sight of her.
She’d changed since I saw her this morning, and it felt like my tongue was stuck in my throat. Fuck, she was beautiful. Her hair was in loose curls, a pair of spiderweb drop earrings hanging from her dainty ears, a short black dress that formed a deep v in the front. Her legs looked a million miles long in a pair of black leather heeled Doc Marten boots that seemed so perfectlyher.
It was hard to deny my attraction to her. It was more than that, though. In just a few days, I couldn’t ignore how adorableI found all of her little quirks. The way she babbled, talking to herself. Her sense of humor. The way she always smelled sweet, like sugar. The twinkle in her eyes when she found something amusing.
How much Iwantedher.
I cleared my throat, standing up as she walked over to me, unable to take my eyes off of her for one single moment.
