Page 3 of Cursed Touch
There was still so much he needed to learn about their world. He knew if he went home, he would not be able to relax. Ryan, his brother-in-law, Serena, his future sister-in-law, and Peter, the Alumbra pack alpha, were the only experts he knew on these matters. Since Ryan was busy with Brandy and Gia, his daughter, and Carter had not spent much time with Peter, he pointed his car in the direction of Serena’s shop, Sage Beginnings.
He’d driven past her shop a few times but had never gone inside. When he pulled open the door, a bell announced his arrival.
“Be with you in a second. Feel free to look around.” Serena’s voice floated from somewhere in the back.
Carter stood in front of the door and allowed his gaze to move over the tables and bookshelves filled with crystals, books, incense, herbs, and God only knew what else. The store itself had a distinct smell, one he could not put his finger on but instantly reminded him of his childhood.
He stepped between tables and moved to a bookshelf nearly overflowing with books. A book on wiccan healing caught his eye, so he reached for it.
“Carter?” Serena called, and he dropped his hand to his side.
Turning on his heel, he smiled. “Hi, Serena,” he said and placed a kiss on her cheek.
“Hi,” she said and cocked her head to the side. “What are you doing here—I mean, you’ve never come here before.”
He raised a brow. “Sorry. Did I come at a bad time?” he asked and peered around the empty shop.
“No! I’m sorry, I’m just a little surprised is all.” She waved toward the black curtain. “Come on, I’ll make us some tea,” she said and waved a finger in the air.
The sound of a lock reached his ears. “Did you just lock the door?”
“Mhmm…”
“Won’t that be bad for business?” he wondered aloud as they moved through a back room with a few boxes of what he expected were more supplies.
Serena looked over her shoulder at him and chuckled. “And how many shops like mine have you seen around town?”
Carter thought on it and shook his head. “None?”
Her shoulder raised. “Technically there are two more, but they don’t supply the things I do, and everyone knows I take care of them. If someone really needs something, they can call.”
He followed her up the stairs at the back in silence, unaccustomed to conversation with Serena. She was perfect for his little brother, enough sass and intelligence to keep him on his toes—or off them.
Carter gave himself a mental shake not wanting to consider the latter. “Is this your old apartment?” he asked when he reached the top. A couch faced a large window to his right, and a doorway led to a kitchen to his left.
“It is,” she called from the kitchen. “I’ve sublet the bedroom to one of my witches, and Ethan and I bought furniture to fit the new house.”
His cheeks warmed. “Sorry I haven’t been by to see it.”
Serena chuckled. “You’re allowed to have a life, Carter. Maybe then you, too, can get hit with the love bug.”
His mind flitted to the woman earlier, and his heart, the traitor, sped at the thought. He slid a finger between his neck and button-down shirt. When the tea kettle on the stove whistled, he realized he’d become lost in his thoughts.
A moment later, Serena handed him a hot mug of tea. “Now, you want to tell me the real reason you came to see me?” she asked with a wave toward the couch.
Carter settled down, holding the mug between his hands as he gathered his thoughts. “Today a patient was admitted to the ER, and I happened to be there when his girlfriend brought him in. He was unconscious and, frankly, minutes from death.”
Serena’s brows pinched together, but she remained silent.
“She claimed he’d been bitten by a dog, but everything he experienced was… wrong?”
Serena nodded. “You don’t think it was a dog?”
Carter shook his head and sighed. “The bite mark was larger than a normal dog, but it did seem to be the same. But, Serena, dog bites don’t turn septic that quickly.”
“You think it was a werewolf?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know what it was. What I do know is when I heal human injuries, my recovery is minimal if at all, no matter the severity. Healing magical injuries hits me hard. Claudia knocked me out for a week. After healing the women we saved at the Sivella compound, I was out for nearly a week and a half, and that was after learning how to control it better.”
