Dimitri entered the cabin, a bag of groceries in each arm, Lainie right behind him carrying more supplies, as Liam stood there holding the door open. "Thanks for this," he said as they slid past him. "I hate getting acquainted to a new area. I'm directionally challenged. I'll go for a gas station I saw on the way into a town and wind up making circles on the complete opposite end of town.""Hopefully, they don't let you do much of the driving," Lainie smirked over her shoulder as she moved to the kitchen island separating the kitchen and the living room. Setting the bags down on the island, she turned toward the living room, noticing Erin nestled on the couch playing with her doll's hair. "How are things here?" Lainie asked, indicating the little girl with an upward tilt of her chin."I can see you doing that," Erin said, never taking her eyes off her doll. "You can say my name if you want. I know everyone's talking about me."Lainie cocked her eyebrow as she glanced over at Dimitri, b
The gorilla yanked Ezra into the air as if he were a rag doll, flipping Ezra over his shoulder and tossing him to the ground. Ezra hit the ground with an audible thud, the wind whooshing out of his lungs as his head hit the ground under him. With a shake of his head, he shot back to his feet, shocked that Colton had attacked him, but pissed as hell as well. Colton spun, pounding his chest as he roared out his frustration. You're being an ass! Get over yourself. You're not the only one who's lost someone in their care.Ezra glared at the dark gorilla in front of him, his chest heaving with breaths as his muscles and joints screamed out at him. "Go to Hell," he snarled, just before his bear shoved his way through Ezra, bones popping as arms and legs shifted into the thick powerful limbs of his black bear, his head swelling into the animal's thick skull, his mouth stretching into a deafening roar with saliva dripping from his fangs as his clothes shredded from his body, black fur replaci
Ezra sat out on the front porch in an old rocker, staring out at the woods around the cabin. Ezra's decision to help them pleased Liam, so much so that he offered to make Ezra's favorite meal—lasagna. Of course, Liam said he'd make it as soon as he got the ingredients for it, so Ezra had to settle for hot dogs. At least, Liam remembered to bring the chili. A hot dog just wasn't a real hot dog without chili.Colton introduced Erin to Ezra, telling the little girl the big man was there to help keep her safe, and she could trust him. Erin just nodded as she continued to brush the doll's hair.Ezra then made a cup of coffee and moved to the front porch. He couldn't sit in there just yet, watching the small child. It wasn't her fault; she didn't mean to remind him of a horrific time in his life. He just needed to ease into it, and sitting outside, listening to the wind through the pines, helped him make the adjustment, getting his thoughts settled, thoughts that had shrieked at him as soon
"You realize it'll be hard to know if someone is in Bull Creek because of that little girl, don't you?" Josh asked Dimitri as he picked up a fry off his plate and shoved it into his mouth. "Since you've taken over for Neal as alpha, word seems to have gotten around that Bull Creek is a safe spot again. We have people coming to us all the time now."The four of them—Dimitri, Josh, Alanna, and Lainie—-stuffed themselves into a cheap-upholstered booth near the window of Gracie's Diner looking out at a weed-choked parking lot. Colton and his friend bringing the possibility of more trouble to Bull Creek didn't thrill Dimitri. Between Bane and his prejudice against humans and Miles Hemingway trying to force Lainie to marry him, they had enough trouble to last awhile. Dimitri was more than ready for a little quietness."Stop talking with food in your mouth," Alanna snapped at Josh, thumping him in the shoulder. "Gross."Dimitri and Lainie just laughed. "You kiss that mouth, too," Dimitri teas
Ezra slipped out of bed, leaving Liam sleeping away, his mouth open and one foot dangling off the edge of the mattress. The three men took shifts, each one guarding the cabin for three hours during the night while the other two slept in the back bedroom. Erin took the middle bedroom because it was easier to protect and harder to get to from outside. Colton had even nailed the window shut in case someone tried to enter through there to reach the little girl. They didn't plan on taking anything to chance.When he entered the small living room, Colton sat at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in front of him as he sat there reading a book about as thick as Ezra's wrist. Ezra smiled as he made his way over to the coffeepot. Colton always was a heavy reader. "What is it this time? Life of George Washington? The history of automobiles? The philosophy of Bugs Bunny?" He reached up into a cabinet, pulling out the first mug he saw, and filled it with coffee.Colton finished the section he was r
"Julian! Julian, you back here?" Tyra called out as she made her way through the halls of Wincott Investigations to the Para-Force offices in the back. She clutched a manila folder in her hands as she swung them back and forth in front of her as she pounded through the halls, her heels clicking on the beige tile floor. She kept her reddish hair cut short, the back barely touching the top of her pale neck. She was a slender woman, almost too thin in some people's opinion. Even her nose was thin, between her thin pale-red eyebrows. However, while some looked at her small, five-two frame and thought a good wind would blow her away, Tyra Pellington was scrappy in a fight and had helped the team take down several killers, locking them away forever behind bars at Shadow Keep Institute. Of course, she was also the team whiz on the computer and Internet, able to dig out the tiniest scrap of information no matter how well-hidden, and that was the reason she raced through the halls to find Julia
Ezra enjoyed the warmth of the morning sun on his face. Of course, he would have much preferred to enjoy it without Josh's constant chattering. Why the man kept coming around, refusing to go on his merry way, was beyond Ezra. The man was ridiculous with how much he insisted on dragging Ezra into his madness. Some people needed others, and Josh was one of those people. Ezra, not so much, especially the one who wouldn't leave him the hell alone.Grabbing some slices of bread, Josh led them out to one of the lakes he promised was full of ducks, so that Erin could feed them. Liam was to wait until they were out of the cabin, shift, and then follow along by way of the tops of the trees. They still weren't sure how Erin knew about his animal, but they decided to pretend she still wasn't truly aware of his secret and keep her from seeing him shift. Colton tucked his book under his arm and followed Ezra and Josh. Not that he didn't trust the other two to keep an eye on the girl, he told them.
Dimitri watched as Lainie kept nodding while uttering a series of yes ma'ams into the phone. He caught snippets and phrases of her conversation with Agatha Rochester, but not much made sense to him so far. Possession magic. Soul ties. Bonding. None of it made sense to him. Of course, Agatha was the most powerful witch Dimitri knew back in Draven Falls, so if anyone could help them figure out the connection between Erin Fletcher and her doll, it was Agatha."Okay, thanks, Agatha," Lainie said into the phone. "I really appreciate it. I'll let you know what happens." She pressed the END CALL button on her phone and dropped it down on her desk at the sheriff's office as she fell back into her chair with a shake of her head. Looking over at Dimitri, she said, "That little girl will be one powerful witch when she grows up. I know now why Hoyt wants her."Dimitri crossed one leg over the other, resting an ankle on his knee, his hands clasped in his lap. "What did Agatha say?""She can't be su