SableArcher’s words hit me right in my chest, and my heart beats a little faster. He’s so earnest, so open as he gazes down at me, nothing but truth in his eyes.I just see you.Not the witch I’ve become, but the Sable he already knew. The girl he spent the past few weeks getting to know, the girl he thought was his mate. Maybe he even still hopes I could be his mate—that the bond will choose him over the others.The honesty in his statement sends warmth cascading through me. Acceptance isn’t something I’m used to, even though all these shifter men have made me feel welcome every moment since I arrived in their world. Well… mostly. Ridge’s brother Lawson is a notable exception.But their kindness has been a new feeling in my life, something vibrant and all-encompassing. My uncle never missed a chance to reject me or tell me I didn’t deserve to live, and I carry that negativity with me everywhere I go. But right here, right now, this is real acceptance. No strings attached.It makes m
SableAs he steps out of the tub and tugs the curtain closed behind him, I notice a ripple of blackness coloring the scars on my hands and arms. It happens so quickly that I wouldn’t have noticed if I wasn’t looking right at my skin.Fear washes over me. Even though Archer, Ridge, and Trystan stayed with me despite the witch transition, maybe they shouldn’t have. Maybe Dare had the right idea by leaving. The black magic churning inside me means I’m a danger to them all. I’m a witch—not a wolf. No matter what the shifters think or what Elder Jihoon’s magic sticks said or even what my soul wants to be true. I’m a witch, and I’m terrified of what that means.I close my eyes and focus on taking a few deep breaths of humid air, the way Archer has coached me to do when the panic gets to be too much. After a moment, my fear lessens, and I open my eyes to see the black marks fading away. And I did it all on my own. I grin and flex my fingers a few times, silently congratulating myself on a jo
TrystanRidge put me on egg duty, which was fucking stupid. Like I know anything about flipping eggs-over-easy. Two eggs in, I’ve already said fuck it, and I’m scrambling the whole lot of it.Whipping it into a frenzy with the spatula doesn’t frustrate me as much as trying to flip the slimy shit. And after weeks in this cabin sharing breakfast with Sable, I know damn good and well she likes eggs in any form. In fact, I know she loves food of all kinds, and I know that’s because her uncle fucking starved her.Fucking asshole. I jam the spatula under the sizzling, bubbling eggs, sending several small chunks flying. What kind of psychopath starves a kid? What kind of monster abuses his own niece, someone he should do anything to protect?I know it’s the tension hanging in the air that’s getting to me, screwing up my patience with cooking breakfast, though I can admit I have a lack of patience to begin with. Even Ridge is on edge, dropping everything he picks up, cursing under his breath,
TrystanWhile Ridge and Archer carry food and dishes to the table, I find a short glass in the cabinet and pour her a cup from the carton in the fridge. I don’t want to overwhelm her with too much to drink after three days without. We managed to get little more than a sip in her here and there during her more lucid moments, so her body is likely in starvation mode. But I don’t want her to not have enough to drink either.My indecision ends up with me pouring way too much in the small cup. I pick up the overflowing glass as carefully as I can, but I still splash orange juice on the floor multiple times before I set it before her, a little lighter than it started out.“Thank you,” she says, giving me a smile that makes it all worth it. She makes no comment on how full it is as she lifts the glass to her lips.Ridge throws a dish towel on the orange juice puddles. I should thank him, but I’m too busy staring at her.I take a seat across the table as Ridge brings over the finished eggs an
SableMy entire body stiffens, mirroring the postures of the three men around me. My fingers are still pressed to my chest where I can sense the magic inside me. Before the noise came from outside, my magic was light and fluttery, as if it were a butterfly in my chest. Now, as adrenaline rockets through me, the fluttery feeling has turned to a thick, rolling turmoil. I’m surprised the black marks aren’t visible on my skin, though I’m thankful they haven’t appeared since I don’t seem to have any control over them.I freeze as more rustling from the backyard filters into the cabin, followed by a small whine.All three men are on high alert, like wolves with their hackles raised as they stare at the open window over the kitchen sink. They’re so stone-faced and still that they look like statues, and I wonder if they’re even going to move at all. Trystan is the first to stand, his face hard as he stalks quietly to the front door.Archer and Ridge stand to join him, so I do too. But Ridge h
SableHis hard torso anchors me to the present. I lean against him and bury my face against his t-shirt, taking a couple deep breaths until the lump in my throat fades and the tumult of magic inside me calms. Ridge’s scent surrounds me—woodsy and spicy and uniquely him.It’s one of my favorite smells in the world, and it was even before the man himself came to mean so much to me. Now, I think I’d bathe in his scent if I could.Finally, he pulls back enough to give me a sweet kiss with just enough heat behind it to make me forget how awful I feel. “Come on,” he says softly. “Let’s go help Dare.”Inside the cabin, Trystan and Archer have already stretched the injured shifter out on the couch and are back in the kitchen, digging around for supplies. Archer’s filling up a bowl with hot water and soap, while Trystan’s rifling around in the pantry.“Doesn’t this stupid cabin have a first aid kit?” he gripes over his shoulder as we appear in the doorway.“Yeah, it’s in the bathroom,” Ridge r
SableThe clock on the wall audibly ticks away the minutes as I sit alone in the kitchen, agonizing over the way Dare looked at me.My fork scrapes against the plate as I move the remaining eggs around, but I can’t bring myself to take another bite. The food I already ate before Dare came back to us has turned into a hurricane of nausea inside me, and if I eat anything else, I’m afraid I’ll throw up.So I just finish my orange juice instead, thinking fondly of Trystan’s awkward shuffle back to the table with the glass. He was sweet then, reminding me that there’s a nice guy under all that macho bluster of his.I may not understand what it’s like to be a shifter or to lead a pack, but I do think I’m starting to understand my companions. Trystan comes off like an asshole a lot of the time, but I feel like maybe he just overcompensates with his “alpha-ness” when he feels like things are spinning out of control. I can understand that motivation. I’m still trying to work on a coping mechan
sableMy cheeks burn. Hearing them list all the ways in which I’ve been in danger makes me feel like a weak little kid who shouldn’t be allowed to do anything without supervision.From his place near the coffee maker, Archer goes on, switching gears. “Obviously, Dare’s leg is a situation that needs addressing,” he says, crossing his arms. “But we also need to address that there’s a very real chance Dare has witches on his trail now.”Ridge scrubs a hand down his face. “Dammit. I didn’t even consider that.”I sit up straighter, a pang of fear rolling over me as I process what Archer’s implying. “You mean witches might be following Dare here?”“I’m not saying it’s a definite,” he assures me, “but it’s a possibility. He specifically sought them out to fight them. To kill them, not to make negotiations. They aren’t going to just sit back and accept that level of threat. He’s put himself, and all of us, in serious danger.”“Please.” Trystan scoffs. “The witches won’t be able to step foot o