Page 2 of Hexy Beast

You may be asking: Does that mean things just seem to spin out of control when I get involved?

Fine.

Yes, it does.

But I roll with it. I embrace the chaos. What fun is life if there’s not any adventure?

And that’s why I wasn’t surprised to find myself on a Tuesday (why is it always a Tuesday?) being accidentally kidnapped by Darius Aetos, the alpha of the Aetos Werewolves and the man with the best ass in Witchingdom.

Don’t get distracted by that last factoid. Trust me.

Just look at his glorious gluteus maximus, appreciate the ten out of ten smackable-and-squeezable roundness of it, and then go on about your day, because his butt may be glorious, but it’s not enough to distract from his bossy personality.

Believe me, getting a peek at all six foot seven inches of muscular, tatted-up Darius can give you full-on fantasies about how he’d lift you up so high you could rest your legs on his shoulders as he went downtown, uptown, and all over town until you were wrung out, turned out, and possibly blacked out from pleasure. There’s a reason I can’t seem to stop myself from lusting after the big ol’ grump, so really, I do understand why you might have that reaction to him.

But again, do not become distracted by his hotness or begin to wonder if maybe the Fates have something in store for you with the thick-thighed, long-haired, grumped-up werewolf. The man has a personality disorder called head-up-the-ass-itis. It’s true! Darius Aetos is a tightly wound accountant inside the body of an MMA fighter.

Okay, so you’re probably wondering how I ended up being kidnapped by Sir Sexy and Surly. Well, it all started when I *ahem* borrowed Darius’s motorcycle without his full written consent.

Fine.

I stole his motorcycle.

In my defense, though, at the time he was in the process of trying to steal the biggest, baddest, most coveted spell book in all of Witchingdom from my sister Leona and her secret husband, Erik.

There was no way I could let Darius get away with pulling a stunt like that.

Firstly, no one steals from the Sherwoods.

Secondly, no one takes something from one of my sisters without me getting all in their face about it.

Thirdly, I was sorta bored.

Therefore, I didn’t have any choice but to take dramatic action to retrieve The Liber Umbrarum from him. It’s only the most powerful spell book of ancient charms and hexes in Witchingdom, and if it falls into the wrong hands, it would be devastating. Yes, a pack of lawless werewolves who’d probably sell it to the highest bidder qualifies as wrong hands, but so does the Council.

Who’s the Council? Just an evil coven determined to drag Witchingdom back to the Middle Ages, lock everyone into rigid roles, and snuff out any flicker of fun, originality, or not being an awful, horrible, judgmental witch with a hard-on for fascism. They were the last people in the world who should possess The Liber Umbrarum, and they’d definitely be willing to pony up the most cash for a black market deal with the Aetos pack for the spell book.

Hence, when Darius the uptight alpha followed my sister and her secret husband to the edge of the pixies’ Killjoy Forest, I didn’t take time to think—I acted.

Why wouldn’t I?

I knew what needed to be done—the totally unexpectedly expected, an Effie Sherwood specialty.

One second Darius was about to get away with stealing the spell book, and then—abracadabra—I’m on his lap, ready, willing, and able to steal The Liber Umbrarum right back from him.

If only it had gone to plan (or as much of a chaotic, slapdash plan as someone like me can make)—but I’m getting ahead of myself again. Hey, don’t say I didn’t warn you about that.

Okay, let’s take a step back and start at the moment when I first spotted Darius on the edge of the Killjoy Forest and decided that no werewolf—not even one with the best ass in Witchingdom—was going to fuck with my sister.

Chapter Two

Darius…

Earlier that day…

With the world going to shit in a half-shredded, rat-eaten handbasket, you’ve gotta love it when a plan comes together.

That’s especially true when your success means getting to send a fuck-you on behalf of your entire werewolf pack to the rest of Witchingdom—especially the witches.