AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay.”
“Good. See you later.” And he was gone. I set my phone on the counter, staring at it like it had somehow plotted to have a hot werewolf call me. How had he gotten my number? Maybe Ruby had sent him a text too.
I second guessed every piece of clothing. Instead of my usual leggings, I put on a pair of black denim jeans that I thought made my ass look good, and opted for my form-fitting crimson cashmere sweater with black oversized buttons up the front. Not that I was dressing up for him. No. He wasn’t my type anyway.
Not that I had much of a type. I hadn’t dated in almost a year. I’d stuck with my New Year’s resolution to work on myself this year and focus on loving myself first. My abandonment issues seemed to tank every relationship I’d ever had. I’d be so worried the guy was going to walk out, that eventually…he did.
But this year was almost over and, judging by my current fashion choices, it had been way too long since I had a man’s full attention. I finished my make up with red lipstick that matched my sweater, then I dried my long brown hair and after trying a ponytail and a French braid, I decided to leave it down.
This was ridiculous. He wasn’t coming to take me on a date. I didn’t even want him to. Did I?
I rolled my eyes at my reflection and grabbed my red hooded wool cape. I had warmer coats, but I didn’t want to crush the cashmere and…it made me feel witchy.
With a smile, I stepped out into the snow.
CHAPTER 2
Jackson
My new clientpaid my five-thousand-dollar deposit without batting an eye. Not that I usually had a tough time getting my fees, but it was pretty common for new clients to want an itemized run down of that initial bill.
But this guy wasn’t just any new client. His name was Jim Bloodstone, and he was my quarry. A werewolf couple from the Sedona ran into Jim at a high school reunion in Kentucky. They determined he wasn’t human by his scent and told General Miller Sloan.
So when the Hinterland and Bloodstone law firm sent a man to Salem to spy on my Alpha’s mate, we connected with Sloan and discovered Jim Bloodstone might be a way for me to get inside the firm and discover why Ruby was on their radar. I’d offered my services, but it had taken a few months for him to contact me.
He ended up hiring me to locate guy who captained a local boat that specialized in discovering shipwrecks at the bottom of the Atlantic. Since Boston had been a hot spot for pirates and privateers in the 17thand 18thcenturies, there were plenty of treasure hunters poking around to find their fortunes.
I felt like he was testing me. According to Sloan, a retired werewolf general who kept tabs on packs around the country, the law firm not only knew about werewolves and shifters, they actually employed some supernaturals. My Alpha was counting on me to find out why the firm was looking for Ruby, and I had every intention of delivering.
When I got a text from Ruby that Winter Allen needed help finding someone, I didn’t hesitate to offer my help. Even though Winter was part of the Coven of Light, we’d never been formally introduced.
We had a history of that.
I ground my teeth as the icy wind stung my face. I’d grown up in Salem, Massachusetts. My parents were elders in the pack. My dad’s family went back for generations in this seaside town.
But I still didn’t like the damn cold.
The sign for the Crow’s Nest came into view, and I pushed my legs a little faster. I wasn’t sure if I was more eager for the heat, or the chance to actually speak to Winter face to face.
We went to high school together, but we ran in different circles. I’d tried to bridge that social gap a couple of times, but she always seemed to dodge me. Maybe not on purpose, but in four years, we managed to never talk to each other. I’d been laser focused on becoming a detective, so when I graduated, I never looked back.
But hearing Winter on the phone this morning had reawakened that curiosity about her again. There was a rawness in her voice that she never tried to hide. I’d seen her for the first time when my English teacher assigned our class to go see the drama department’s production ofDark of the Moon.
I didn’t remember much about the play, something about a witch boy falling for a human girl and trying to become human himself. Winter had played the human girl. It wasn’t until years after high school that I discovered she was a member of the Coven of Light.
Sort of ironic that the real witch had been cast as the human.
She’d been mesmerizing in the show, and I’d wanted to meet her afterwards, but my buddies from the football team were eager to get out to a party. There were a couple other times I tried to catch her eye in the library or at a pep rally, but it wasn’t to be.
That was all changing today.
I grasped the icy brass handle on the door and took a breath. Was I nervous? I chuffed as I stepped through the wall of heat. The bells jangled over my head as I rolled my shoulders back. Damn, the warmth was heaven as it chased a shiver down my back.
“Hi. Can I help…” Winter came out from the back and lifted her head. “Oh…It’s you.”
Fuck, she was more gorgeous than I remembered. Her long chestnut hair fell past her shoulders over her breasts, which I struggled to keep from staring at. Her tight red sweater with big black buttons fit her like a glove, and her bright green eyes were a forest I could easily get lost in. I couldn’t tell from her reaction if she was disappointed that I’d walked through the door, or just indifferent.
“Did I come at a bad time?” I glanced around the store, eager for something to distract me.
