Page 36
The guard made sure to escort us the entire way, putting on a performance for the town. Between chasing the shapeshifter through town, the curses going awry on the regular, and now shots fired, they needed to prove they were keeping us safe.
We all knew it went deeper than being protected by guards. This whole town was a ticking time bomb of curses. You put this much bad luck in one place; it was bound to backfire soon enough.
The back of my pickup was loaded with bags from Prue’s place. Mine was a single duffel. I didn’t require much especially when I spent most nights and days in wolf form.
Being around my mate and following her to keep her safe was the most stable I’d felt in far too long. She balanced me by just being near and I couldn’t help but wonder if bonding would do more than any counter-curse could.
“Let’s get this inside then you can sneak around back,” Rook said. “Just be careful, brother.”
“I will,” I promised as I snagged a box and followed him, freezing right beside Prue as I glanced inside the enclosure that took up half of his yard. “What the fuck?”
“Why are they so big now, henfather?” Prue asked as the monstrous chickens pecked about in his yard.
“I’m not really sure. They slowly doubled in size about once a week,” he admitted. “I had to hire a green witch to come grow fresh grass and clover in the yard for them. They’re bottomless pits.”
“Wait, so we don’t know how big they’ll get?” I asked. They were already twice the size of a turkey.
“No,” Rook mused, looking at them affectionately. “But they’re honestly wonderful pets. Now, let’s set up inside before some asshole with a gun chases us down.”
He led us inside. My brother was always an ‘organized chaos’ kind of person. His house now reflected that. Nearly every inch of his shelves and walls had some sort of bauble or strange art that somehow fit together.
The tables and desk were loaded with books about curses. His collection had already been huge, now it was out of hand. It wasn’t just me he was hellbent on saving. It was our mate, as well.
“Oh, wow,” Prue said, dropping the box and heading for the large dining table. Her delicate fingers skimmed over the titles one by one.
“Feel free to browse, we’ll grab your things,” Rook said, kissing her temple before following me to the door.
“Oh, and someone should get the beta over here. I think it’s best if we stick together now,” I admitted. “If someone is after one of us or all of us, we need to keep an eye out.”
“He’s already on his way,” she said, giving me a grateful smile. “Thanks for thinking of him.”
I nodded once then followed my brother out.
Two more trips and the foyer was full of bags and boxes. I, however, slipped outside and shifted, ready to find the scent of whoever stalked our mate.
If the magistrate couldn’t protect us, I sure as hell would.
Iwas in a magister’s house. Rook might not be one of the main magisters but he held the same status. With everything happening I hadn’t given it much thought, but standing in his fancy foyer the insecurities crept in.
As they carried in boxes I did the best I could to control my emotions. The last thing I needed was an explosion in here. That on top of the giant chickens… I was screwed.
This was a disaster waiting to happen.
There was too much in my head and I needed something else to focus on. Rook walked in and dropped his boxes by the door before walking over and pulling me into a hug.
Just his scent alone had my omega calming like magic.
“We only have a few more boxes. Can you pop some popcorn and pick a movie? I thought that we’d all have a slumber party or even build a fort?” he asked with a hopeful smile.
“That sounds amazing, actually,” I agreed easily, returning the smile before asking for the way to the kitchen.
“Just down that hall on the left. I’m going to grab the rest and I’ll be back to help you. The popcorn is in the cabinet under the microwave. Just don’t drop any kernels, There’s a reason I don’t air pop anymore,” he winked at me.
The chickens, they had to be the reason and I was the reason for them. Somehow, he’d taken an errant curse and had turned them into pets.
“Got it,” I called to him as I headed down the hall.
The state of this house was immaculate. There wasn’t a single speck of dust in sight or anything out of place. Even his shelves weren’t cluttered like mine. I couldn’t help but cringe a little at the fact he’d seen the state of my house. I wasn’t a slob but I left spider webs in the corners and told myself that they were just early decorations even if it was April.
