Magic Side: Wolf Bound Complete Series: Books 1-4, page 123
At least, we were finally going to get a break and get out of town. With the rebuild in full swing and most of our loose ends tied up, we were headed to Colorado for a week on a new adventure: tracking down my family—the werewolf side.
Mom’s side.
According to her letter, my grandfather lived in a small town called Silverton in the Rockies. Besides our trip to Forks several weeks ago, I’d never been out West, and I was looking forward to driving cross-country and seeing the sights.
Wolfie was practically buzzing with excitement.
Starving, I beelined for the kitchen, and as if on cue, my stomach rumbled. I started the tea kettle and fetched the coffee from the freezer as I made a mental list of the things we needed to do before we headed to Colorado.
I dumped several heaping scoops of coffee into a French press and filled it with steaming water.
My phone vibrated. You up?
Casey? At this hour? Consider me shocked.
I responded, The real question is, why are you up?
Seconds later, he called me, and I smirked as I tapped the screen. “Late night, huh?”
“You don’t know the half of it. Mom says you and lover boy are heading out of town? You need to stop by here before you go driving into the sunset.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but a shiver of heat worked down my spine, and Jaxson’s sexy woodsy scent wrapped around me.
“Lover boy, huh?” he whispered in my ear as he slipped his hands under the flannel shirt I was wearing. His fingers traced over my hips before settling over my tummy.
I pressed my back into him and looked up. “Hi,” I mouthed.
“Good morning.” He leaned down and kissed me, his touch slow and sensual. Liquid heat pooled between my legs, and goosebumps pebbled my skin. Jaxson smiled against my mouth. “You look good in my clothes.”
“Uh, you still there, Savy?” Casey asked, reeling me back to reality. “Because I still am, and I can hear Jaxson talking sexy in the background. I mean, I can go if you’re busy, but if things are gonna get interesting, I’ll stay on the line.”
Before I knew what was happening, Jaxson snagged my phone and turned the speaker on.
“Where are we supposed to meet you?” Jax asked, as he quickly kissed my lips then began working down my neck.
“The workshop. I’m there now. How about meeting me at eight?”
Jaxson froze and we exchanged shocked glances. By workshop, Casey meant the factory where my family made wolfsbane. I’d only been there once.
“You’re kidding,” Jaxson said flatly.
“I’m not, and you don’t have to worry. It’s totally above board. Regina and Sam are going to meet me here too, and they already gave me the third degree about it.”
What the hell was going on in Magic Side? Had the world fallen off its axis? I gave Jaxson a confused look and shrugged.
“Fine. But no bullshit,” Jaxson growled.
“Of course not. I’ll see you then.” The line went dead.
“What the hell do you think he’s up to?” Jaxson asked as his hands moved down my thighs, leaving a trail of heat.
“No idea.” I grinned up at him, delighting in the hardness of his body against mine. “What do you think you’re up to?”
“No idea.” Jaxson leaned down and traced his lips over my neck. “But we’ve got fifty minutes. Just enough time for breakfast and a shower.”
Molten heat throbbed low and deep, and I whispered, “Breakfast? What do you want?”
He met my gaze, and a sinfully sexy smile ghosted his lips as he gripped my bare ass and lifted me up on the delightfully cold counter. “I have a couple things in mind.”
My stomach was still grumbling with hunger—real hunger—an hour later when we pulled into the parking lot in front of my cousin’s factory. I couldn’t believe Casey was letting werewolves, let alone the alpha, anywhere near the place.
The security guards hadn’t been able to believe it either, and it had taken three separate calls to get through the front gate.
We parked beside Regina’s truck and hopped out. Jaxson immediately began speaking with her and Sam in hushed tones, but I made a beeline for my cousin, who I hadn’t seen all week except for a couple of visits while he was still in the hospital.
He stopped pacing and hung up his phone the moment he saw me and gave me a big hug. I squeezed him back. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages, and—” I paused and sniffed, then my eyes shot wide. “Oh my God… you’re still a wolf?”
A sheepish expression flooded his face. “Well, sometimes I’m a wolf. I’m pretty good at shifting now.”
The world spun. Had I just walked into the twilight zone?
“But… but you were going to take the antidote!” I stammered.
Casey gave me a deeply serious look. “There’s a lot of people who need that medicine, Savannah. Not just me. I’m trying to be strong.”
I shook my head. “Who are you and what have you done with my cousin?”
He stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels in a self-satisfied way. “Hey, I’m just trying to turn over a new leaf. To be a better man. Or wolf man. Say no to prejudice and hate and fleas.”
The shock of his words practically took my knees out from under me. Could getting bit and living through a shift have actually transformed my cousin into a noble and altruistic person?
I scrutinized him with all my senses.
Not a chance.
Then the pieces clicked into place. I suppressed a knowing grin that tugged at my lips, and gave him a hard, interrogating look instead. “There’s a girl, isn’t there.”
“Absolutely not,” he said, lyingly. “And if there was, it wouldn’t affect my thinking.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay. Who is she, Casey?”
“You’ve got me all wrong Savannah, I’m a changed man!”
I crossed my arms. “You have to be seeing a werewolf. Nothing else would keep you this way. Cough up the details.”
He gritted his teeth. “Okay, fine. Her name is Mira. She’s part of the pack.”
My eyes shot wide. “Oh my God! That was your nurse at the hospital! We got complaints from her for days!”
He shrugged. “I guess I just grew on her?”
My mind scrambled to assimilate information. Hell, he’d grown on me, but we were kin. I couldn’t believe that it would happen with others. At last, I shook my head in disbelief. “I’m guessing she gave in just to shut you up. You are incorrigible.”
“I couldn’t help it. She is so hot, and always bending over me to take my vitals. My vitals. It just sounds hot. And she smells so good. I’ve got crazy senses now, and when she’s aroused, it’s like—”
I threw up my hands. “Nope! We’re not going there.”
“Hey, you should be proud of me. I’m building bridges. It’s about making love, not war. Like, making a lot of love. Over and over. Werewolf stamina is amazing. How are you Jaxson not just having sex all the time?”
My cheeks burned.
“Oh,” he said looking over at Jax. “Okay, that makes a lot of sense. I’m guessing that’s why you’re late?”
Jaxson glared from where he stood with my friends and growled low. “That particular conversation is done. Forever. Now, what the hell are we here for?”
“Alright, alright,” Casey said. “Follow me.”
53
Jaxson
There was no way to stop my heart from pounding as we followed fucking Casey LaSalle toward the large red brick building. I couldn’t believe they were letting me within a mile of the place, or that Regina had even agreed to set foot on LaSalle land.
Although the security appeared shit, I knew better. The last factory the LaSalles ran, the one my sister had tried to shut down, was rigged with enough enchantments to blow a crater in Magic Side. And it had. The LaSalles spent a month rebuilding after the blast.
It had taken me years, and I still wasn’t over it.
Casey opened a white metal side door and held it open. I paused on the threshold and glanced from him to Savy.
She nodded.
I stepped inside. Not for myself, but for the pack. For the hope for new beginnings.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I spun as my eyes adjusted. The place was far more complex than I’d ever imagined, a space the size of a football field with concrete floors and dozens of steel vats, copper stills, and tables.
“Where is everybody?” Savy asked from behind me.
I’d been so distracted by the impressive array of equipment that I hadn’t even considered why we were the only ones here.
Casey stepped up. “We’re planning on shutting down and refitting to take advantage of other opportunities. I pitched the idea to Reggie after a run to gauge if you’d be interested.”
Reggie?
My heart skipped a beat as the words sank in.
We’d been trying to shut down the LaSalles’ wolfsbane production for decades. After all this time, were they really ready to give in?
There had to be a catch.
I narrowed my eyes and looked from Casey to Regina. “And what sort of opportunities were you thinking about?”
“Trade deals. And free access to our docks,” Regina answered.
“We agree to stop producing wolfsbane, and you cut us in on your operations,” Casey said. “It’s a win-win. And if you need better enchantments and wards—because trust me, that cut-rate work you had done by Mages Guild rejects doesn’t cut the mustard—we’ll be glad to offer assistance on a case-by-case basis, for a fee.”
The floor moved beneath me. I could smell the truth in his words.
He was serious.
It would change the future of our pack—of packs all across North America. The LaSalles had a monopoly on the wolfsbane market. Cutting off that supply would mean fewer weapons on the market and fewer senseless attacks on werewolves.
I’d be a fool not to agree, but I knew it wasn’t that simple. Money can change minds, and we’d need to lock them in so that in a year or two, as black market wolfsbane prices soared, they wouldn’t be tempted to dip their toes back in the pond.
I crossed my arms. “How about we contract with you to run the enchantments on all our shipments? If you can handle them, they’re yours.”
Casey turned pale. “Seriously? Hell, yes, we can handle them.”
He had no idea how big of a favor he’d be doing us by taking over the enchantments. Weak aftermarket mages’ spells were just the tip of the iceberg. We had supply lines we had to keep hidden and protected, and our last group of enchanters—a coven of witches—had gone out of touch.
Of course, I wasn’t about to let him know that.
I glanced at Regina to make sure she was onboard. Her scent betrayed no emotion—which was good since Casey LaSalle was still a fucking werewolf—but I could almost hear her crunching numbers in her head. Approval flashed in her eyes.
“It’s done, then,” I said. “The rest is up to Regina and our partners. If they’re amenable to it, you can access our docks and negotiate trade deals.”
“Holy shit!” Casey dragged his hands through his tousled hair. “Deal, Laurent.”
Casey spent the next thirty minutes giving us a rundown of the place and explaining what he planned to do with the leftover equipment and supplies. In short, his father was going to help him transition to a smaller operation of producing over-the-counter potions, which Casey hoped they’d be able to sell across the Great Lakes region.
His words faded into mumbles as I wrestled with the implication. Regina found my side as Casey continued the tour.
“You okay with this?” she asked. “I wasn’t trying to go behind your back—he was hesitant to approach you directly after everything… with Stephanie.”
I nodded. “Shutting down this operation is what she wanted. And if she can make peace with what happened to her in the afterlife, then I can do the same in this one. You did well.”
“What about the council? Will they object to us working with the LaSalles?”
“After what Savy and Laurel LaSalle did last week?” I scoffed. “They’ll swallow whatever issues they have. Plus, I’m squeezing the other alphas so tight for not showing up that they can’t tell their nuts from their eyeballs. Don’t let up the pressure while I’m gone.”
“I won’t, and I’ve got nails,” she chuckled. “When do you get back?”
“A week. You’re alpha until I return.”
Regina shook her head. “I’m not. But I’ll remind everyone who is, and that should keep butts moving.”
“I’m serious. I rely on you for a reason.”
She gave me a wry smile. “Smart man.”
Savannah joined us. “Laurel just texted me, and I’d like to stop by to see her before we leave.”
I slung my arm around her waist and breathed in her citrus sunshine scent, which mingled with the coconut shampoo she loved so much. “Then we’d better go. I don’t need to be around here any longer.”
“I might drive over with Casey, if that’s okay.”
“Just wear your damn seatbelt,” I growled, glaring at her cousin.
He raised his hands in front of him and frowned. “I happen to have an excellent driving record.”
Doubtful.
We stepped outside and said our goodbyes. My mate climbed into her cousin’s car, laughing and feigning shock at his jokes, and I shook my head.
“Things are really changing around here,” Sam muttered.
“It’s her,” I whispered. “She’s changed everything. I’m not sure how to react to anything anymore.”
In the short amount of time she’d been in Magic Side, Savannah had managed to accomplish something that most thought unimaginable—a truce between the LaSalles and Laurents. Defying a prophecy. Defeating the Dark God.
Sam laughed. “True.”
I turned to my truck but frowned as I got a look at her left arm. “You’re not healing like you should.”
She looked down at her shoulder. “That thing? It’s fine but will probably leave a scar.”
“You’re a werewolf. You shouldn’t scar.”
“Yeah, well the Wolf God gave it to me. Fates knows what sort of crap he had under his nails. Probably poison. But it’s already better than it was yesterday.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but she thrust her hands down into her pockets and stepped close. “Listen, I’m going to head out of town for a while, so I might not be here when you get back. I need to head up north next week and sort out some family business.”
I eyed her, searching for more, but she’d locked her emotions down. “Everything all right?”
“Yeah, just family bullshit. I’ll be back in a month or two. Will that be a problem?”
“No. You deserve some time off. Call if you need anything.” I didn’t know much about Sam’s background other than it had had some rough patches.
“I’ll be fine. You two enjoy yourselves.” Winking, she clapped me on the back and headed to Regina’s truck, which was already running.
Regina gave me a two-finger salute as the two pulled out of the lot behind Casey’s RAV4.
As I left the lot, I gave the redbrick building one final look.
Stephanie would be proud.
54
Savannah
By the time we arrived at my aunt and uncle’s house, I was laughing so hard I was crying.
“Am I right, though?” Casey glanced over at me as he turned off the car. “Werewolf sex is off the charts.”
I shook my head and rubbed my sore abdomen. “So what, it’s so good that after years of hating werewolves, you’re just going to be one now?”
“I’m deciding. Pros: amazing sex and superhuman strength. Also, bigger dating pool. Cons: I shed on the furniture. So far, the pros have it. I’ve never felt so alive in my life! Mira, Sam, and Regina have been taking me for runs every night. I never knew growing fur and running on four legs would be so great.”
“Regina? Are you sure? Like the woman from the warehouse, Regina?”
The world had definitely fallen off its axis. There was no way Sam, let alone Regina, would be taking time out of their busy lives to teach my cousin how to be a wolf. They despised him, didn’t they? Hell, his face was on a wanted poster in Eclipse.
But Casey didn’t sound like he was shitting me. “Yeah. Reggie and I are buds now. I mean, she was a cold bitch at first, but I think I’m growing on her.”
I choked. “Reggie?”
Regina the ice queen? Regina, who’d missed no opportunity to give me shit about my family?
A whole lot had happened in the past week.
A whole lot had happened in the past month.
I spilled out of the car, clutching my still aching stomach. Casey was acclimating to being a wolf way faster than I think anyone thought possible. Not only was he thrilled with his heightened senses, but he wanted to learn everything there was about werewolf history and the origins of the Magic Side pack.
Frankly, it was astounding. But that was my cousin, batshit crazy and completely unpredictable. I loved him all the same and wouldn’t change anything about him.
A big part of me was desperate to have him stay a wolf, though I barely wanted to admit it.
I bet he smells real bad, Wolfie said.
Probably.
I bounded up the steps and fell into Laurel’s embrace. “It’s good to see you.”
She released me and wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. Her hands were bound with gauze, but she didn’t appear to be in pain. “Savannah, you look absolutely refreshed and—”
“Just fucked?” Casey stepped up beside me with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.
Laurel’s eyebrows shot up, but then she smiled and nodded. “Yes.”
“Oh, my God.” I walked past them into the house. The warm, buttery vanilla aroma of freshly baked cookies bombarded me. I followed it into the kitchen, noticing several cardboard boxes stacked on the kitchen island beside a tray of cooling cookies.
“Help yourself,” Laurel said, following me in. “I packed up a container for the road, along with a few other snacks.”
