"There’s something very off with Stan’s aura." Her brows drew down in a deep frown. “Keep an eye on him for the next couple days.”
Jack grunted at her vague warning.
Olivia continued to mutter to herself as she prepared the tea, but he tuned her out, turning his attention to the strange woman. He was close enough to see the small goosebumps on her bare arms and legs–she was cold.
Guilt crept over him. She had saved his life, and now she was suffering for it. He stood, his legs sturdier than before, and picked up the quilt at the end of the bed. Leaning down, he placed it over her legs and caught her scent. Strawberries and...It couldn't be. He sniffed again and froze.
Jack breathed her in and blood rushed to his groin. Memories of years of searching flashed through his mind. The trips overseas. The despair, the resignation, and the final blow. Settling for a love-match with that heart breaker, Diane.
He brushed his fingers over her cheek and an erotic buzz coursed through his body.Holy shit.His balls tightened painfully and his cock hardened in demand. Every muscle in his body went tense, and his gut clenched with soul shattering desire.
She was the one.
His mate.
He all but sank to his knees in prayerful thanksgiving.
Olivia must have caught the flare in his aura because she coughed roughly behind him. She gave him an evil eye, which would’ve gotten her stoned to death a hundred years ago.
“Don't even think about it.” She pointed a finger at him. “She’s a minimally talented healer at best, not a warrior. Mating with her won’t work.”
He shook his head and almost contradicted her. Zoe wasn’t from the healer clan. She was a strong warring talent. And yet she'd healed him.Impossible. That was the thread he was trying to remember.
Good God.
The sleeping Zoe was one badass warring witch with powers that had to match his own or he wouldn’t feel this irresistible urge to mate.
But Olivia was never wrong.
Maybe the deathblow had affected his reason. He swallowed hard. “That reminds me. Our deal was that you would keep the shop open during the nights of solstice. Where were you tonight?”
“Iwasopen.” Olivia went back to sniffing at teas, holding them up in the air. Seeing things he couldn’t.
"Well, in the future try to keep your cell phone on. That’s what your retainer is for.”
“When I got Stan’s message, I rushed back as fast as I could.” Her eyes narrowed. “By the way, just how did Zoe find the herbs to heal you? I thought she was aura colorblind.”
“Dunno. I was out cold. Ask her when she wakes up.” What else could he say? Jack Fialko, leader of the Iesco clan, was rendered stupid?
He slid over to his solstice choice, took Zoe’s hand, and tried to reach into her sleeping mind. Olivia just had to be wrong. Years of looking and he’d never before craved a woman–not like this. He gently removed her glasses and was surprised to see a beautiful eastern European face hiding behind the thick lenses. His cock took more interest than he’d thought possible.
“I’m staying here tonight. Too tired to leave. I’ll take the small spare room.” He wasn’t taking any chances that the woman would escape.
“That’s not part of our deal.” She placed a cup of tea on the table and motioned him to sit. “It’s going to take me a week to get the stinking darkness out of here as it is.”
“It’s not up for discussion. I’m staying.” He gave her a lopsided grin and sat down at the table. “Least you can do for almost letting me die.”
Olivia put a hand to Zoe’s forehead and frowned.
“I don’t like this. Why don’t you give my tea a minute to douse that lust of yours? She can’t be a match.” Under her breath she said, “At least I don’t think so.”
“You know something?” Jack tore off the edges of three sugar packs at once and raised an eyebrow.
“To be honest, I can’t quite read her aura." Olivia shook her head, causing her dark red curls to bounce around her pixie-like face. "I’m missing something critical. I’ll be damned if I know what it is."
“What about her parents?”
“Never met them. Apparently, they died when she was little. She was put up for adoption. Raised by humans. I still don’t think she really believes in any of this.”
