“Nothing’s changed,” I say, sighing. When I open my eyes, she’s watching me with narrowed eyes.
“You really believe this, don’t you?” she asks, and her voice is soft, almost comforting. “Why do you believe it, and how long have you felt this way?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair. “Don’t fucking head-shrink me. You’ll see—I’ll show you I’m not making this up.”
Hyacinth goes to say something, but swallows her words when I grab her arm and march her through the woods back towards my car. At first, she doesn’t struggle, but the further we go, the more feisty she gets. When she elbows me in the side and pulls free, I actually pause and roll my eyes to heaven.
This is going to be a long night.
Even without my wolf powers, I catch her easily, and as I grab her arm and pull her towards me, she falls against my chest, forcing me to step back. For a few seconds, we both hover in a moment of inertia, almost falling to the ground on top of each other.
Even though her eyes are very close to mine, I can’t see what color they are. It’s just darkness, something deep and somehow soft, that threatens to swallow me. Her scent rises from between our bodies, a sweet, sugary aroma that I assume clings to her after baking all day. My mouth waters in response, and I tighten my grip on her arms.
A wave of heat flows through her, and Hyacinth turns her face up towards mine, her lips very close to my mouth. We sway back and forth, still caught between staying on our feet and crashing to the ground. My imagination runs ahead of the present moment, showing me a vivid premonition of the two of us falling into the soft leaves at our feet and wildly tearing each other’s clothes off.
“Shane!” a sharp voice cracks through the silence of the woods, breaking the spell.
I tighten my grip on Hyacinth and set my feet so we aren’t in danger of falling. I want to dismiss the moment of heat between us, but Hyacinth’s chest is rising and falling with rapid breaths, and her cheeks are colored with a dark red hue.
She felt it. Whatever that was, she felt it, too.
“Shane!” the voice comes again, echoing through the trees. There is a tone of command, and I feel like I couldn’t move if I wanted to.
Witches. I still don’t trust them.
“Yes, Sadie?” I answer, trying not to sound condescending. “What do you want?”
Sadie and Trina emerge from the shadowy tree line, both of them looking stern. I glare back at them, ready to defend my decision—and challenge them for not telling me about Hyacinth in the first place.
“You found me!” Hyacinth cries, trying to run to them. I grab her arm to keep her by my side as the others approach.
“I got your text,” Trina says to Hyacinth. “And we did a locator spell to track you.”
Text? Damn, Hyacinth must have messaged them back in the parking lot!
“Spell?” Hyacinth asks, her voice a tiny squeak.
“Yes,” Sadie says firmly. “I’m assuming Shane has already explained why he’s done this?”
“Yes,” Hyacinth gasps. “But I thought it was all bullshit—are you saying you actually did a spell to find me, and you think it worked?”
Sadie sighs, closing her eyes for a moment and shaking her head. “Shane, did you give her any proof?”
“My wolf won’t come,” I answer a bit angrily.
Sadie nods. “Okay, Hyacinth. The supernatural world is real. I need you to accept that before we keep talking.”
“If we aren’t too late, we might be able to wipe her memory,” Trina says.
What the fuck?
“Look at her wrist,” Sadie says. “Dead Silk.”
“Holy shit,” Trina curses, then looks at me with fierce eyes. “You really went and did it, didn’t you?”
“What the fuck is going on?” Hyacinth wails. She puts her hands on her temples and shakes her head, almost violently. “You’ve all gone fucking crazy, and I can’t take this—”
“Hyacinth,” Sadie says in that low, commanding tone. “Look at me.”
