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Jewel ignored her.

  “Jewel,” Basilia snapped, impatient with the girl’s inability to be a normal child. “Abby is speaking to you. Find your manners and say goodbye.”

  “Goodbye,” Jewel said, obediently. She never looked up from her empty plate. “Goodbye, sister.”

  Chapter Nine

  Abby flinched at the word.

  Sister.

  Jewel was further proof of her father’s betrayal—as though they’d needed proof.

  She slipped through the doorway and made her way home, unable to take a deep breath until she was once more inside her little house.

  “He’s all over you.”

  She stood staring into the mirror over her bathroom sink as she waited for the tub to fill. The woman who stared back at her was not the woman the world saw.

  Her reflection was of a young, vibrant beauty with pale, perfect skin, rosy cheeks, and dark pink and blonde hair that cascaded over her shoulders. Her eyes were so bright blue they nearly burned the glass, her perfectly shaped lips full and tilted at the corners.

  Acadia had thought it amusing to hide that beauty beneath the horror of a…

  Hag.

  No, worse than a hag.

  A monster.

  Abby could see both faces.

  She traced her fingers over the false face, the ugly face. Its jawbones jutted sharply, above which sunken black eyes stared out with shadowed horror. The jaw jutted with angry defiance, and the forehead sloped into a receding hairline.

  At least she had her hair to be thankful for. It remained unchanged and was the best defense she could have hoped for.

  Her body was hers. Acadia hadn’t touched it. She must have thought putting that repulsive face atop of a normal body would have looked even more grotesque than making Abby ugly all over.

  Abby was grateful for small favors.

  “Sister…”

  Jewel’s voice echoed through her mind as she undressed and climbed into a hot, sudsy bath. She wanted nothing more than to lie there, to let the soothing herbs and comforting warmth seep into her very soul.

  She dozed.

  It was too quiet, there was no one there to distract her, and thoughts of Eli Dean slithered into her thoughts.

  “He’s all over you.”

  She shivered and sank deeper into the water.

  Eli was a handsome man. He was…

  Forbidden.

  He was sexy. Very sexy.

  Her body’s immediate reaction to him was humiliating.

  No one else had to know. Her secrets were her own, as was her shame.

  “Eli,” she murmured. His name tasted good on her tongue, and when she spoke it, she felt almost close to him.

  She should have cut the thoughts of him off. Should have thought about other things.

  But he’d stood nude before her, muscles rippling beneath all that smooth, bare skin.

  And she had been deprived for so very long.

  Forever.

  What could it hurt to have a little fantasy in her bath?

  She relaxed and let the gently undulating water soothe her as she drifted her mind’s eye over the alpha’s body.

  Over his strong chest, his flat belly, and lower, lower…

  “Alpha,” she whispered.

  “Abby, open the door,” Eli yelled, and began pounding on her front door nearly hard enough to send it flying off its hinges.

  She screamed and shot up, bath water sloshing over the rim and into the floor. In a panic, she leapt from the tub and slid across the floor, reaching for the thickest bathrobe she owned.

  Elmer and Sadie added their voices to the mix.

  “Abby,” Eli yelled, continuing his pounding.

  “Wait a damn minute,” she yelled.

  But the alpha was not a patient man. “Ten seconds and I’m kicking this door in.”

  “Son of a bitch,” she muttered, and finally managed to get the robe on and a towel around her dripping hair. She sprinted from the bathroom and into the living room, hoping the damn alpha wouldn’t kick in the door.

  It wasn’t easy getting such things fixed when she was the only handyman about.

  She jerked open the door. “Don’t ever do that again. Ever!”

  He crossed his arms. “I thought you were dead.”

  “I can’t die,” she screamed, then forced herself to shut her mouth and calm down. She glared at the hounds, who should have warned her company was on the way.

  They whimpered, then turned tail and ran away.

  “They like me,” Eli said. Then, “Are you okay?”

  He didn’t look like he’d just been worried enough to kick her door in. He stood in the doorway, his arms crossed, a slight grin pulling up the corners of his lips.

  And she’d been just about ready to have imaginary sex with him in her bathtub.

  She pulled at the belt holding her bathrobe closed. “Why are you here?”

  “May I come in?”

  She hesitated, then stepped back. “Please.”

  He sniffed the air, his body stiffening. “I smell…”

  Oh no. Oh please no.

  He cleared his throat and then tugged at his collar, his face first paling, then reddening.

  She wanted to faint. She wanted to fall to the floor and die.

  She knew what scent he’d caught with his sensitive wolf’s nose. Oh yes. He’d smelled her. Her desire.

  “I guess you’re all right,” he murmured.

  “Did you get a lead on the talisman?” She fanned her face, sure the boiling skin was going to split and fall right off.

  He stared at her for a minute. “Yes,” he said, finally.

  “You did? That’s wonderful.”

  “What?” His rather dazed stare sharpened. “Oh, no. No, I didn’t get a lead.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Shit. I wasn’t really listening.”

  She turned away and pressed her cool palms over her hot, hot cheeks. “Eli, why are you here?”

  “Mel said he’d overheard Brooke talking before she visited you. She’d mentioned what a good hiding place your property would be.”

  She swung back around to face him. “And he’s just now getting around to telling you?”

  He shrugged. “He said he just remembered.”

  She shook her head. “If she had put one foot on my property, the animals would have…” She put her fingers to her lips. “Dammit.”

  “What is it?”

  “Someone did enter my woods. Sadie and Elmer woke me up when they went to investigate.”

  His stare sharpened. “When, Abby?”

  “A little after three o’clock in the morning, the same morning you showed up with Remy and your other beta.”

  “Noah.” He blew out a hard breath and ran his fingers over his face. “She could have hidden in here.”

  She straightened her shoulders. “Then here is where we will search. I’ll get dressed and we’ll begin.”

  He went to stand in the doorway. “That could take forever.”

  “Will you be able to catch its scent or feel it if it’s nearby?”

  He said nothing for a long moment, and when he spoke, his words were reluctant. “When a talisman is first turned over to the new pack leader, the process of transferring its charge binds it to the alpha.”

  “It’s charged with blood,” she said, when he paused. “Isn’t it?”

  “How did you know that?”

  “I hear rumors, and also I guessed. So…”

  He rubbed his face, then sighed. “Abby, some secrets I cannot share.”

  “Oh. I see.”

  “If I’m near the talisman, I will find it,” he said. “If I’m near it while it’s still charged. That’s what matters. But even charged, if she has prepared it in certain ways, it may stay hidden forever.”

  “Silver,” she guessed.

  He nodded. “Silver would keep it from reaching me.”

  “I’ll get dressed.” She paused before leaving to glance over her shoulder a
t him, smiling. “There are muffins in the cupboard.”

  She headed for her bedroom, her step light. She realized as she was dressing that the alpha’s appearance and the impending search of her property had filled her with joy.

  She was excited, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been excited.

  “Why don’t you wear a mask?”

  She hesitated at her chest of drawers, then pulled open the top drawer.

  Nestled in with her underwear was a silk pouch. She picked it up, opened it, and withdrew a thin, cotton mask.

  There were six of them inside the pouch.

  “Here. I brought you something.”

  “What’s this, Becky?”

  “A gift. If they make you feel better, there’s nothing wrong with using them, Abby. Nothing at all.”

  She blinked back tears and the echoes of that long ago conversation dissolved and wafted away.

  There were, perhaps, several reasons why she never wore a mask but elected to hide behind her hair. Only one of them really mattered.

  “Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Abby! You’re still you in there. Who cares if you’re not pretty? You have more important things to worry about.” He had leaned down from his great height and put his perfect face to hers. “Do not be selfish, child. Your mother needs you. Jewel needs you.” He grasped her shoulders and kissed her tears away. “I need you. Wear a damn mask. You’ll be fine.”

  “Why don’t you wear a mask?”

  “Because the people don’t like it,” she whispered. “And because my father told me to.”

  She took a deep breath and gently separated a blue mask from the rest. Blue was one of her favorite colors and the mask would look stunning next to her pink and blonde hair.

  She smiled as she slid the other masks back into the pouch.

  She lifted the blue mask to her face, pressed it against her skin, then used her wand to bond the clingy cloth to her flesh.

  It was almost like a second skin. Until she used her wand to command it to loosen, the mask would not move. She took a moment to glance into the mirror.

  Only her eyes and her lips were visible. Everything else was hidden beneath Becky Bates’ gift.

  When she reentered the living room, mask donned, Eli stared. “Abby…”

  She smiled and the mask smiled with her. “I’m ready.”

  He said nothing but studied her for so long she began to get uncomfortable. At last, she pushed past him and strode from the house and into the yard.

  “We won’t have the sun for long,” she told him. “We will search as much as possible today, then try again tomorrow.”

  She turned to see him frowning at her.

  She put her hands on her hips. “What is it?”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “What?” she frowned and touched the mask. “You’re the one who—”

  “I was curious. I didn’t mean you should.”

  “Well, I am. Sadie, Elm. To me!” The dogs galloped toward her, tongues lolling, eyes sparkling, and gangly limbs flying. “If your talisman is on my property, Eli Dean, we will find it. It might take weeks, but we’ll find it.”

  He didn’t return her grin. “We’ll need a shovel.”

  “Follow me.”

  When they reached the backyard, she pointed at one of the sheds with her wand. “Tools in there. It’s not locked.”

  He looked at the row of sheds standing like brightly colored sentinels behind the house. “What is in the other buildings?”

  “The black one is full of dark magic,” she told him. “Jars of lotions and potions and pots of poisons and powders. Don’t go inside.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because the wood has been soaked with years and years of venoms and toxins and things you would not want to inhale or get on your skin.”

  He swallowed and gave the shed a repulsed glance. “What about the other buildings?”

  She pointed at the pink and yellow shed. “My broomsticks.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Why would I kid about that?”

  “You give new meaning to the words broom closet.” He grinned.

  “That’s the sign on the shed door, actually. Someday I’ll show them to you.”

  His smile faltered as he raked her mask with his piercing stare. “I’ll get the shovel.”

  He seemed…not angry, exactly, but bothered.

  And if she didn’t ask, she wouldn’t know.

  “Tell me what’s wrong, Eli.” she said, when he walked back toward her, shovel in hand. “Just…tell me.”

  He lifted the shovel, then sent the edge of it a few inches into the ground. He crossed his arms and stared at her.

  She caught herself before she turned away. With the mask on, she didn’t need to hide. She swallowed past the sudden dryness in her mouth when he walked closer.

  “Alpha?”

  He got closer still, close enough that his body brushed against hers. Close enough that his wonderful, fresh male scent drifted like magic into her brain.

  The sounds of the evening—the bird calls, the cicadas, the dogs romping playfully as they waited for her command—faded away.

  There was only the alpha.

  He held her trapped with his hypnotic eyes, his intoxicating scent, his full lips.

  She honestly couldn’t move.

  Her heart was a painfully pounding drum and in her stomach, a million butterflies danced to its rapid beat.

  She could not move.

  But then…

  He put his fingertips against her ribs, then slid his fingers up to lightly encircle her throat.

  And then, he touched her face.

  Chapter Ten

  She jerked away, then stumbled and fell, hitting the ground so hard she went numb for just a second before cold chills of pain radiated from her tailbone to her teeth.

  He started toward her, his lips in a thin, grim line.

  “Stay away,” she cried.

  But he strode on, his face dark, and grabbed the hand she held up to ward him off.

  As soon as he touched her, Sadie and Elmer, who’d stopped playing and stood behind her, waiting for her command, began to release low, warning growls.

  He pulled Abby to her feet and the dogs started toward him, heads low, snarling. Elmer slipped around behind him while Sadie stayed in front.

  He shoved her away from him and faced the dogs alone, and when she opened her mouth to call them off, he whipped his head around to stare at her.

  “No.”

  She spread her hands and backed away. If things got too rough, she’d call her dogs off him.

  In the meantime…

  He’d touched her face.

  Not her face, exactly, but the mask. Still, the fabric was thin and how long had it been since someone had touched her face?

  She caressed the spot where his fingers had lingered, however briefly. Her skin still tingled and fluttered and made her want to rip off her mask and beg him for more.

  Did it matter that he had only touched her face once she’d donned the mask?

  Maybe it would. But it didn’t then.

  Eli growled, drawing her attention, and his hands began changing into claws. His face changed from human to wolf, just a little but enough to send chills of fear up her spine.

  And suddenly, she wasn’t worried about the alpha.

  “Don’t hurt my dogs,” she murmured.

  His grin came suddenly and he glanced at her, his face back to normal. “The only reason I’ll hurt them is if they don’t protect you.”

  “You’re not their alpha, Eli.” She realized she still held her fingers against her face and dropped her hand. Nor mine.

  The dogs got between him and Abby, but were more relaxed, sensing the threat had passed. Still, they wouldn’t stand down until Abby ordered them to.

  He stared at the dogs and they stared at him, and neither the wolf nor the dogs moved or made a sound.

&
nbsp; Finally, Eli spoke. “I’m going to be around a lot. They’ll come to trust me.” Then he looked at her. “As will their mistress.”

  He walked toward her, ignoring the dogs, and it was either give ground or attack. They gave ground.

  Abby wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

  “You asked me what’s wrong.”

  She nodded.

  He stood close enough to once again reach out and touch her face, and her entire body was on guard. Like waiting for an attack.

  It’s just a touch.

  But it wasn’t. Not to her.

  “I don’t like you wearing a mask,” he said, quietly.

  She looked away, then quickly put her stare back on him.

  “I don’t like,” he continued, “that you would rather I punch you than touch your face.”

  Still, she said nothing. She barely breathed and her stomach was so tight it hurt.

  “Take off the mask, Abby.”

  “I can’t,” she whispered.

  He studied her for a long moment. “Someday you’ll stop hiding from me.”

  She took a step back. “But not today.” It was shameful the way his words made her heart sing. Someday meant he wasn’t going away once the talisman was found, didn’t it? She should have stopped herself right there.

  Should have made the alpha leave, if making the alpha do anything were possible.

  But she held her breath as she hurtled full force toward something that was surely, in the end, going to break her heart. Going to break her.

  For no matter what she’d told her mother, she wasn’t unbreakable.

  Maybe the demon witch Acadia hadn’t broken her. Not even William Dean had broken her.

  But Eli?

  Oh, he could break her.

  He nodded. “Not today.” Then he turned and pulled the shovel from the ground. He walked away, and the dogs looked at her.

  “Let’s go,” she said, and the three of them hurried to catch up with the alpha. Her stomach eased.

  “Noah and Remy will be here soon with their own shovels,” he said. “Can you remember the general direction the dogs went when they woke you?”

  “I can. They were heading down toward the mailbox. And no way would Brooke have had time to wander my property. She may have had five minutes to stash the talisman.”

  “Why would she have wanted to hide it on your property, Abby?”

  She could feel her face heating. “We discussed what a secure place my property would be.” She shrugged when he shot her a sharp glance. “I’m sorry. I had no idea at the time. I thought she was considering hiding herself here.”