Allister, J. Rose - Displaced Cowboys [Lone Wolves of Shay Falls 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (26 page)

“Nice to meet you,” Terra said. “I’m glad the alpha who took over Blaise’s pack lifted the rule about them having no contact. With my parents stuck in the middle of Jayel’s revenge hunt, we could really use your help.”

“Kade Winchester liftin’ his ban had nothin’ to do with the Jayel situation,” Drew said. “But his decision couldn’t have come at a better time.”

“Tell us about the curse,” Connor said. “Caleb told us you were also attacked by Jayel.”

Talaitha nodded. “It wasn’t long ago that she showed up at my clan’s camp and pointed a gun at my mates. But my people have ways of thwarting attacks, and I reacted. I laid a curse on her, and her bullets went awry even from point-blank range. Now, she can’t kill a werewolf with any weapon in her possession.”

“She obviously doesn’t know about the curse,” Terra said. “Because she keeps trying.”

“She wasn’t aware of it, no,” Talaitha said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that she can’t harm the wolves.”

“And a protection spell can keep Terra and her folks safe as well?” Connor asked, pushing away from the tree and wandering beside Terra. “Since they aren’t werewolves, your curse doesn’t cover harm to them.”

Terra swallowed and waited for the answer. Maybe just the fact that she’d officially moved out of her parents’ place two hours before would help ensure they were no longer a target, but she couldn’t count on that.

Talaitha nodded solemnly. “The spell will work just as well as the curse that kept you alive. I’ve already cast the protection circle on several members of Russell’s old pack. They all have human mates to think of as well.”

“So we heard,” Nash said. “That’s why we’re here.”

“We were also interested to learn it wasn’t Caleb who attacked Nash,” Connor said. “I never could reason why Caleb would do such a thing. Turns out, I’d picked up his scent that day because he’d had a run-in with Jayel earlier. His blood attracted another wolf, and that’s who turned Nash. It was Titus, the eldest and meanest of the old pack alpha’s offspring.”

Drew gave a disgusted grunt. “Titus. I heard stories about him from Russell. Him and the rest of Blaise’s sick mongrel pups.”

Nash had an unpleasant glitter in his eyes when he spoke. “If anyone in the old pack still deserves vigilante justice now that their keeper Blaise is dead, it’d be Titus and his fool brothers.”

“Evil didn’t fall far from that tree,” Drew agreed.

“Jayel can’t exact that justice on any of the pack,” Talaitha said. “Whether or not they were responsible for the atrocities against her family. My curse prevents her from killing
any
werewolf.”

“But humans are another matter,” Terra said. “So that’s why we’re asking for this protection spell of yours.”

“It is a simple matter,” Talaitha said. “Russell should have started the fire pit by now. If you’ll follow me, we can get started.”

Talaitha gestured into the woods, and Drew led the way. They all filed behind, Terra sandwiched between her mates while they were taken to a clearing in the woods. The man waiting there by a small campfire was taller than Drew, with brown hair and the usual gold-flecked werewolf eyes. He was dressed cowboy-fashion in a hat and boots similar to Connor’s and Nash’s, along with a red plaid shirt and dusty jeans. He gave Connor a nod of acknowledgment as they approached.

“Ready?” Russell asked Talaitha as she moved beside him. He casually draped an arm over her shoulder.

She looked at them all and nodded. “If you’ll each take a white sage bundle,” she said, pointing to a pile of tied-up sticks on the ground. “Light just the end in the fire. Then stand around Terra.”

Terra felt a wave of nerves wash over her as she did what the gypsy instructed. She’d never been around magic before. She’d never even considered that magic was something real, let alone something she’d need to protect her family.

When the sage bundles glowed orange and released puffs of white smoke, Talaitha lifted her arms and chanted something in her native tongue. Then she switched to English.

“I cast this protection for Terra and hers,” she said. She walked around Terra with her sage, creating a circle of herb-scented smoke. “Let no darkness enter the circle. Let no danger follow the smoke.”

Talaitha stopped in front of her. “Now, face the direction of your parents’ home and extend the sage out that way. Everyone else do the same.”

Terra frowned and glanced around the tall pine trees. She didn’t have her bearings out here. Connor, who was beside her, pointed with his sage bundle. She gave a quarter turn and stuck her arm out.

Talaitha whispered in Romani to Terra’s sage bundle, and the curls of smoke wafting upward began changing. Everyone’s smoke straightened and changed direction, practically shooting straight out in the direction they all were pointing.

After a moment where they all watched the smoke behave abnormally, Talaitha nodded in satisfaction. “The spell is complete.”

“That’s it?” Terra asked. “That’s all you have to do?” She wasn’t sure what she expected, but there hadn’t been nearly as much fanfare and hocus-pocus as she figured would be necessary.

Talaitha smiled. “Your family will be safe from many things now, not only the danger Jayel’s revenge brings.”

Terra lowered the sage bundle and followed suit when the rest tossed theirs into the fire. The heady aroma released mingled with the scent of the campfire and pine around her, and she breathed it in.

“We appreciate your help,” Nash said, “but it seems to me that the best way to put a stop to Jayel is to get to her personally. That’s another reason we’ve come.”

“Get to her how?” Talaitha asked. “Will you kill her?”

“We have to find her,” Connor said. “Several from the pack have been searching, but there’s been no sign of her since she left Terra’s.”

“Maybe she has given up,” Talaitha said. “All her failed attempts on your pack have got to be sending her a message about this path she’s taken. Maybe she won’t be back.”

“Could be,” Nash said, “but in case she does return, we’re hopin’ we can count on Russ and Drew to help in the hunt. The more of us we have lookin’ for her, the faster this will be over.”

Russell shook his head. “Murderin’ a human ain’t somethin’ I can support,” Russell said. “She’s got her reasons for hatin’ us. And with Tal’s spell in place, she can’t kill us.”

“But now she’s involved innocents,” Connor said. “We can’t let that go unchecked. Someone will get hurt, curse or not.”

“We ain’t plannin’ on killin’ her,” Nash said. “But we have to try to reason with her. And there’s someone we think can talk her out of this vendetta.”

Russell and Drew exchanged confused expressions.

“Her brother Jayson is one of you now,” Terra said. “He’s our best chance of getting through to her.” Her eyes shifted to Talaitha’s. “Unless there’s some other mojo you can work to change her mind completely.”

Talaitha shook her head. “With hate that powerful, there’s no spell that can completely undo it. She has to make the choice herself.”

Russell nodded. “So where is Jayson?”

“We don’t know that, either,” Connor admitted.

“Best as we’ve been able to figure,” Nash added, “he ain’t been seen since your old pack split. We have to find him, too.”

The group fell silent. Russell looked to Drew, who folded his arms. “I suppose we could join in the search for him. Assumin’ Kade ain’t opposed to the pack joinin’ forces.”

“Kade is lettin’ us coordinate efforts,” Nash said. “He and his mate Chaz have even searched the area around their ranch.”

Drew nodded thoughtfully. Then he strolled up and shook Connor’s hand. “We’ll do what we can to help.”

Russell slapped Connor on the back. “Startin’ with askin’ you to join us for supper. Tal’s got a pot of the best stew you’ve ever tasted on the stove.”

Nash and Connor threw Terra a quick glance, and Nash gave a wicked grin. “Thank you for the hospitality,” he said, “but we have to get back down the hill before dark. We need to unpack Terra’s stuff at the new place.”

“Next week, maybe?” Connor asked. “Only let us have you over for a barbecue to thank you for your help.”

“We’d like that,” Talaitha said.

After farewells, Terra drove the three of them down the mountain while listening to the men discuss the next step in stopping Jayel. It was a good plan, really. Assuming they could find Jayson. And in the meantime, Talaitha had seen to their safety. It wasn’t over, but it was good enough for the moment.

The conversation soon turned to other, more personal matters, and her thoughts were interrupted when Nash piped up from the backseat.

“So, now that you’re whiskin’ us off to our new apartment, are you sure you’re ready?” he asked.

Terra paused while she steered through a curve. “Ready for which part? College, a live-in relationship, or jumping into the grown-up world in general?”

“All of the above.”

“As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.”

“Your mother mentioned a gift on our way out,” he said. “What was it? We were in such a hurry to get up the mountain that I forgot to ask.”

Terra broke out into a grin. “Check the side pocket of my bag back there.”

She heard him rustling around and he gave a snort. “Condoms?

Connor chuckled from his spot in the front seat. “Did you explain to her that werewolves are only fertile three nights out of the year?”

“Yeah,” Nash said. “During the anniversary full moon of our turning.”

“I tried. She told me to humor an old woman.”

“Then I guess we shouldn’t point out condoms won’t do squat durin’ a fertile moon,” Nash said. “The only safe sex then is the hands-off approach.”

“Not that
hands
are the problem,” Connor said in a teasing tone. “Or do I need to explain the birds and bees to you?”

“Ha-ha.”

In a more serious tone, Connor turned to Terra. “So, was it as hard as you thought? Leavin’ home, I mean.”

Terra thought over the scene a few hours before. “It was okay, actually. Mom talked about stuff I did when I was five. She cried, I cried, and Dad, well, he didn’t cry, but he commanded the three of us to come to dinner once a week.” She glanced at the man beside her and smiled. “Besides, it’s not like we moved a thousand miles away. We’re twenty minutes from them, right near the campus.”

“Still plannin’ to pursue a math major?” Connor asked.

“For accounting,” she said. “Then when you guys shift over from the new construction jobs to running your own contracting business, I can manage the books for you.”

“A hot cheerleader who’s also got brains,” Nash said, and from the rearview mirror she glimpsed him reaching between his thighs suggestively. “Be still my beatin’ heart.”

“That’s your throbbin’ cock,” Connor said with a laugh. “Your heart beats
above
your belt.”

“Speak for yourself.” Terra quirked a smile at Connor’s rolled eyes. Her heart pounded with affection and need as she drove down the same winding mountain road where she had first met her mates. As she drove them to the home they would all share together. Things had been so hectic between her college preparations and the men’s search for construction work in between hunting excursions for Jayel that she hadn’t seen her lovers in over a week. That time felt more like months as she listened to their much-missed light banter. Their male scents took hold of her while she all but leered at them both. She was a lucky lady. A very lucky lady, indeed.

“By the way,” she said after they had all been silent for a while, “why were you in such a hurry to get me down the hill? You made it sound like I brought a ton of stuff along for you to unpack. I only have two suitcases and a box.”