The Shifter Romances The Writer (Nocturne Falls Book 6) (26 page)

So strange. No matter how spot on the locket was, this was a definite case of too little, too late.

Maybe she’d take out the book cover and add a photo of Alex. She snorted. That would be karma, wouldn’t it? Using her ex-husband’s gift to keep her new man close? Sweet justice was what that sounded like to her.

Although maybe it was a little early to have a picture of Alex in a locket. She didn’t want him to think she’d turned weirdly possessive the moment she was single. No, that was too much. For now, the locket would be put away. Or maybe she really should just return it to Thomas’s lawyer and let him handle it. She nodded. That was the best solution.

Decision made. She snapped the velvet box closed and put the cardboard one and the tissue into the recycling bin. As she was doing that, she noticed a folded note card stuck in the bottom flap.

She pulled it out and unfolded it.

Saw this, thought of you.

The handwriting seemed like the same scrawling style as the other note Thomas had sent, and neither one was a perfect match for his penmanship. But in this age of emails and text, how often did she really see his handwriting anyway? And it wasn’t like she had a treasure trove of cards and love notes from him to compare it to.

She tossed the note in the recycling bin too. Again, what did it matter? The papers were signed and the Thomas chapter of her life was over.

She walked to her bedroom, smiling and ready to crawl under the covers and dream. Let the Alex chapter begin.

The buzz of insects filled the sweet evening air with a soft hum, and Alex wondered if Roxy was listening to it too, or if she’d already drifted off to sleep. The fence between their houses blocked his view from the back porch, but he could imagine her fast asleep, a peaceful expression on her beautiful face.

Which led to him wondering what it would be like to be curled up next to her, holding her in his arms. He smiled at the thought. If only his mother knew what was going through his mind. He glanced at her on the love seat next to his chair. Maybe she did. “What do you think of Roxy?”

Carmen lifted her glass to no one in particular, almost sloshing the sangria out of it. “I like her very much.”

Alex grinned into the darkness of the evening. His back porch was lit only by a single candle, something else his mother had brought along with the food and sweets and wine. She loved to add decorative touches to his house. This one was at least tolerable. And the solitary flame was more than enough for their feline eyes to see by. “Of course you do. You’re addicted to her books.”

Carmen swallowed another sip of sangria. It was the last glass from a very large pitcher and she’d done more than her share to empty it. “That has nothing to do with it.”

He gave her the side eye. “Nothing?”

She laughed. “Well, it’s not the main thing. It’s a definite bonus, that’s for sure.” His mother’s expression turned serious. “Oh, her books, Alex, they are so good. All that angst and romance and the terrible things that her characters overcome for love.” She sighed and clutched a hand to her heart.

He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table. “Yeah, I read the first one. It was pretty good. Really good, actually. I like my books with a little less kissing, but I can see the appeal.” The kissing he liked was
with
the author, not on the pages.

Carmen stared at him, her eyes wide and glimmering gold, more from the alcohol she’d consumed than anything else. “You read one?”

“Don’t act so shocked. I read. Not sure about Diego, but—”

“Oh, let your brother be.”

“You know he’s living with a girl he just met. A much younger girl. I’m surprised that doesn’t concern you more.”

She sighed. It was a long, practiced sound that he’d heard many times before. “Will you take him back in when she kicks him out?”

Alex stared at the porch ceiling. “I don’t want to. I want my own life.” With Roxy. “I’m a grown man who needs his space and his privacy.”

She nodded. “Especially with your new chica.” Another soft exhale came out of her. “I don’t know where we went wrong with him. I thought after the Marines…” She tapped her painted nails on the wine glass, sending a crystalline ringing into the air. “I wish that boy would get his act together.”

He glanced at her. The expression on her face was more appalled than disappointed. “Maybe someday.”

“I’m going to see him tomorrow. Talk some sense into him.”

Alex grunted softly. “Good luck.”

“Pfft. What he needs is a swift kick in the
culo
. And you.” She pointed at Alex. “Don’t let him move back in here.”

Alex’s brows lifted and he repressed a smile. It wasn’t like his mother to use saucy language. But then, that was probably the sangria talking. “I won’t, but you realize that you’ll be his next stop.”

“No, he knows better. Your father won’t have it.”

“All right, then. We’ll see what happens. But he’ll have to go somewhere.” Alex’s thoughts turned to his father. “What do you think Dad would think of Roxy?”

“He’d like her very much. You know he respects anyone who makes their own way in the world.”

Which was why he wasn’t about to let Diego move back in. “I do know that, but what would he think about her being human?”

Carmen shrugged. “It happens. Your great-aunt Alita was human.”

He sat up. “No, she wasn’t. I saw her shift when I was a kid.”

Carmen’s eyes widened, and she rubbed her nose, a sign that she was holding something back. It was her tell, and everyone in the family knew it. “Oh, no, that’s right. Never mind.”

He stared at his mother. “You rubbed your nose. You’re hiding something. Spill it.”

She frowned. “You’re a bad boy.”

“Yeah, yeah, out with it.”

She grimaced. “Aunt Alita was human, but she loved your uncle Santino so much that she went through an old ritual for him that would allow her to live as one of us, but it’s an awful thing. And it’s why she died so young. It takes a terrible toll on the human body. Don’t even think about it, Alexito. Let Roxy be.”

He nodded and slouched back down in his chair. “Just curious, is all. What happens? How does it work?”

“
Alex
. Leave it.”

“I wouldn’t put her through that. I just want to know. Aunt Alita did it, so why not tell me?”

Carmen sat quietly for a moment. “It takes a willing human and a powerful witch. It’s old, old magic. And it doesn’t really turn the human into a shifter, it just puts a spell on them that allows them to shift. It’s not the same thing as being born one. But the weight of that spell, that’s what does the damage. Humans aren’t meant to carry that much magic for too long. After a while, it wears them out.”

Aunt Alita had been forty-three when she died. But she’d looked like a woman in her seventies. That much he remembered. He shook his head. “I would never want less time with Roxy. Only more.”

Carmen nodded. “That’s right. Remember that. And don’t let her know that such a thing is even possible. Uncle Santino spent the rest of his life regretting what she’d done and wishing she was still at his side. It’s not worth it. For either of you.”

“I agree.” He glanced toward Roxy’s house. The thought of her as a shifter, running wild beside him was a very intoxicating one. But not at such a cost.

It added to his worries about her. Now that she knew Nocturne Falls was a supernatural haven, she’d probably go into research mode to find out everything she could about the town and the people who lived here and how the real supernatural world compared to her fictional one. What if she stumbled onto information about what his mother had just told him?

He promised himself that he would find time to talk to one of the most powerful witches in town about this as soon as possible. Pandora Williams. She knew Roxy and she’d understand Alex’s concerns. She could spread the word that no one was to give in if Roxy were to request such a thing.

A soft snore broke through Alex’s thoughts. His mother had fallen asleep. He smiled and took the wine glass out of her hand, then scooped her into his arms and carried her into the guest room.

After he laid her on the bed, he pulled a blanket over her and shut the door.

He ought to go to bed himself, but he wasn’t sleepy. In fact, he was restless. What he needed was a run. Normally, he’d drive up to the land the Ellinghams reserved for such use, but he didn’t want to take that much time. And the two women he cared about most were right here. Leaving them for that long wasn’t something he cared to do either.

For tonight, the neighborhood would have to do. He’d stay in the shadows and make sure he wasn’t seen.

With that settled, he slipped out the front door, locked it behind him, then leaped off the front porch and shifted mid-air.

It felt good to be in his panther form. Not as good as when Roxy had run her nails through his fur and stared at him with amazement in her eyes, but close.

He took off in a long, loping run, working out his muscles and disappearing into the dark, a blur of sleek black, a shadow of a creature so large that no one would have believed what they were seeing anyway.

By the time he got home, he was ready for bed. Worn out in a good way. His head was empty of almost all the days’ worries and concerns. Except for the thought of Roxy at his side. It was just a dream, though. Maybe even
dream
was too strong a word. A lingering idea. Nothing that was going to influence his decisions.

He could happily live the rest of his life with a human woman. He knew that much. Roxy was enough. More than enough.

But could she spend the rest of her life with a shifter and be content? He’d seen the longing in her eyes as she’d looked at him. Would she come to resent his abilities? Would that imbalance grow into something that would eventually tear them apart? And what if it meant they couldn’t have kids? Would that be a deal breaker for her?

That all remained to be seen. And solidified his determination to talk to Pandora. Protecting Roxy had to come before all else.

Roxy was up early after the first decent night’s sleep she’d had in four days. She stretched lazily in bed, a smile on her face as thoughts of the night before took over. Alex. That man was reason enough to smile.

She slipped out of bed and into some workout clothes. There were a thousand and one things to do, but a little yoga was first. Her body protested after her spell of inactivity, but it was good to move and stretch.

Coffee was next, followed by a quick text to Delaney so Roxy could plan the rest of her day.
Morning!
Where do you want to meet?

While she waited for Delaney’s answer, Roxy tried to figure out what in the world she was going to eat for breakfast. Her grocery supplies were in sad shape. Almost depleted actually. That meant she needed to add a Shop-n-Save run to her growing list of to-do’s.

She finally settled on one last slice of cold pizza. Not what she wanted but better than going hungry. As she ate, she thought about heading over to Alex’s, pretty sure Carmen was making him a full spread. She seemed like that kind of mom. But heading over there would undoubtedly mean giving up an hour or so that could be spent working, something Roxy desperately needed to do.

Ignored emails didn’t go away, they multiplied like spring bunnies, and she hadn’t touched her inbox in three days. No doubt it was overflowing.