Chapter 25
Chapter
Twenty-Five
ZANDER
My heart was full to bursting as I recalled Reid’s tentative but sweet expression as he’d told me I could call on him. I hadn’t done so yet. I’d just remained outside the Omega House, and sometimes I could see his silhouette through the window if he moved around during the night.
I would, though. I was just giving him time.
“Why are you grinning into your herbal tea like a goof?” Clay asked, pausing in my office doorway.
I huffed and flashed him a smile. “Thinking about my mate.”
He smirked. “You’re so disgustingly smitten. Just wait until he accepts you as his alpha. You’ll be unbearable.”
I rolled my eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with being happy.”
“I know.” His grin faded and his expression grew serious. “I’m happy for you, boss. We all are.”
I rubbed my cheek, hoping he wouldn’t notice the way heat rushed to them. “Thanks.”
Clay shrugged. “It’s just the truth. Anyway, I’m here because we got a call about someone losing their shit at the supermarket. Don’t worry, it wasn’t Reid this time. I’m heading over to check it out.”
“Do you need to take backup?” I asked, since he’d have a better idea of the situation than me.
“Nah, I doubt it. I’ll call if it escalates but I don’t think it’s anything serious.”
“Okay, thanks for letting me know.”
He nodded and hurried away. I turned my attention to the report I was supposed to be reviewing and did my best to focus on it.
However, only a few minutes later, Bea dropped by to let me know that a pair of wolf shifters had gotten into a fight after a road rage incident and she was taking Clay to help corral them.
Another half hour after that, Hawk raced out to deal with a teenager who’d gotten a hold of a rifle and was taking potshots at the neighbor’s deer.
I wandered through the nearly empty station, baffled by the sudden uptick in violent crime. In general, Grizzly Ridge was a law-abiding town. We had a few speeding tickets and parking violations, but other than incidents like the ones involving the Red Moon Pack, violence was rare.
I looked out the window. Snow was falling steadily. Usually, behavior was worse during heat waves. On days like today, I’d expect people to be cooped up inside with a hot drink and a blanket, not out causing trouble.
I wandered up to join Nell at reception to ask if she had any idea what was going on, but before the words got out of my mouth, the front door flew open and Reid rushed inside, panting heavily, with Hamish close on his heels.
Reid bent over, his hands on his abdomen and his complexion a little waxy. He gagged then stumbled, his eyes wide and panicky. I inhaled and noted the sour scent of his fear in the air.
My arms twitched, eager to wrap around him and reassure him, but I joined my hands behind my back instead so as not to overwhelm him. He’d kissed me so sweetly the other night, but I didn’t want to assume I could take liberties.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, striding over to him and ignoring the way Hamish puffed up as if intending to protect him from me.
“I felt an influx of magic,” Reid panted, straightening and mopping his sweaty brow. “I don’t know who caused it, but there’s not usually much magic in Grizzly Ridge, other than what you guys use to shift. This was strong and pure, like something from another warlock.”
“Could you sense where it came from?” I asked, reaching for my radio. If he had a direction or point of origin, I could call for reinforcements and go to check it out.
But Reid shook his head. “It’s like this wave of magic flooded the town, but I couldn’t get anything useful from it.” He bit his lip, furrowing his brow. “I’m sorry I’m not more help.”
“No, this is useful,” I assured him. “We just had a spate of violent incidents. I wonder if the two could be related.”
At this, Reid’s frown cleared away. “They could. When people aren’t able to wield magic but they’re inundated with it, they become agitated. That could easily show up as violence.”
“Did you get a sense of whether the magic was good or evil?” I asked, mentally rolling through the options for how to proceed. Honestly, without a person or place to investigate, there weren’t many. “Is the magic still present?”
He grimaced. “It left as quickly as it arrived while we were driving over here.”
A thought struck me. Perhaps Nathaniel Birch had arrived in town early. Would the arrival of someone like him cause magic to behave in such a manner?
I grabbed my cell phone and called his number.
“Birch,” he answered.
“Hi, Nathaniel. It’s Sheriff Zander Blackwood from Grizzly Ridge. We just experienced some kind of magical surge. Are you in the area?”
“As I told you previously, I won’t arrive until tomorrow.”
Damn. There went that idea.
“Do you think you’ll be able to trace the magic even after twenty-four hours have passed?” I asked, needing some kind of lead to sink my claws into.
“Perhaps. Your local warlock, is he able to trace magic?” he asked.
I glanced at Reid. “He can’t tell where it came from, and I don’t think he’s had any training in that space.”
Reid mouthed, “I haven’t.”
Nathaniel hummed in thought. “Put me on speakerphone. We’ll see if I can talk him through the process.”
I switched the call to speakerphone and angled it toward Reid.
“Hello?” Nathaniel said.
“Hi.” Reid stared at the phone dubiously.
“Are you Reid?” Nathaniel asked.
“Yes. Who are you?”
“Nathaniel Birch. Retired from the PBI. Do you have the capacity to use magic without a circle or a spell?”
His tongue darted out to moisten his lips. “Um, yes.”
“Good. Are you sitting down?”
“No.”
“Please do so.” Nathaniel waited until Reid sat on Nell’s chair and called out that he was ready before continuing. “Close your eyes. Feel the magic within you. You know what I mean. It’s that tingle and warmth as it flows through you.”
Reid nodded, glancing at me before closing his eyes. My heart swelled at the trust implicit in that gesture.
“Your magic will be aware of other magic nearby. It will have a certain hum to it. See if you can recognize that feeling.”
Reid was quiet for a long moment, his hands resting on his lap, his eyelashes casting shadows over his cheeks. “I… I think I’ve got something.”
“Good, that’s really good. Now envision it like a cord and use your magic like a pair of tweezers to latch onto it.”
A groove formed between Reid’s eyebrows. It deepened the longer he went without responding and eventually he huffed. “I can’t get it.”
“Keep trying,” Nathaniel urged. “Sometimes it takes a while. In your mind, picture the cord as being solid. Use your fingers to mime the motion of grabbing onto it if that helps. Some people are more kinetic when using magic.”
Reid breathed slowly and deeply a few times, then reached out and pinched his fingertips together. He cursed and scowled, apparently failing, then tried again.
“I can smell it,” he muttered, clearly frustrated. “Kind of minty. It’s right there but I can’t get it.”
Nathaniel urged him to keep trying but a short time later, he called an end to it, accepting that it wasn’t going to happen today.
“It was worth a shot,” Nathaniel said as Reid’s eyes fluttered open and he rubbed his temple. “I’m not surprised it was too much. Most warlocks require a lot of training before attempting such a thing, so don’t beat yourself up about it.”
Reid mumbled a response and we wrapped up the phone call, but I could tell from the glossiness of his eyes that he was upset by the lack of result.
“Hey,” I murmured, approaching him slowly in case I frightened him. I laid my hand on his shoulder and wished I could just scoop him into my arms. “We’ll figure this out. You aren’t alone.”
He looked up at me and a tear trailed down his cheek. His mouth trembled and my gut clenched in response.
“Fuck it.”
I pulled him into a hug, and my soul sang when he melted into the embrace, the slight swell of his belly pressed against me.
He’d allowed me to hold him.
Ours, my bear insisted.