Chapter Four
Mara
Her life begins to flash through my head, but stops abruptly. I look down, and she’s still holding my hand. Confused, I turn my head. Rome is holding my other hand.
“It was instinct,” he says. “If I could take the man's emotions and make them void, I could take hers. Counteract the touch.”
“Mara,” Lace swallows harshly. “I didn’t think.” She moves closer. “You can touch me.” I haven’t hugged my sister for years. It wasn’t as bad when I was younger. As I aged, it became too powerful to ignore, and I decided not to risk it. I shut off all physical affection; it wasn’t worth the pain.
“Sister.” I yank her hand, and she hits my chest. She wraps her arms around me, tucking her face into my neck.
I meet Rome's eyes, his hand firmly in mine. “We haven’t hugged since we were little.” I palm the back of her head, and tears fill my eyes.
Coming back from the Games was the most painful time of my life.
I couldn’t hold her, comfort her, especially after what I did, and the torture of touching the shifters.
“Fuck, Mara,” Rome says, watching Lace burrow closer.
“I’m sorry,” Archer says. “To both of you. I can’t imagine the pain.”
“I should be thanking both of you,” I say, and Lace sobs.
“We’ve had a hard time dealing with it. I didn’t think we would ever be able to be close.
” I glide my hand down her hair. “I’ve tried to take care of her in every other way, but nothing can replace physical touch.
” I exhale harshly. The only things I’ve allowed myself is brief touches to her shoulders or a light nudge of my hip.
“I think we have to explore your powers. Together, we could possibly direct your gift and make it do what we want.” Rome raises our joined hands briefly. “There may be a point when I don’t have to be in contact for you to hug her. You could turn it off and on like a switch, and guide it.”
“I—” I’ve never thought it possible. “I would like to try.” I look down at Lace. “Even if this is the extent of what we can do, I’m grateful.” Lace pulls back, wiping her cheeks.
“Love you,” she whispers. “Excuse me.” She rushes away.
“Is she alright?” Archer asks.
“She’s uncomfortable showing emotion in front of strangers.
” I smile tightly, wishing I could comfort her.
Lace needs some time alone. “We can go in the back.” They follow me through the store.
I stop at the door to the back room and pause.
“Wait here for a minute.” Rome nods, and I slip through the door.
The room isn’t big. Lace has two chairs for customers and a long counter where she stores her supplies.
There is a small, comfortable seating area on the opposite side.
I hurry to the small couch and gather the stuffed animals.
With the soft toys held tightly in my arms, I struggle to open the door to the closet, but get it open on the third try.
I carefully place all of them on the shelf.
Lace would be upset if the guys saw them.
She thinks it’s childish, but can’t help her need for them.
I would hate to embarrass her any more than she already is.
I doubt Rome and Archer would notice or care.
It’s Lace’s choice to reveal that side to anyone.
Slowly walking back to the door, I glance around to make sure I didn’t miss any. I stumble to a halt when I catch my reflection in the tall mirror.
Oh. No.
Speed walking closer, I stare in horror at my hair.
You know what happens when you lie down?
I have a rat's nest on the back of my head. My hair is almost to my waist, but part of it is smooshed to the back of my head. I lean forward. Are those crusties in the corners of my eyes? This is how I met my bond. I raise my hand, but stop. If I fix it, it may be more obvious. Fuck it. Running my fingers through my hair, I roll my eyes. My jeans are the most faded pair in my closet. We rarely dress up for work, so I grabbed the most comfortable pants. My shirt is long-sleeved and loose around the neck. It falls off my shoulder, and I constantly have to pull it up, but it’s super soft.
Touching the corners of my eyes, I walk back to the door before they think I escaped out the back, since it took so long.
“Sorry,” I say softly as I open the door.
“Don’t worry about it,” Rome says, tucking my hair behind my ear. I roll my lips as they walk by and then shut the door. He definitely noticed.
“Does Lace do tattoos?” Archer asks, wandering around.
“Yeah. She has a small customer base. All kinds of shifters and humans come to her for ink.” I put my hands in my pockets, watching Rome open a book of her work.
“She’s really good. Several of mine are her work.
” I startle when Rome’s eyes lift, pinning me in place.
The intensity in his gaze makes my breath catch.
“How many do you have?” He looks at my bare shoulder. “More than I can see.”
“Yes.” I gulp. Why do I want to strip and show him?
“Hmm…” He grins and returns to the book.
“How long has she been doing it?” Archer asks, oblivious or ignoring our exchange.
“Six years,” I answer, almost grateful for his presence. Who knows what I would do without witnesses?
“Have you been here six years?” Rome asks.
“No. We just opened a few months ago. Lace had a place in another state for a while, but it was trashed,” I explain.
“How?” he frowns.
I lick my lips. “A coyote shifter destroyed everything.” I pause, not sure I want to explain further.
“Why?” Archer asks.
“He was looking for her friend and found Lace instead.” I cross my arms.
“Did he hurt her?” Rome asks, walking toward me.
“He hit her.” I drop my arms when he’s in front of me.
“Did he get away?”
“No. He was killed by a vampire.” I stare at his lips. The bottom one is fuller than the top.
“Vampire,” Archer hisses.
“He’s a good one,” I say quickly. Micah is an ancient vampire, and is mate to Daisy, Lace’s friend. I haven’t met him personally, but I’ve heard good things about him. Lace keeps in touch with her friend.
“A good one,” Archer snorts.
“He’s not a fan,” Rome says dryly. “He’s had too many bad experiences with vampires.”
“There are bad people of every species,” I say.
“Like coyotes,” Archer says with disdain.
“He’s not their fan either. Another bad experience,” Rome says.
“What about you?” I ask.
“I try to decide their worth from their actions,” he says, tracing the edge of the neck of my shirt. “Most of the time, I agree about the coyotes. They cause trouble.”
“Vampires are alright?” I ask, smiling slightly.
“Depends. I’d rather not be around them. They move too fast. It’s not natural,” he says.
“But we are natural,” I tease, and he slides his finger under my bra strap. He caresses back and forth.
“Rome likes to be the most powerful in the room,” Archer says dryly.
“True.” Rome grins charmingly. Between that and the motion of his hand, I’ve lost total concentration. “I guess I’ve had some bad experiences, too.”
“Sorry,” Lace says, rushing through the door. “Don’t touch that.” Rome and I turn to see Archer playing with her tattoo gun.
“Shit, sorry.” Archer backs away with his hands in the air. Rome takes away his touch, and I miss it.
“No. That was too harsh.” Lace shakes her head. “My tools are spelled. Mara can’t touch them either. Her magic messes them up. I have to have them exactly right to mark shifters.” She smiles and moves toward him.
“I didn’t realize,” Archer mumbles.
“I know,” Lace replies, picking it up and sliding it into a drawer. “I’ll fix it later.” She folds her arms across her stomach. Her makeup is a bit smudged, but otherwise, you can’t tell she was upset. Lace hides her emotions well. “Are we doing this?”
“Why don’t I try with Mara?” Rome turns his attention to me, and I lose my breath. I have to get a handle on how he makes me feel, or I’ll never be able to concentrate again. “Ready?”
“Yes.” I move to the middle of the room, sit on the floor, and cross my legs. “Is this okay?” I ask, looking up at Rome as he stands over me. “It’s a habit to ground myself on the floor.” Every witch practices magic differently. My spells come more easily when I am closer to the earth.
“It’s perfect,” he says, fluidly sitting, crossing his legs, his feet brushing mine.
He lays his arms across his knees, holding his palms flat.
“Put your hands on mine. We can test the connection. Learn our limits.” I nod and press my palms to his.
At the first touch, the air is sucked out of the room. “Damn, that’s powerful.”
“All my hair is standing on end,” Lace comments and rubs her arms. “I need to sit.” She drops weakly into her chair. Archer doesn’t say anything, but moves behind Rome. He slides down the wall, leaning against it.
“Mara,” Rome says softly, and I look at him. “Keep your eyes on mine.” I exhale and focus on him. “Good. Don’t look away. Feel our spells and the energy between us.” I nod and look within.
My magic is fluid, always moving. It would be difficult to explain how it works to a human.
Shifters have the presence of an animal inside them, a part of them, the same, yet different.
My spells are me. They have always been there, so it’s in my blood, in my bones.
It isn’t a separate entity. Even though I’ve had trouble with my gift, I love being a witch and feeling the energy inside me that I can call on when I need it.
It’s second nature to pull it from all corners of my body.
I push and pull it to the center of my body, molding it into a ball.
When it is pulsing in my gut, I reach for Rome’s spells.