Chapter 19
As Briggs opened the door to BFK Securities and ushered Cece inside, he chastised his bear.
You have got to chill the fuck out.
His bear ignored him completely, and Briggs could have cheerfully strangled him. He wasn’t someone who lost control of his shifter side very often, and how easily his bear had taken enough control to force him to tell Cece she was his to protect made him a little uneasy.
Before he could say anything else to his bear, the scent of Cece’s happiness washed over him. She had spotted Rosalie standing at the curved reception desk and talking to Willow, who stood behind it.
“Rosalie, hi!” Cece said.
Rosalie smiled at her. “Hey, Cece. How are you?”
“I’m good. How are you?” She joined them at the reception desk as Hudson stepped out of Kat’s office and headed toward Briggs. “How did the rest of the night go?”
“Fine,” Briggs said. “The witch didn’t return, and no sign of her this morning.”
“Did Cece stay in her room?” Hudson studied Cece.
“Yes,” Briggs said as Kat’s office door opened again, and Tori walked out.
“Did you stop in to say hi to Hudson?” Cece asked.
Rosalie glanced at Hudson, a small smile on her lips. “Not exactly.”
“She’s here because someone’s got the overprotective mate thing down to a science,” Tori said with a grin at Hudson.
“Like I didn’t hear you talking to the warlock about the cost for one for Judd,” Hudson said.
Tori grinned. “Touché, big guy.”
At Cece’s look of confusion, Rosalie said, “Hudson asked me to stop by during a work break so that the warlock could put a protection spell on me as well.”
She gave Hudson a teasing grin. “Monroe even gave Hudson the group rate price even though I don’t work for the security firm.”
“I would have paid for the spell at full price, my mate,” Hudson said.
Rosalie laughed. “I know, honey.”
Cece still looked a little confused, and Rosalie gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “It’s so we can spend time together without Hudson worrying.”
“I still need to be there whenever you spend time with her, Rosie,” Hudson said.
“I know.” She smiled at him before turning back to Cece.
“That is, if you want to have dinner again with us. It’s fine if you don’t.
I won’t take offense or anything. I just felt like we had a connection, and once this is all over and you’re no longer under attack from other witches, I would love to introduce you to Maggie, too.
She’s really sweet, and I think the two of you would get along well. ”
“They totally would,” Willow said.
“Right?” Rosalie said. “But only if you want to, Cece. I’m not trying to push you into a friendship, but I enjoyed spending time with you and… oh God, I’m doing it again. Tell me to stop talking, Hudson.”
A rare grin on his face, Hudson said, “Stop talking, Rosie.”
She sighed as Cece laughed and said, “I would love to spend more time with you, Rosalie. And meet Maggie.”
“That’s great!” Rosalie hesitated before giving Cece a brief hug. “Okay, I have to get back to work, but it was good to see you again. I’ll text you, and we’ll figure out a day to do dinner this week, okay?”
“Sounds great.”
Briggs could smell Cece’s happiness again, even from across the office, and his bear growled with satisfaction.
Our mate has a new friend.
Briggs didn’t bother to correct him about the mate thing this time. It felt like a losing battle.
“I’ll walk you to your car, my mate,” Hudson said.
They left, and Cece turned when the boardroom door opened. Davis, Ronin, Fenton, and Garth walked out, and Briggs’s bear growled when it caught the bull shifter’s scent.
Cool it, Briggs snapped at him, even though he wasn’t exactly thrilled to see Garth either.
He reminded himself again that it wasn’t Garth’s fault that Cece had almost died, but he couldn’t help the niggle of jealousy when Garth greeted Cece, and she smiled at him.
Briggs immediately joined them, his shoulder nearly knocking Fenton off his feet when he smacked into him in his haste. The cheetah shifter hissed lightly under his breath. “Watch where you’re going, Briggs.”
“Sorry,” he grunted before standing next to Cece.
“How are you doing?” Garth asked Cece. “I heard there was some trouble last night.”
“I’m good,” Cece said. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“You as well.” Garth gave Briggs a grin. “Briggs.”
“Garth.” Briggs kept his voice civil but couldn’t manage a smile.
Garth, Davis, and Fenton left the office as Ronin leaned against the reception desk. “Hey, girl.”
“Hi, Ronin,” Cece said. “Did you have the protection spell done?”
“Good to go,” Ronin said with a grin.
“Monroe got here a little early, so Mal got him started on the others,” Willow said. “He decided to have protection spells put on everyone in the firm.”
“Really?” Cece said.
Willow nodded. “Yeah, he figured why not. Monroe says the spell will last a year as long as we’re not, like, attacked by a witch, and if our employees have protection spells, it’s just another service we can offer to clients who need help with witches or warlocks, right?”
“Right,” Cece said. “Did he do one on you?”
Willow nodded. “Sure did. He had to modify it to protect both the baby and me.”
“Good, that’s good,” Cece said.
Briggs could smell her relief, and when he gave her a questioning look, Cece said, “If he knows that he has to modify a protection spell for a pregnant woman, then he’s at least competent.”
“He seemed great to me,” Willow said. “Nice guy and cute. Also single.”
Ronin laughed. “It was one of the first questions she asked him.”
“Hey, I like to look out for my single friends. Maybe he and Cece will hit it off and -”
Briggs’s growl cut her off, and Ronin laughed again. “Now you did it, Will.”
“What did I say?” Willow asked.
Mal stuck his head out of the boardroom. “We’re ready for you and Briggs, Cece. Tori, can you stick around until I’m done?”
Briggs and Cece headed into the boardroom.
Burned white candles and two unburned black candles sat on the boardroom table, and the room smelled of burnt herbs.
A man with light brown hair and dark eyes stood near the table, and he gave them a friendly smile.
He was on the taller side and lean with wire-rimmed glasses that he pushed up his nose as he studied Cece.
His gaze lingered a bit too long on her, and neither Briggs nor his bear liked that one fucking bit.
He inhaled deeply, searching the warlock for any hint of attraction to Cece. His bear growled when he immediately caught the scent of the man’s interest in Cece, and Mal gave him a look.
“You good?” Mal asked.
“I am,” Briggs said.
Mal studied him, and then Cece, and sweat rolled down Briggs’s back.
You’re going to get us fucking fired, and then we won’t have any reason to be around Cece, Briggs snarled at his bear. For the last time, chill the fuck out.
His bear pouted but retreated, unnerved by the thought of not being with Cece.
“You must be Cecelia,” the man said.
“I am. You’re Monroe?”
“That’s right. And you’re having trouble with some of our kind.” He smiled at her.
“Yes,” she said.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “Can I ask why you haven’t reported them to the WWC?”
“Because I have zero proof,” Cece said. “And I know from experience that the Witches and Warlocks Council is too busy chasing down its own agenda to give a crap about the very people it’s supposed to help. Even when there’s proof.”
Her voice was angry, and her knuckles were glowing a soft green. Briggs’s bear chuffed soothingly to her, and Briggs said, “Be calm, little witch.”
She glanced at him and then at her hands before grimacing and flexing them a few times. The green light in her knuckles faded, and she gave Monroe an apologetic look. “Sorry, I have a friend that the WWC screwed over big time, and I’m still salty about it.”
“Understandable,” Monroe said.
His attraction to Cece was growing. Briggs could smell it easily now, and it took every ounce of his willpower not to growl at the warlock.
“Okay, well, you and Briggs are the last two, so let’s get started,” Monroe said.
“What kind of warlock are you?” Cece asked.
“I’m a water warlock,” Monroe said.
“How many protection spells have you done?”
“Many,” Monroe said. “Protection spells are kind of a hobby of mine.”
“A hobby?” Cece said. “I’m sorry, but if they’re just a hobby then -”
“I promise you, I’m excellent at casting protection spells,” Monroe said.
Cece studied him. “No dark magic?”
“Not a bit,” he said. “My mother would hex me herself if I used dark magic.”
“How much time per day do you spend practicing witchcraft?” Cece asked.
Monroe’s grin widened. “I work for the WWC, so I’d say more than average.”
Briggs could smell Cece’s surprise and a hint of embarrassment. “You work for the WWC?”
“I do. In the research department,” he said before Cece could ask. “Don’t worry, I know more than anyone how dysfunctional my employer can be.”
“Do they know you do these protection spells on the side?” Cece asked.
“They do. It’s all on the up and up, Cece, I promise,” Monroe said.
Cece’s tense body relaxed a little, and Monroe gave her another charming smile. “Good to go?”
“Yes. Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Monroe said. “I would have questions too. Okay, let’s start with Briggs.”
His bear growling uneasily, Briggs joined Monroe by the long boardroom table. The warlock didn’t seem intimidated by his size or the scowl Briggs couldn’t keep off of his face.
Monroe lit one of the black candles. It had Briggs’s name carved into it, and he set it inside a circle of black stones before lighting a bundle of herbs that looked similar to what Cece used earlier at the house.