1. Ezra
ONE
ezra
Gods, I hated witches.
This? This was the place where Barrett had found his mate?
I wrinkled my nose, already missing my manor.
He’d asked for help, so I’d come, but I had already planned on leaving as soon as the situation resolved itself.
The sooner I could get out of here, the better.
I didn’t want to be around witches, period.
Didn’t want to be surrounded by their magic—a reminder of everything I wasn’t.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had been around this many of them.
Unlike the shifters, who maintained close relationships with covens and the small communities of witches that were spread throughout our country, there was no love lost between witches and vampires.
They saw us as monsters, and I wanted nothing to do with them.
Not after what had happened the last time I’d been around one.
Still, as much as I despised their kind, even I had to admit there was something quaint about Pleasant Grove. Nauseatingly adorable, from the lights strung up around town to the decorations hanging in the bakery’s windows. It wasn’t like the witch communities I’d visited before.
Barrett’s scent was everywhere, and it was easy to follow it to him—to the coffee shop where I’d seen the little redhead covered in his scent, the one that could only be his mate.
I’d spent the afternoon exploring the town, investigating the strange magical signatures that were all over this place.
Now, I was sitting in a run-down bar. The sign outside read The Enchanted Cauldron, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at how obvious this whole place was.
Pleasant Grove was nothing like I had imagined, though maybe that had more to do with the sheer amount of Halloween decorations hanging up, decorating every inch of Main Street.
They clearly took the holiday seriously.
I was doing what I did best as I stood in the back corner: watching.
Always watching. That was one skill I’d mastered over the last century, since I’d grown up on the streets of New York City—being seen and not heard.
Blending into the shadows, relying on my powers to keep me hidden from prying eyes.
I could fly away at a moment’s notice of danger, taking flight in my other form. It was better this way.
Better that they didn’t know what sort of monster lurked in the dark.
The bell jingling over the door disturbed me, and I turned to find a pair of girls entering arm in arm.
Witches. I knew it like I knew my name. Still, I wasn’t sure why I took note of them.
This wasn’t recon anymore—I was simply waiting for Barrett to show up.
After our last call, I couldn’t leave him to handle the situation alone, and I knew he would show up sooner or later.
“Fuck men. What a waste of a perfectly good outfit.” The words made my ears perk up, unsure why I was listening in on the two witches’ conversation.
“Of a good night, really.” This one had long brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail, exposing the beautiful lines of her neck, while a purple dress seemed to wrap around her body, showing off every sensual curve.
“We can still salvage the night, Rina,” her blonde friend offered, tugging on the red skirt she wore. Rina—that was her name. I filed that information away, unsure why I was still eavesdropping. It was incredibly easy with my heightened senses—smell, hearing, sight.
It would be just as easy to tune them out.
She huffed out a breath. “Can we?”
“Of course. I still can’t believe that guy stood you up,” the blonde one said, exasperated. “I mean, you? And you look hot.”
I had to agree. She was beautiful, undeniably so. I hated that my body reacted to the sight of her. That I couldn’t stop noticing her. I’d sworn off women—witches, especially. Not to mention that wasn’t why I was here.
The brunette—Rina—shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you, Wends. Men aren’t shit. Especially not warlocks who still live in their mother’s basements. Ugh.” She waved her hand. “I’m swearing off dating. No more.”
I could agree with that. Dating was useless—especially as an eternal being. It all seemed so frivolous, so… useless. I was over one hundred years old; I wasn’t about to be someone’s boyfriend.
Her friend frowned. “Eryne will be here soon with her man, and then we can really let loose. Come on, let’s grab drinks. Unwind. Relax.”
I didn’t know why I was still watching. Why I was listening to their conversation, when it would give me no clues about the town or what to expect here. But here I was.
She let out a groan. “Yes, please. Hard stuff only. I want to get so drunk I forget that asshole entirely.” Then she looked over, and where her gaze would normally gloss right over me, thanks to my powers, I saw her eyes connect with mine, and then widen.
Like she’d noticed me—who I was, what I was. Not human—something other.
It shouldn’t have been possible. Not with the way I’d cloaked myself. I frowned, reaching out with my powers to influence her to pay no attention to me.
She wasn’t supposed to see me—or notice the way I’d been watching her.
Finally, she turned to her friend, and I let out a breath. The last thing I needed was to be discovered before I had even reunited with Barrett.
I leaned against the bar in the corner—still half-hidden in shadow—I sipped the whiskey I’d ordered from the light blue haired bartender, a witch who went by the name of Iris. The place had filled up since I’d arrived, and more witches had settled into booths while I was watching the girls.
Finally, I saw the man I was here for. He looked happy with his arms wrapped around the witch he’d told me about—the one who had rescued him and nursed him back to health after he’d been attacked.
She was the small, redheaded one I’d seen from across the street at the coffee shop, while I’d been following the scent trail Barrett had left all over this town.
I knew the moment she saw me across the bar—when I let her—and her eyes widened.
Her lips parted, but it seemed like no sound escaped.
Barrett squeezed her thigh, and I could tell they were having some sort of conversation.
I hadn’t wanted to interrupt my partner before now, wanting to give him this moment with his mate before I stole him away.
Before we got to work.
Barrett was out of his chair before I could stop him—walking towards me with a fierceness on his face that could not be denied.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, asshole?” Barrett asked, pinning me against the wall with one hand in the blink of an eye. “You scared my girl.”
I let a fang pop from my top lip as I snarled back at him, “Good to see you too, Lockwood.” I deserved his ire, because I knew exactly what instincts were driving him, and I’d still provoked him—intentionally or not.
His wolf growled. “Don’t you fucking touch her,” he said, poking my chest with an unusually wolf-like nail. “Don’t even look at her.”
I rolled my eyes. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Finally, he let me go, baring his canine teeth in a warning—but I knew Barrett was all bark and no bite. Not to mention, he was defending his mate. The instincts were strong—especially for an Alpha like him.
“Barrett?” The little redheaded witch’s soft voice came from behind us. “Who is this? How do you know him?”
All eyes on the bar were on us. I couldn’t use my powers on this many of them at once—not when the situation was actively unfolding—but eventually, they’d find out anyway. Especially if the situation was as bad as Barrett had explained.
He cleared his throat, turning to his girl. “Eryne, this is my… partner, Ezra Darkmire.”
“But he’s…” she trailed off, no doubt taking me in fully. My red eyes. My figure, so different from a wolf shifter, and yet no less powerful. “You’re not a wolf, are you?”
“Perceptive, little one,” I said, smirking down at his small witch as I stood to my full height. “A shifter, I am not.” Though that wasn’t entirely true, I supposed. I’d done it earlier, in full view of the cafe, stretching my wings.
She swallowed, the motion attracting my attention to her neck—her empty neck. She had no claiming bite there. It all clicked: that was why Barrett was acting like this, riled up and on edge. He needed to soothe his wolf’s instincts before something happened—something he’d regret.
“You’re early,” Barrett said, keeping an arm around his mate like he was protecting her from me. Not that I was interested, no matter how curious I was about the mate that had come to his rescue.
“Am I?” I asked, swirling the liquid around in my glass. He had asked me to come, so here I was. I took another sip of my drink as Barrett glared at me. “A vampire,” I said, turning to Eryne. “That’s what I am.”
Her face morphed into one of hurt as she looked at the wolf shifter. “You brought a vampire to my town? I thought you told me they were dangerous, and I should stay away from them.”
I chuckled, unable to help it. He might have been my closest friend—if you could call us that—but it didn’t make me any less of what I was. An asshole. “Well, there’s certainly one reason he wants to keep you away from me.”
A deep rumble came from Barrett’s chest, a warning. I backed up, raising my hands in admission. His witch frowned, clearly needing more of an explanation. “We’ve been partners for a long time,” Barrett explained. “Other vampires aren’t like Ezra.”
Smirking, I leaned in closer to both of them. “Or maybe that’s just what he wants you to believe.” Both fangs popped free from my upper lip.
“Are you here to help or not?” My partner asked, brows furrowed at me.
Gods, he was so easy to rile up. “Of course I am. I’ve never let you down before, have I?”
“No, you haven’t,” he agreed, albeit begrudgingly.
His mate interlaced her fingers through his and leaned against him. Barrett pressed a kiss to her forehead, and I could see the instincts finally calming within him, the alpha wolf no longer feeling challenged by me. I was no threat to his mate—and he knew it.
Besides, I would never choose to be with a witch. Though he didn’t know my why. There were some things you didn’t share, even with the man you worked with closely.
Even if we’d been partners for years, and I trusted him more than I’d ever trusted any non-vampire—and most of the vampire court.
“Eryne, are you coming back? Wendy and I were just—Oh.” The brunette from earlier’s hazel eyes widened as they met mine, and she froze for a moment, staring at me. “Hello.”
There was recognition there. Huh. Had my persuasion not worked? No mortal could ignore my thrall. That was interesting. I said nothing, trying to puzzle out this strange witch.
Perhaps my time here wouldn’t be as boring as I’d originally thought.
She frowned at my lack of response, clearly growing frustrated by my silence. “Okaayyy, well…” She turned back to Eryne. “You coming?”
Eryne looked at Barrett, and he gave her a small nod. “Ezra and I need to talk. Have fun with your friends, baby. I’ll come find you after.”
“Okay.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, obviously besotted with him. “Don’t take too long.” Her voice lowered, and I looked away, trying to ignore the way my superior hearing still picked up every word. “And then you can take me home, and we can have a repeat of this afternoon.”
“That’s mean,” Barrett all but growled.
She looped her arm through Rina’s. “I like to call it motivation.” She blew him a kiss as the girls walked away.
After the two were gone—removing the intriguing witch from my presence—I turned to Barrett.
His dark auburn hair had grown longer since I’d seen him last, which must have been over a month ago.
So much had happened since we parted, but I couldn’t ignore the glaringly obvious fact that stared at me, watching his mate with the other girls.
“You still haven’t told her, have you?” I raised an eyebrow.
He instantly became defensive. “Why do you say that?”
“Because if you had, she’d be wearing your mark on her neck. Though she does reek of you, so I suppose you’re halfway there.” He growled, and I lifted my hands in surrender. “Sorry. I’ll stop.”
“Please,” he gritted out. “My wolf is a little possessive of her.”
“A little?” I laughed, recognizing just how deeply it ran.
“We should talk somewhere a little… quieter,” Barrett suggested, looking around the crowded bar.
I agreed, following him outside into the night. The string lights of downtown were on now, painting us in a cozy, golden glow—one I found abhorrent. It was better than the sun, since it didn’t weaken me, but I preferred the darkness.
Barrett angled himself so he could still watch his mate. “Ezra,” he started.
I cut him off before he could finish his thought. “You found something.” I didn’t have to ask—not after so many years of working together. I’d always sworn never to have a partner, but somehow the wolf shifter had worked his way under my defenses—and become a powerful ally, if not a friend.
He swallowed roughly. “I found the lair.”
“I thought I told you not to do anything without me. It could have been dangerous.” Did I need to remind him how he’d ended up in his witch’s house, defenseless and healing for weeks?
“Relax. It wasn’t there.” He waved me off.
“But you know what it is.”
“Yeah.” Barrett nodded. “And it’s worse than I originally feared.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Well, don’t leave me hanging.” I had an inkling after spending the day exploring the town, but I needed him to confirm it.
His expression turned grim. “Wraith.”
“Fuck.” They were beings that had crawled out of the underworld, undead beings born of evil, full of darkness. Beings that shouldn’t be here, among the living. They fed on energy, especially magic, draining everything from the land.
How the hell had they ended up here?
“At least I understand how so many beings have been able to break through the wards now,” Barrett said, frowning. “While it might keep humans out, it’s hopeless against the rest of our kinds.”
“Do you think they know?”
He shook his head. “At least, not yet. But their coven… they want to destroy the wards.”
I frowned. “We can’t let them do that.” They’d be setting the wraiths loose against the entire town. Dooming the witches to a worse fate.
“What other choice do we have?”
“Call them.”
His entire demeanor changed—defensive. “No way. Anything but that.”
“You know what we have to do, B.”
I only hoped that it wasn’t too late for us to do it.
The brunette caught my eye through the window. I might not have liked witches, but that still didn’t mean I wanted them to suffer. That was how I’d ended up in this role in the first place. No beings deserved the ending the monsters would give them.
Especially not the beautiful witch in the window.