As Ford and I drove to his parents’ house, the sun had just slipped below the horizon, painting the late August sky in shades of salmon and tangerine. A large, nearly full moon took on an orange glow as it rode the coattails of the sunset. It was a harsh reminder of what was looming in two days.
I’d been silent for several blocks, trying to tamp down my fury at my husband and mate. He’d made a decision that affected both of us without even pausing to consider the consequences.
“Ford, what the hell were you thinking?” I demanded, my voice rough with emotion. I hadn’t wanted to explode in front of the others, but now that we were alone, I let him have it with both barrels. “You know what this means, right? This isn’t just some fight—you accepted a challenge to the death.” I punched his shoulder as my fingers began sparking with barely contained magic. I hit him three more times. “To. The. Death.”
He turned onto his parents’ street, his expression a mix of calm and resolve that only made my anxiety spike.
“I know what it means, Hazel,” he said quietly as he parked in front of their two-story home. Only then did he meet my furious gaze. “But I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t let my dad take the challenge. He’s strong, but he’s never had to fight for his life. He inherited the role of Arcturus.”
“I get that you didn’t want your dad in harm’s way, but seriously, I’m your wife. Your mate. We’re bonded. If you die, our bond is severed. You remember what happened when my dad severed his bond?”
“Your mom...” His eyes widened. “I...I didn’t think—”
I punched him again. “You sure didn’t think!” I wasn’t worried for myself, even if it sounded like it. I just wanted him to grasp the full weight of what he’d done by accepting that stupid challenge from Jensen.
“I’m sorry, love. It’s too late to back out now. If I do, the town and all the shifters under our protection become Jensen’s. He and his pack will take over this place, and then it’ll be open season on anyone who stands in their way.”
“He’s a killer, Ford,” I said, my voice shaking. “I saw it in his eyes. This isn’t the first time he’s issued this kind of challenge, and I bet it’s why people have disappeared in other towns he’s passed through.”
My husband’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t look away. “I know,” he admitted, his voice low and steady. “But if I don’t stop him here, those disappearances will continue. And it won’t just be strangers. It’ll be our people, Hazel—our friends, our families. I can’t let that happen.”
Fear twisted in my chest, sharp and painful. Ford was a bear shifter, and as a former deputy, he’d seen his share of violence. But he wasn’t like Jensen. The thought of Ford facing someone like that, someone who lived by a ruthless code, filled me with dread.
“You’re not like him,” I said, my voice breaking. “You’re not a stone-cold killer, Ford. You can’t just—”
“I can handle Jensen,” he interrupted, his voice firm. “I have to do this, Hazel. It’s the only way to protect everyone.”
If he lost, his sacrifice wouldn’t mean much. Not to me or this town. Jensen would get exactly what he wanted, and the rest of us would be in deep trouble. Worse, I’d be without the love of my life, my reason for getting up every day, and the cause of my sleepless nights. I didn’t want to live without him. A part of me hoped that if he didn’t survive, I would die with him. I shook the thought from my head. I couldn’t think about Ford failing. He had to win and live. We had a long, beautiful life ahead of us, and I’d be damned if some testosterone-fueled challenge was going to take that away.
As it was, his mind was made up. The look in his eyes told me that no amount of reasoning would change it. He wasn’t just doing this because of his duty as mayor or some misplaced sense of honor. He was doing it because he loved his dad, this town, and its people.
But that didn’t make it any easier to accept.
“We’ll find a way to even the odds,” I finally said, my voice trembling as I fought to keep my emotions in check. “There has to be something we can do, some way to make sure you—” I stopped, unable to say the words aloud.
“Survive?” Ford finished for me, his voice softening. He reached out, taking my hand in his warm and reassuring grip. “Cheating’s not an option, but I’m not planning on losing, Hazel. When this is over, Jensen will be six feet under.”
A knock at the window startled me. Anita Baylor’s angry face stared daggers at her oldest son. Apparently, Bryant had filled her in on the news. Oh boy. Dinner was going to be a real blast.
“Come in, you two,” she snapped. “Food’s getting cold.”
We got out of the truck and headed inside. The smell of roasted chicken and herbs filled the air, and for a moment, I allowed myself to enjoy the comforting familiarity of it.
Bryant was standing near the buffet, his expression grim.
“Bryant told me about the new arrivals,” Anita began, her voice heavy with concern. “A werewolf pack in Paradise Falls...And the challenge.” Her hands balled into fists at her sides. “I’m ready to spit nails.”
I recognized the pain behind her anger and knew it well.
“I know,” I replied, meeting her gaze. “I’m right there with you.”
Bryant’s jaw tightened. “You shouldn’t have usurped my right to accept the challenge.”
Ford reached out and placed a hand on his father’s arm. “It was the right thing to do, Dad. I know you want to protect Paradise Falls too, but I’m the town leader, not just the alpha of the largest shifter faction. It’s my place to do it as a representative for all the shifters and witches under my leadership, not yours.”
“I hate this,” Anita said. “Why can’t we just gather a group of our strongest people and evict the son-of-a-bee-sting? We have witches, which gives us the upper hand.”
“You know the Rite of Arphlition is binding,” Bryant told his wife. “Any interference to stop the challenge or change the outcome by cheating or using magic will forfeit our claim to this territory.”
“And who would enforce this claim?” I asked.
“This from the woman whose grandmother is the Grand Inquisitor for all the witches?” Bryant, looking older than I’d ever seen him, gave me a baleful stare. “Just like the witches have an enforcement arm, so do the shifters. We have rules that must be followed, and if we break them, the consequences will be dire.”
I glanced at Ford. “How come I’ve never heard of this arm of shifter law?”
“Because they rarely have to act, and we make sure we don’t do anything in our little town to draw their attention.”
“How would they even know about the challenge?”
“Because if Jensen has put it forward, it means he’s already communicated his intent with the PEB.”
“PEB?”
“Protean Enforcement Bureau.” Ford sighed. “Their soldiers are called Beastwardens.”
“Seriously?” The whole thing sounded like some real scary black ops. “Have you ever met anyone from this PEB? Or is it just a ghost story shifter parents tell their kids to keep them in bed at night?”
“I’ve met one before,” Anita said in a hushed tone. “We don’t want them coming to Paradise Falls. Not for any reason.”
Bryant walked over to his wife and put his arm around her shoulders. “Anita’s father was removed by a Beastwarden when she was a cub.”
“I thought you said they’d never been in Paradise Falls.”
“I’m not from here originally,” she told us.
That came as a shock to me. By the expression on Ford’s face, this was the first he’d heard of it too.
“My family were homesteaders. Shifters who lived outside a human town. My dad farmed, and we raised livestock to sell at the market.”
“Where?” Ford asked. “Where did you live?”
“Mid-Missouri, outside a town called LaMonte.” Her eyes grew wistful. “It was one of those places that if you blinked too long while driving past it, you’d miss the whole thing.”
“So not that different from here,” I muttered.
Anita continued, “I was so young, but I still vividly remember the day the Beastwarden came and took him.”
“What had he done?”
“He killed a werecoyote.”
“For what?” Ford’s tone was disbelieving. “Chasing chickens?”
She gave him a sharp, admonishing glare, then shook her head. “He caught the shifter trying to rape a human one night when he was in town.”
“Holy crap.” My eyes widened. “It sounds like the guy had it coming.”
“The coyote had been the alpha of his group. His second wanted our whole family dead as retribution for not issuing a formal challenge to their leader. It made the execution of the coyote a serious offense.”
“But the guy was a rapist.”
“The PEB don’t care about humans. Shifter politics is their only concern.” I could hear the anger behind her words. “My mother and I were lucky. The Beastwarden convinced the coyotes to leave us alone.”
“And your dad?”
“We never saw him again.” She took Bryant’s hand. “I don’t want anyone else in my family to disappear.”
“Same.” I nodded to Ford. “So, what can we do?”
Bryant took the seat at the head of the table. “We have to let it play out. There will be a supermoon in two days, and Ford will have to fight.” He sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Until then, we have to keep the werewolves from doing anything stupid in town and inciting a riot.”
“Agreed,” I said, sitting down in my regular chair to the left of Bryant and next to Ford. I liked being near my mate, even if the table seemed lopsided with two of us on one side. Anita, who usually sat at the other end, took the chair opposite me next to her husband. I wasn’t the only one who wanted to be near their mate.
I inhaled Ford’s delicious cinnamon scent as he took the chair beside me. He scooted in until his stomach touched the edge of the table, and I slid my hand over his thigh. “We need to be smart about this. Any confrontations can be seen as interference. We can’t afford that until after the rite.”
We ate our meal in silence, but the tension lingered. When dessert arrived—fresh blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream—the tune “Bad Boys” blared from my phone. It was the ringtone I used when dispatch patched a call through to me.
“I’m so sorry,” I told Anita, rising to retrieve my cell from my purse. With the werewolves in town, I couldn’t afford to ignore it. “It’s work.” I answered the call. “What’s going on?”
Mitzy Thomas responded, “Got a problem at Lolo’s Diner, Chief. Some of Jensen’s crew are riling up the regulars and acting like real jerks.”
“Any fights?” I asked, hoping it would give me a reason to ban them from town.
“Not yet. You said the shifters had to keep a safe distance from the pack, so I’m checking in to see how you want us to handle the situation.”
“Unless they break the law, leave them alone for now. Hopefully, they’ll be out of our hair for good in a couple of days.” It occurred to me that Mitzy, a lone wolf in town, might be having a tougher time with the pack’s sudden appearance. “Are you doing okay, Officer Thomas? I mean, with all this.”
“I’m good, Chief. You don’t have to worry about me.” Her voice was throaty and tight, which made me worry more.
“Swap out with Newsome and Petry,” I suggested.
“I’m good, Chief,” she reiterated. “John and I have it under control.”
Mitzy’s partner John Parker was a warlock and her mate. I knew from personal experience how grounding it was to have your mate by your side. “Fine,” I told her. “But call me back if they don’t clear out soon.”
Ford waved at me. “I’ll call Beatrice and have her close Lolo’s early tonight.”
“I heard him, Chief,” Mitzy said. “It’s a temporary solution. And what if the werewolves refuse to leave?”
“Then call me,” I repeated. “Don’t try to handle it yourselves. Some things went down tonight that I’ll explain tomorrow. I want every officer at the station at oh-nine-hundred for a briefing.”
“Heard,” she answered. “I’ll keep you posted.”
I disconnected the call. “I guess you all heard that. I’m not sure we’re going to make it to the supermoon without an incident.”
“I wish I could disagree,” Bryant said, his heavy brows furrowing. “If I thought it would solve the problem, I’d kill Jensen now and take my punishment.”
“Bryant Clover Baylor, don’t talk like that,” Anita snapped. “I won’t hear it.”
“Sorry, dear,” he said, looking abashed. “I didn’t mean it.”
“Ooooooo, you got told, Papa Bear,” Tizzy said, suddenly appearing on the Baylors’ dining table. She plucked a black olive from the salad and nodded to Anita. “What’s cooking, Mama B?”
“Get off my table, Tiz, or it’s going to be roast squirrel.”
Tizzy’s voice rose an octave. “Why is everyone talking about eating me today?”
“What are you doing here?” I asked my familiar. “Why aren’t you home with Lupita?”
“Because I’ve been out scouting, Goldilocks.”
At least she hadn’t called me baby bear. I arched a brow at her. “Scouting what?”
“The werewolves are up to no good at the junkyard.”
“What did you see?”
“It’s not what I saw; it’s what I felt.” She rubbed her paws over her arms as if warding off goosebumps. “They’re doing something inside the garage that feels downright evil.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t sneak a peek.” That didn’t sound like my nosy familiar at all. “Did they have it well guarded?”
“Yes, but that’s not the problem, Haze.” She threw up her hands. “The building has some kind of shielding. I couldn’t get inside. It’s totally poof-proof!”
“A magic shield?”
“That’d be my guess, but it doesn’t feel like witchcraft.”
“Fudge knuckles.” Magic that wasn’t witchcraft was further evidence that Jensen and his pack were probably part of the Arete. This was way above my pay grade. “I think I need to call the Grand Inquisitor.”
Tiz swished her tail and scoffed. “What can that old battleax do? There ain’t no witches on the property.”
I looked at Bryant. “What about the PEB?”
He shook his head. “There’s no law against shifters dabbling in magic of any kind. And like I said before, you don’t want them here.”
My familiar gave me a WTF look.
I gave her a slight head shake and addressed the room. “I can’t just do nothing.”
“For now, you have to, Haze.” Ford enveloped me in the best, warmest, most soothing bear hug. “Any action you take might be seen as giving me an unfair advantage.” He tilted my head back and kissed me tenderly. “It’s getting late. We’re not going to figure anything out tonight. You’ve got Patrick and his crew watching the pack. Your officers have their orders and will call you if anything happens.”
“You’re right.” I sighed and pressed my forehead to his chest. “Take me home.”
As we left the Baylors’ house that night, the stars shining coldly overhead, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was coming. Something big. The werewolves were just the beginning. I didn’t know what Brahm Jensen was planning, but I knew one thing for certain—I wasn’t going to let him tear my family or this town apart.