Page 24 of Capricorn Blessed

“I have a… friend.” He stumbles over the word friend before continuing, “Who is going to come and see if she can help? She’s part of the local coven.”

“Friend or fuck buddy?” asks Izzy. “Because the way you said it makes me think the latter.”

Kenric’s cheeks turn pink, and I reach over and smack her on the arm.

“Not the time, Izzy,” I snap.

“What? I’m just curious,” she shrugs. “Friend isn’t a hard word.”

I ignore her, turning back to Kenric. “And she’s coming now?”

He nods. “She said she’d head this way, but it’ll be a few hours before she makes it here.”

I take a deep breath, feeling the anger and panic recede now that there is a plan. “Then I guess we have more time to get to know Beorn until she arrives.”

The hours pass quickly as we all spend time sitting on either side of the gate sharing stories and getting to know each other better. As long as Beorn focuses on the time before his holiday, everything is clear. I learn he worked as an accountant and is the youngest in his family.

The sound of tires on the road behind us has us all jumping up and looking back.

A tall, thin woman rounds the bend in the driveway. Her skin is so pale I’m surprised she isn’t glowing. Her raven black hair falls in messy waves to the middle of her back. The most striking thing about her, though, is her eyes. They are a light purple that seems to glow with the power she contains.

“Miranda,” Kenric greets, stepping forward. “Thank you for coming out to assist us. This is my mate, Sierra. Her other mate, Dennis, and their friend, Izzy. And”—he points to the gate—“this is Beorn. He is who we need your help with.”

She locks her eyes on him, stepping forward. Beorn starts to growl as she crosses the invisible line in the road. She makes a small noise and takes another step forward. The volume increases.

“Interesting,” she mutters.

“What?!” I snap.

“I can see it,” she answers, not moving her eyes from Beorn. “I couldn’t at first, but when I got close enough to trigger it, it appeared. It’s like a black snake wrapped around him from torso to neck and down both arms. The closer I got, the darker the thing is. I’ve never seen a curse manifest like this.” She takes another step forward. “It’s slithering up him. It’s almost like it’s getting ready to strike.”

I reach forward, grabbing her arm, and tugging her toward the safe distance. She glances at where I’m holding her , taking another step forward. Beorn’s mouth opens, and he lets out a full growl.

“Stop!” I cry. “You’re hurting him!”

“I’m trying to help him,” she says, shaking off my grip and taking another step forward.

Beorn drops to his knees, his skin starting to shift as his tiger fights for control. Miranda tilts her head to the side, pursing her lips. She watches for a moment longer before nodding and stepping back a few paces to join the rest of us.

Beorn blinks slowly before looking up at us.

“Hello,” he says. “Have we met? Would you like some tea?”

I whimper softly at how much my mate is struggling.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, climbing to his feet.

“So he doesn’t remember anything,” Miranda says. “It looked like the curse moved up his body as I moved closer, squeezing his head and neck. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Can you help him?” Kenric asks.

“I can try,” she says.

She turns and heads back up the driveway. My chest tightens as I watch her retreat, hoping she will return.

A car door opens, and I forget to breathe. Waiting and listening. Hoping I don’t hear the engine turn over and her drive off.

A few minutes pass before a door closes and the sound of footsteps on the pavement grows louder. She rounds the bend, a large canvas messenger bag slung over her shoulder. I release a shuddering sigh, leaning back into Dennis.

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