Page 37 of Doubly Tied

“Wow. Dark Witch? You know we found this poultice thing in our room…”

Ani told her sisters what she’d found, and Sage shook her head angrily. From everything she said, it seemed the Big River Triad had been targeted by a Dark Witch. Someone had placed a hex in their room. Of course, her thoughts went right to the beyotch trying to steal her Alpha mate, and effectively breaking up their Triad. But Megan was a Wolf, not a Witch. Ani was missing something. A piece to the puzzle, as it were.

“Well, that fucking sucks. It didn’t work, though. I mean, we got rid of it.”

“Did anything unusual happen before you found it?” Sage asked.

“Well, the guys were at one another’s throats, and that rarely happens to hear them tell it.”

“I see,” Ani said.

“Okay, back to this rodeo business,” Ginger butted in, whipping out her cell phone. “This one cowboy series I love goes into rodeo-ing a bit. Here, read this, I bet it can help.”

“Who says romance novels aren’t good for you?” Ani laughed and grabbed the phone, skimming the pages for useful tidbits.

“Girls! I think I have a plan,” Ani said excitedly.

After a few more minutes, the three of them left the room to meet the Pack in the designated area. Even at the butt crack of that gnarly bitch dawn, Texas was motherfucking hot.

“Shit,” Sage gasped. “It is hotter than sex with a Dragon and Liger out here.”

“Gross!” Ginger snorted.

“Don’t be jealous, bitches,” Sage said. “JK. Seriously, though, I need some water.”

“Me too. I am parched,” Ginger added.

No sooner had her sisters uttered the words, then their giant mates ambled over sporting cold bottled waters. Ani looked for Mayne and Brody, but they weren’t there. At least, not yet.

The smell of cattle looming nearby, fresh hay, and horses made Ani’s city girl nose twitch. She was nervous as fuck, but that wasn’t going to help her, so she ignored it. More Wolves from the Pack arrived, some nodding at her out of respect, most simply ignoring her. Probably a survival tactic. Everyone seemed to understand if something happened to her, the Pack would suffer.

“Ani?” Sage placed a hand on her arm. “This is Callan and over here is Landry,” she said, gesturing to the two enormous men beside her.

“Nice to meet you,” Ani replied automatically.

“Thank you, lass,” Callan answered, and his Scottish brogue made her crack a smile as her gaze whipped over to her sister.

Dudes with accents had always been way up there on theirmost-wanted-for-a-one-night-standlist. Something the Freeman girls had going since high school.

“I know, right?” Sage bit her lip and rolled her eyes.

“Anise, your sister told us about the poultice in your room and we have started an investigation. The Dark Witch who infiltrated our pact with the Coven Realta is missing.”

“Sage kicked her arse, but unfortunately the devilish woman got away.”

“You fought a Witch?” Ginger gasped.

“No biggie. What about you? I hear you get a little furry now and then.”

“Yeah, well, shush about that,” Ginger said, face turning a brilliant shade of red.

“I understand you both have powers and all, but I don’t. I mean, I can sort of see how folks feel about things, but that is it.”

“Oh, honey, just use the gifts you’ve been given,” Ginger replied. Leave it to her teacher sister to find a way to make Ani’s upset inspirational.

But damn, this sucked. How was Ani really going to beat a she-Wolf who’d practically been born on top of a horse at a rodeo? She shook her head, refusing to lose what little confidence she had. The she-Wolf in question paraded by her with Sam Greeves and Brody’s own mother in tow.

A few scraggly looking youths circled them, and Ani knew they were either too young or too stupid to know siding with the enemy was a big mistake. She shook her head, refusing to feel anything but pity for them as they walked to the gate of the pen where the barrel race would take place.

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