Page 24 of Plus-Size Mate

Silence filled the shop once more. Peace fell upon Winter’s heart as it began to calm, and for just a moment, she could forget all that had just happened.

“Eddie, get her on her feet and out of that glass,” Jack ordered, but Winter barely heard him.

When he held out his hand to her, Winter looked at it for far longer than was necessary.

Even his hands were nice, strong and well-proportioned, capable of great things. The things he had done with those hands in her dreams were all too near the surface of her mind, and she quivered with the memory of them.

“Let me help you,” Eddie said, as if he took her hesitation as anything other than what she was feeling—desire.

The lump in her throat was no longer caused by the attack but instead by his closeness. His presence was all-consuming. She couldn't see or sense anything but him.

If it was already this bad, what would it be like when she touched him?

Determined to find out, Winter reached out and placed her hand in his.

And the second she did, it felt as if a bolt of lightning struck straight through her, causing her heart to explode with something she had never experienced before.

Still utterly entranced by his gaze, Winter couldn't so much as blink as he helped her to her feet. She barely had the presence of mind to continue to hold the handkerchief to her nose.

“Steady, I've got you,” Eddie told her softly, and it was only when he wrapped an arm around her, propping her up, that she realized how shaky her legs were.

Her knees threatened to buckle, and she leaned harder against him for support.

“Are you alright? Do you need me to get someone?” Eddie asked, the concern plain in his voice.

Never in a million years could she have imagined she would hear such emotion from a werewolf. Never could she have guessed that a wolf man could be so concerned abouther.

“I…I’m fine,” Winter said, somehow finding the strength to pull away from him.

She had to get control of herself. This wasn't right. He was a werewolf. She was a witch. She had no damn right whatsoever to be feeling the things that she was currently feeling.

“This is the last straw,” Jack said, and his words caused the spell to break.

Finally, Winter managed to pull her gaze away from Eddie. It was a damn sight harder than it ought to have been, but still, she managed it.

“Winter, I'm sorry to have to say this, but if your coven, you and your mother included, wish to remain in Nightstar, then we are going to need a show of loyalty from you.”

“Excuse me?” Winter demanded, her blood rising. “We have never done anything to show that we are anything but loyal to Nightstar.”

Jack threw his index finger towards the door. “Those were Christopher’s men. I'd recognize their vile stench anywhere.”

Winter's stomach twisted. If that were true, and they did in fact know her father, then just who the hell was he? More than that, who the hell was she?

Her mind whirled. What had her mother been keeping from her all of these years?

Her stomach twisted painfully, and she stumbled backwards, her body exhausted as her mind reeled.

Again, Eddie was there, wrapping his arms around her to offer support.

She ought to have pulled away again, but she couldn't. His presence, his muscular chest pressed against her back, was all too welcome.

“What exactly are you saying, Jack?” she asked, barely finding the strength to speak. Somehow, she already knew exactly what it was that he was saying.

“If the witches of Nightstar wish to remain in town, then one of them is going to have to agree to completing the spell we discussed,” Jack announced, his gaze darkening.

In the near-darkness of the shop, Winter thought that his eyes were actually glowing with anger and determination. Perhaps they were. She thought she saw a flash of his wolf eyesshining through before he blinked, sighing deeply as he ran his fingers through his dark hair.

“Look, I don't like this situation any more than you witches likely do, but it can't be helped,” he said, looking at her with genuine sadness in his eyes. “Wehaveto protect the town and everyone in it. This attack tonight has proven that much.”

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