Page 6 of Prey

The way I see them smiling when I get close enough to see their faces tells me they only know about the mate bond. Groaning to myself, I step up onto the porch and into my mother’s waiting arms.

“Shasta, I know you aren’t going to be difficult about this are you?” she asks. “The mate bond is a wonderful thing. You know what will happen if you don’t consummate it soon.”

My mother, of all people, knows about how the mate bond can affect a person if it’s no longer intact. She almost died when my dad did, but with the help of the Coven she has gained most of herself back. It was touch and go for a very long time though.

“Yeah, so, the last thing I want to do is talk to my mom and grandma about my sex life so let's just table that. I guess you didn’t see anything else that happened today. We need to go in so I can show you something,” I say.

They instantly sober up from the happy party they were both having and follow me through the front door and into the dining room where I pull out the box and set it on the table. I unlock it and Grams walks over to open the lid.

She immediately shuts it, making a hand motion that tells me she put an even stronger lock on it than I had. Well, that tells me I was right to be worried.

“We need to destroy that immediately. Who sent that to you?” she demands. The tone in her voice makes the hair on my body rise as goosebumps form.

“I have no idea. It was in a box of books I was unpacking at the shop today. It was a late delivery because the previous order was lost in an accident,” I tell them. Then, while I’m at it, I tell them about the rest of the day’s events.

“That was no accident. Someone engineered that to send that death threat to you without anyone being able to trace it back to them. I want you to let those boys stay with you tonight and until we figure this out. You don’t need to be alone at any moment. This is very serious, Shasta. That’s dark magic attached to that medallion, and dark magic was all over the stranger too, which is why the shifters all said he smelled strange,” she says.

Damn, she’s serious. My grams is usually really laid back except when someone’s in danger and then she becomes a fierce fighter. She's in fighter mode right now. I’m not letting them stay with me. I don’t have to tell her that, though.

“I was gonna call Emmett and have him come over to talk so don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine,” I say. “Also, one of those ‘boys’ is like six thousand years old.”

“Shasta,” my mother says, warning in her tone.

“Let’s just destroy this thing and then I’ll head back before it gets too much later,” I say. Pulling my phone out of my pocket I shoot Emmett a message and tell him to meet me at my place and then go grab the box off the table.

Grams snatches it out of my hands as soon as I pick it up. “Your mother and I can handle this. I don’t want it anywhere near you. Go home. Tell your mate and his friend to stay with you. I’ll call you in the morning,” she says.

Mom hugs me and whispers, “You know how she is when she’s in her protective mode. Just do as she asks, okay? I love you, Shas.”

Grams is already gone, so I can’t hug her goodbye. “I love you too, Mom, just don’t let her overdo it.”

Grams tends to get a little out of control and she isn’t in the same shape she used to be. At three hundred years old, she’s getting ready to retire and let Mom take over.

She nods and pats me on the shoulder and follows my grandmother.

Sighing, I grab my bag and head back out to my car. Pulling up to the shop, I see Emmett has made it and is currently standing there talking to Kadi and Joaquin. They better not have told him anything or I will be pissed.

Grabbing Emmett’s hand, I glare at the guys and pull Emmett along to the stairs leading up to my apartment.

“What the hell, Shasta,” he yells.

“Nope, don’t say a word till we are inside,” I warn him.

I let him go and get out my key, looking around me before unlocking the door. Sending a pulse of magic through the apartment, I check to make sure no one else is there before walking inside.

“What’s with all the paranoia?” he asks, flopping down onto the couch.

“Let’s just say some weird shit has happened since you went home earlier. I’m gonna need you to stay the night here so you might want to call Josiah and let him know he can’t have you back tonight,” I say.

While he does that, I go into my room and change out of my jeans into sleep shorts and a tank top, throwing my hair in a messy bun. Sliding on my slippers I see the door to the extra bedroom is open and Emmett is getting more comfortable. I always keep that room for him since it was already his from before when we were roommates. I have one more spare room up here in case I have guests but Emmett stays over a lot, so he keeps a few things here in his old room.

Padding my way into the kitchen, I rustle up some snacks and grab a bottle of wine. We’re gonna need it, I think. Setting them at the bar I grab a couple glasses and pour us both some wine.

Emmett comes in and whistles. “Drinking on a work night? It really must have been a day. Hit me with it,” he says.

So, I fill him in, starting with the medallion.

“Your mate, Shasta? Your fucking mate?” he yells when I get to the part about Kadi.

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