Page 5 of Wicching Hour

“I saw the glass ceiling you made for a nightclub in San Francisco,” he added. “I must confess, I spent more time studying the ceiling than paying attention to the entertainment. Or my date, for that matter.”

“The Bubble Lounge,” I confirmed. I’d created a glass wave that hung from the ceiling over most of the nightclub. It was dark indigo on one side of the room, the color gradually lightening through blues and greens until it went foamy white on the other side of the club. The mermaid owner of the club wanted the ceiling to look like the ocean surface seen from below.

“That was a logistical nightmare,” I said. “I made many smaller pieces of glass ocean and then had to transport them and fit them all together so the lines couldn’t be seen.”

“You didn’t charge anywhere near enough for that job,” Mary Beth said, “which is why I don’t let you negotiate on your own anymore.”

She was right about that. It was a hell of a job, but I was proud of the finished piece.

“Mr. Cheng,” Mary Beth began, “I’m afraid Arwyn has just this evening accepted a commission that will keep her quite busy for the next few months. Can this project wait until the beginning of the year?”

He inclined his head again. “I desire art, not a mass-produced windowpane. I will wait, assuming Ms. Corey accepts.”

“Oh, I assure you, Mr. Cheng,” I said with a grin, “I’ve already begun designing it in my head.”

“Splendid,” he replied.

“Arwyn,” Mary Beth said, pushing her long hair over her shoulder, “your mother looks as though she’s trying to get your attention. You two go ahead while Mr. Cheng and I agree upon a price.”

I said good evening, my head filled with plans. I’d never done a window like that. It would be horribly difficult, but I was excited to get started. After I made a fleet of octopuses for the Winslows, of course.

Declan squeezed me around the middle and we moved through the crowd toward Mom. “Damn, Ursula, look at you.” He glanced over his shoulder and then back at me. “How much is she going to charge him for the window?”

I shrugged. “A lot. I saw Osso arrive. What was that about?”

Declan growled quietly. “One of my wolves got into a bar brawl tonight and killed a human.”

“What?” I clutched his arm.

Expression dark, he shook his head. “That damn sorcerer is getting the wolves all twisted up. The pack is having trouble controlling their aggression.” He blew out a breath. “It’s going to happen again if we can’t find and stop her.”

“We will,” I assured him. Somehow.

THREE

Quit Thinking So Loud

People lingered longer than we thought they would, which, I suppose, meant they enjoyed the gallery. We eventually ran out of wine, so we had the servers offering tea instead, with nary a complaint. When the last person was out and my heels were off, all I wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep for a week.

“Come on, Ursula,” Declan said, picking me up and balancing me on his shoulder. “Time for lights out.” He took the stairs to my bedroom two at a time. “All locked up?”

I groggily flicked my fingers, locking doors and windows. As an afterthought, I put the window shields down as well. Declan put me down beside the bed and then helped me undress. While I tossed my clothes on a chair that was rarely used for sitting, he grabbed an oversized t-shirt from my bureau, knowing it was what I preferred to sleep in.

“I still need to wash my face and brush my teeth,” I grumbled.

He nudged me toward the bathroom, while he sat on the end of the bed and took off his boots. When I came out, he was already in bed, on the side he often used when he slept over. The routine was new and still exciting. Eyes heavy, he reached over and flipped back the covers on my side of the bed.

“Let’s see if you can get a few hours in,” he said, “before you have to get back up and see that rich couple in the morning.”

I slid in, rested my head on his shoulder, and wrapped an arm around his middle. Legs tangled, we both let out a long sigh.

“Oh,” I said, dragging myself back from oblivion. “What was up with Osso and the wolf? I never got the full story.”

Declan growled, his chest—and me—vibrating with it. “Having a sorcerer working in the area is messing with the pack. Some of them were barely holding on to their humanity as it was. Logan did nothing as Alpha to teach them how to integrate their human and wolf sides. For some, it’s innate. For others, it’s like the wolf is constantly fighting for dominance.”

He blew out a breath. “Wade—the wolf tonight—was at the Post Creek Roadhouse with some friends. He was more than a few beers and tequila shots in when he was walking back from the toilet. This other guy was carrying three beers and not looking. He bumped Wade’s shoulder and spilled the beer on him.”

Declan shook his head. “He was just some guy who made a mistake and then he was on the floor being pummeled by an enraged wolf. Osso said he thought the guy’s neck was snapped almost immediately, but Wade kept going until the man’s face was obliterated.

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