Page 11 of 3 Shifters to Break a Curse

“Are we sure we want to invite this trouble into our home?” Rin asked.

“Cool it, Rin,” Luke chided.

“I’m serious,” he continued. “We moved out here away from everyone to stay under the radar, letting in every lost woman who knocks at our door is going to get us discovered.”

“She’s the first one in the years we have been here,” Luke added. “Hardly a habit.”

“Yet,” he said.

I sighed and shook my head. Rin had a good point. But this woman needed our help. It would be irresponsible to cast her out now. “I think it is best for all of us to hold off on our assumptions and let her tell us her story. Jumping to conclusions isn’t going to help any of us.”

The tea kettle whistled, and I poured some of the boiling water into the mug. I brought it to the woman and sat next to her again.

She blew into the cup before taking a few sips and started to calm. The act of blowing and sipping did most of the work. Once the tea hit her system, the blend of herbs would do the rest.

“Better?” I asked after a few minutes.

She nodded. “A little.”

“Who is Jared?” Luke asked. “Do you think he’ll come here?”

“I wouldn’t put anything past him. And he’s my ex,” she said.

“Did he do all of this to you?” I asked gesturing to her whole body.

She nodded. More tears flowed down her cheeks, but she wasn’t as distraught as before. She didn’t allow herself to fall into her sobs again. I had to admire her strength. I didn’t know very many women, and not a single one of them would have been able to go through what she had without being super emotional.

“She needs the kind of help we can’t give,” Rin said. “The best thing for her is for us to bring her into town and let the proper authorities deal with her.”

I glared at him then shifted my gaze to the woman. “Ignore him. We’ll get you the help you need.”

She nodded. “Thank you. And I don’t blame him. I’m a stranger. You guys don’t know anything about me. I’ve barged into your home unexpectedly and unannounced. But the local authorities wouldn’t be able to help me.”

“Why is that?” Luke asked.

She took in another shuddering breath, and I was worried she was close to breaking down again. Maybe a change in tactic would help to smooth things over a bit more.

“I’m Ezra,” I said. “What’s your name?”

She smiled softly. “Toni.”

“My name is Luke,” he said. “And the other guy is Rin.”

“It’s nice to meet all of you,” she said. “I’m sorry for the circumstances.”

She clutched the mug and stared at the fire. Seconds later, she took another sip of the tea.

Toni, I thought. She had a nice name. It suited her. And her voice was soft and warm. Like a summer breeze. I breathed in, inhaling her scent. Underneath all that magic, dirt, and blood, she smelled like home.

She smelled like a mate.

My heart palpitated as my animal stretched inside me. He wanted to be set free, so he could hunt down the man responsible for such a heinous crime against a woman. Especially one as beautiful as Toni.

But there was so much more to her story we had yet to uncover. And though it might take a while to get to the bottom of it all, I wanted nothing more than to comfort her and give her a safe place to tell the story of her nightmares.

5

TONI

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