Page 57 of 3 Shifters to Break a Curse

“If you give me a list of things you need for the ritual,” Ezra said to Toni, “I can help gather them.”

“Yes. As soon as I know what I need, you’ll be the first one I come to,” she said. “And thank you all so much for helping. It truly means the world to me.”

“You should go grab your things,” I said to her. “Or prepare however you need to. It takes a little while to walk to where we are going.”

She smiled at me again, this time her eyes twinkled in the light. “Okay.”

She started digging through her bags and then decided to pick them up and rush to the bathroom. Minutes later, she came out and she looked fresher, brighter, and ready to go. Her hair was pulled back from her face, accenting her rounded cheeks. She was so beautiful in every way.

My heart skipped a beat as I headed to the door. I was suddenly nervous. Like I was nothing more than a boy with his first crush.

25

TONI

I was so surprised Rin offered to help me out that I almost forgot to breathe. And not only help, but he was taking me to a hot spring pool. I nearly burst out of my skin with excitement. I was convinced I had lost all the traction I gained with him… but then he just went and blew me away with his actions proving otherwise. Apparently, I was in better with him than I had ever hoped for. Because I never, in a million years, once thought he would go out of his way just to help me out. The witch who crashed into his life in the worst way imaginable.

Still, I wasn’t willing to risk his offer having an expiration. Especially considering he didn’t strike me as a very patient man. I grabbed my things and ran excitedly into the bathroom. I pulled out a change of clothes, brushed my teeth, put on deodorant, and spritzed some perfume over my length. Once I pulled my hair up into a messy, loose bun, I stuffed everything into an easy-to-carry bag and headed out of the bathroom.

The second I stopped in the living room Rin’s eyes fell on me. There was something different in them… in the way they took me in. I tried to force the heat from my cheeks, but it didn’t work.

Rin simply nodded and headed toward the door. I followed him outside and around to the back of the house. A small trail entered the thick trees and Rin disappeared into it. I skipped my feet to keep up with him. Once I stepped onto the trail, I searched for Rin, finding him in his bear form several feet ahead of me. The land had a slight incline, forcing me to use the trees to help propel me forward, and the air was super chilly, cooling my lungs with each breath in.

It wasn’t too much longer when I reached Rin’s side. His grizzly bear form was massive compared to my frame. I admired that he was sharing his animal with me. He was a beautiful, fierce creature, and I knew that if anything were to happen, he would be stronger in his animal form than not.

And I smiled to myself understanding he wanted to protect me.

For the most part, the walk was peaceful and beautiful. The sounds of the forest filtered into my ears for miles. I took in all the trees and bushes that started to turn against the evergreens and marveled at the beauty. Small, woodland creatures scurried along the forest floor. And every so often, Rin bumped into me. At first, I thought it was an accident. He had glanced at me with his golden bear eyes the first couple of times as though he was checking on me.

I smiled at him and let my hand rest on his back as we moved. If anything, to help steady me.

But after the third time of bumping into me and acting like it was an accident, I started hip-checking him. I giggled with our little game.

When he bumped into me again, it was harder. I lost my balance and fell to the ground with a yelp. The sound of his bear’s laugh was hilarious. I couldn’t help but join in with him. He helped me up in the way he could in his bear form, and we continued on our way.

Needless to say, he was much gentler with bumping into me from that moment on.

An hour or so after our game, we arrived at a natural pool that smelled like rotten eggs and was no bigger than a small, round, hot tub. I knew we had arrived just by the smell of sulfur that filled the air, billowing into tiny clouds of steam that floated to the sky. Rin shifted back into his human form and searched the area for any signs of trouble while slipping on a pair of sweats he had picked up from the ground on the way here.

That wasn’t too surprising. It wasn’t unheard of for shifters to leave changes of clothes in different spots throughout their region to change into when necessary. Considering Rin offered to bring me to this hot spring, I had little doubts about how frequent he visited it.

“I’m so looking forward to this,” I said and pulled on the hem of my shirt.

He turned his back to me while I started to undress, which I found rather endearing. Once I was fully naked, I climbed in. The warmth was blissful. The parts of me that were starting to feel frozen tingled. Goosebumps prickled along my skin as I settled into the water, which was only about waist deep. Underneath the bubbling, hot spring water were rocks situated around the pool itself. I found a rock to sit on and leaned back, turning my face to the sun. Through my curved lips, I sighed.

“This is amazing,” I moaned out. I peeled my eyes open slightly to see what Rin’s reaction would be.

“Good,” Rin said and turned slightly around. He glanced at me for a moment then turned his back toward me.

I had to say, his ass was a very nice sight. Even through the sweatpants. I bit the corner of my lip as I briefly entertained the thoughts that flashed through my mind and flushed my system with more warmth.

“I’m already feeling like myself again,” I added.

“That’s a bonus,” Rin said. There was something hidden within his voice. I couldn’t figure out what that was.

I sat up and settled my gaze on his back. “I attribute that to you, Ezra, and Luke. I hope you realize that. I couldn’t have gotten this far without any of you.”

He nodded. This time, he barely glanced at me.

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