Page 7 of 3 Shifters to Break a Curse

She laughed. “Mom’s cooking had that habit.”

“It really did,” I said.

I had often wondered what it would have been like if she was still alive. She probably would have had a lot to say about me moving out into the middle of nowhere. It would have made her getting to my house much more difficult.

She was so easy to be around, and the only human I had a close relationship with. My parents were the ones who adopted her. She grew up around shifters and accepted us as a part of who she was. No other human had ever done that for me before. But she still seemed to accept me even at my worst and love me unconditionally.

Just like family was supposed to do. And I had never looked down on her because she wasn’t a shifter.

We continued to chat for a while. After a couple of hours, she was getting ready to clock off. Before she headed to the back she leaned over the counter. “Feeling better?”

I nodded. “Always.”

“Good,” she said, smiling. Her dark blue eyes glistened in the light of the florescent bulbs embedded in the ceiling.

I shook my head, fighting off the smile that stretched my lips. Cadence had that effect on people. She could turn the sourest of situations into a smooth, easy one. Just by being herself. She even won over Rin in a similar way. I often wondered why he didn’t decide to date her, but Rin also didn’t seem like the sort of guy who wanted a relationship. So, I never pushed the issue, much less even asked.

For all I knew, he could have done it out of respect for me. Not that I would have minded.

After Cadence had clocked off, I walked her to her car. She gave me a big hug and said, “Try not to let the weight of the world hold you down. I’m sure whatever it is you are waiting for will be worth you not shifting permanently.”

I chuckled. “You’re right.”

She pulled away. “I know I am. That’s what makes me so great!”

I laughed as she climbed into her car and then watched her drive away before heading back home. I was feeling better, for sure. There was no doubt about it, but that restless feeling never really faded away completely.

I took my time heading back. And about halfway home, I caught a distinct scent. One that tugged at my memories. I had smelled it before, and it was never good when I did. After a few more minutes of trying to figure out where I knew that scent from, my heart skipped a beat.

It was magic. Freshly cast, nonetheless.

There was no reason in my mind why someone would be casting magic at such a late hour much less in the location of where I was. And that worried me even more. Panic struck even harder as I thought about my roommates… my brothers in arms.

There was only one reason I could think of, where a witch would be around the area, and that didn’t settle well with me.

I ran the rest of the way home.

3

TONI

About two hours or so into the drive, I was becoming too exhausted to keep going. Falling asleep at the wheel wasn’t my idea of fun or keeping my promise to be safe, so I pulled off the highway onto a small lookout area with a view of the roaring, rushing river. With it being so dark, there really wasn’t much to see. And I realized it wasn’t the greatest place to pull over, but I had to get a couple of hours of rest at the very least before continuing.

I killed the engine and closed my eyes, taking in the peaceful sounds of the roaring river.

I breathed in deep the chilly mountain air and smiled softly to myself. For the first time in months, I was alone, free, and at peace. Though I wouldn’t go as far as to say I felt safe, I was getting closer. With more and more miles placed between us, I started to feel more like myself. My old self. And that was something I didn’t want to let go of.

And I slept better than I had in months.

Something loud smacked my window, startling me awake. Bits and pieces of glass shattered all over me. I barely got a glimpse of Jared’s rage face before he reached in and grabbed a hold of my hair. He tugged, pulling me out of the broken window.

I struggled against him, demanding he let me go, but my voice was drowned out by the river, and he seemed less than likely to follow my demands.

As he pulled, I struggled with how he found me. I wasn’t sure. I had been so careful. It didn’t make sense he would know where I was. And I wasn’t sure how long I was asleep before he showed up. He might have followed me, but I was positive I had been asleep for longer than a few minutes. And I didn’t recall seeing any traffic behind me for quite a way.

Beyond all of the impossible ways he shouldn’t have been able to find me, I should have known better. If the past few months had taught me anything, it was he had something seriously wrong with him, and I couldn’t put anything past him.

In hindsight, I probably should have waited just a little longer before getting some sleep. I could have gotten out of my car and walked around in the chilly air. I could have rolled my window down and turned my music up to blast.

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