Chapter 1: Can You Hear Me?

CORALIE

“Cora! Can you hear me?”

It’s my brother, Luca. His ghostlike form is standing in my shop. I don’t even have time to lock the door. He has my full attention. I know it takes a lot of effort for him to come find me.

“Luca, I can hear you. What’s up?”

He looks weak. “The witches’ council is coming after you, Cora. You need to go underground.”

That’s inconvenient. I want to ask him how he knows they’re after me and what else he knows. But I can see him fading already. “I heard you,” I say. “Hang in there. I haven’t forgotten you.”

“I know you haven’t. I’m okay.”

It’s clear he’s not. With that, he fades. It’s over so fast. I’m trying to understand what just happened. He wouldn’t have come to tell me if he didn’t think it was true that the council was looking for me. I’ve been running for almost twenty years and have been in California for almost three years. So far, I’ve stayed off the council’s radar.

But it’s only a matter of time until they find me.

My body floods with panic. What if they’re close? Maybe it’s time to retire? I would need more money for that.

The bell on the door to the shop dings, signaling that I have a customer. I put on a smile and act like I’m not worried about my brother and my future. I wish I’d been able to rescue him sooner.

An old woman I don’t recognize scans the shelves of vases before finally stopping to acknowledge me. My shop is a flower shop as far as most people are concerned. My more targeted clientele knows of all the less common things sold in the back room. I cater to those of my kind, such as witches and even a few Fae.

I knew from the second she walked in what she was. Her magic is much darker than my own, but I do not discriminate.

“Can I help you find something, ma’am?”

Her lips curl into a sinister smile. “I was told you have belladonna, hemlock, and wolfsbane.”

Her strained, raspy voice makes goosebumps form on my arms. I don’t think she’d be any match for me, but she makes me nervous.

I keep my voice calm. “I’m sorry, madam, but we don’t have any of that sort of thing here. I believe there is an apothecary on West Sixth Street that may have what you need.”

Her smile falters. She gives a slight nod before leaving.

I lied. I have exactly what she was asking for, but those three ingredients are used for sedating and killing werewolves. That is something I won’t tolerate. I know that most wolves would happily kill me without question just for being a witch, but I am not so willing to do the same.

I have worked with several packs in the past, offering healing services and even helping with fertility issues. In my eyes, the wolves and vampires are no different than the witches and humans. There are good and evil among us all. Neither is race-specific.

It’s quiet today. I might as well close up early. I start cleaning up when the bell chimes again. The smell of cedar and cinnamon fills the entire store.

“Is there something I can help you with?” I watch the man’s movements as he walks toward the counter in front of me.

“You are the witch who helped the North Ridge Pack, yes?”

I raise my brow and smirk to let him know he’s right. He knows exactly who I am, but wolves love their games.

“And what brings you here?”

His lips curl as his eyes scan me, sizing me up.

“We have an issue we need help with. If you are successful, you will be well rewarded.”

I lean back against the rear counter and fold my arms over my chest. Perhaps it’s meant to be. This could be my ticket to retirement if the fee is high enough. But I play it cool. “If you spoke to Alpha Reynolds, then you know that I require my fee to be paid up front.”

He reaches into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pulls out an envelope, then sets it on the counter.

“This is $50,000. If you are successful in your task, we will pay you an additional $50,000.”

I allow everything to sink in. “You say $100,000 if I succeed…succeed at what?”

He straightens up. This makes his already overwhelming height seem even more overbearing.

“My alpha requires a mate in order to produce an heir. His father arranged the marriage. We require your assistance to create an artificial mate bond. It must be strong enough to allow her to go into heat once they are mated.”

That won’t be easy. But I can do it.

“Okay, so $100,000 for an artificial mate bond?”

He nods and slides the envelope closer to me. “We will also handle travel, a place to stay, and meals. We do require you to stay on site, if that’s all right. And we’ll need you to keep quiet about it. Especially with the witches’ council.”

“That’s not a problem.” I grab the envelope and set it on the counter behind me. It’s way too much money for this kind of job, but some of it is hush money. I’m okay with that.

I’m already thinking about how I could hire Darius to help me find Luca with some of this money. I don’t relish staying with the wolves, but I get that when you hire a witch, you want her close by until the work is done.

“How soon does the bond need to be created?” I can see the victorious look in his eyes as he realizes that I’m agreeing to do what he has asked.

“Five weeks. When can you start?”

I sigh and push off the counter behind me. I walk to the door, lock it, and flip the sign to ~Closed~.

“Let me grab a few things, and we can go.” It takes me less than ten minutes to throw the necessary items into my duffel bag, grab my grimoire, and return to the front of the store, where the wolf is standing with a strange expression on his face.

“Lead the way.”

He acts like he’s going to say something, but then he just shakes his head.

I make sure to lock up when we leave. He stands next to a black town car, holding the door open for me.

“We will be driving, so it will take around a day to get there.”

I climb into the car, and he slides in beside me, sitting as close to the door as he can. The car pulls away, and I take a deep breath before settling into my seat as I mentally prepare for the long drive ahead.

If I can pull this off, I’ll have enough money to go underground for a few years at least. I need this job to work out.