Hexed With Sass Read online

  Again, Josh glanced at Wes. After a moment, Josh nodded. “Very well. Call if you need anything.” He stepped back and stopped. “Oh, Margaret, you might want to wear shoes when you’re working on spells.”

  She heart hammered as she watched him turn and disappear down the sidewalk. “He knows.”

  Wes pulled her back and closed the door. “Knows you hexed me?”

  She nodded. “My powers are a little unpredictable. The council watches everything I do.”

  “Why are your powers unpredictable?”

  Lifting her shoulders, she walked around him to the center of the living room. “They’ve been like that for as long as I can remember. I’m a magic klutz.”

  Silence fell between them for several moments before Wes spoke. “My brother-in-law is a witch and says this spell you placed on me is a curse.”

  She glared at him and crossed her arms. There was no way she’d use a curse. “It was a simple gardening spell.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” She was, wasn’t she? Just then the cut on the bottom of her foot throbbed. No…witch blood didn’t turn spells dark. Unless they possessed demonic magic within.

  Without another word, she stormed off to the hallway. About halfway down, she pulled the string to the trapdoor to the attic. Wes’s woodsy scent enveloped her from behind. With a groan and not daring to look at him, she said, “You better at least have pants on.”

  He chuckled and a moment later, she heard the zipper to his pack unzip. Figures. Why did shifters like to go around nude?

  The attic was roomy enough she could stand. To her side was a bookcase with a few volumes of curses on the top shelf. Why her mother had them, Pepper hadn’t a clue. Every one of them made her skin crawl.

  “Why are we up here?”

  His husky tone cutting through the hum of the AC coming on made her jump. Closing her eyes, she counted instead of turning around and hitting the wolf. Let’s get this over with. Find the counter curse and send him on his way.

  Just then, Wes wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. His warmth seeped through her clothes and into her skin. Comfort and safety. That was what he was.

  Well, hell. He was hers just as she was his.

  “What’s on the bookshelf that frightens you?”

  She opened her mouth to say she wasn’t scared, but it’d be a lie. “There are four volumes of curses on the top shelf. I don’t know where my mother got them or why she had them, but I hate their energy. So dark, heavy, and oily.”

  He kissed her on the cheek before letting her go and walking toward the bookcase. Her cheek warmed where his lips touched. The warmth traveled down and settled in her heart.

  “You don’t have to touch them. Just tell me what you’re looking for.” He plucked the books off the shelf and carried them to a seating area a few feet away.

  Rushing forward and taking the books, she fought a groan at the dark magic. “You are cursed because of me.” Guilt flooded her and she sagged into a nearby chair. “I cut my foot. My blood mixed with the spilt potion. Plus, I’d been drinking and careless.”

  “Stop. It was as much my fault as yours. I was lost to my wolf and the run. Then I caught your scent… Anyway, I wasn’t thinking with the right head.” He grinned at her.

  She averted her gaze and noted the veins growing on the sofa his sat on, but the books weren’t affected. Slowly, he touched her cheek. Nothing. No plant life.

  Curious, she held out her hand. “Take my hand.”

  His wolf flashed in his eyes briefly. At first, she didn’t think he would touch her but after a few moments, he took her hand. Nothing happened. “I’m not affected by it.”

  He frowned and released her hand. “So it appears.” Reaching out, he touched her cheek with his fingers. She stilled herself, waiting and watching as he explored.

  A sigh slipped from her lips as his palm flattened against her cheek. Desire filled her when he slid his hand to her neck and pulled her closer. When their lips touched, a spark of magic flared between them. She felt his wolf’s spirit, so close to the edge.

  She wanted to meet him. Maybe another time. Right then, she wanted the man.

  He broke the kiss and when she reached for him, he grabbed her hands. “We need to find the counter curse.”

  Fine. Get me all hot and bothered right before you go all business-like. “Have it your way.”

  She opened the first book and flipped through the pages. She wasn’t surprised there were no notes or anything about gardening. Damn. There will definitely be a salt bath after this.

  Moving on, she closed the current book and set it aside before reaching for the next. Wes picked up another one. When Pepper met his gaze, he winked at her. “I need to help. What are we looking for?”

  “Anything to do with gardening, plants, growing. I think. Or maybe altering a white spell.”

  They worked in silence for a while. The heavy magic oozing from the journals weighed on Pepper, making her tired. It was as if the darkness surrounding the books were seeping into her skin and her mind. Doubt and sadness clouded her thoughts. Lifting her gaze to Wes, she studied him as he flipped the pages of the book he searched.

  Why was he there? He wanted something from her. He can’t be trusted. Make him leave.

  Shaking off the thoughts, she closed the book and stood. “I need some fresh air.”

  Without waiting for his response, she left the attic and rushed out the back door. Once outside under the full moon, she felt better. It was easier to breathe. Easier to think.

  She felt his presence before she heard his footsteps approaching from behind. A battle of desire and mistrust twisted inside her. What the hell was wrong with her?

  “I found something.”

  Whirling around, her gaze fell on the book in his hand. “What is it?”

  She didn’t dare reach for it. The dark magic called to her. She didn’t realize it in the attic, but outside where she could think clearly, she felt it. It confused her. She wasn’t a sensitive witch. Why was she so tuned to the journals of black magic?

  “This one,” he pointed to a page, “is about turning a white spell dark. Says the blood of a witch descended from a demonic bloodline could turn any spell dark.” His eyes were wild and mistrusting.

  Shaking her head, she stepped back. It confirmed what she’d thought all along. So why would her blood turn it into a curse? Unless her mom hid the truth from her. “No. That can’t be right.”

  He closed the distance, dropped the book, and gripped her arms before she realized what happened. His eyes glowed slightly, like his wolf was looking out at her. “I’m not angry. I sense you don’t know you are part demon.”

  She jerked out of his hold. “I’m not part demon!”

  This isn’t happening. There had to be another explanation of why her blood turned a simple, innocent gardening spell into a curse.

  Pushing past Wes, she ran into the house and straight for her mother’s bedroom. There was a chest she kept locked. Pepper never considered invading her mother’s privacy, but her mom was gone. And there were secrets in the chest.

  She fell to her knees in front of the chest. “Ruby Margaret,” she whispered. A moment later the lock clicked opened. Pepper had heard her mom say the password that opened the magical lock when she was a teen hiding under the bed. She wasn’t supposed to be in Mom’s room without asking, so when she heard her coming, she darted under the bed.

  Opening the chest, she swallowed a sob stuck in her throat. “Mom saved everything of mine and Ruby’s from when we were kids.”

  Wes sat on the floor beside her and glanced inside the chest. “What happened?”

  Pepper met his stare but quickly looked away. It’d be too easy to let him in. Why not? He did say they were mates. With a sigh, she said, “Mom died a few months ago. She became ill, like a witch’s version of cancer. Although no one knew what it was. I think she just gave up on living.”

  He reached o
ver and caressed her arm with his fingers. For a brief moment, she allowed herself to enjoy the comfort, but it should be her comforting him. After all, she did curse him.

  Glancing inside the chest, she frowned. A standard size envelope with her name on it stared up at her. Odd. She picked it up and caught a whiff of her mother’s perfume, floral with a powdery finish. A sigh slipped from her lips and she squeezed her eyes shut to keep the tears from falling.

  Pushing through the grief, she opened the envelope and pulled out a two-page letter from her mother.

  To my baby girl, Pepper,

  I’ve never meant to keep anything from you. I only wished to protect you. Plus, I never found the right time or the right words to tell you. You are not a magical klutz. Your powers were bound. At least I tried to bind them but ended up screwing them up. The only way to undo what I did is to allow you to submit to your dark side.

  Sorry, I’m babbling. So I’ll get to the point. Your father was half demon. I’m sorry I hadn’t told you before now, but the repercussions from using a curse to kill your father had in turned cursed me with this illness.

  Because you are part demon, your blood will turn any spell dark. The second page to this letter is a counter on how to reverse a curse in the chance you cast one by mistake. Even if you meant to hex someone, please reverse it. It’s not worth your humanity or your life.

  Love always,

  Mom

  Her father was dead? And Mom killed him?

  Absently, she handed the letter to Wes as she read the counter curse. Another potion. This one called for her blood and it had to be performed with a loved one at her side.

  Was this a joke? Sadness squeezed her heart like a vise. She had no loved ones left. Her mom was dead, Ruby was MIA, and she didn’t have a boyfriend… She met Wes’s curiously concerned gaze. He was handsome in a primal, rugged kind of way and stirred all kinds of feelings within her. But love?

  No. There was no more room in her heart for love because everyone she’d ever cared about left, taking a piece of her with them.

  Standing, she took the letter from him. “I’m sorry, but I can’t perform the counter curse.”

  Then she left the room, the house, and ran into the woods surrounding her home, fleeing Wes and the mess she made.

  Chapter Four

  Wes followed Pepper as she rushed out her back door. When she took off running, his chest tightened and his wolf growled. The sour scent of her fear and hurt filled his senses. His wolf whimpered at her sadness, not knowing what to do.

  He tracked her to a small stream where she sat staring into the water. The salty scent of tears made him want to growl, to rip apart whoever hurt her. Several red strands of hair fell in her face, free from the ponytail.

  She sniffed and said, “I’m part demon. She lied to me all my life.”

  It amused him how she knew when he was there. Like she, too, felt the pull to be together. “Yes, I read that much of the letter before the flowers covered it completely.”

  He meant the words to be light and tried to make a joke of it, but all he managed was another sob from her. Way to go, jerk. With a soft curse, he closed the distance, sat beside her, and pulled her into his lap. “Whatever it is, we can figure it out.”

  “We only have until the new moon.”

  He stilled. “What happens then?”

  “The curse will be permanent.” She buried her head into his chest and shook it. “I’m so sorry.”

  What was she talking about? Scanning the area, his gaze fell on the second page of the letter. Shifting his hand just enough where his claws extended from his fingers, he used them to pick up the paper, hoping it would slow down the plant growth. After reading it, he laid it on the ground beside them.

  So the spell needed a loved one. Did she truly believe she was alone? Should he be that loved one since they were mates? She’d have to give her heart to him first. Dread slammed him in the gut. At least she was his, but that didn’t always mean he was hers.

  No. She was his. No one else’s.

  He had to find a way to make her see they belonged to each other. Ruthanne. Yes, his sister would know. He winced at the thought of subjecting Pepper to his family, but what other option did he have?

  “My parents’ anniversary is in a few days. Would you like to come to my place and help me and my brothers and sister plan for the party?”

  Pepper lifted her head and narrowed her green eyes for a brief moment. “Is this your way of getting me naked?”

  “Whatever works.” He waggled his brows. She smiled then, not as brightly as before but just as beautiful. “You are my mate. I plan to do whatever it takes to show you all the benefits of being mated to a shifter.”

  She fell quiet for a few seconds. It was all he could do to sit quietly and hold his wolf back from carrying her to the den.

  Finally, she stood and brushed off her skirt. “I’ll go, but only because it’s better than sitting here feeling sorry for myself. But first, I’ll have to wrap your hands so you don’t turn your whole den into a botanical garden.”

  “That would be good.” He really didn’t want to explain to anyone else about the curse. Although his brother most likely told his parents already.

  Pepper bent down and picked up the paper with the counter curse on it while he stood. She folded it neatly as they walked back to the house in silence.

  Once inside, he asked, “How do you plan to keep me from turning things into leaves and flowers?”

  She drew her brows together. “I have a couple of things I can try.”

  In other words, she didn’t know. Before he could call her out on it, she disappeared. She returned a moment later with several rolls of bandages and dumped them on the kitchen table. “Sit, please. I can’t work with you hovering over my shoulder.”

  With a raised brow, he sat and watched her rush about the kitchen pulling out a large glass bowl, filling it with water, and then dumping about three handfuls of salt in it. After that, she opened a small cabinet and pulled out several jars of dried herbs.

  “What are you doing?” he asked to fill the silence.

  She glanced at him briefly. “The salt neutralizes the magic. I’m hoping to get the right herbal mixture to help the bandages act like a barrier.”

  Okay, then. He had no clue what she was talking about so he decided to change the subject. “You mentioned a sister. Ruby, I think you said.”

  Pepper nodded and sighed. “Yes. She’s ten years older than me and left home a few years ago.”

  “Why did she leave?”

  Pepper shrugged. “Don’t know. She and mom argued and Ruby left. I haven’t seen her since.”

  Wes frowned. He couldn’t imagine any of his family leaving home. Sure, it happened. Shifters would leave to discover themselves. Hell, he thought about building a cabin outside Blue Creek so he could escape, but he’d only be able to stay away a few days before he missed his family hovering. “She left, just like that?”

  “She’d written me a couple of times and I replied, but I don’t know if she ever got my letters.” Pepper unrolled a ball of gauze and dunked it into the herbal salt water. She swirled it for a few moments then carried it to the table.

  The scents of flowers and grass drifted from the mixture, making his nose tingle. Great, he’d smell girly. He didn’t know what was worse, smelling like flowers, or turning everything into them. “Can you make it smell manlier?”

  She rolled her eyes as she set the bowl on the table and turned back to the cabinet she kept the herbs in. Holding up a small bottle, she said, “This is sandalwood oil. It’ll give a woodsy scent.”

  She placed a few drops in the water and sat across from him, then moved her chair around so she was an arm’s length away. He stared at her, admiring how her red curls framed her round face wildly.

  “What?” she asked, averting her gaze to the bowl.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  She shook her head. “I’m plain, pale, and freckled.�
�

  “Your freckles are beautiful.”

  After another shake of the head, she took his hands and held them over the bowl. “Keep them there.” Then she picked up one end of the bandage and started wrapping at his wrist. “Do you have a large family?”

  He smiled at her attempt to change the subject. He played along. “Not really. I’m the baby of three. I have an older brother and sister.”

  “You said brothers earlier.”

  “Yeah, my brother-in-law. He and Ruthanne have been mated for a few years. Carter has become a close friend and I consider him my brother.”

  “Sounds wonderful.” She fell silent and continued to wrap his hand.

  He studied her as she worked. A sense of loneliness and longing drifted from her even though her scent never changed much. There was also a hint of heartache and anger surrounding her. He wasn’t fully sure how he picked up on those emotions. In that moment, he knew what he could do to seduce her into being his mate.

  And he’d recruit his family to help.

  Chapter Five

  Wes’s house was simple, clean, and too big for just him. The living room was three times the size of hers and opened to the kitchen divided by a bar-style counter. The airy space made it look all the larger.

  The sand-colored carpet contrasted with the coffee-colored walls and white trim. The feel of warmth, love, and family surrounded her. There was a hint of cinnamon in the air, and not the fake scent of the spicy sweet candy fragrance often associated with the spice.

  Pepper’s home was small, and since her mom died, felt cold and empty. It no longer felt like a home. “You live here alone?”

  A deep chuckle escaped him before he answered. “I try to.” When she met his gaze, he gestured for her to move farther into the living room. “My family likes to pop in unannounced, a lot. They can be suffocating.”

  “They must love you a great deal.” Damn, she hated the crack in her voice as she spoke the words. What she wouldn’t do to have a family that annoyed her with their overprotectiveness.