It was imperative his potion be finished before the stroke of midnight. The spell had to be cast at that precise moment or it wouldn’t work. Dr. Warren Douglas glanced at his watch and sighed heavily. It was eleven forty-five and he was almost out of time. His daughter, Lena, and niece had dawdled, taking forever to go to bed. It had cost him valuable time, time he didn’t have to spare.

 “I’ve worked too long to fail now,” he muttered darkly. If Sonia hadn’t been so weak he’d be that much closer to obtaining his heart’s desire.

An animalistic whimper sounded from a cage in the corner of his basement lab and Warren glanced over with a delighted grin. “It won’t be long now. Just a few more minutes, then it will all be over.” The small squirrel whimpered again and shivered violently.

Warren bit back an arrogant laugh, knowing he was a power they could not defeat.
It never failed to amuse him to see the results of his handiwork. After he trapped them, they gave up. What is a shape-shifter who can’t change their form, or fight back?

They just sit in their cages and tremble like the dumb creatures they are.

So far he’d only attempted his spells on small shape-shifters but the time was coming, and soon he could feel, when he’d be able to go after much bigger prey.

Stronger adversaries.

He’d fight the ultimate battle.  And win.

“So close. I’m so close.” He carefully poured a bubbling, black liquid into a small bottle and watched it swirl as it mixed with the ingredients. A slight smoky plume drifted up as the liquid began to boil. Warren picked up the bottle, studying it intently. “Are you strong enough this time?”

It had to be. He’d changed the ingredients three times already and each formula had failed to give him the results he needed, craved. Holding the bottle as if it were a fragile and priceless object, he carried it over to the cage.

The small squirrel emitted a tiny squeal, freezing in complete fear as Warren loomed over it.

Warren looked at his watch. Fifteen seconds before midnight.

He slowly tipped the bottle, watching as its contents flowed in a steamy path onto the bars of the cage, then down to coat the trembling squirrel. Steam rose as the liquid covered the petrified animal, its small body convulsing with the contact.

Precisely, at the very stroke of midnight, Warren chanted the words of the Spell.
Powerful and dark, the incantation resounded off the walls and instantly became a black force, visible to the naked eye. It swirled around Warren and the cage, gaining momentum as his voice rose, growing stronger as he demanded compliance. A deafening wind roared around him, seeming to desire nothing more than to destroy that which would control it.

Yet nothing in the room was touched by its unnatural force.

Warren strengthened his tone, pushing more power into the words, focusing his desires into one single encompassing thought.

Come into me.

Suddenly the wind ceased and the black swirl dissipated into nothingness. Silence embraced the basement room. Warren blinked rapidly and took several deep breaths. He knew this time it had worked, that he had found the right formula. He drew in a deep breath and looked down. As he stared down at the mangled remains of the squirrel a crimson wall of rage rose.

He threw his empty vial against the stone wall shattering the delicate glass.

The only sounds echoing in the soundproof room were his heavy, harsh breathing.
No! He screamed the denial in his mind, not daring to allow it freedom for fear of losing what little sanity he had left. No. Not again. No. No. No!

He kicked the hapless cage, tumbling it over and over again until it rested askew amidst the shards of glittering glass, the disappointing carcass left to rot where it had fallen.
Damn. Now he’d have to capture another one.

***

Holding back a rage as black as the night surrounding him, Aiden cautiously pawed at the burnt remains of the small squirrel. He tried to be careful, his cougar form not the best equipped for gentle handling. Regardless of scorched fur, or bones shattered until the body was a mangled shell, he recognized that which had once been a shape-shifter.

Lenord. A loner. But still family.

He growled long and rough.

The stench of burnt flesh was strong but he leaned in closer, hoping to discover what means had been used to desecrate one of their clan. A faint scent, one he was unfamiliar with, lingered over the remains. He inhaled deeply, pulling the smell into his glands, his lungs, deep into his memory.  He would never forget. 

Not Lenord, nor the scent of evil.

A mistake had finally been made.

Evil bastard.  He bared his feral teeth in a grimace of retribution. You won’t escape me for much longer. I have your stench now and will know you when we finally meet. And ...  we will meet. I’ll hunt you down to the ends of the earth if I have to. There’ll be no place you can hide. No safe haven.

Gavin, in wolf form, silently padded over. He sniffed at the pile, shaking his head at the stench of burnt fur and flesh. He growled low, frustrated he had come up empty.  ‘He’ left behind nothing else. I’ve searched the entire area. Damn it. How could ‘he’ completely disappear like that and not leave anything for us to find? No trace of scent! Nothing.

Aiden shook his huge head, laying his ears flat. There’s only one explanation. Sonia had to have been working with a sorcerer. No one else could do these obscenities and still remain anonymous.

Gavin started digging, his sharp claws quickly making a hole in the ground, a make-shift unmarked grave. Aiden lifted the tiny corpse in his mouth and gently placed it in the shallow grave. He helped Gavin cover it with the remaining dirt and debris, his heart heavy. The only saving grace to this tragedy was that Lenord hadn’t had relatives they would need to notify about the unusual death. It was better this way. If other shape-shifters knew that the Evil that murdered Kyle was back, chaos would reign.

Sedona, with its mystic mountain range and protected forestry, had been the home of shape-shifters for centuries. The land was ideal for hiding and protecting a race that chose to live in harmony with it, be a part of its blessed sacredness. The unexplained was easily accepted as part of the mystical heritage of the area, tales going back centuries of creatures who changed from man to beast and back, widely accepted by a variety of Native American cultures.

The Calhouns, a lineage of rulers over their people, were the only shape-shifters who chose to live their lives in harmony with both their people and the human world. Other shape-shifters looked to them for protection, guidance, and support. The Calhoun Sanctuary covered one thousand acres and was known to the humans as a wild life preserve when, in reality, it had been set up for the deliberate purpose of providing shelter and refuge for all shape-shifters.

That was until the brutal murder of Kyle Calhoun.

Up until then the shape-shifters’ world had been safe.

Once Sonia Douglas had entered their lives, the destruction of their peace of mind had begun, eroding their safe harbor from the outside world. She had helped take something from them that could never be replaced.

Trust.

Where do we search from here? Gavin broke into Aiden’s dark thoughts with a nudge, bringing his attention back to the task at hand. Whoever it was may not have left a trail behind here, but I know where ‘he’ most likely came from.

Aiden rumbled low in his throat. Back off, Gavin. You’re letting your feelings for Lena cloud your common sense.

Gavin growled and sat down on his haunches. First off, I don’t have any feelings for that deceiving witch. And, second, since when did you forget Sonia Douglas’s coming into our lives was the beginning of all this? We just buried a friend; one who was obviously murdered much the same way our brother was. The stench of witchcraft still lingers in the air. Kira hasn’t been here for more than a week and already another of our people has been brutally murdered. Face it, Aiden, it’s no coincidence, and you know it.  His angry eyes narrowed to mere slits as he glared at his older brother, knowing he had to say what was on his mind or burst.

Granted she’s a beautiful woman, and it’s obvious her pheromones call to something in your primal male. But you can’t ever forget she’s a human. And a witch, Aiden. What more has to be said? You know I am right.

Aiden wanted to roar and howl, deny what Gavin was saying. But he couldn’t.

Their lives hadn’t been the same since Sonia had married Kyle, then murdered him in that bizarre ritual before killing herself. As much as he wanted it to be otherwise, especially for Marissa’s sake, he knew Kira couldn’t be trusted. She had unknown motives for wanting sole custody of their niece.

Could it be she knew about their heritage? Had Sonia managed to tell her somehow, before she died? And what would she do with a half-breed, the result of a human and shape-shifter mating?

Kyle had told him Sonia had only discovered their secret a month before Marissa had turned three. But then he’d also mentioned that Sonia hadn’t been in contact with her sister since they were children. Had Sonia lied about that as well as everything else? Or had she told Lena and Lena told Kira? Lena and Kira had been in contact for years.

Damn.

He had the sudden urge to rip someone apart, to shred them into little pieces.  Unfortunately Sonia was already dead. So that left Lena.

Or Kira.

Could he afford to give her the benefit of the doubt? Could he be thinking about this all wrong and she really was innocent? Just thinking about her made his body hard, his blood heat, and his muscles try to morph back to human form.

He felt a moment of panic.

He shouldn’t be reacting like an aroused human male when in cougar form.  That went against all the known principles of shape-shifters. He hissed in anger, his claws lengthening, as he forced himself to retain his cougar shape, not willing to give into his desires. Once he was in control of himself, he turned his head and gave his brother a hard cold stare. We can’t be sure of Kira’s involvement in any of this. Yet. For Marissa’s sake we have to give her the chance to prove herself.

Why? Gavin grumbled.

Because she’s Marissa’s only remaining link to her mother. We, of all races, know how important heritage is. If Kira is innocent then Marissa deserves the chance to get to know her.

Gavin stood on all four legs and started walking away. If she’s innocent? What if she isn’t? Are you going to let your attraction for her get in the way of doing what needs to be done?

Damn it, Gavin. You’re pushing this too far. You know I’ll destroy anything, or anyone, who threatens us. And, if that means Kira Douglas, I won’t hesitate. This Evil needs to be stopped ... now!

I know, Aiden.  Gavin sighed. Truth is, I’m hoping I’m wrong about this...about Kira.
Aiden followed his brother, his thoughts chaotic. There had to be another reason, someone else involved with these mysterious deaths. Riana’s words about Kira’s fiery aura came back to echo in his mind: “It could symbolize a dangerous, destructive force that has the power to consume.” Unfortunately she was already consuming his thoughts, had been since the first moment they’d met.

But he’d be damned if he would allow her to cause any more destruction.

If she was behind this, her alluring innocence wouldn’t be strong enough to protect her from his wrath.

***

Kira’s thoughts weren’t on business for the magic shop and it was becoming blatantly obvious. So far she’d wrapped the wrong potion for two separate customers and was half-heartedly listening to another customer explain why she really did – almost – need a fertility statue.

All day she’d been unsuccessful in getting Aiden, and Marissa, out of her mind. If she wasn’t thinking about her adorable little niece, her mind was being rebellious, lingering on heated thoughts about her niece’s too sexy uncle.

It didn’t take but the briefest of thoughts for her to remember the hungry demand of his lips on hers and those invisible butterflies would begin their dance in her stomach. She couldn’t recall ever being kissed like that before, and it left her breathless just thinking about it. Aiden exuded a raw sensuality that was potent enough to melt her insides. But it wasn’t just his good looks. It was that ...  aura of wildness surrounding him.

It pulled her, like a magnet. It was too ...too ...

“Much too erotic, don’t you think?” The woman giggled.

Kira watched the elderly woman turn the small seven-inch statue over in her hand, admiring it from all angles. Kira would have thought its impressive attributes would have been enough for the woman to set it down on the nearest table and leave, shocked and looking for some ice water.

“Hmm. It’s a fertility god, you said?” She chuckled, patting the small stone rump. “Just what the doctor ordered. I’ll take it.”

Kira hid her chagrined smile and followed the woman to the counter. Lena, who had overheard the conversation, winked at her with a mischievous smile hovering on her lips while she packaged the endowed statuette for the older woman.

After the woman left, clutching her tiny god with a tight grip, Lena placed the closed sign over the door and locked up. “It’s been a long day.”

Kira nodded. “I didn’t think it would ever end. Are you always this busy? Sedona is small. Where do all the customers come from?”

“You’d be surprised at how many thousands of people visit Sedona weekly. And this is our busiest season.”

Kira held back a remorseful sigh. She hadn’t been thrilled with the idea of being involved in the world of magic again but she’d promised herself to give it a shot.  She didn’t really have any other choice. She shook her head. “Who would believe there are that many people interested in the supernatural? I must have sold seven love potions, this morning alone.”

Lena laughed lightly. “Five, actually. You accidentally gave away two bottles.”

Kira felt her cheeks heat, embarrassed that her absentmindedness had caused a loss of sales. “Sorry about that. My thoughts have wandered all day.”

Lena looped her arm with hers. “Yeah, I know. Can I guess where those thoughts wandered? Or should I say to whom?”

“To Marissa. Of course.”

“Yeah, right. And her uncle didn’t occupy your thoughts one time today, huh? Wrong. Maybe I should warn you, Kira. You don’t have a poker face. Every time you thought about him, your cheeks turned pink, your eyes darkened, and your lips made heartfelt sighs. Is it any wonder that only your customers wanted to buy love potions? I sold charms and books all day.”

Kira grinned sheepishly. Had her wayward thoughts been that obvious? “Okay, I’ll admit it. But I have a good excuse. He only affects me because he’s so different from any other man I’ve ever met. The problem is that he aggravates me as much as he attracts me.” She grimaced. “I have to keep reminding myself he’s the enemy. I know he’s going to fight me on this custody battle with every thing he has and that should have me running scared. But it doesn’t.”

“Should have?” Lena eyed her quizzically, obviously uneasy with this new attitude. “What are you saying, Kira? What have you come up with?”

“Remember that old saying ‘you can catch more flies with honey’? I think I just started out on the wrong foot with Aiden. From what he said about Sonia there was a lot of tension between her and his family, so he is, naturally, expecting me to be just as problematic. I’ve decided I’m going to be the perfect example of a loving, giving aunt... and substitute mother to Marissa. That won’t be hard to do because I love her desperately, even if it has only been a short while since we actually met. But I want Aiden to see me that way too. Sooner or later, when he gets tired of me begging to have custody of Marissa, he’s going to give in. He’ll see it’s for the best.” Having said it aloud, she wasn’t happy about how naïve her plan seemed.

“Sonia wasn’t just problematic, Kira.” Lena paused and her features saddened. “She caused a lot of trouble for the Calhouns. When she fell in love with Kyle, Aiden forbade them to marry. They ran away – Sonia was the influence on that decision—and didn’t return until she was pregnant with Marissa. It was almost like a war zone in that house during that time. Sonia’s instability worsened every day. Right before Marissa’s third birthday, Sonia and Kyle had a huge argument, a real knock-down-drag-out. She came home, without Marissa, and stayed with us for a few months. Aiden forbade her to see Marissa but, at that point, she didn’t seem to care, one way or the other, about her daughter. She seemed focused on meting revenge on the Calhouns for some wrong-doing only she saw.  I asked her time and again but all she would say was that they had it coming.”

“Aiden hated her.” Kira said the words quietly, but with strong, solemn conviction. “He didn’t think she was good enough for his brother, did he? And the fact she was a practicing witch must have factored in there someway as well.” Maybe convincing him that she was nothing like her sister was going to be harder than she’d expected.  “But I can’t just give up, Lena, despite the odds. Marissa means too much to me.” She shrugged her aching shoulders. “So Aiden Calhoun is just going to have to get it through his stubborn head that I’m going to be a part of her life, no matter what he wants. One way or another.” Locking the connecting door between the house and the shop, they walked through the living room toward the kitchen.

Warren opened his study door and saw the two women. He carefully locked the door behind him and asked, “Kira, honey, are you planning on visiting Marissa tonight?”
“Yes, right after dinner. I promised I’d start telling her stories about her mother’s childhood before she goes to bed. She’s been asking a lot of questions.” A lot of questions. She frowned. “I can’t figure out why the Calhouns never told her much about Sonia.”

“Hmm.” Warren sat down on the sofa. “I’m surprised Aiden agreed to you doing that.”
“I didn’t ask him.”

Warren laughed. “Good for you. I have a feeling you’re going to set things right soon, and Aiden Calhoun doesn’t stand a chance at winning against you.” His words sounded too much like a battle cry for her peace of mind, but Kira had to silently agree.
She just wished it didn’t have to be a win or lose situation.

***

He’d had no other choice but to leave.

Aiden growled low, deep in his chest. He’d known the exact moment Kira had entered the house. Her scent had reached his nostrils, causing him to emit a purely male growl of primal possessiveness that angered him.

Then she walked into the family room and his senses were sent into overdrive by her ethereal beauty and innocent sensuality. The blood heated in his veins, quickly pooling to a hardening part of his anatomy that left his jeans feeling uncomfortably tight. It didn’t help the matter any that her jeans were enticingly snug, molding and accentuating every sexy curve.

His mind had painted a vivid picture of his hands smoothing, caressing over her every inch. From her shapely legs, to her slim hips, over that cute little bottom. Then he’d made the mistake of following that mental visual up her curved waist and straight to the low vee of her blouse. His mouth had watered as he eyed the curve of her breasts, the beaded nipples straining up against the soft material of the blouse.

Damn. She wasn’t wearing a bra. 

He’d hardened even more, cursing his weakness when it came to this human. He must have made more noise than he’d thought because she’d looked straight into his eyes, her own filled with innocence and curiosity. He hadn’t stopped his low rumbling growl and knew, without a doubt, that he couldn’t stay nearby while she was visiting Marissa.
At least not tonight.

His primal instincts were on overload just looking at her. Being close, at this point in time, would be disastrous.

For both of them.

So he’d charged Riana with supervising the visit and fled into the night.

Now, hours later and close to midnight, Aiden in cougar form restlessly prowled the darkness of the quiet night. His padded paws barely touched the ground, making little sound as he glided through the dense foliage of the estate’s forest. He walked an unmarked path he could follow blindfolded. Deeper into the woods he roamed, his instincts leading him while his chaotic thoughts kept him less than normally aware of the activity around him.
 
Purely male visions, erotic thoughts and images, reigned free.

Kira.

Despite hating himself for it, he wanted her, and the need was growing deeper, stronger with each day that passed. He found himself thinking about her when there were more important things to consider.

The nights were the hardest.
 
While roaming in cougar form, his thoughts were less controlled, more primal. But lying in bed, too keyed up to sleep, his thoughts were more male, more human, more erotic.

More dangerous.

She had the softest looking skin, like peaches and cream. He knew it would taste just as sweet. The erotic images were vivid. Stark. He could almost feel her silky softness under his roaming tongue. He’d surround her in his heat, his strength. Her daintily curved body would melt into his possessive embrace, fit against his hard frame as though they were two pieces of a puzzle, made exclusively for each other.

Her soft, southern accented voice would caress his tightly strung nerve endings, flowing over him like the softest of satin, leaving a burning trail of escalating desire in its path while the eager rasp of his tongue caressed every womanly inch. He would sip at the moans emitting from her luscious pink lips. His touches would bring shivers, causing them both to tremble with fire, with want. Devouring heat would surround them, burning them with the incredible, unstoppable desire that had no intention of lessening – only building – until they both went up in flames.

Inevitably. Willingly.

Panting heavily from the images, Aiden suddenly stopped and made the conscious effort to dispel the pictures from his mind.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

Looking around, he realized he’d reached the end of his journey, though he hadn’t paid any attention to his traveling. That was a first for him.

A habit that could carry dangerous consequences.

One thing he’d learned the hard way: always be aware of your surroundings. It was something else to be angry with Kira for.

She was a distraction he could not afford.

Not now. Not ever.

He sighed and shook his feline head in an attempt to clear his mind.

He loved this spot. Completely secluded, so well hidden that he doubted anyone else, family or shape-shifter, knew about it, this grotto was his private sanctuary. The gentle sound of cascading water never failed to calm him, and this was the only place in the world he felt truly at peace.

In front of a deep, dark cave was a short waterfall camouflaging its entrance, pure clear water cascading down in torrents to swirl in the deep pool at its feet. Tall, emerald green grass, soft and sweet smelling, covered the ground all around the pool. Overhead, imposing, ancient, oak trees formed a heavily matted, interloping branch canopy, sheltering the cave, waterfall, and pool, shutting out the rest of the forest, enveloping the grotto in a completely private world of its own.

On nights when his restlessness refused to ease, even after long miles of running, he came here to the grotto. The utter peacefulness calmed his tortured soul, offered peace when nothing else could. He hadn’t slept a full night since Kyle’s murder; he’d been tortured by the memories of that night.

But here he could rest. For a short while he could find reprieve from the thoughts and memories that haunted him. He let the tranquility surround him, easing into the tense muscles of his cougar form. With a sigh, born from both exhaustion and the unrelenting desire that teased his mind, he flopped down onto the soft welcoming grass and let the constant trickle of falling water lull him into a restful nap.

Amidst the thoughtless mind wanderings of his spirit, he suddenly found himself searching for something. Something deep within his soul. Something so well hidden he dreaded disturbing it. And the ‘something’ came with a name. A name that sounded like the most intimate of caresses, a delicate stroke on sensitive senses that craved its touch. A name that elicited trepidation and aching longing.