Shadow Kissed (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 4)

Savannah

By the time we arrived at my aunt and uncle’s house, I was laughing so hard I was crying.

“Am I right, though?” Casey glanced over at me as he turned off the car. “Werewolf sex is off the charts.”

I shook my head and rubbed my sore abdomen. “So what, it’s so good that after years of hating werewolves, you’re just going to be one now?”

“I’m deciding. Pros: amazing sex and superhuman strength. Also, bigger dating pool. Cons: I shed on the furniture. So far, the pros have it. I’ve never felt so alive in my life! Mira, Sam, and Regina have been taking me for runs every night. I never knew growing fur and running on four legs would be so great.”

“Regina? Are you sure? Like the woman from the warehouse, Regina?”

The world had definitely fallen off its axis. There was no way Sam, let alone Regina, would be taking time out of their busy lives to teach my cousin how to be a wolf. They despised him, didn’t they? Hell, his face was on a wanted poster in Eclipse.

But Casey didn’t sound like he was shitting me. “Yeah. Reggie and I are buds now. I mean, she was a cold bitch at first, but I think I’m growing on her.”

I choked. “Reggie?”

Regina the ice queen? Regina, who’d missed no opportunity to give me shit about my family?

A whole lot had happened in the past week.

A whole lot had happened in the past month.

I spilled out of the car, clutching my still aching stomach. Casey was acclimating to being a wolf way faster than I think anyone thought possible. Not only was he thrilled with his heightened senses, but he wanted to learn everything there was about werewolf history and the origins of the Magic Side pack.

Frankly, it was astounding. But that was my cousin, batshit crazy and completely unpredictable. I loved him all the same and wouldn’t change anything about him.

A big part of me was desperate to have him stay a wolf, though I barely wanted to admit it.

I bet he smells real bad, Wolfie said.

Probably.

I bounded up the steps and fell into Laurel’s embrace. “It’s good to see you.”

She released me and wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. Her hands were bound with gauze, but she didn’t appear to be in pain. “Savannah, you look absolutely refreshed and—”

“Just fucked?” Casey stepped up beside me with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

Laurel’s eyebrows shot up, but then she smiled and nodded. “Yes.”

“Oh, my God.” I walked past them into the house. The warm, buttery vanilla aroma of freshly baked cookies bombarded me. I followed it into the kitchen, noticing several cardboard boxes stacked on the kitchen island beside a tray of cooling cookies.

“Help yourself,” Laurel said, following me in. “I packed up a container for the road, along with a few other snacks.”

“Thanks,” I said as Casey strolled into the kitchen and helped himself to two cookies.

“I mean it—for everything. Without you, we’d be screwed, and Magic Side would be in ruins.”

Laurel shook her head, clearly not comfortable with the praise. “You and Jaxson are the real heroes. I’m proud of you, Savy, and I know your parents would be, too.”

My chest constricted as I thought of them. I missed them so damn much, it hurt. But I knew they’d be proud, and that felt good, even if they weren’t here to see it.

A truck rumbled up outside, and Laurel glanced at the window. Jaxson.

“You two had better hit the road so you can make some headway before it gets dark.” Laurel walked over to the three boxes on the counter. “Casey, will you help me carry these outside?”

“Sure, what are they?”

Laurel’s eyes flicked to mine, and I sensed her guilt and shame. “Oh, just something that I’ve been meaning to get rid of for quite some time.”

Casey heaved two of the boxes into his arms and disappeared down the hall. I lifted the corner of the last box and peered inside.

The dossiers on the North American packs.

I looked up at Laurel and blinked. “Why?”

She took my hands and squeezed them gently. “Because you opened my eyes and showed me that not everything is black and white. Because it’s time to carve a new path forward. We need to be focused on the future, not on the grudges of our past.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, afraid that if I spoke, I was going unleash a flurry of tears. “Thank you,” I whispered.

Casey reappeared and frowned at the two of us before taking the last box outside. We followed him to the porch, where I found Jaxson waiting at the bottom of the stairs with his hands in his pockets. Butterflies filled my stomach. God, when was that going to stop?

Hopefully, never.

Jaxson dipped his head in greeting to Laurel, and she did the same.

“A little house cleaning?” he asked, looking at the three boxes on the sidewalk beside him.

“Sort of.” Laurel took a hesitant step forward. “These are for you, Jaxson.”

He lifted the lid off one, and his expression darkened as he flipped through the files. For the first time in a week, I saw some of the old anger and frustration creep back into his posture. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“My father collected data on all the North American packs. You know the hate he harbored for wolves, and…” She paused. “I kept these files and added to them over the years because I was afraid, and I needed insurance.”

His fists tightened around one of the files. “So why are you giving this shit to me?”

“Because I want to start fresh. A clean slate, and that means letting go of the past. Savy binds our families together. Let’s build a new future that we can be proud of. And for everything in the past—your sister, my father, all the anger and distrust—I’m sorry, Jaxson. I really am.”

My stomach churned as the silence stretched. So many terrible things had passed between our families—would he really be able to forgive her?

For a while, it felt like no one breathed, but then Jaxson finally spoke, his voice strained. “Thank you.” He shoved the lid back down on the box. “The Laurents aren’t blameless, either. I must also apologize for my actions, but also for those of the pack and my father. It’s high time we set things right.”

Relief tugged on my aunt’s features, and she let out a deep breath.

I looked between her and Jaxson. “We’re good?”

Laurel nodded. “All good.”

Jaxson met my gaze. Affection and devotion flashed in his eyes. “I’m tired of holding grudges. Besides, I can’t be at war with my in-laws.”

“I agree,” Laurel chuckled.

Wait—what did he just say? Wolfie asked.

In-laws? Was he subtly asking Laurel’s permission to…propose?

My heartbeat shifted into fourth gear. I wasn’t ready for marriage—yet. There was still a whole lot of being not married with him that I was looking forward to. Besides, we were fated mates, for God’s sake, so why would we need to get married? Also, I didn’t need a man to ask anyone permission for my hand. That was between him and me, so if he was going to damn well ask someone, it had damn well better be me.

Jaxson gave me a devilish grin, acutely aware of my agitation. Bastard.

At the same time, I couldn’t deny the warmth that spread through my chest.

“Casey,” Jaxson said, gesturing to the boxes, “could you load these into my truck?”

“Glad to get rid of them. Having them around makes me feel like a spook.”

Laurel handed me the bag of goodies she’d prepared for us as she walked me to Jaxson’s truck. “Best of luck with finding your mother’s family. Just don’t forget that you’ve got family right here who are eager for you to come back.”

“I’m just grateful that the fates, no matter how fucked up they are, brought me here in the first place.”

“Me, too.”

Jaxson opened the passenger door for me. “Ready?”

I gave Laurel and Casey hugs and promised to keep in touch, then climbed in.

As we rumbled through Dockside, I admired the work we’d done. There was hardly any trace of the hellstorm the Dark God had unleashed. The pack had really pulled together.

Sam met us as we pulled up out back of Eclipse.

Jaxson began unloading the boxes of files, and she peeked inside. “Wow, I didn’t think there would be this much when you texted. You sure you want me to destroy all of these? Information like this could be worth a pretty penny.”

“Burn them,” Jaxson growled.

Sam sighed. “All right.”

While they shifted the files into Eclipse, I loaded our bags into the back of my Fury. It had taken a rather heated debate to convince Jaxson to take my car—not to mention a heated make-up session—but it was the only way I wanted to see the world.

Thank God, we’re finally hitting the open road, Wolfie said.

I traced my fingers over the chipped paint on the side of the door and across the hood. My father’s enchantments flickered like pulses of energy under my fingertips, and a mix of sorrow and delight and pride filled me.

The back door to Eclipse closed, and I looked up.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take my truck?” Jaxson asked as he strolled over.

“Absolutely. This baby was meant for the highway.”

He lifted an eyebrow at me. “You sure about that? Because I’m not confident it’ll make it out of Chicago.”

We climbed in, and I turned the key in the ignition. The engine rumbled to life, and I smiled, feeling perfectly content.

“My father enchanted this car. It could make it to Colorado with only one wheel and no engine.”

As I pulled out of the side alley, Sam slipped outside and waved. “I don’t care how much fun you’re having, don’t forget to come home! We need you here!”

I waved back as a deep, warm glow rose in me. I had so many things I never knew I needed: dear friends who understood me, a loving family, and a place to call home.

Don’t forget me, Wolfie chirped.

Never. We’ve got everything we never knew we needed.

“You know, it’s funny,” Jaxson said as he looked out his window.

“What is?”

He wore the most contented smile I’d ever seen him have. “How everything comes full circle in the end. A month ago, you ditched Belmont and came to Magic Side just to get away from me. And here we are together, heading back out of town in your Fury.”

I smiled as I turned down the Diagonal and headed west. It was noon, and the sun was overhead. Not quite “driving into the sunset,” as Casey had suggested, but it was good enough for me.

Excitement thrummed within every inch of my body, and my fingers twitched.

“The fates are funny, aren’t they?” I said, and leaned over to quickly kiss him. “I wonder what they’ll have in store for our next adventure?”