Wolf Marked (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 1)

Savannah

A cab dropped me off at the LaSalles’ and sped away. I sure as hell wasn’t going straight back to the motel. I was too pissed, too confused, and I didn’t know what else to do.

Casey answered the door. “Where’s your wolf pelt?”

“What?”

He grinned. “You said you were going to go skin yourself a werewolf king. I don’t see a car, either, so things apparently didn’t go according to plan.”

How much should I tell him?

I grimaced. “Jaxson’s holding my car hostage, just like you said. He’s not going to give it back unless I agree to work with him.”

Casey ushered me in. “That’s some serious bullshit. No way can you let a wolf leverage you like that. We should steal your car tonight.”

“Are you kidding? Like, break into the auto body shop and just take the car?”

He closed the door and fastened four locks, one of which started to glow. “Yeah. You gotta stand up to wolves—otherwise, they’ll walk all over you. It’s a dominance game. You can’t let him win. Trust me, we’ve been dealing with this kind of shit for years.”

I had the distinct feeling that Casey and Jaxson were drawing me into a feud that I wanted nothing to do with, and I shook my head. “Look, breaking in is crazy. I’m just pissed. I’ve got an unknown number of bloodthirsty werewolves after me, and I want to bring them down. Clearly, Jaxson does, too. I just—I just hate him using my car against me. It’s the only thing I’ve got left from my folks.”

Casey rolled his eyes. “They’re wolves, Savannah. If you submit, they’ll expect you to submit every time. And if you try to negotiate, it’ll turn into a game of keep away. He’s toying with you to see if you have a backbone. It’s their way.”

I’d pulled off a similar car heist when I’d grabbed the Gran Fury from Randy’s shop. That had gone okay. But then again, I hadn’t had to break in that time, and the car was paid for. It would be a lot different smashing our way into a shop owned by werewolves in the middle of pack land.

Nope. It would feel good, but it was reckless. I sighed and leaned against the hallway wall with my arms crossed.

Aunt Laurel came home an hour later with bags of groceries. She wanted to get the extended family together for a big welcome dinner, but I talked her down. I’d had too many new things today, and I didn’t have room for anything more.

I was tempted to ask her about a scrying potion, but the moment I mentioned Jaxson, she grew cold. “You shouldn’t have gone to meet him. I’m not telling you what to do, but hear this—no sane woman would risk working with that man.”

My Uncle Pete—Laurel’s husband—came home soon after. His signature had the scent of fresh tobacco and tasted like bread cooked in a wood-fired oven. I joined him for a whiskey in the living room. While Laurel and Casey were chatterboxes, he was quiet and reserved, for which I was deeply thankful.

We ended up with Chinese takeout for dinner. I’d braced myself for greasy noodles, but it was actually pretty good, though I didn’t have much chance to eat. Laurel bombarded me with questions, mainly about my dad. I hadn’t really considered that when I’d lost my parents, she’d lost a brother. They’d obviously been close, but after I’d been born, he’d left Magic Side and dropped out of her life. Then he’d died. I was probably her last chance to connect to him and those lost years.

She was forthcoming with information about my father—an older sister who adored her younger brother. He was the best painter. A wonderful potion maker. His runes were precise—whatever that meant—and he could grill a good piece of meat.

Laurel was much less forthcoming about my mother.

“You never knew her at all?” I pried.

“Your father fell in love when he was at college in Georgia, and we never visited. When they moved back here, she was already pregnant with you. We were ecstatic. I thought Casey was going to have another cousin to play with, but then they moved up to Wisconsin soon after. She wasn’t happy here, and they decided that this wasn’t the life they wanted for you.”

“Why? Because of the magic? The werewolves? Something else?”

My aunt looked to her husband. The unspoken answers between them hung in the air. Finally, she turned back to me. “It was all of it, really. It broke our hearts to have them leave, but I would have given up a little of my soul to keep them and you safe and happy.”

Truth.

I bit my lip as sorrow washed over me. I tried to muster the strength to ask her more, but my cell rang. Alma. She wouldn’t call unless it was important.

“Sorry, I’ve got to take this,” I said, then rose and ducked into the other room. “Hey, Alma. Everything okay?”

“Absolutely, honey. Are you all right? Someone put posters all over town that say, Missing: Savannah Caine, last seen on her way to Chicago.”

“What? Is the sheriff an idiot? I’m not missing.” I pushed my palm to my head. Could he be more incompetent?

“He said he didn’t put them up. I asked him to take them down, but he hasn’t yet. I just don’t understand how he knew where you were headed. I didn’t tell anyone you’d left.”

“Okay, thanks for letting me know.” I rubbed my forehead. Just what I needed: a bunch of road signs pointing the werewolves right to me, if they hadn’t already figured out where I’d gone. Since my attackers had been hunting Magica, they’d probably assumed that I’d flee to the biggest magical city around. This didn’t help the situation.

I would have chatted longer, but Alma hung up quickly in case someone was tracking our phone call.

“Everything okay?” Laurel asked when I slipped back to the table.

“Just my godmother checking in on me.”

“She must be worried. You haven’t told her the truth, I assume. Magic Side is a secret, and it is forbidden to tell outsiders who aren’t Magica.”

“She thinks I’m being chased by the men in black. Honestly, I’m probably more worried about her. If those werewolves go after her to get to me…”

My breath stilled, and my heartbeat picked up. I hadn’t really considered the risk Alma might be in.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” my aunt said unconvincingly.

Concern wormed into me, but the problem sparked an idea. An opening.

It was time for a gambit.

I set down my chopsticks and muttered, “I wish there were a way I could check in on her. She doesn’t always answer her phone, and I get worried. Is there any form of magic that, oh, I don’t know, lets you look in on someone?”

I tried to keep my breathing steady.

Laurel raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” said Casey, chewing noodles. “It’s called scrying. Like peeping without permission. It’s totally illegal, probably immoral, and you can get in big trouble.”

“It’s also dangerous,” Laurel noted.

Damn it all, Jaxson.

“Oh,” I said, and dejectedly turned back to my dinner.

“Hey, don’t give up so easily,” Casey leaned forward, whispering, though everyone could still hear him. “Our family happens to be really good at scrying. Kind of one of the things we do.”

I bit my lip, trying to restrain my excitement. “Is it something you could teach me?”

I looked to Laurel, who raised both eyebrows this time and gave me a satisfied smile. “You know, that sounds like an excellent idea. Pete could help you make a scrying potion so you could look in on your godmother. It would be an excellent way to begin practicing your magic.”

I looked to my uncle. “You make potions?”

He didn’t even bother opening his mouth—Aunt Laurel just butted in. “He’s quite talented with potions. That’s how he ensorcelled me. A love potion.” She gave her husband an absolutely licentious look.

“Mom!” Casey blanched and slammed down his chopsticks.

I turned to my uncle, excitement dancing across my skin. “Would you help me?”

Uncle Pete grinned. “How about tomorrow morning?”

I matched his broad smile. “I can’t wait.”

Things were finally coming together. I’d found my family, and while they were clearly into shady shit, my parents had been, too. It almost felt natural to have someone claim to be really good at illegal stuff.

Moreover, I’d learned that I had magic. I’d learned that despite years of being beaten down by work and school and a backwoods upbringing, there might be something special about me after all. I still had no idea why I’d been attacked, but with a scrying potion, I might be able to get some answers without having to rely on Jaxson Laurent.