A Magical Shift: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves, and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 1) (13 page)

“What do you want?” she asked then set down her two bags.

The asshole smiled. “I want you.”

Was he out of his mind? He slowly advanced and goose bumps peppered her skin. Izzy debated on what to use to stop him. Should it be wind or fire? She held out her hand to shoot a fireball at his feet, but nothing happened. She jerked her hand again and concentrated hard as she tried once more. Again, she failed.

“Oh my sweet, Isadora, not so powerful anymore, are you?” he said with a disgusting amount of cheer.

Blood pounded in her ears, and her stomach tumbled. She didn’t understand why her powers weren’t working or how it was even possible. Izzy held her palm parallel to the ground in an attempt to create a whirlwind, but she couldn’t even make the dirt move at her feet. Frantic, she swept her arms around to create a wind strong enough to blow him over, but her abilities still eluded her.

“Help!” Izzy’s shout came out weak. She turned and ran back toward her father’s store. In a flash, the horrid man was on her, a hand clamped over her mouth.

“You’re coming with me, lass. The more you struggle, the worse it will be for you.”

To hell it would be. Izzy had never known such helplessness before. She kicked him in the shin and tried to elbow him in the gut, but nothing seemed to affect him. With his hand squeezing her jaw, she couldn’t scream out again. Oh, why couldn’t she have inherited the ability to communicate telepathically?

As he dragged her past the Crystal Winds Spa, the back door opened and Teagan appeared. “Izzy!” she shouted then immediately shot back inside.

“Fuck,” her captor said.

Knowing that someone had seen this man trying to capture her gave Izzy a burst of hope until she realized that even if Teagan called the sheriff’s department, it would take too long to respond.

She lifted both of her feet in an attempt to create more drag and delay her capture, but then the man covered her nose, probably in retaliation. “I’ll carry you if I have to,” he said. From his heavy breathing, dragging her along was taking its toll.

“Put her down.” The command came from behind them.

Rye!
She nearly cried with relief.

Izzy lifted her hand to jab her captor in the eye, but hit his shoulder instead. Just then, the back door to her father’s store opened and he rushed out. Teagan must have called him. Dad charged and growls sounded behind her.

Next thing she knew, she was on the ground gasping for breath. Her dad reached her first. “You okay, honey?”

“I will be.” She twisted around to see what was happening. Teeth bared, two wolves were battling it out, and two sets of torn clothes were strewn in the middle of the fray.

She recognized her stalker as the wolf she’d seen at the seaside with the white spot on his forehead and gray fur. Only now his eyes were glowing red. The other animal was truly magnificent. His muzzle was white sprinkled with gray, but the rest of his sleek body was a blend of white, black, and gold.

Rye’s wolf snarled and swiped a claw across her stalker’s face. The Changeling wolf yelped and shot past Rye, running down the alley. Rye turned to go after him, but then stopped. He rushed up to her.

“I’m okay,” she said.

Rye howled and rubbed up against her leg. His caress helped take away some of the pain radiating through her. She squatted in front of him and ran her hand down his sleek back. His bristles were so soft and comforting. “Thank you.”

Rye nuzzled his head under her hand, and she stroked him again then scratched behind his ears. The back door to the spa opened, and Teagan rushed out. Her gaze shot to the wolf, and she slowed.

“It’s okay. It’s Rye. He saved me.”

Teagan advanced. “Are you okay?”

“Thanks to you and Rye.”

Her father stepped next to the wolf. “How about getting a robe for Rye, Teagan? Or better yet, Rye, why don’t you follow Teagan in. You can cover up in the spa.”

The whole concept of Rye being naked once he returned to his human form had heat racing up her face. Right now, that was the least of her worries, however. Izzy looked down the alley, but her stalker was nowhere in sight. At least, he’d have to run home. Changing back into his human form might prove embarrassing and cause another call to the sheriff’s department.

Izzy stood and inhaled a deep breath then dusted herself off, but she couldn’t stop shaking.

Rye’s wolf stepped back and glanced up at Teagan who pointed toward the door. “Sure thing. Come on… Rye.”

“Wait!” Izzy spotted his keys and wallet on the ground and gathered his torn clothes. “He’ll need these.”

Teagan stepped down and collected his gear. “What about the other stuff?”

Izzy’s father moved next to her. “We’ll dispose of them. The man might have left some identification.”

Teagan nodded and held the door open for Rye.

Her father wrapped an arm around Izzy’s waist. “Come back to the store.”

“No, I need to go home.” She turned to Rye who was halfway inside. “Rye, meet me at my place.”

He let out a soft woof, and she took that as a yes. Izzy turned to go back with her dad when she nearly tripped over the two bags of shredded papers. “Sorry, I never got to dump these.”

“That’s the least of our worries. What happened back there?”

She stepped inside his store and set down the bags. The enormity of losing her powers and being attacked hit her like an eighteen-wheeler truck. “I don’t know. Suddenly, my powers wouldn’t work. It was as if being around that man altered something inside me.”

“They worked the first time.”

“I know.”

When she spotted some paper on his counter, Izzy rushed over to it and held her hand over them and tried to send a puff of wind under it, but it remained still. Her heart pounded faster than a jackhammer. “I don’t understand.”

Her dad engulfed her in a big hug and patted her back. “There has to be a reason. I’ll drive you home. Maybe your mother can help figure it out.”

“I appreciate that, but I can drive, Dad. How about I follow you?”

“I’ll follow you.”

She didn’t see the difference, unless he feared that maniac would try to run her off the road or something. “Okay. What do you think we should do to stop this crazy person?”

“Rye’s Beta is a deputy. I’ll speak with him.”

“Thank you.” She nodded to the odious man’s clothes. “Is his wallet in there?”

Her dad stuck his hand in the pants pockets. “Nothing.”

“So he must have left his keys and wallet in his car then.”

Her dad shrugged. “Perhaps he kept the car running, thinking that he’d have to dump you in the trunk or something.”

Every muscle in her body turned heavy. “This is worse than I ever imagined.”

“It will all work out. You’re safe now.”

Until she left her house again. Hell, what would stop that lunatic from returning there right now? Chills rippled down her spine. Rye! Maybe she should ask him not to head on over there.

Not only would Rye never back down, if he’d bested that creep the first time, he could do it again. “Can we go now? I don’t want Rye to wait too long.”

“Sure, honey.”

Once her father locked up, he followed her until he turned off at his place. She honked, waved, and drove to her driveway.

When she arrived, Rye was leaning against the truck—fully clothed—and she nearly cried with joy that he was safe and that loathsome man wasn’t around. Rye had saved her. Never again would she be so arrogant to think that she couldn’t use help. Having him near was like someone with wings holding her up by the shoulders. Izzy pulled up next to him and slipped out.

On her first step, her knees gave way and she had to grab the car handle. A second later, Rye was by her side.

“Let’s get you inside.” He swooped her up and carried her down the path. Under normal circumstances, she would have demanded he put her down, but right now, she needed to be in his arms.

At the door, he set her down so she could open up. As she stepped in, Rye held out a hand for her to stop then glanced around. Fear jammed a spike down her throat. “You don’t think he’d be in here do you?”

“No, I’d sense him if he were, but I like to be cautious. Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll get you something to drink.”

That sounded wonderful. While she normally wasn’t the type to let a man take care of her, she was so distraught that she needed time to regroup. “How about a glass of wine? I need something stronger than tea or water.”

“You got it.”

Rye disappeared into the kitchen. Cabinets banged and drawers opened. If she’d had the strength, she would have helped him.

“Wine’s in the caddy next to the fridge,” she called out.

“Found it.” He returned a minute later with two glasses of wine then sat next to her. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

‡

O
wen was seething
mad. To be bested by that punk ate away at his very being. Rye would pay.

He closed the trunk of his car and jumped in the driver’s seat, careful to make sure no one had seen him. It was why he’d parked next to the alley. Thank goodness he was forward thinking and had a spare set of clothes in his car just for such an emergency. To think he went to all the trouble of binding Isadora’s powers only to leave empty handed. He wouldn’t give up though. He would have Isadora Berta as his wife, no matter what.

Pulling onto the main drag, he headed north toward the mountains, anger setting his veins on fire. Failed. Again. It was Scotland all over again. He’d been destined to be Alpha of his Clan, and if hadn’t been for Shamus MacLeod, Owen would have led his Changelings to victory. It wasn’t his fault that someone had leaked his whereabouts.

His parents were embarrassed by the defeat and said he wasn’t settled enough to lead so they stripped him of his future title and gave it to his younger brother who was mated. They felt the Clan’s Changelings would listen to a man with commitments and priorities. Owen would just have to prove to them that he could be that man. When he returned with his new wife whose magic was unsurpassed, they would change their minds.

As for his beautiful mate, he almost wished he hadn’t gone to the square that day and been stunned by her beauty. Almost, but not quite. She might a lot of trouble, but in the end it would be worth it. Alpha Owen Chancellor had such a nice ring to it.

*

As much as
Izzy didn’t want to relive that horrible event, she needed someone with a level head to help her understand how she’d lost her powers. That evil man had to have had an effect on her somehow, and since both he and Rye were werewolves, she hoped Rye could give her some insight.

Izzy sipped her wine. “I’d finished work and decided to check up on dad. Because he wanted to leave a bit early, he asked if I’d take out the trash. Halfway to the dumpster, my stalker jumped out from behind the bin and came toward me.”

“Why didn’t you stop him?”

The humiliation made her stomach sick. “I tried, but my powers had inexplicably disappeared.” Her voice shook as it trailed off.

Rye stilled. “I don’t understand. How is that possible?”

“I don’t know.”

He looked around. “Show me. Try to move those papers on the desk like you did before.”

Izzy sniffled and then stood. Rye seemed to have so much confidence in her that maybe her abilities had been affected because of her fear. With Rye nearby, she knew that nothing would happen to her. At the desk, she held her hand over the paper and concentrated of summoning the air to swirl. She then lifted her arm but nothing happened. “I could do this by the time I was five,” she said, choking out a sob.

Rye came over to her. “Come sit back down. Hopefully, it’s temporary.”

She spun to face him. “Don’t patronize me. Something has happened, and I need to find out what it is.” Her damn voice squeaked, sounding shrill.

He held up his hands. “Okay. What do you want to do?”

She didn’t know. “Maybe only my abilities to shoot fire and create wind are messed up. I’m hoping that I was just so scared that when that stalker showed up, my abilities shut down. I’d like to try something else, and I feel the most creative by the falls.