Anchor of Secrets by Tessa Hale
51
I pulledmy legs up to my chest and leaned back on the couch. Declan pushed in on one side while Ronan trapped me in on the other. “I’m not going to break.”
“We know,” Dash said from his spot on one of the beanbags.
He looked adorable with his sandy brown hair askew and glasses off-kilter. Just the sight of him had my insides warming.
“But that doesn’t mean that we won’t want to take care of you,” Colt said from a chair as he typed on a laptop.
I glanced at Trace, who stood by a window in the lounge, staring out into the forest. “Are you okay?”
His gaze snapped to me. “You told my parents you wished permanent hemorrhoids on them. I’m just fine.”
Declan chuckled, tracing a design on my thigh. “That was pretty epic.”
I bit my lip. “Am I gonna get in trouble for that?”
Ronan snorted. “No. I think you’re safe.”
I picked at a minuscule piece of lint on my sweatpants. “What do you think happened to Maryanne?”
Colt looked up from his laptop. “She’s on her way out of town.”
My brows lifted. “Really?”
He nodded. “I’ve still got men on her. The vamps cut her off and dropped her at the bus station.”
I winced. Not that I felt bad for Maryanne, but I knew this would only make her angrier at me. Hopefully, some distance would afford me protection, but I’d have to watch my back.
“Can’t imagine Alister or Patrick being thrilled that she wasn’t honest with them,” Ronan muttered.
Dash laced his hands behind his head. “I’m surprised she didn’t end up drained of blood and thrown over a cliff.”
“Too many people watching too closely,” Trace muttered.
I shivered, and Declan wrapped an arm around me.
“I think that’s enough depressing talk for one afternoon,” he warned.
Dash sent me a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Leighton.”
“It’s okay.” I worried my lip between my teeth. “Do you think what Saoirse said was true?” I hadn’t voiced the question yet. I’d been too scared. But I couldn’t hide from it anymore. If there was a chance I could be what the guys needed, I had to take it.
Colt shut his laptop. “She wouldn’t lie. Not in that setting.”
A little more of that traitorous hope took root in my gut.
Ronan shifted in his seat so he was facing me. “Colt’s right. If she sensed it in you, then it’s there.”
“How do we access it?” I asked, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Dash leaned forward, resting his knees on his elbows. “I’m going to do some research. See if I can find anything in old texts.”
“I’m not sure this is something research will fix,” Trace said.
Dash frowned at him. “It can’t hurt.”
Trace shrugged. “True, but I think Leighton needs to know what magic feels like. That will help her access her own.”
Something about his words had an idea taking root in my brain. I straightened on the couch. “Would you guys be able to shift in front of me?”
Colt’s brows flew up. “Sure, there’s a spell protecting the property that keeps humans from seeing us in our animal forms. But why?”
“The night I first realized you were all these amazing magical creatures, I felt something in the air. I can’t really describe it.”
Trace grinned. “We should’ve thought of this earlier. If she’s not seeing people access their magic, how would she have the first clue how to tap into her own?”
I pushed to my feet. “Can we do it now?”
Declan chuckled as he stood. “Want to play with beasts?”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re not beasts.”
His eyes bled to silver. “You sure about that?”
A shiver ran through me, but it was one of excitement, not fear.
Dash grabbed my hand. “Let’s do this.”
We headed through the house and to the back lawn.
“Colt, why don’t you go first?” Dash suggested. “You’re a little less frightening. She did think you were a lost dog, after all.”
I pinned Dash with a stare. “You’re all awful for letting me do that, by the way.”
Colt laughed. “Sorry, LeeLee. But you give one hell of a rubdown.”
I just shook my head.
Colt turned away from us and began pulling off clothes. I nearly swallowed my tongue when he shucked his pants, and I had a nice shot of his tight, round ass.
“You’re staring, Little Bird,” Trace whispered huskily in my ear.
I still didn’t look away.
A second later, there was a cracking sound, and Colt dropped to his knees. A faint shimmer took over his body, and then there was no human being in front of me, but instead, a wolf.
Colt’s tongue lolled out of the corner of his mouth as he jogged toward me.
“Are we sure he’s ready for this?” Ronan muttered.
Colt snapped his teeth in Ronan’s direction.
“Just asking,” Ronan shot back.
Colt came to a stop in front of me, sitting almost as a dog would.
He was so beautiful. With those same familiar hazel eyes.
“Can I pet you?” I whispered.
In answer, he bumped my hand with his head.
I laughed and began stroking him. Colt lay down, and I followed, crossing my legs and scratching his belly.
“Why’d he get to be the wolf?” Dash muttered under his breath.
“What does it feel like when you shift?” I asked Ronan and Declan.
“There’s a moment of pain, but then it’s complete bliss,” Declan explained.
As I pet Colt’s fur, I could feel a hint of the hum I’d felt the night I’d seen him shift for the first time. “There’s something. It’s almost like pins and needles.”
Dash nodded, hope lighting in his eyes. “That’s how I feel when I cast. It starts in my fingertips and spreads up my arms.”
Excitement bubbled deep. “That’s what I’m feeling, too.”
Colt let out a rumbly growl as if to say I told you so.
I looked up at the twins. “Can I see the dragons now?”