Rain woke with a strange sense of calm. Of security. She lay on her side, her back cradled into Chase’s front, his arms wrapped tightly around her. A ceiling fan whirred from above, sending a cooling breeze onto the sheets, but the warmth of her werewolf kept the chill away.

Her werewolf.

What had come over her last night to claim him like she did? To tell him he was hers, as if he had no choice in the matter? Her pulse quickened, the flutter of a thousand butterflies taking flight like they had when he hadn’t denied she was his girlfriend.

Everything about this moment felt right. Her lips curved into a smile. She could see herself spending forever with this man. This felt…real. So different from the way she’d felt with Isaac.

She’d been so desperate for Isaac’s attention. Always worrying if he wanted her. Never feeling like she was enough.

With Chase, she didn’t worry. He wore his emotions openly. In the way he looked at her. How he touched her. She’d grown up since her battle with her ex, and she’d never stoop to using a spell to harm someone again.

But she had harmed Isaac. She’d killed him.

Her stomach sank. Would Chase feel the same about her if he knew what she’d done? She had two choices: either tell him the truth now before she got in too deep or keep her mouth shut and pray that he never found out.

Rolling onto her other side, she lay face to face with him.

Her movement roused him from sleep, and he opened his eyes and smiled. “Good morning, beautiful. How did you sleep?”

“Good.” The best sleep of her life. “I need to tell you something.”

“Hmm…” He rolled on top of her and nuzzled into her neck, trailing his lips up to her earlobe and raising goose bumps on her arms. “Is it that you think your mind is playing tricks on you? That there’s no way the sex last night was that amazing and you need to do it again, just to be sure?”

He kissed his way down her throat and circled his tongue around the dip in the center of her collar bone. “If that’s what you need, I’m happy to oblige.”

She could have lain there all day letting Chase cover her body in kisses. The softness of his lips followed by the tickle of his beard on her skin. The warmth of his tongue on her breast as he sucked her nipple into his mouth. Her will almost crumbled. “You might not want to after what I need to tell you.”

He paused and looked at her. “That sounds serious.”

As she opened her mouth to spill her awful truth, his phone rang from somewhere on the floor. He ignored it, focusing instead on her. “Is something wrong?”

She couldn’t force the confession over the lump in her throat. “Aren’t you going to answer your phone?”

“I suppose I should.” He sighed and rolled off her, reaching for his jeans and digging through the pockets until he retrieved the phone. It had stopped ringing, but his sister’s name lit up the screen as a missed call. “Why the hell is Bekah calling this early in the morning?” He sat up, furrowing his brow at the phone. “I better call her back.” He ran his fingers down Rain’s cheek and smiled his heart-melting smile. “Give me a sec.”

She nodded as he pressed the button to return his sister’s call.

“You rang?” He paused and listened, his grin falling into a scowl as his sister spoke. “They don’t know what’s wrong?”

Another pause, and he clutched Rain’s hand in his. “Do you know where Tommy is? Surely he’d be willing to see you again to heal his daughter.”

His shoulders drooped. “No. I suppose you’re right. Bastard.” He looked at Rain, and the brightness returned to his eyes. “I think I know another witch who can help. Hang tight. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Chase stood and gathered their clothes. “I’m sorry, cher, we’re going to have to finish our conversation later. Emma’s in the hospital.”

Rain’s heart thrummed in her chest as the pieces of the conversation began clicking into place. “What’s wrong with her?”

He laid her clothes on the bed and put on his jeans. “They don’t know. High fever. Vomiting. She’s dehydrated and barely conscious.”

Her throat tightened. “You mentioned Tommy…her father?”

“Yeah. Let me get your shirt.” He paced into the kitchen and returned with the rest of her clothes.

Rain put on her pants and turned her shirt right side out. “How could her father heal her? Is he…” A sickening feeling swirled in her stomach, creeping its way up to her throat. “Is he a witch?”

Chase pulled his shirt over his head. “Yeah, but Bekah hasn’t heard from him since he left her. He has decent healing abilities, but maybe Snow can make one of her potions, like the one you gave me?”

She sank onto the edge of the bed. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. “Emma’s half-witch?”

“Yeah, but…” His eyes widened. “Your…No, it wasn’t your curse.”

“It was, Chase. It is.” She yanked her shirt down over her head and shoved her feet into her shoes. “She colored that picture for me. Beauty and the Beast, remember? She gave it to me…in kindness. She was kind to me, and now she’s suffering for it.”

He dropped his arms to his sides. “But she’s a kid.”

“So? She’s a witch. That’s what matters.” She stood and paced to the living room. This was her fault. She’d let her guard down. Gotten close. And now a sweet little girl was suffering because she’d been careless with her curse.

“Rain, wait.” Chase followed her. “This is not your fault.”

She whirled around to face him. “No? Then whose fault is it? It’s my curse. My burden.”

“It’s my fault.” He caught her hand. “I’m to blame. I never told you her dad was a witch.”

“Why didn’t you?”

He squeezed her hand and let it go, a pained expression puckering his brow. “I don’t know. It never crossed my mind. When I told you she was half-werewolf, I guess I assumed…I don’t know.” He let out a hard breath. “I’m sorry. I…this is one hundred percent my fault.”

“No. It’s mine. I’ve lived with this curse for seven years; I should know better. I assumed she was half-human when I should have asked.” She was stupid and irresponsible, and now poor Emma had to pay the price.

“Look, we can argue over whose fault it is later. Do you think Snow will make a healing potion?”

She swallowed the sour taste from her mouth. “You’ll have to ask her yourself. She can’t do it for me.”

Confusion clouded his eyes. “She did it for you when I was sick.”

“She did that on her own. We’ve found loopholes…ways to get around the curse. I told her you were sick, but I didn’t ask for her help. She made the potion on her own and made it very clear when she gave it to me that she did it for you, not for me.”

He grabbed his keys from the counter and opened the door. “I’ll ask her then. We’ll take care of Emma. Come on.”

She followed him outside to his bike. “My car is parked down the road.” She texted him Snow’s number. “You’ll have to call Snow and ask her to meet us at the bakery.”

“Okay.” He fished his phone from his pocket, and Rain hurried to her car.

She started the engine and headed to the bakery before Chase finished his phone call and mounted his bike. What had she been thinking getting that close to him and his family? She’d been concerned about him having witch blood somewhere along the lines, but the thought that his niece might had never even crossed her mind.

Selfish. That was what she’d been. Only thinking of herself and her desires for Chase. So much for learning to lead a selfless life. This was why she didn’t get close to people.

Parking in the alley behind the building, she shook her head as she climbed out of the car and slammed the door. Seven years. After the initial shock and the realization of how swiftly her curse worked, she’d spent the past seven years avoiding friendships like they were…well, a curse.

And then Chase came along with his hot body and tender touch, and her brain checked out, letting her hormones take over.

No more.

Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the lock and let herself in. The shop didn’t open for another four hours, but she heated the ovens and took the dough and batter from the fridge to prepare the day’s offerings.

Snow and Chase would handle the potion, and as much as Rain wanted to go to the hospital to comfort Emma, she couldn’t. She could never see the little girl again. It wasn’t worth the risk. How could she explain to a six-year-old that she was suffering because she’d done something nice for a cursed witch?

She couldn’t, and the only way to make certain she wasn’t a threat to Emma was to stop seeing Chase. Her heart wrenched at the thought of never feeling his strong arms wrapped around her again. But this was the way it had to be. She never should have tried to be with him in the first place.

A knock sounded on the front door, and she shuffled into the storefront to let Chase in. Snow wouldn’t be far behind. She opened the door and stepped aside for him to enter, shutting it when he crossed the threshold.

He faced her, concern furrowing his dark brow. “We’re going to fix this.”

She wrung her hands and nodded, biting her bottom lip to hold back the tears. Thankfully, Snow stepped through door, saving her from having to answer.

She strutted past them toward the kitchen, waving a hand for them to follow her. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll whip something up. What are her symptoms again?”

“Fever, vomiting, dehydration, but they’ve got her hooked up to an IV.”

Snow grimaced. “Sounds like what happened to me that time I made a cake for your birthday.”

The first tear rolled down her cheek. “I know.”

Chase cupped her face in his hand, wiping the tear away with his thumb. “Hey, look at me.” He stooped to catch her gaze. “I am taking full responsibility for this. You didn’t know, so it’s not your fault.”

“It doesn’t matter. I should have asked. I should have made sure.”

Snow cleared her throat and busied herself with the potion, mixing eucalyptus with mango leaves and other healing herbs before reciting the spell and bottling the mixture. “Here you go.” She handed it to Chase. “Don’t expect it to work as fast as it did on you, though. If she hasn’t come into her werewolf self-healing abilities yet, it’s going to take at least a day for the full effect.”

Chase pocketed the potion and took Rain’s hand. “We better get this to Emma.” He stepped toward the storefront, but Rain didn’t budge. “Emma will want to see you.”

“She can’t. I’m too dangerous. It’s best if she never sees me again.”

He pressed his lips into a line and let out a sigh. “We’ll figure something out. We can coach her on how to act around you so it doesn’t happen again. We’ll make a game out of it. She likes games.”

Her throat tightened. “No. We won’t do anything. It’s best if you never see me again either.”

The pain in his eyes tore at her heart. “Don’t say that. I belong to you, remember? You told me so last night.” He smiled weakly.

“I know what I said, but that was before…” She sighed. “I was careless, and a little girl is hurt because of it. She lives with you. She’s family. I’m just a dud witch with a curse to keep me alone for the rest of my life.”

“Rain.” He reached for her, but she backed away.

“I’m sorry, Chase. Go to Emma. She needs you.”

Snow glared at her with a look that said she’d be hearing from her later. “I’ll go with you, Chase.” She brushed past Rain and stomped out of the kitchen.

He pulled his keys from his pocket. “I’m going to find a way to break your curse. This isn’t over.”

She sucked in a shaky breath. “I’m afraid it is.”

He shook his head and followed Snow out of the bakery.

Chase mounted his bike and slammed his helmet onto his head. He’d had a taste of his fate-bound mate, and he’d be damned if he would let some curse stand between them.

Snow opened her car door. “What hospital? I’ll meet you there.”

“Tulane.”

She nodded and climbed into her Mazda. Chase revved his engine and peeled away from the store, leaving a black mark on the ground where his tire had spun. Childish? Yeah. But he was losing his fate-bound. He wasn’t thinking straight.

His pulse thrummed in his ears as he wove through traffic on Basin Street and turned into the hospital parking lot. He’d help his niece. As soon as her condition stabilized, he’d go back to Rain and convince her they were meant to be together.

Why hadn’t he thought to mention the fact that his niece was half-witch? He didn’t care if he got hurt or sick. Nothing short of death could keep him away from the woman he loved, but he’d only been thinking about himself. He hadn’t considered the effects his fate-bound could have on others. Who’s the asshole now? He paced across the parking garage and jabbed the button for the elevator.

“Chase, wait up.” Snow trotted across the pavement and stood next to him. “What did your niece do for Rain?”

“She gave her a picture she colored of Beauty and the Beast. Said it was Rain and me.”

Snow smiled. “Aw, that’s so sweet.”

And she’d made their relationship official when he hadn’t had the balls to bring it up. He’d always be grateful to his niece for that. “Sweet enough to land her in the hospital, apparently.”

Her smile faded. “It wasn’t that big of a kindness. I’m sure she’d recover fine on her own, but the potion will speed it up.”

He slipped his hand into his pocket and toyed with the vial. “Thanks for this.”

“My pleasure.”

The elevator dinged, and the doors whooshed open, sending a gust of chilled air into his face. They rode the contraption to the third floor and paced down the hall to room 3C.

Emma lay in the bed, looking tiny and helpless, her dark hair matted to her forehead, her skin taking on an ashen pallor. Bekah sat in a chair next to her, holding her hand and softly singing “Belle” from Beauty and the Beast, Emma’s favorite song. Chase had watched the movie with his niece so many times, he was tempted to sing along. Anything to make Emma feel better.

When his sister reached the end of the verse, she looked up at him.

“This is Snow, Rain’s sister.”

Bekah smiled weakly. “Frozen bubbles?”

“That’s me,” Snow said.

He took the spell from his pocket. “She made a healing potion. Like the one Rain brought over to me when I was down. It should speed up her recovery.” He handed it to Bekah.

She took the vial and gently shook Emma awake. “Here, sweetie, you need to drink this. It will help you feel better.”

Emma’s eyes fluttered halfway open. Her dry lips stuck together at first, but she peeled them apart and let her mom pour the potion into her mouth.

“I can cool her fever.” Snow held up her hands. “I did it for Rain when she was little. It won’t hurt her.”

Bekah gave her a confused look. “Like you froze the bubbles?”

“I won’t freeze her. Just cool her down a little.”

Chase stepped toward the bed. “You can trust her.” He never imagined that phrase would pass from his lips when speaking about a witch, but he meant every damn word of it.

Bekah nodded, and Snow pressed her hands against Emma’s forehead. She whispered something that rhymed—a spell, he assumed—and slid her palms down his niece’s arms before resting them on her chest, her stomach, her legs. She repeated the movements three times and touched Emma’s forehead with the back of her hand. “Should be 98.6 now. You can call in a nurse to take her temperature if you want.”

Bekah placed her palms against Emma’s cheeks. “Incredible. You’ve been so kind. Thank you.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

Chase shoved his hands into his pockets. “Speaking of kindness…” He nodded to Emma. “She’s sick because of me.”

Bekah furrowed her brow. “Full werewolves don’t get viruses. She didn’t catch this from you.”

“She’s sick because she was kind to Rain.” He explained the curse, making sure to put all the blame on himself for not telling Rain that Emma was half-witch. “She never would have come over to babysit if she’d known.”

“She feels terrible,” Snow added. “My sister is very conscious about her curse. She won’t let it happen again.”

“I see.” Bekah lowered her gaze and stared at her daughter. “It doesn’t make sense.” She motioned for Chase to move closer and whispered in his ear, “Fate wouldn’t make you choose between your family and your soulmate would it?”

He tried to respond, but he couldn’t get enough air into his lungs. Choose between his fate-bound and his family? It was an impossible decision, but it seemed he’d be forced to make it.

When he didn’t answer, Bekah straightened her spine. “I’m sorry to say this, but as long as she’s cursed, she can’t be around Emma.”

“I know.”

“Emma is family, and she’s pack. She’s not going to stay home all the time because Rain is around.”

He held her gaze. He knew exactly what his sister was saying. Family and the pack came first. Rain would have to be the one staying home, missing out on pack gatherings. Who knew how many other weres had witch blood flowing through their veins? He’d be putting his pack in danger by taking Rain as his mate.

Sharp pain flashed through his heart, and he placed a hand against his chest to rub it away. He looked at Snow. “Isn’t there a way to break the curse?”

Snow’s eyes tightened. “She hasn’t talked to you about that?”

“No.” If she had, he’d be doing everything in his power to break the damn thing.

“She needs…” Snow inhaled deeply, pressing her lips into a hard line. “She needs to commit an ultimate act of selflessness.”

His head spun. Could she be any vaguer? “What does that mean? She needs to give her life to save someone?”

“No. If she gave up her life, that would defeat the purpose of breaking the curse, don’t you think?” She laced her fingers together and gave him a strange look. Was it pity? Hope? She looked like she wanted to say something, and if she didn’t spit it out, his head might explode.

“What then?” he said through clenched teeth. “What does she have to do?”

Snow deflated. “I don’t know. She’s become the most selfless person I know. She’s reined in her temper. She gives, volunteers. Nothing has worked so far, but…” Her expression turned pained.

“But what?”

“You need to talk to her about it. Maybe the two of you can figure it out together.”

“Uncle Chase?” Emma’s voice sounded tiny. “Where’s Rain?”

With two purposeful strides, he moved to the bedside and brushed the hair from his niece’s face. The color was already returning to her cheeks, and she managed a weak smile. “She couldn’t make it, squirt, but Snow is here.”

“Hi, Emma.” Snow waved from the foot of the bed.

Emma’s smile widened. “When Rain becomes my aunt, will you be my aunt too?”

“Emma…” her mother chided. “Grown-up relationships are complicated.”

She huffed. “Rain is going to be Uncle Chase’s mate, Momma, and then she’ll be my aunt.”

A lump the size of a cantaloupe wedged into his throat. He could only hope. But as long as she was cursed, he didn’t see how…

Snow suppressed a smile. “What makes you say that?”

“They love each other.”

Warmth spread through his body. He obviously loved Rain. His wolf had made up his mind the moment he met her. The thought that she might already love him too sent his heart racing. Sometimes kids were more perceptive than adults.

Snow laughed. “What makes you say that?”

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. “A girl just knows these things.”

Snow arched an eyebrow at Chase. “A girl does, doesn’t she?”

He raked a hand through his hair. A guy knew too. Fate would not send him a mate he couldn’t be with. He had to figure out a way to break the curse. He pinched Emma’s cheek. “How you feeling, squirt?”

“Better. The medicine tasted like bubblegum.”

He looked at Snow. “Did you make the same potion you gave me? Mine tasted like honey.”

“It tastes like whatever you need it to taste like. Does whatever it needs to do. That’s how magic works.”

That was how he worked too. He would do whatever he needed to do to keep his family and his pack safe and save the woman he loved from a curse. “What will you tell the doctors when she mysteriously recovers?”

Bekah shrugged. “They have no idea what’s wrong with her. I doubt it’s the first mystery illness they’ve encountered.”

“I’m going to head to the bakery and see if I can talk some sense into my sister.” Snow patted Emma’s leg. “Take care of yourself, little one.”

“I’ll be there shortly.” Chase nodded at Snow. “Thanks for your help.”

He stayed at the hospital for a few more hours to make sure Emma’s condition improved before heading to the parking garage. Hopefully Snow would have calmed Rain down by the time he got to the bakery. Seeing so much pain in her eyes had torn him to pieces.