Chapter 4
After gleaning what information she could from Genevieve, Evangeline went to her condo and locked up. She wished like hell Genevieve didn’t share the same shitty view about shifters as their father and the rest of the damned Lake Placid Coven.
And the best way to let that slip her mind was to go to sleep and find Bran. First, she needed to find Neil. Falling asleep was an art form she had mastered.
After closing her eyes, it was a matter of seconds until she found her way into Neil’s dream. He’d always been easy to find, preferring forests and mountains.
Evangeline slipped through the woods, walking among the trees with a smile on her face. A lynx perked up, his head cocking from his perch in a tree. Neil shifted back to the dark-haired, blue-eyed man she recognized.
“What brings you out?” he asked.
She rubbed one arm. “I’m still figuring that out. Walk with me, please?”
He glanced down at himself and blushed.
In dreams, she could provide anything, alter anything, do anything. Waving her hand, she summoned clothes on the branch beside him. “Dress first.”
He did, quickly, and hopped down to stand beside her. “You in New York?”
“I am, for now.”
He hissed. “Your father wants me out of the picture, the bastard.”
“Why don’t you start by telling me what you’re all involved in now. And what’s going on with my sister?”
Pain washed through his features. “She’s afraid of me now that I get furry.”
Evangeline laughed softly. “I think if anyone can convince her being furry isn’t all bad, it’s you. She talked about you for hours.”
“You never completely convinced her you weren’t a monster.”
Evangeline sighed. “She doesn’t fear me like she does others, but she doesn’t see me as a witch anymore. If my father hadn’t used me as a bargaining chip with a wolf who got too frisky, I’d still be a witch. Damn it. Never mind that.”
“Wait, he did it while a wolf?” Neil asked.
“Um…half. Let’s forget about that. It’s the last thing I want to think about.”
Neil touched her shoulder. “I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, well, that’s how I became a werewolf. Not something I like thinking about, much less talking about. And Jasper only did that once. There were only a few other times he scared me. The rest of the time he treated me well.”
“I’m sorry, Evangeline.”
“Don’t. Look, you have a better shot of convincing Genevieve we aren’t all monsters. And I think it’s going to come to that or lose her. She’s a lot worse off than she used to be. You might be able to save her if you change her.”
“And she may hate me.”
“She’d adapt. Probably faster than you’d imagine. The moment she has some strength, she’ll come out of her shell.”
“You were never in a shell,” he pointed out.
“No, I guess not. Doesn’t matter. Look, why does my father want to cut you out? I know it’s more than Genevieve.”
“He’s excavating some old ruins out in the mountains. I got too close, asked too many questions. Now he wants me gone, and he wants me away from Genevieve. He’s brought her out there a few times. She gets worse every time.”
Shaking her head, she shot him a glare. “And why haven’t you done anything about it?”
He held up his hands. “Trying, but she won’t listen to me.”
“Damn it all. Be at your phone. If I can get her out of her condo, I’ll call you. I felt the magic keeping certain people out. You can meet me somewhere, maybe even at my condo. I can break any spell he put there.”
“Of course. But how without magic?”
“A witch friend made potions for me. But until I call, please stay away from the site.”
He met her gaze. “I want to know what he’s up to.”
“Yeah, but he wants you out of the way. I need you to help me out. Let him think I got you to back off. I’ll see what I can do while keeping you in the loop.”
“Fine, for now. But keep Genevieve safe.”
“If I can, I will. Maybe I can convince my sister our dad is an evil bastard who just needs to let go of both of us. Or maybe he just needs to die.”
“You’d kill him?”
She laughed. “If I thought I could get away with it, you bet your ass. My father is the source of all my problems, and why I’m not presently mated.”
“Thought you wanted to forget Jasper.”
“Not to him.” She sighed. “And Jasper wasn’t all bad all the time. That was his father’s fault.” Shaking her head, she glanced away. She still had conflicting feelings for the man who changed her whole world. “There’s a man I will mate as soon as I get back to Silvertail Ridge. So, the faster I can be done out here, the better off for me.”
“That so?”
“Yes and no, I’m not spilling. Don’t want my father to use it against me later.”
“You know, I remember a much more ladylike Evangeline. I like the new you.”
“You haven’t been around me much the last decade. The more I learn, the more I hate my father. I’ll do my best to get Genie out.”
“Tell her I love her.”
Smiling, Evangeline nodded. “Of course.”
* * * *
Bran sat on his truck bed beyond the fence at the airport in his dream. Watching the planes come and go was soothing. Some nights, he wished he could fly.
Footsteps approached, and Bran looked over with a smile as Evangeline hopped over the tailgate and sat down beside him. Then she surprised him by snuggling against his side.
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he murmured, “What did you learn?”
“My father is an asshole.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “At least we have something in common.”
“Sorry. You never said much about your family.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t fit in. And I guess you should know some of my secrets.”
He nodded. “Would be good.”
“I was a witch before I was changed.”
He pulled her closer. “Sorry. Can’t imagine losing your magic was a pleasant experience.”
“No. Not at all. But I was young, and I’ve adapted. I kept my ability with dreamwalking.”
“I assume your father is a witch, and his only use for you is what you can achieve through dreams.”
She nodded.
“He’s an asshole.”
“For more than his treatment of me. He’s found something big in the mountains. I don’t know more than that yet, other than it’s making my sister sick.”
“Tell me about her.”
“She’s my twin.” She glanced away, trying to move apart.
He held her tight. “Don’t. I like you here. I want to know all about your past. I won’t judge you.”
She relaxed. “I don’t talk about my family because it’s a sore spot. My father got me into the mess that tied me to my first mate. With a few exceptions, Jasper treated me right. However, he was the reason I became a wolf. Away from me, he was a monster. I was too young and stupid to realize there were problems in my relationship. And part of me running from you is realizing I deserve better. A small part of me is afraid I won’t get that, but then I think back to how you were with Margaret, without a mate bond, and I believe I can have what I want, what I deserve—what I need.” She blinked, shocked she admitted so much.
Bran wiped away the tear. “Hey, I’ll give you everything and more. I could come out there. I wouldn’t mind in the slightest. I want to see you, and I don’t want to wait.”
She smiled. “Give me at least a day to figure out what I can. There’s something big going on. But neither my father nor my sister trust werewolves.”
“Evangeline, I can help. Together we can figure it out.”
“You coming out would only make my father suspicious, and my sister is already in danger. I won’t get any answers with you here.”
“And when you have those answers, if you need backup, I want to help.”
“In that case, give me a night. I’ll call you tomorrow when I know more. Okay?”
“All right.” He turned toward her. “Promise you won’t leave again without at least warning me.”
“Think I’m going to ditch you after we seal this bond?” she teased.
He lifted a shoulder and looked away to hide his doubt. “You’ve been pushing me away all this time. You were a wolf and knew what I was to you a lot longer than I did. I mean, I was drawn to you, but you know why I didn’t act on that.”
“I don’t blame you either. And yeah, it sucked, but I held onto why it was good to lose my first mate. And I’ve been a bitch at times. I’m so—”
He covered her mouth with his, stealing her words, her apology, her worries. When he released her, he whispered, “Stop. We’ll work this out.” He went back to kissing her, sliding his hand under the hem of her shirt and caressing her waist.
“Not in a dream,” she whispered. “I want the real thing.”
Smiling, he leaned back. “Can I still kiss you?”
“Can’t resist that. But no more.”
“Then I won’t tempt myself. Instead, why don’t you tell me all about your sister, and about whatever is making her sick?”
Nodding, she settled in, and opened up to Bran.