Sitting in the car with her reeking of those awful people almost sent him over the edge. Evershaw could hardly stand it. He’d barely been able to force himself into the front seat, instead of tackling her in the back seat so he could rub all over her and get rid of any hint of where Palmer touched her. Just the thought of that kid set his teeth on edge, no matter how apologetic he was.

Evershaw wanted to stay with her, wanted to pick Deirdre up and carry her somewhere where no one else would bother them, but he couldn’t afford to be alone with her. He didn’t trust himself, and she wasn’t ready for that. It was clear in her reaction to Palmer and even to Henry and the others that the witch didn’t want anyone pushing her around. He’d already been her kidnapper and jailer, and he didn’t want to add anything else to that list unless he was damn sure they both wanted it.

He made it all the way back to his office, Todd on his heels, before it occurred to Evershaw that he should have maybe told Deirdre something before he stormed off instead of leaving her in the truck for Mercy and Henry to deal with. He could have explained or at least asked if she was okay, but every time she moved, he could smell Palmer. He could smell that awful aunt of hers, who’d said such fucking vile things to Deirdre, and it got his wolf enraged all over again.

He sat behind his desk and ground his teeth as he struggled with control. It helped that Todd put a glass full of whiskey at his elbow. Evershaw scowled and slammed it in a couple of gulps. Todd refilled it, waiting, and when Evershaw didn’t down it all, Todd poured himself some and took one of the seats across from the desk.

His second-in-command grinned and swirled the whiskey in his glass. “So...?”

“So what?” Evershaw growled. “What’s wrong with you? Did you hear from Smith yet?”

“Smith left a message; we can call him back whenever. He didn’t seem to know what I was talking about, though.” Todd kicked back and put his feet up on the corner of the desk. “But before we get to that—what was with the super-aggressive shit in the florist? The witch wasn’t in any real danger.”

Evershaw scowled. “Not yet. But I wasn’t going to let those jackasses elevate shit later. I don’t trust either of them. See if we can get eyes on them both for the next couple of days. I don’t know what they’re capable of. Maybe Deirdre can explain what they can do, so we can protect against it.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want to ask her to explain?” Todd’s teeth flashed white.

Evershaw started to think the man had been drinking a hell of a lot longer for him to act like such an ass. “Get Smith’s number and call him, dick. I want to get this resolved as soon as possible.”

“Are you sure?” Todd sat up but didn’t do more than pull his phone out of his pocket. “If the connection between you and Deirdre is severed, she can leave. She can go home and we’ll never see her again.”

He hadn’t thought of that. Well, he’d considered it. He just hadn’t accepted that. He didn’t want Deirdre to be obligated to stay with the pack. He wanted her to want to stay with the pack. To stay with him. It was easier if she remained under the geas, whatever it was, though that also meant she didn’t really have a choice. He wasn’t interested in having a woman who didn’t want to be with him. He’d had enough of that with Ashley when she started running around with a bunch of other men before she finally got the balls to walk away.

Evershaw paused with the whiskey halfway to his mouth, frowning. He hadn’t thought of Ashley or the ass pain she’d put him through in days. Not since Deirdre showed up and started distracting him with her maddening defiance and attitude and fantastic ass and enchanting eyes. He swallowed more whiskey and leaned back in his chair. Interesting. Very interesting.

Todd cleared his throat, eyebrows arched, and held out his phone. “Well?”

Evershaw gave him a dirty look and took the phone. “Smith?”

“Good afternoon, Evershaw. How are you today?”

The old man sounded exhausted and distant, like he wasn’t in the city but had instead been transported to the other side of the world. Evershaw hesitated, uncertain if he wanted to drag the old man into more drama, then figured this was partly drama of the old man’s making. “We found the person who slipped me the poison; she admitted it, and we killed her. So there’s no more threat. Except Deirdre is still bound by whatever it was you did.”

“How do you know?” Smith sighed.

“Because she tried to hex me and it backfired.”

The ErlKing managed to laugh, though it was creaky as old hinges and dust. “Did she hex you on purpose or was this just in the natural course of your acquaintance?”

“She wanted to test to see whether the whatsit was still in place. And it knocked her to the floor.” He frowned as Todd started to chuckle; they hadn’t really talked about how Evershaw and Deirdre came to be kissing when Todd interrupted, but he figured his cousin started to put the pieces together. “So it’s still in place. Does that mean I’m still in danger or did you just do it wrong?”

“I assure you, I did not do anything wrong.” At least Smith sounded like he believed it, because Evershaw sure as shit didn’t. “There must be something else that triggered it to remain. Are you certain it isn’t Deirdre who wants you dead? She was quite angry when we initially captured her. Has she remained... peeved with you?”

“She was pissed at first,” Evershaw said. He refused to look at his cousin, in case Todd started up with the jokes. “But she’s fitting in with the pack now. She escaped the one time and then agreed to come back. So she’s not that pissed.”

“Interesting.” Smith sighed like he’d been holding it in for years. “I will evaluate some of the other sources of magic in the city and see if there are hints of perhaps another group that wants you dead. Hard to imagine, I’m sure, but there we are. If the geas is still in place, Evershaw, rest assured it is because someone wants to kill you. Whether it is poison or a knife or a hex, I cannot say. Be careful.”

Evershaw grunted. “Right. Thanks. Let me know what you find out.” He tossed the phone back to Todd after the call disconnected and held out his glass for more whiskey.

Todd rolled his eyes and got up to pour, shaking his head. “Imagine, someone else wanting you dead. I can’t even believe there would be a waiting list.”

“Shut up,” Evershaw muttered. “You can go start your own pack if you’ve got such a problem with me.”

“And miss all the fun of watching you stampede through the city? No way.” Todd flopped back into his chair, leaving the bottle near Evershaw’s elbow so he could refill his own glass. “There’s no harm in admitting you like the witch. Or that maybe you want her to stay. Or that she’s your mate.”

He choked on a swallow of whiskey and inhaled the shit instead, coughing and hacking as he pounded on his chest, and struggled to breathe as Todd kept watching him with a bland expression. Maybe Todd was the one who wanted him dead. How the hell was Deirdre going to save him from choking to death because his cousin had the worst timing in the world? “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You’d be in the best position to know, of course, but it does seem awfully coincidental that this particular witch would agree to help us and that she doesn’t immediately want to kill you, like everyone else in the city, apparently.” Todd raised his hands in a parody of an innocent shrug. “And somehow you managed to charm her into staying when you have zero charm at all, and you even somehow managed to kiss her without her vomiting in your face or hexing the shit out of you. So maybe there’s something there.”

“Maybe it’s none of your business.” Evershaw let the whiskey glass warm in his hand, frowning at the amber liquid, and narrowed his eyes at his cousin. “And I can be charming.”

Todd snorted. “Bullshit.”

Before he could go on and goad Evershaw into kicking his ass, someone knocked at the door. Todd leaned back and called, “Come in,” before Evershaw could open his mouth. He threw one of the paperweights from the desk at his cousin. “Don’t do that. This is my office.”

Henry poked his head in, looking around, and edged inside when Evershaw waved for him to enter. The younger wolf didn’t get more than a couple steps from the door before he spoke. “Sir, we just told the witch to shower but she wanted to know why. So we told her a bit about how the scent can distract us and all that. She was pretty... irritated.”

Todd’s grin spread. “And did you tell her who the scent would distract and enrage?”

“It was pretty clear that the alpha would be distracted by the scent, based on her experience in the florist,” Henry said. His jaw clenched and he leaned back, like he expected Evershaw to leap over his desk to strangle him. The kid cleared his throat when no one else spoke. “She had a lot of questions. A lot of questions. I tried to answer without making assumptions or putting my foot in where it didn’t belong, but she did not like the idea of being told what to do. At all. For anything and by anyone. She made that clear.”

Evershaw made a thoughtful noise. He could understand that, after what he heard in the florist. It sounded like Estelle and Palmer both tried to control Deirdre, and had for a long time. There was no telling what the larger coven was like, but he couldn’t imagine it had been a whole lot of fun to be in. No wonder Deirdre lashed out as soon as control was wrested away from her. “That’s not a surprise.”

“Yet you kidnapped her,” Todd said under his breath. “And she doesn’t seem to mind that anymore. Imagine.”

Henry glanced at Todd and then away again. “We told her your reaction in the florist was because the wolf side would feel protective. She understood that, or at least she didn’t object to it. Still, sir. She had a lot of questions. She didn’t agree to taking a shower; she wanted to think and make up her own mind. But she’s back in the suite in your rooms. Deciding.”

Deciding. He could just picture her sitting there with her damnable cat, her forehead wrinkled and her nose scrunched, fuming. Debating herself. He froze when he caught both of them watching him, grinning at whatever they saw on his face, and scowled fiercely in response. “Fuck off, both of you. Todd, go pull the numbers on the acquisition we were supposed to execute yesterday. Henry, guard the suite and make sure she doesn’t leave.”

Henry disappeared at a run but Todd lingered, finishing his drink. “Look, man. I want you to be happy and it seems like this girl could do that. Don’t run her off and don’t ruin it.”

Evershaw ignored him and instead turned his attention to his computer. He could find some work to distract him from the thought of Deirdre in the shower, washing with his soap and getting rid of any hint of that other guy, and he’d wait until the whiskey kicked in so he didn’t care what she said when he walked into his rooms.

Todd sighed and slapped his shoulder on the way out. “Have it your way. Just be nice to her. Give me a shout if you need anything. Poetry, flowers, an engagement ring...”

Evershaw threw the other paperweight at him, and Todd barely dodged it before he made it out the door and to safety. He scowled and made a note to get more rocks for the desk so he could hurl them at people who displeased him. Seemed like a pretty effective way to end meetings, too.