Flipping the Bird (Shift Creek #1) - Carrie Pulkinen Page 0,15
girlfriend had flirted with him, but he tried not to think about the incident. All the slime and the lack of bones… Disgusting.
The amulet would have allowed him to take Alice’s magic and morph into her crow, but it was no longer in his possession.
Perhaps it was in hers…
“Please, Alice. Can you explain what you meant about the bird I was transformed into being your crow? Did you force your magic on me?”
Alice held his gaze, her green eyes boring into him as if she were looking into his soul. “No, I did not. Somehow, you yanked my other self out of my body and used her magic to shapeshift.” She crossed her arms. “And I don’t appreciate it one bit.”
“You didn’t happen to go scavenging west of town last night, did you?”
She scoffed. “Why would I be there? There’s nothing but forest and fields to the west.” Her voice took on a nervous tremble. “I also don’t appreciate the accusation in your tone.”
Forest, fields, and his new house, but he could see it was time to drop the subject. He’d scared her. The last thing he wanted was for this gentle, mysterious woman to be afraid of him. “Of course. My apologies.” Accusing her of theft when he had no proof wouldn’t get him anywhere. There were a few other possible explanations he should explore first. And he could get to know the intriguing woman while he did it.
Standing—and doing his best to ignore the stabbing pain in his skull—he took her hand, holding it between both of his. “I promise you, I did not steal your crow. That shift in magic must have come from a spell. Do you have any enemies?”
She looked at her hand sandwiched between his, her lips parting slightly as she tugged from his grasp. “Aside from the occasional bear trap, no.”
“You know…” Megan wagged her finger between them. “You two have had some explosive chemistry since the moment you walked through the door.”
“Megan…” Alice whispered through clenched teeth as Donovan fought his smile. At least he wasn’t the only one who sensed the connection.
“I’m just saying, maybe because you are so into each other, it triggered some kind of magical bond.”
“I don’t…” A pink blush spread across her cheeks as she shook her head.
“I suppose that’s possible. It’s not unheard of for a warlock’s magic to go awry when in the presence of a woman who enamors him.” Of course, that was impossible for him, due to the fact he had no magic to speak of.
“And sometimes shifters are born with extra powers.” Megan moved next to Alice, resting a hand on her arm. “It’s not unheard of for one of us to inherit a little extra oomph if we have any witches or warlocks in our ancestry.”
He arched a brow. This situation—this woman—was becoming more and more fascinating. “Do you have witch ancestry, Alice?”
Her eyes widened briefly every time he spoke her name. “I might…” She sighed. “Okay, yes. I do. This might have happened before, but it’s not something I can control.” She cast her gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry I accused you. I was embarrassed.”
“Intriguing. Unharnessed magic is nothing to be ashamed of.” And he much preferred that explanation over the alternative.
He glanced at his watch. Of course, he had a conference call with a client in half an hour, but he wasn’t finished with Alice yet. “I would love to explore this further, but I have to leave. Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
“Me?” Alice pressed a hand to her chest.
“Well, he’s certainly not talking to me,” Megan said. “He hasn’t taken his eyes off you since he stepped through the door.”
Her cheeks reddened again as she drew her bottom lip between her teeth, and his stomach fluttered. He couldn’t recall a time he’d ever been so taken by a woman.
“Sure. I’d like that.” She turned toward the counter and scribbled something on the back of a business card. “Here’s my number. I live in the apartment upstairs.”
He took the card and smiled. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Okay.” She lifted a hand and wiggled her fingers. “See you then.”
He positioned the bag with his unruly familiar onto his shoulder and strode out the door.
Chapter Five
“Oh, my gods, Alice!” Megan gaped as Donovan disappeared down the street. “Way to turn on your feminine charm. Seriously, that man was eating out of the palm of your hand.”
“Oh, please.” Alice fought her grin, but it was no use.