“I take it you’re the alpha, which is hella cool to have a female be a packmaster, by the way. Take my advice and take your pack out of town while you still can.”
She cracks her knuckles and balls her fists. “Is that a threat?” Her eyes flash yellow, the color they change to when she shifts from human to wolf form.
“Yes,” I say sternly and press the button to close the tailgate. “But not the way you think.”
“Oh, it’s exactly what I think.” She jerks forward, a low growl coming from deep within her chest. “You’ve had this town long enough. It’s time we take it and make it ours. The Ley line—it’s like a constant full moon, and nothing you say or do is going to make me give that up.”
Chapter 34
I feel a million times better the second I step into the house. I close the door behind me, taking a deep breath. Whatever Bael was doing, spying on me, trying to locate me, get in my head or maybe all three…he can’t do here.
The spell Julian and Tabatha cast is still holding, though I know each day that goes by, the spell loses power. It’s a waiting game, and I hate it. Bael is going to find another desperate soul to devour, getting him or her to do his dirty work to try and free him.
I came in the house through a side door, and we turned this small corridor into a mud room. I hang my purse on the built-in hall tree and go back out to start unloading the groceries. The covered walkway from the house to the garage hasn’t been installed yet, and the concrete can’t be poured for it until the weather warms back up this spring.
I trudge back and forth through the snow, bringing the groceries in and then dragging the bags into the kitchen. I’d use magic to move them all, but there are a few workers here, completing some of the more detailed projects, like the tile work in the shower of one of the guest rooms upstairs, and the painter is in the office, touching up the mural we found hidden behind wallpaper. It’s going to take him a few more days if not weeks to get it back to how it looked before someone slapped ugly brown-and-green checkered paper on the walls, but it doesn’t bother me having him here during the day.
As long as demons don’t attack, that is.
The pantry is huge, bigger than the closet in my former room, and I’m going to have to take a few more trips to the store to fill it. Though with me being the only one in the house who eats, most of the food would probably go to waste before I could get to it.
I get out the snacks I bought and arrange them on the counter. This is my first little get together at the house, but I’m not getting fancy. I’ll save that for Thanksgiving. I take the back staircase and go into our room. We converted a small room next to the master into closets, and we each have our own. Lucas’s clothes are already put away, neatly arranged by type and color. Mine are on the floor, waiting for a cleaning fairy to come and hang them up.
Deciding to be organized, I start to arrange my clothes by color too and laugh when more than half the closet is full of black clothes.
“Maybe I’ll expand my color pallet,” I say, looking out into the bedroom. Freya is sleeping on the bed and opens one eye, as if to say yeah right. I’m nearly done when then doorbells rings, and I go down the main stairs that empty into the large foyer.
Ruby and Evander are the first ones here, having come together from the Academy.
“I know wine is customary for a housewarming,” Evander says as he steps into the foyer. “But given your current condition, we got you sparkling grape juice instead.”
“Thoughtful,” I say with a smile. “Thank you. I don’t have any, so this is perfect to drink along with you guys.” I step aside and let them in, sweeping my hand back at the foyer. “Welcome to our house.”
“Wow.” Ruby stomps the snow off her shoes and comes in, eyes wide. “Just wow.”
“It’s night and day compared to how it was before,” Evander says as he takes off his shoes. “The first time I set foot in here, I thought you were