I raked a hand through my hair, frustration clawing at me. “No. That was wrong of me.”
“Damn straight. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement, you know.” She gestured between the boat and the dock. “My magic is valuable. And yes, I’ll help you, even though I don’t agree with what you’re doing. Just the forgetfulness spell?”
“I’d also like to know why she broke into my hotel room.”
“Oh, the plot thickens!”
“Don’t sound so excited.”
She shrugged. “What? It’s a bit dull out here at night.”
“You could always—”
She raised a hand, cutting me off before I could finish the offer to let her stay in the big house with the rest of the pack. “No. You know I don’t want to.”
“Just don’t know why.” Every time I offered, she turned it down. I could almost feel the loneliness in her, but she stayed on her boat. There’d been hurt in her eyes when she’d first arrived, but she’d never shared why.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s talk about what you need. Why can’t you just ask her?”
“Do you think she’ll tell me the truth?”
She frowned. “No, I suppose not.”
“Exactly.”
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I can whip up a truth potion so you can figure out what she’s after, but that will take a few days.”
“Do it, please.”
“All right. In the meantime, I can give you a selective memory erasing spell. It’s tricky to use, though. You’ll have to get her to lower the guard on her mind so you can use it.”
“How do I get her to do that?”
“A few ways. Make her fall in love with you is the best, but in a pinch, you can get her to tell you a valuable secret. While she’s confiding in you, her guard should be down. Then you deploy the spell. It’ll sneak inside her subconscious and delete any memory of you.”
“She won’t feel that she’s my mate?”
“She shouldn’t.”
“Good.” Except… It’s going to be damned hard to get her to lower her guard.”
“You could always forget her.”
“No.” The word came out too sharply, and I wanted to turn away. I resisted, which allowed me to see the smug look on Kate’s face.
“I knew you liked her,” she said.
“I don’t even know her.” But I didn’t want to forget her. If all I could have of her was a tiny memory, I wanted it. And anyway, it would be unwise to forget her. If I ran into her again, my wolf would probably still recognize her. Nothing would keep him from that. “Do you have the forgetfulness spell now?”
“I do.” She climbed to her feet. “Just wait a moment.”
I focused on the silence all around as she climbed down into the cabin of the large wooden sailboat. Through the tiny windows, I saw her searching for something.
She returned with a small bag in her hand and gave it to me. “Get her to lower her guard. When that happens, press the small charm to her skin and say the word finite.”
She pronounced it with a flare at the end.
“She’ll think I’m insane.”
“You’ll be scrambling her brains, so she won’t remember it.”
Guilt struck. “She’ll be all right though, won’t she?”
“Of course.” Insult sounded in Kate’s voice. “I’m excellent at my job.”
“Right, my apologies.” I raised my hands in a placating gesture. “You’re the best.”
“Damn straight. But good luck. I think you’re going to need it.”
“I’m sure I will.” I thanked her and made my way toward the woods at the back of the property.
I knew I should get back to Seattle ASAP to continue preparing for the winter gathering, but I wanted to run. Needed to.
As I stepped through the tree line, I called upon my wolf, feeling the magic bubble in my veins. It roared through me, taking over my body and transforming me into a massive black wolf.
As I ran through the forest with the wind in my fur, everything felt better. Clearer.
Protect.
My pack needed me, and that was all there was to it.
6
Lyra
* * *
The next day, I began to prepare for the theft of a lifetime. Just the idea of trying it scared the crap out of me.
As I walked into the staff room at the start of my shift, it felt like everyone was looking at me. As if they knew what I was going to do.
I shook the thought away and punched my timecard, then changed quickly, grateful that Boris wasn’t around. I needed to find out how long Garreth Locke would be here, and I certainly couldn’t ask around. It would be far too suspicious when the theft was discovered. I didn’t want anyone to think I was interested in him.
The only way for me to find out when he was leaving was to check one of the computers in the office. They contained the same records as the computers at reception, and I could see how long the penthouse would be occupied.
My chance came shortly after my lunch break. Most people were out at the nearby Mexican place, but as usual, I’d stayed back to eat alone.
Not that I had any kind of appetite.
Instead, I’d been biding my time. The back office was empty when I slipped through the quiet hall and hurried toward it. My heart thundered as I pulled up the schedule, frantically scanning for the info I needed so that I could get the hell out of there.
I hated this kind of subterfuge. Give me a building to climb any day.
“What are you doing?” Meg’s voice cut through my absorption in the hotel records, and I jumped.
“Shit.” I tried to wipe the guilt from my face. “You scared me. I was just checking to see how slammed we are this week.”
Technically, I wasn’t supposed to do that, and I never did. But it was something that I’d seen other housekeepers do. We could get out early if our workload was particularly light.
“Oh?” Interest sparked in Meg’s voice. “Hoping to get off early this week? Got a date or something?”
“Yeah. A date with Ben & Jerry's.” I desperately wanted to tell her what was going on and that she needed to run for her life, but the mobster’s threat lingered in my mind.
I couldn’t risk it.
“Ha! That can’t be it.”
Shit. I had to tell her something. “I got accepted to the Seattle School of Business. I was hoping to get off early enough to celebrate on Friday.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s amazing! I know how badly you wanted that. I’m coming with you to celebrate!”
“Yeah.” Guilt tugged at me, but I was distracted by the sound of voices coming from the hall. I clicked out of the computer and stood. “Better go before we’re caught.”
She nodded and spun around. I followed her from the room, my heart pounding.
“I like the scarf.” She pointed to the small fake silk scarf I’d tied around the bruise on my throat. “Boris will have a shit fit if he sees it, though.”
I touched the fabric, swallowing hard despite the pain in my throat. “Then I’ll just be sure not to run into him.”