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  Savon barely glanced Nate’s way all day.

  * * * *

  Finally done. Everything had been moved from the truck, to the house, and everything was placed in the right rooms.

  “That’s it,” Savon announced. “You all can go. I have some work to do.”

  “We could help,” Jay offered.

  Bran snorted but held his tongue.

  “This part I need to do on my own. I want to put my own touches on the house. Which means I need some privacy.”

  Grinning, Jay dipped his head and started for the door. “Come on, guys, let’s give the lady some space.”

  She held back the shiver that wanted to sneak up with his sexy Aussie accent. “I’m sure I’ll see you all later.”

  Violets and reds spiraled through Jay’s aura with his nod, his eyes trailing over her. “Tonight.”

  They left, without argument, leaving Bran’s buddies.

  Joe pulled her into a hug. “You be careful around them.” He ducked outside.

  Savon sighed.

  Chris clapped her on the shoulder. “I hope you’ll join us for the barbecue this weekend.”

  “We’ll see.” It would all depend on how comfortable she felt around the guys by then. Nate made things iffy. He had her so wound up she wanted to scream.

  Jay didn’t help the situation. He knew what Nate wanted and spent the day pushing his buttons.

  Bran pulled her into a bear hug, lifting her off her feet. “Catch you later, little sis.” He dodged out the door.

  Savon turned and found Nate inches from her.

  His voice felt like an invitation as his words came out in a purr, “Can we talk?”

  The air vibrated between them. Savon tried to push away the desire to lean toward him. She failed. Searching his eyes, she asked, “About what?”

  One brow cocked. “You’re not hungover?”

  A laugh bubbled up. “Nah, thanks for taking care of me.” She wouldn’t mention the fact that a little magic and coffee went a long way to relieving the headache.

  His knuckles trailed down her forearm, but he dropped his hand when he got to hers. “How do I make up for the hell I put you through?”

  Sighing, she walked away. Old emotions threatened to crush her. “You have no idea what I went through, but I’ve moved on. So, if you think we can pick up where we left off, you’re wrong.”

  The heat of his body drew closer and she turned back, only to fall into those deep molten brown pools. “Sav, I don’t expect to pick up where we left off. Doesn’t change the fact there’s still something powerful between us. Last night I wasn’t thinking, I responded, and I’m sorry I pushed too far. I never want to hurt you again. But I can’t deny the magnetism between us. I never could.”

  She half-laughed. “We’re different people, Nate. There may be chemistry, but who’s to say it’s not dangerous?”

  “Can’t we find out?”

  She lifted her hand and backed away, shrinking down on herself. “Shit, I don’t know. You weren’t supposed to be here. I never would have moved back if I’d known.”

  “Hate me that much?” he whispered, inching closer.

  “Yes, damn it, Nate. You proposed to me, then disappeared off the face of the Earth for two months. We were just kids. I’ve grown up, moved on. I’m not that girl anymore.”

  “I’m not that boy.”

  Squaring her shoulders, she stared back. “What do you want me to say? I’m done with that stage of my life. I don’t want to rehash the past. I’m moving forward.”

  “Sav, I never wanted to leave you. I got in my car, drove out to pick up your ring, and on my way home, someone in a truck ran me off the road. I’m lucky to be alive. I was in a coma for two months and I’m sure my asshole father did everything in his power to drive you away. And if he hadn’t sworn he would destroy you if I came for you, I would have been on your doorstep as soon as I got out of that damned bed.”

  “You didn’t even try, Nate. Bran said you couldn’t come, so I shut that door, locked it, and boarded it over. I can’t go back.”

  “After Bran learned the story, he tried to tell you why. Every time he mentioned my name you would scream at him until he gave up. Shit, I wanted you to know why I couldn’t come to you, but I couldn’t risk your life. My father would have killed you while I watched if I contacted you. Not to mention my father damn near turned me into a monster. I was so angry he changed me it took me a long damned time to learn to control my beast. I didn’t want to be a werewolf. I did everything in my power to protect you, and that meant not calling, not coming, not writing. I’m so sorry I hurt you, Savon.”

  Her heart threatened to shatter. Rubbing at her brow, she paced away as colors seeped through her vision. Pain, his, hers…she didn’t want to see their auras. She wanted to remain numb.

  Pulling on her bravado, she turned back. “That’s why it needs to stay in the past. It’s too late to fix what we had.”

  He nodded, moving closer. “That doesn’t mean we can’t start at the beginning and build something better.”

  Shaking her head, Savon paced away.

  “Look, I get it. We aren’t together, but we were best friends for years. Can’t we start at friends? I miss talking with you until late into the night and early into the morning. I miss being with you, just hanging out. Even if we never get back to where we were, I want you in my life.”

  She stopped at the window and stared outside. He kept chipping at her walls. If she was being honest, she wanted him to tear them down, but she didn’t trust her emotions.

  “We’ll see. But don’t expect anything more.”

  His presence loomed closer and she turned, looking up into his eyes. “Give me a chance to earn your trust, Savon. That’s all I ask.”

  “A chance.”

  One corner of his mouth tipped up. “Want help unpacking?”

  She laughed. “No. I have that covered. I need to make the place mine, and that’s something I need to do on my own.”

  He dipped his head and placed his card on the counter. “If you need a hand, let me know. Even if it’s just for the heavy lifting.”

  “All right. And thank you for tucking me in last night, for the pills and water.” She dropped her eyes, trying to push away the hope seeping in. She didn’t want to break all over again.

  “My pleasure, Sav.” He ducked out the door with one final smile.

  She watched him go, hating herself for wishing he’d wrapped her in his arms.

  Chapter 6

  Bran looked up as Nate stepped into his home. He stood in the living room with Chris and Joe. A smirk broke over Bran’s face. “You’re still in one piece.”

  Nate dropped his head and looked back up. “I’m not sure she’s ever going to trust me again.”

  “Fuck, Nate, give her time. She left some asshole before coming back here.”

  Nate growled, advancing toward Bran. “What did the bastard do to her?”

  He shook his head. “She won’t discuss that shit with me. I know she handled it but beyond that, I have no damned clue.”

  “He drove Savon from her home? Who is he?” Nate demanded.

  “Don’t. If you can get it out of her, fine. But I’m not spilling. Besides, I only ever knew a first name. And keep in mind, she won’t want you stepping in.”

  Scrubbing his hands over his face, Nate paced away. “Damn it. I don’t want to step in. I want to know in case this bastard ever shows up here.”

  Bran shook his head. “I already pissed her off when I didn’t tell her you moved back.”

  “Fine.” He dropped onto a chair. “I can’t believe that asshole convinced the jocks to come help today.”

  Bran ground his teeth so hard it was audible. “Yeah, well, I can. The rumor going around is that Savon is back, hotter than ever, and single.”

  Chris stood. “I can’t stay, but I’ll keep my ears open. See if the work crew hears anything abou
t her. I don’t want her targeted as easy prey.”

  Bran snorted. “She’s not going to be easy prey for anyone. She knows what she is now. I caught her talking to the spirits or whatever before she realized I was there yesterday. I played dumb. And I’ve heard stories about what she can do both with and without help from the other entities. I think it’s safe to say she can handle anything that threatens her.”

  Nate leaned back and closed his eyes. The air left his lungs on an exhale. “She told me she never would have moved back if she knew I was here. I have no doubt she meant it.”

  “Yeah, which is why I didn’t warn her. Part of her still loves you, even if she’s pushed it so far down she doesn’t see it. You just need to spend some time with her. I plan to ensure that happens as much as possible.”

  “Don’t push too hard. I don’t want to piss her off.”

  “I need to get back to Frannie. Good luck, Nate.” Joe left, shaking his head.

  Bran dropped into a seat across from Nate. “Evangeline wants to help you. She put the picture in the hall—as a test.”

  “I don’t need her kind of help. Savon is confident and doesn’t play the games most women play. Evangeline has her moments, but I’ve seen her catty.”

  Bran snorted. “Yeah, you’re right about that, but I think Evangeline can appreciate Savon’s no bullshit policy.”

  “Then why is Savon flirting with Jay? He’s full of bullshit” Nate snarled. He shot to his feet and started to the fridge for a bottle of water.

  “She doesn’t want to admit there’s something between you two. Let her flirt. She’ll learn and she’ll put him in his place and be done with him.”

  “He’s a werewolf, and she’s not.”

  “No, but she’s a sorceress with Sylvan powers. Why do you think your father hated her so damned much? He was always afraid she’d figure out how to control his wolves.”

  “You can’t,” Nate pointed out. Bran could control pure animals, but no shifter, even in their wolf form.

  “Doesn’t mean she can’t. Might want to consider that before you make a move.”

  “Don’t care. She’s not the type who would take advantage of that skill without reason.” Nate fell back on the couch. “I’ll make things right with her, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

  * * * *

  Everything downstairs was unpacked and in its place. Savon worked upstairs and planned to continue until she finished, but the doorbell halted her progress around one in the afternoon.

  Savon hurried to the door and found Frannie standing on the porch with another picnic basket. She’d always been the mom of the group.

  Frannie’s lips quirked. “Figured you’d need some sustenance. I know how hyper focused you get. Probably wouldn’t eat until you fell over from exhaustion.”

  “You’re right.” Savon dropped her head with a smirk. “Thank you. Really. Now get your ass in here.”

  Frannie brought the basket to the table. “Goddess, I missed you, Savon.”

  “I suck at the keep in touch thing. I mean to, but then I get going on something and it all slips my mind.”

  “Because you were busy becoming a famous artist. I get it. And when I do get in touch with you, it’s always like no time has passed.”

  “You’re too patient with me. I seriously don’t deserve a friend like you.”

  Frannie shrugged. “You’ve always been a free spirit. I’ve only seen one thing that anchored you, and when that disappeared, you flew away.” She smiled. “And he may have anchored you, but he never kept you grounded.”

  Her eyes closed a second. “Let’s not talk about Nate. We weren’t meant to be.”

  Frannie snorted. “We’ll see. You have a right to be mad, but I think once you sit down and actually listen to everything he has to say, you’ll find some things never change.”

  Savon couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped. “Don’t get all witchy-wise on me. All I’m saying is that we aren’t where we were.”

  Her eyes lit up with her smile. “You’ve grown while you were away. I remember a time you would have stubbornly held onto your stance until you couldn’t deny it anymore.”

  Attempting to ignore that notion, Savon walked to the fridge and pulled out the iced tea she made the day before. “Thirsty?”

  “Sure. And I brought ham and cheese. You still like that, don’t you?”

  “I do.”

  “I heard you may be interested in Jay,” Frannie prodded.

  “Please don’t start with a lecture.”

  She shook her head. “A simple warning. He’d do anything to tear Nate down. It’s no secret you were Nate’s first love. Jay is the type who will take any opportunity to fuck with him.”

  Savon smirked. “I’m flirting. And I plan to do that tonight when I go back to the bar, but I have no intention of starting a relationship with anyone. I just left someone a few weeks ago.” Very possibly killed the prick, but she didn’t want to discuss Nikolai.

  “Bran didn’t mention that. Why did you leave San Francisco?”

  She didn’t want to discuss that either, so she went with vague. “Needed my freedom—not a jerk whose views were skewed too far from mine. Jay is hot and fun to play with, but I’m not taking him to bed.”

  “All right. Just thought someone should tell you the truth.”

  “Appreciated. And I seem to remember you mentioning wanting to see my art up close and personal. Think you can get away sometime tomorrow? I should have my new studio ready by then.”

  Frannie nodded, her eyes dancing with light. “Please. I haven’t seen nearly enough.”

  “Well, at your next break from domesticity, come over. I just need to finish that room.”

  “I can hardly wait. And maybe we can do a girls’ night sometime soon.”

  Savon’s head cocked. “Who else is still around?”

  “Lesley, Gianna, that’s about it. At least that we hung out with. And the guys, of course. But they were all here this morning. Sometimes Evangeline joins us, but she takes some getting used to.”

  “Maybe this weekend? What do you suggest we do?”

  “Go out. There’s a place we all go dancing in the next town. Don’t have to deal with all the snarly dogs that way.”

  Savon laughed. “Do they know that half the town are werewolves and another third are witches?”

  “They do. Gianna is a wolf. And Lesley was always a witch, but she doesn’t embrace her magic like I do.”

  “My parents tried to keep me from delving too far into mine. But then I moved away, and my landlord was an interesting woman.” Savon laughed and grabbed a couple plates.

  Interesting was an understatement. Ms. Murdock was a mystic. One hundred percent pure. And she could do things that still baffled Savon after everything she’d learned. The woman was in a class of her own.

  “You’ll find I embrace mine far more than I did when I was younger.”

  Frannie giggled. “Not sure that’s possible. You hid it, but you still listened to the entities around you, and you’ve always seen the world differently. It’s why I love your art. Your mother once told me that you paint what you see, and you really are seeing it the way you paint.”

  A sad smile pulled at Savon’s lips. “My father constantly warned me what would happen if I let the wrong voices in. He admonished the fact I would at least hear what they had to say before deciding.” Sighing, Savon lifted a shoulder. “Dad worried I’d let the evil ones guide me.”

  “He was wrong about that, and I think he realized it after you moved away.” She shook her head. “I remember your dad telling me how glad he was you left the house. There was an evil spirit who was trying to convince you to go after Killian.”

  Savon rolled her eyes. “There are always angry spirits who want me to take out my frustration on someone. I ignore those. And yeah, it was tempting to slap Killian, or worse, for not telling me where Nate was, but I didn’t. He would hav
e won if I had.”

  “He might have harmed you. Though maybe not. Your mother wove some powerful protection around you. That’s all shattered and gone now, but I think it blocked some of your ability.”

  Savon snorted. “Yeah, there was a block on some of my magic, but it never fully worked. I guess some of my abilities can’t be locked away. A friend helped me when the magic broke loose.” Blushing, she glanced away.

  “History with him?”

  She lifted a shoulder. “A little. He helped me move past Nate.”

  “Oh, he did?” Frannie shook her head, her eyes dancing with light. “Not sure you ever get totally over your first love.”

  “Didn’t say that, but I can’t trust Nate. If he really loved me, he would have ignored his father and we could have run away.”

  “Are you sure he didn’t come to you in another way?”

  Savon snorted. “He never knocked on my door, picked up a phone, mailed me a letter, found me on social media. Nothing. Ever. Like I told him this morning, we can’t be what we were. That’s over and done with. If he wants to try being friends, fine, but I’m not looking forward to having my heart ripped open because he couldn’t find the balls to contact me.”

  A laugh bubbled out of Frannie and she covered her mouth to stop from spraying tea everywhere. “There are other ways to communicate for certain people.”

  “Don’t, Frannie. I listened to him today and agreed to try as friends. He may not want who I’ve become, and I don’t know him anymore.”

  “He hasn’t changed all that much.” Frannie nudged her and shoved the last bite in her mouth.

  Savon stared down at the counter.

  “I need to get back, but I plan to sneak away tomorrow. I want to see your collection.”

  “Yeah, I’ll make something for lunch.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “What? Think I can’t cook?”

  She squeezed Savon’s shoulder. “Didn’t say that. I know how you are, though. You tend to get busy and forget stuff like that.”

  “We’ll see,” was all Savon said before walking Frannie to the door.