Tess floated next to Ash. “This was so much fun! I can’t wait until the next one.”
“Glad you like it,” I said. “We’ll chat about what went right and what went wrong in a few days. I think we all need some time to recover.”
“On that note, I’m ready for bed,” Ash said. He brushed a kiss across my cheek. “Be careful.”
We waved goodbye, and I got in my car, wishing I had a cup of coffee to wake me up. Once I flipped on the radio and pulled away from the shop, I rolled down the window to let some cool air in and pulled the braid from my hair. Happy exhaustion settled into my bones, and a slow smile pulled my lips up. I felt useful today. Every day I opened my shop, I felt helpful, but today, people were interested in our booth, drawn to our display, and ninety percent of the customers who stopped by actually purchased something. The other ten percent had placed special orders.
This was the first time I’d ever taken specific charm orders for people. Normally, I gauged what someone needed based on my intuition and responded accordingly without their knowledge. Today, I listened to people and what they needed and had sold dozens of made-to-order charms. The next few days would be busy.
And that meant even more money coming into Little Shop of Florals.
Lost in my thoughts, I missed the first low snarl. As I slowed for a red light, a lone wolf howl rended the air. My fingers tightened on the steering wheel. When a second howl tore through the night, I leaned my head out the window and listened.
When the third came, I pulled my vehicle off the road and parked. A sharp, pained yelp and the sounds of animals fighting had me barreling from the car.
Caelan was my first thought, followed by Simone. He could take care of himself, but the memory of him lying in the dirt mortally wounded flashed through my mind, and I bolted toward the sounds of fighting.
A quarter mile later, I peeked around the corner. Several wolves surrounded each other, a massive dark wolf at the head of one side, wolves of all colors behind him in a semi-circle formation, facing off against a pack of all white wolves. Getting involved right now would be dangerous for everyone, so I stayed downwind and observed. I’d never seen Caelan in wolf form, though I assumed he was the large wolf based on the coloring of the tuft I’d found in my yard. A smaller, reddish wolf stood tensed on his right side, and a huge gray wolf stood on his left.
The others stood tensed behind him, heads lowered and fangs bared, protecting his back and flank.
I wasn’t worried about any of them as long as I stayed far enough away to avoid them scenting me. The one I was worriedabout lay prone on the ground next to Garrett, bleeding heavily from a stomach wound. Life still flickered around the wolf, but I could tell she was close to death.
My magic itched to heal, power sputtering at my fingertips. I waited for my moment, every second one taken away from the wolf’s life.
When Caelan’s mournful howl ripped through the air, and all the wolves lunged at each other, ripping and tearing, I saw my moment.
Keeping my head low and my body closer to the ground, I stayed near the wall. The fight had spilled away from the wounded wolf, but one, a smaller white and gray wolf stayed close, protecting her. I’d have to deal with that one before I could help the other.
Once I came within ten feet, the second wolf turned, a low, deadly snarl rumbling from its chest. I held my hands up and stopped. “My name is Evie. Your Lord is familiar with me. I can help her.”
For a moment, I thought the wolf was going to lunge. My muscles tensed, and I ripped magic from the stone, holding it in stasis until the wolf decided how big of a threat I was.
“I’m a Floromancer, and I can heal your friend. But there isn’t much time. Decide now, or it will be too late.”
The wolf snarled once more before dipping its head and watching me warily.
I nodded and hurried toward the wounded shifter. Going to my knees, I dug my hands in the wolf’s fur, searching for the worst of the wound.
“You need to shift,” I said urgently.
But the wolf, a she I decided, was too far gone. I’d never helped a creature shift, but I took the magic I’d gathered and gently touched her on the edge of her wound. Earth magicsoaked into the wolf’s body. She glowed green and pink, and a low whine came from deep in her throat.
I put a touch of command in my voice. “Shift.” Channeling more power into the shifter’s body, I searched for the source of her magic, and when I found it, I gave it a good zap.
The injured wolf yelped, causing the other one to snarl. I held a hand up. “Not helpful,” I barked. “I promise you I’m helping her.”
The second wolf whined and came around to my side and sat down. “Keeping guard? Alright then. Just don’t interfere.”
A slight huff made me smile. “Your friend needs to shift. She’s dying.”
The wolf yipped and bent to gently nudge the other. I pushed more power into my voice. “SHIFT.” Power rumbled the ground as magic shimmered around the wolf. A yelp of pain tore through the wolf’s yips, and a few seconds later, a young, nude woman lay before me.
“Good,” I breathed. “I’m so sorry. This is going to hurt.”
I laid both hands on her and pulled power from the ground. Cement cracked around us as vines rose from the ground, curling around the shifter’s arms and legs. Magic the color of watermelon tourmaline flowed from my fingers and slowly knitted the edges of the jagged wound in her stomach back together.
Yips and snarls and yelps of pain rang all around us as the packs continued fighting, but I tuned them out, focusing only on the female shifter. When I felt her blood stabilize, I withdrew, allowing my vines to stay wrapped around her. They’d continue pumping the healing magic of the earth within her until Caelan was ready to take her home.
