Jace (River Pack Wolves 2)(22)

Olivia grinned. “We know. And I think I might be able to help you.” She looked to Jaxson for confirmation, and he gave her an encouraging nod. She turned back to Piper. “You should know I’m half-witch.”

Piper took a step back that banged her legs against the chair she’d just been seated in.

“It’s okay.” Olivia’s hands were up. “I’m one of the nice ones.”

“I didn’t think they came in that flavor.” Piper peered around her for the matriarch of the River pack, wondering if maybe she was a witch, too, as she appeared, but she had already slipped away.

“If you’d asked me last week,” Olivia said with a smile, “I would have said the same thing. I didn’t think witches could be anything but nasty and evil.” She beamed a newlywed look at Jaxson. “But then I fell in love with a wolf, and that kind of changed my perspective.”

Piper frowned. “You two are mated?” She’d never heard of such a thing. In fact, she wasn’t even sure it was possible.

“Mated, in love, and soon to be married,” Jaxson said with a grin that implied this was still a brand-spanking-new turn of events, and he wasn’t tired of boasting about it yet.

“Um… congratulations?” Piper couldn’t quite wrap her head around the details, but that wasn’t really her concern, anyway.

Olivia gave Jaxson’s arm an affectionate squeeze, and Piper was suddenly spiked through with envy for the second time in less than five minutes—not only did these River wolves grow up with a family that obviously loved them, but they had mates who adored them as well. Her heart twitched, wondering if Jace had a mate, and she flashed a look to him.

He was watching her carefully, like he was studying her every small movement, and she had to wrench her gaze away before her thoughts were betrayed on her face. Even if Olivia was a witch, that clearly didn’t stand in the way of her and Jaxson falling in love. In fact, their love must be pretty epic to bridge that kind of gulf. All Piper had was a damaged childhood and a series of anonymous orgasms.

Her whole body stiffened. It didn’t matter if Jace River had a mate, because she—Piper Wilding—had long ago vowed never to take one. A vow her wolf was objecting to more with each passing moment. Clearly, Piper needed to limit her time at the River family safehouse. Ten minutes in, and it was already causing massive internal chaos.

“Never mind all that,” said Olivia. “What matters is that, even though I’m half witch and seriously out of practice using magic, I have something that might help you. I just spent the morning with my Aunt Gwen learning a seeking spell. If you would like, I can try to find your brother, Noah.”

Piper blinked and took a moment to respond. “You can do that?”

Olivia nodded.

“I… um…” Her brain was spinning with this. “Will it hurt him in some way?” Piper really had no idea how witches did their magic. Everything she had heard about witches involved bloody death, pack-wide destruction, and general painful mayhem.

“Oh no! It won’t hurt him at all. But I will need your assistance. And it might be a little… embarrassing? I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with your brother.” She glanced at Daniel, who suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable. Olivia looked back to Piper. “I’ll have to access some of your memories of him so the spell can hone in on his trace in the magical world. Would that be all right?”

Piper nodded quickly. “I have no problem with that, not if it will help us find him.”

“Great.” Jaxson looked to Jace. “Did you have any luck at the base in figuring out where Noah might be?”

Jace gave a quick look to Piper, but all he said was, “No.”

Then Jaxson turned to the third River brother. “Jared, what about your facial recognition search at Riverwise? Anything on Agent Smith there?”

“Nothing so far, but I’m running a few new algorithms. Would be better if we had a picture of the guy, not just my sketch. My art skills kind of suck.” Jared was a bit gruff, but Piper liked him immediately. Seemed like an all-business kind of guy, not quite as soft as the others. She appreciated that. Although as far as her wolf was concerned, even with hot shifters wandering in and out of the kitchen every minute, there was really only one man in the room—and Jace was still watching her with the kind of piercing intensity that made her think he was taking notes on her every word and move.

He broke his inspection of her to glance at his older brother. “I might actually have something on the Agent Smith front. When I was at the base, I saw someone I’m pretty sure was him. I don’t know what he was doing there, but I don’t believe in that kind of coincidence. We already know he’s working for some part of the government, and now with military shifters disappearing? I don’t like it, Jaxson. Not at all.”