Somehow, Mandi found a way to give him his mate back.
But didn’t she understand he couldn’t do it again? Not physiologically, but… emotionally. He couldn’t watch another woman wither away under doubt and suspicion. Most especially, not Josie. Not vibrant, rebellious Josie. Not his Josie. It would break him to the point of disrepair. A fucking wrecking ball to the heart. He’d be done.
Magic turned to run the hill, finding a trail downward. The sound of his paws crunching through leaves soothed the ache in his chest. For once, he accepted that the animal was as hurt as he was over what Mandi had done. Together, they felt it. Together, they’d endured. He didn’t need to fight his animal. Not anymore, when it was all he had left.
A low snarl came from a tree above him, stopping Magic in his tracks. The branches rustled and air rushed past his ears as a speckled jaguar jumped to the ground. Ears pulled tight against his head, Eagan’s jag stood before him.
“Reeeeeeeeoww.” The threat rang through the woods, sending smaller animals scurrying.
Magic chuffed at the other cat, and lifted his nose to scent the air.
Ah. Crazy Clara’s scent traveled on the breeze.
Eagan’s aggression made sense. Magic was too close to his mate.
Magic ducked his head once. He wasn’t in a fighting mood. In fact, he felt compelled to fix things with Eagan. Or maybe to at least try to understand why his friend was so willing to risk his female.
Eagan’s ears lifted and his expression relaxed, his whiskers easing.
Magic turned to cut through the trees. He’d avoid this area from now on. It was clearly a place of importance to Eagan and his mate, and he was working on not being such a Jupiter ass.
The maze through the forest back home was exactly what he’d needed to help solidify his decision. Returning to where he’d left his clothes, he quickly shifted. His thick black fur smoothing to become skin. His claws retracting to fingers. He breathed deep to get his bearings, letting the humanity return to his body and mind at its own pace.
He dragged his jeans on, followed by his boots, forgetting to tie the laces. He thought about skipping the shirt, but where he was going, he didn’t want to push his luck. Sliding the black cotton over his head, he started down the path toward the cabins.
One sat farther off the path than normal. It looked cold and uninviting. The weeds had grown up around the steps and fallen leaves completely covered the stone walkway. It was his, but Magic didn’t pause his steps. He’d go back and clean things up later. Make it look livable. Nothing that belonged to him should be so uncared for.
His step faltered and his thoughts rushed to Josie.
What the hell was he going to do? How could he care for her like she deserved from afar?
Walking on, he found the cabin he was looking for. Nestled between a row of firs and a towering oak tree, the little place looked homey. A row of pumpkins lined the porch on either side of the steps and smoke puffed from the chimney.
Magic stopped at the door, giving it a loud rap.
Minutes later, the lock shifted and Eagan’s face appeared in the opening. His expression was wary, and Magic tried to look around him to the inside.
Eagan cleared his throat. “What do you want?”
“Can I come inside? We need to talk.”
Eagan’s jaw turned hard. “My mate’s inside. We can do this somewhere else.”
“Look, I’m not here to cause trouble. I just want to talk. To both of you.” He tried to temper his tone, but he’d been on edge every since leaving Josie.
“Let him in.” A soft voice filtered through the opening in the door, but Eagan’s expression remained hard. “Eagan. Let him come in.”
Seconds ticked by, and then Eagan let out a frustrated sigh, swinging the door wide.
Magic stepped inside and looked around. He was surprised to find his friend’s cabin exactly as he remembered it. Clara had moved in, but there were no flowers in the window sill or pictures on the wall. Nothing that made it seem like anything more than a landing pad.
Magic frowned. Maybe they hadn’t counted on staying.
He looked at Clara where she stood in the crook of Eagan’s arm. She was small and sturdy with wild curly hair. A questioning expression was on her face, and a little hint of trepidation. She didn’t know what to expect from the man who’d wanted to run them both off for falling in love. If only she could know what he knew. But she was a human, and to her, this was all simple.
“Do you love him?” he asked.
Clara frowned but her answer was instantaneous. “I do. More than I ever thought possible.”
“What would you do if he ever cheated on you?”
Eagan let out a low rumble. “Fuck you, Magic. Why don’t you just—”