Saving Kat

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Saving Kat

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2013 by Ella Grey

ISBN: 978-1-61333-610-6

Cover art by Scott Carpenter

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A Black Paw Pack Story

By

~DEDICATION~

I want to thank Rebecca Royce, who listened
to my worries and was always encouraging. I also want to thank
Decadent Publishing.

Here’s to the beginning of a beautiful
friendship.

Adam Reece considered himself to be a simple
man. He got up every morning, and after he drank his first cup of
coffee, went to tease the pack’s resident witch. The day never
seemed to start out right unless he began it by talking to her.
Pestering her had become as much a part of his routine, as anything
else. Unlike his coffee, which never changed, talking to the witch
always brightened his day. In the end it depended on his mood, and
with the coming of the full moon, he felt mischievous.

Through the window to her shop, he could see
her standing at the counter, dressed in jeans and a lumberjack
shirt, the look downright cute. More comfortable working in her
garden and watching the cubs than socializing, Katherine Crow wore
casual well. She had her hands on her hips. Whether irritated or
engrossed in her work, he couldn’t tell, but either way her
distraction would play in his favor. She wore her long dark hair
plaited, resting over her shoulder. It called out to his playful
side. He crept into her workshop, the mixed aroma of herbs and her
perfume welcoming. Avoiding the floorboards that creaked, he
managed to tug on her braid. A yelp of surprise, and her heart-rate
spiked an erratic thudding that reminded him of a startled deer.
Kat spun around and Adam caught sight of the dark stain on the
front of her shirt, he’d somehow missed seeing the cup until it was
too late. Oops.

As she swiped at the droplets of dark liquid
that would probably stain, he caught the hint of a smile before it
vanished into a scowl. “You know only a crazy man comes between me
and my morning coffee.”

“Well, if you started having it with me in
the morning, we could avoid accidents like this.” Adam knew that
his offer would go unaccepted; after all, it wasn’t the first time
he’d made it.

“Your coffee could be used to tarmac a
road.”

“I like it.”

“You’re the only one who does,” she said
sweetly. “Is there any particular reason you’re gracing me with
your presence this morning?”

“Do I need a reason to come and see your
smiling face?”

He spied the blush before she considered him
with mischief in her eyes. “I think I remember coming across a
potion that’ll turn your fur into a delightful shade of pink if you
drink it. Don’t annoy me because the next time you shift, people
are going to start mistaking you for a girlie Bigfoot.”

Is there really a potion that could do
that?
Adam clutched at his chest as if her words had wounded
him. “You wouldn’t. What would that do to building good relations
between the covens and the wolves?”

The witch snorted. “You torment me daily. I
deserve a medal for putting up with it for this long.”

“You like the attention.” Kat glared at him
sternly. In that instance she resembled her mother. Both had the
innate grace and peace inherent with elemental witches, but he
didn’t like to inspire peace in Kat. He liked the fire that came
out when he teased her.

“Keep pushing and the Black Paw Pack will be
led by a wolf resembling the Easter Bunny.”

He picked up a shiny red apple from her
basket on the counter and took a bite. Wiping the juice off his
chin, he winked, spun on his heel and left before she could follow
through on her threat. He could spend a few hours tormenting her,
but he did actually have a job to do. The life the wolves of The
Black Paw Pack had carved out for themselves on the mountain,
involved hard work and everyone had to pull their weight. As Alpha,
he had to ensure that everyone lived together in peace and nobody
broke the rules that kept them safe from the outside world. It
helped that they resided in a rather inhospitable area of the Rocky
Mountains, but there were the occasional hikers who liked to go off
the beaten path. One of his wolves always followed them and kept
everyone safe.

While he drank his first cup of coffee, he
watched the sun rise, studying the way the reds mixed and blended.
This place never failed to take his breath away, in and out of
Kat’s workshop. As an Earth Witch, she had the ability to
manipulate that particular element. With her magic, growing food
and medicinal herbs became easier in soil that didn’t encourage it.
Other members of the pack, his sister included, harvested the
vegetables. Adam spent a lot of time on the phone or in the town,
arranging for other supplies to be brought up when necessary.

Everyone in the pack had their part to play.
Some of the specialized jobs were passed down the family line. The
role of Pack Witch had originally belonged to Kat’s mother and
before that, her Grandmother, and one day Kat’s daughter, when she
decided to have children. Adam didn’t know why witches only had
daughters, but as far back as he remembered there had never been a
male witch. The thought that she’d mate with a human left a bitter
taste in his mouth. Witches naturally mated with humans, but he
didn’t like having them around. They caused trouble wherever they
went. It was why humans were kept in the dark about the things that
went bump in the night. They didn’t trust what they didn’t
understand, and Adam wouldn’t risk any of his pack ending up under
a microscope.

Kat had been brought up with the Black Paw.
The human world had never interested her much. At least he thought
it hadn’t. A time would come when she wanted a child. That need
came to all witches. Whether he liked it or not.

Someone called good morning and he waved. The
compound bustled with activity. At its largest, the pack had thirty
members, not counting the cubs. All of them answered to him. A
responsibility he had accepted with reluctance at the time.

Three years before, Carlos Rivet, a rogue
Alpha challenged Adam’s father for the right to lead the pack.
Instead of beating his father into submission, the lobo brutally
murdered him. Due to the rules about challenge combat, Adam could
only watch. Red-hot anger had bubbled inside him, his heart
pounded, and a red mist descended. He’d slipped into the berserker
rage all shifters suffered from when pushed to an emotional
breaking point.

He couldn’t remember killing the man. When
the haze finally cleared, he’d stood over the broken body of a man.
Splintered bone pierced skin like tiny white knives, arms were at
odd angles and one of his legs had landed a few feet away from the
rest of him. Carlos hadn’t had time to land one blow, but it had
been too late to save his father. If Adam had known about the
challenge, he would have killed Carlos beforehand. It didn’t matter
now. He couldn’t bring his father back, he’d have to settle with
the knowledge he’d avenged his family.

“Adam?”

He glanced over as Mari Stonewall, the pack’s
doctor strolled toward him. Her face was creased into a frown and
her body was tense. It looked like she carried the weight of the
world on her shoulders. Her hands were pushed into the pockets of
her white coat. She didn’t actually have to wear it, everyone in
the pack knew her and trusted her abilities as a doctor, but unlike
some of them, Mari had started life as a human and had been
infected with the virus. Some habits were hard to break.

“What’s wrong?” She finally met his gaze, and
he knew who put a frown on her face. “It’s William, isn’t it?”

***

Kat turned away from the closed door, unable
to help the grin that spread across her face. No one infuriated her
like Adam. As an Alpha he was fairer than most, but he didn’t seem
happy unless he made her want to pull out her hair. If anyone else
had been around, he would have been polite and considerate, but the
man always got a mischievous glint in his eye whenever they were
alone. She dreaded to think what would happen if she took him up on
the offer of a morning coffee. It would probably consist of
flirting that would wreak havoc on her heart.

Kat opened her grimoire. The journal had
passed from mother to daughter for generations. Inside were spells,
descriptions of magical creatures and the meaning and uses of
thousands of different plants and flowers. She flicked through the
pages, stopping when she found what she’d sought. With a peacock
feather, she made sure to mark her place for later. She tapped her
finger on top of the book and chuckled, glancing toward the door
Adam had left by. Oh yeah, the Alpha would learn his lesson to
never tease a witch. She didn’t make empty threats. Ever. She
closed the book on the transformation spell.

“Well, I did warn him.”

Walking out into the garden, she breathed in
deeply, enjoying the scent of lavender and rosemary. Her skills as
an Earth Witch gave her life a sense of meaning, especially after
her mother died, and while she’d never shift shape like the rest of
them, this place and people were her home and family.

She waved her hand over the rosemary and
daisies. The colors of the plants pulsated with vivid hues that
only an Earth Witch could detect. The plants and flowers welcomed
her with their power, calling to her. The garden always triggered
memories of her mom and the gifts she’d passed down. They’d spent
hours together, planting and looking after the herbs and
flowers.

She looked toward the shoots growing in a
corner where the sun rested for a few hours every day. In less than
a week they’d be ready to harvest. A pang of sadness hit her. She
only hoped it wouldn’t be too late to help William. She pushed the
thought away. Dwelling on it only made her sad. Tonight she’d steep
a blend of St John’s Wort and Skullcap, to deliver to the hospital
block later. The tea would ease the afflicted wolf’s pain.