Under Witch Curse (Moon Shadow Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

before joining him in the kitchen. The dining area, what was left of it, had been shut off from the elements with plywood and plastic sheeting. It didn’t hurt my feelings that I was still close enough to guest status that White Feather started frying bacon for breakfast while I sipped hot breakfast tea spiked generously with half and half.
    I never bought half and half, but men didn’t concern themselves with things like “calories” and “healthy.” If I hadn’t already been in love, the morning activities and breakfast would have sealed the deal.
    As he grated cheese for omelets, he said, “Don’t forget we’re having dinner at my mom’s house tonight. She’s really looking forward to meeting you.” He smiled at me over his shoulder.
    “Uh-huh.” I hadn’t forgotten, despite filing it waaaay in the back of my mind where it wouldn’t make me nervous. I decided to forgo the wonderful view that was White Feather cooking and bring in the rest of my luggage.
    I slipped off the bar stool and strolled out to the car. We had left several bags in the trunk and backseat, rather than haul everything in last night. I extracted two suitcases before carefully rescuing my little pear cactus. In the old days, the placement of the cactus on my own porch signaled Lynx when a business offer was in the making. These days, he had a cell phone, but old habits died hard. I wanted the cactus even if Lynx wouldn’t know to look for it here.
    I placed it gently on the porch in the same spot that on my porch meant “meet needed.”
    “Breakfast,” White Feather said from the doorway.
    I jumped, stuck in a time-warp as the prickly shrub brought to mind memories of a scrawny kid anxious to prove he could do any job, any time, better than any of the competition. “Coming.”
    White Feather picked up one of the suitcases. “You’ll need a few more trips back and forth to your place.”
    The sound of a vehicle distracted me from answering.
    My buddy Lynx managed to outsmart me again. That or his nose for food was even better than I suspected. He parked and sauntered up the walkway.
    “Unbelievable,” I muttered. “How did he know I was here?”
    “Maybe because you belong here?” White Feather suggested.
    Lynx cocked his head in a way that told me he was listening intently to his surroundings, but his nose didn’t twitch, not in the least. His black hair hung in small braids, almost cornrows. It was a look he could pull off well. He was probably mostly Hispanic, but his skin was dark enough, you could never be certain of his exact heritage. Like the shifter he was, he chose to highlight some physical aspects more than others depending on his mood—or the job.
    Since food had somehow become a standard part of the payment package, as we trooped inside I said, “Heavy on the bacon, easy on the eggs.”
    Lynx grinned. “Hold the OJ.”
    “If White Feather has green chiles, I’m putting some in your eggs.” The typical banter made me feel more at ease as we arrived in the kitchen. This wasn’t my home, but I’d just pretended it was. If Lynx hadn’t been here, I’d never have had the guts to take over White Feather’s kitchen, but no way did I dare look hesitant in front of Lynx. Letting him know I was off-balance was akin to handing him a weapon. He might use it on a mutual enemy or he might find a less beneficial way to wield it.
    White Feather said, “I don’t have any green chile unless you count cans.”
    “Ick.”
    “No way,” was Lynx’s contribution. Since he made a big show of avoiding all vegetables he would have said that regardless of the freshness of the chiles.
    I busied myself with the bacon. Lynx stood next to me as if we were in my kitchen, something he had done a hundred times before. He watched over the bacon while I dished up the cheese omelet. Both of us stole a glance or two at White Feather, but he was busy tinkering with rebuilding his coffee train set. It was an awesome invention; a train