Read Magic and Mayhem: Witch and Were (Kindle Worlds Novella) for Free Online Page A

are weird about age, especially when it comes to women, and that affects me when it comes to my business."
    "Your skin care line?"
    "You've heard of it?"
    "Your mother talked about her friend Patience all the time."
    I sidled up to Mick so that I could get an idea of what his fur rubbed against mine would feel like. I was actually curious about everything. And really grateful that we could communicate easily in either form.
    "So what's so great about being a Shifter? You don't have magic to use like we do."
    "Well, for one. Our senses are heightened both as humans and as animals. We often get the best of both worlds. I can use my sense of smell for many things that come in handy. I can scent lies, or track people, and I can scent my mate when she's close."
    "And the heat thing? That's still a little weird."
    "But very handy when it comes to procreation."
    A light bulb went off in my head. "Does that mean you don't have to wear protection when you have sex?"
    He nodded. "Only if the female is in heat and you want to prevent pregnancy. And like witches, we don't have to worry about diseases. So when we have sex together it's going to be amazing."
    "When huh? Not if. You're pretty confident."
    If he did that as well as he kissed I was doomed.
    "Are you going to try and tell me you aren't interested?"
    Remembering that he could smell lies, I refrained from answering and moved on to my next question. "What else do you like about being Shifter?"
    He smiled and allowed me to evade. "My strength is ten times that of a human. My speed is off the charts and it's easy to hide in plain sight."
    I had to admit that did sound cool. Not being a powerful witch, I did have to work extra hard for the simplest of spells and was left wiped out afterwards.
    He nudged my side again. "C'mon, let's go for that run."
    I scoffed at him. "I did not agree to a run. But I'd love to go for a walk."
    "No. Don't underestimate what you can do as a wolf. Whatever human limitations you think you have. Follow me and keep up." At that he took off in a full out run, forcing me to follow him or get left behind.
    I have no idea how long we ran like that, but we must have covered miles. I was beginning to worry how far we were from the car. If I shifted back to human now, it would be a long hike back to the rest area.
    "Mick!" I called, slowing down.
    To his credit, he turned and circled back immediately. Thank goodness because I was ready to drop. My breathing came in short, hard pants and my damp fur was beginning to itch.
    "What's wrong?" he asked.
    "Need a break," I panted.
    "Okay. We should probably start heading back soon anyway. We'll need to find a new motel for the night."
    We sat together in silence as our hearts thundered and we dragged air in and out of our bodies. I studied his heartbeat and the sound of air going in and out of his lungs. As well as the sounds of nature around us. A nearby squirrel made a racket and an owl in a tree sounded far off.
    Eventually our hearts beat slow and steady and the sounds of nature grew louder. There was a strange thumping noise I didn't recognize that continued to grow louder.
    "What is that sound?"
    Mick lifted his head from his paws. "What sound?"
    "I don't know, that's why I'm asking. It's a rhythmic pounding that keeps getting louder."
    "Shhh." Mick put his ear to the ground and after about fifteen seconds he leapt to his feet and yelled for me to run.
    "What is it?" My heart raced in fear at the alarm in his voice.
    "Cattle stampede!"
    I nearly tripped over my paws before regaining my balance in the nick of time. I could not have heard him right.
    "A what?"
    "A heard of cattle coming this way and coming fast." He stopped explaining for a few heartbeats. "Just run as fast as you can. We've got to get to the river before they reach us or we'll be trampled."
    What? Was he freaking kidding me? A real heard of cattle? Good Goddess.
    He picked up speed and I struggled to keep up. This could not be happening. Why