Read Online Matt: Tales of the Were (Redstone Clan Book 5) by Bianca D'Arc - Free Book Online Page A

and returning, then collecting in Hilda to be redirected into whatever magic she was working.
    Morgan felt the earth shake slightly under her feet as the altar stone began to move downward. Her gaze shot upward, meeting Matt’s without her conscious permission. His topaz eyes held her mesmerized as wind whipped up around them. And then, rain splashed them as a tiny tempest concentrated its power just within the circle and focused on the altar stone. Water coalesced on it and rolled down its sides as it moved downward into the straining earth.
    Suddenly, it pushed into the ground at their feet with a final, reverberating bang, and then, the tiny storm lifted, and the daylight shone down on them, once again. Morgan was left stunned, saying nothing as Hilda finished up her chant and dismissed the power she had collected, putting it into the stone.
    Morgan took a good look at the stone and realized it wasn’t really an altar, at all. It was a cornerstone. A highly magical one now.
    Once again, Morgan had had no idea that shifters did such things. They’d just laid the cornerstone for one of the main buildings in the project. Something Matt called a Pack house. Being unfamiliar with werewolf society, Morgan wasn’t quite sure what such a thing might be used for, but if they were starting the new community with this structure—and putting that much magic into it—it had to be pretty important.
    The circles of shifters broke up, and someone moved the torches over to a small group of tables where refreshments had been set up. The ceremony quickly turned into a little party, with Jenny’s family mixing with the construction crews as if they were old friends. And they probably were, Morgan realized. They had moved from Las Vegas to Napa only in the past year, leaving behind their wolf Pack and wolfie friends for this unknown situation.
    “You all did really well.” Hilda’s bright voice came to Morgan as she watched the werewolves. She was still standing in her place by the stone, as were the others. She felt a little sluggish, but she guessed that probably had to do with the magic that had just been flowing through her. “You might feel a little residual tingle, for a few hours,” Hilda cautioned, “but you all played your parts like pros. The cornerstone is set, and set well. This is a really great start for the new community.” Hilda turned to Jenny and walked with her toward the refreshments.
    Morgan was glad to see the priestess go. Hilda made her uncomfortable.
    And speaking of uncomfortable… Matt moved to stand directly in front of her, his arms folded, his gaze almost…hurt? No way. She had to be imagining that.
    “You’ve been avoiding me,” he accused. There. That was more like it.
    “I’ve been busy,” she replied, reminding herself to stand tall. She wasn’t going to let anyone—especially him—see her as weak.
    Matt just eyed her for a moment, then sighed and backed off a bit. “Okay. Whatever. Look, we need to work together. There are things we still have to do to make this project happen.”
    “I’m at your disposal for this project,” she repeated the party line. Atticus had said as much, and she would do the work he paid her to do—but no more.
    “Fine,” he ground out, then switched modes to strictly business. Good. She could handle that. Couldn’t she? “I think you need to organize a meeting with the ecological protest group. We need to show them what we have planned and get them on board, if at all possible. We don’t want any more bad press.”
    He had a point. And, if she’d been thinking clearly at all the past few days, she would have already done it. Damn. She’d been walking around in a daze since that night. She really had to get a grip.
    “All right. I’ll work on it tomorrow and call you with the details once I have something. Can we give them a tour of the new property?”
    She began walking, and he followed her, even though she wasn’t heading for the refreshments.