Forever in Forbidden: Forbidden Shifters, #6

By Keira Blackwood and Liza Street

Lusting after your best friend is hard. Being trapped in his head is hell. 

 

As a wolf shifter in Forbidden, Kentucky, Brody's no stranger to weird. Packing enough rat traps to maim a small army, he's ready to battle the bad magic that plagues his old house. He knows just who to call for backup, too--the donut-crafting, magic-wielding woman of his dreams. 

 

Years of will-they-won't-they is exhausting, even for a witch. But Pearl's in it for the long haul, for that chance that she and her best friend will one day graduate from playing "hide and seek" to playing "hide the sausage." To that end, she's always wished for a peek inside of his head.

 

When her wish comes true, it's way more than she bargained for. 

 

Side by side, they know there's nothing they can't handle...until a giant, moonwalking rodent makes an appearance in their shared dream.

 

Nightmares, dreams, secrets--nothing is sacred. There's no place to hide. To survive, they'll have to bare their souls and admit their pants feelings, once and for all. 

Forever in Forbidden is the sixth stand-alone book in the Forbidden Shifters series. Do you love hot alphas, feisty heroines, and steamy love scenes? Of course you do. ;) Get Forever in Forbidden for a hilarious, suspenseful shifter story you won't want to put down!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Liza Street
• Release date: Aug 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393636830

Book preview

Previously, on Forbidden Shifters…

Brody

My parents’ old house looked more like the setting of a slasher film than the nostalgic scene of my childhood. This was where I’d grown up, but somehow, it had become more haunted than the Forbidden B&B. I didn’t know what it was about this place, but it gave me the motherfucking creeps.

Checking my phone to see what time it was, I swore. Pearl was late. Had she forgotten?

Just as I went to text her to ask, I heard the rumbling of a big truck.

And then Pearl came into view.

My heart flipped in my chest like I was a teenage boy hyped up on Mountain Dew. My dick also responded like I was a teenage boy—immediately getting hard just at the thought of being around Pearl. Fuck’s sake, down boy.

She pulled up the drive and parked. Deliciously Magical was emblazoned on the side of her donut truck. She was delicious. Or she smelled that way, anyway. How many times had I jerked off to the thought of what she would taste like?

She climbed out of the truck and I looked away to gain control of myself.

Hey, she said, striding forward with a canvas sack at her side. I brought all my stuff. Shall we get started?

Yeah, sounds good. My voice came out hoarser than I wanted, but she didn’t say anything about that and we walked up to the porch together.

I couldn’t help holding back a little to admire her ass in those tight jeans she wore. I’d been fantasizing about that ass for years.

She turned around suddenly and if it weren’t for my quick shifter reflexes, she would’ve caught me staring. Actually, fuck. She’d caught me.

She blinked quickly and cleared her throat before speaking. Um, so I thought I’d start with a simple cleansing spell.

I kept my gaze on her face and did my best to keep myself together.

Cleansing spell sounds good, I said. No one’s been in the house in years, so, I don’t know, all kinds of bad shit could’ve built up.

Exactly. She gave me a proud smile. Have you been reading up on this?

Nah, just had a chat with Cordelia. She said remnants of past hurts can build up in an empty place, when there’s nothing positive going on to interact with them. She used some word, I can’t remember what the fuck it is. Nullify?

Pearl beamed. Nullify is the one. Anyway, shall we?

Oh, right. I was the one with the key to the front door. I twisted it in the handle and pulled the door open.

Dust and a dank, old smell immediately filled my nostrils. A sneezing fit overtook me, so I turned away from Pearl. Didn’t want to coat her in my snot.

After the fourth sneeze, it seemed like I was done with them, so I turned around. Sorry about that—

The words froze on my lips. Pearl was leaning against the door frame, her eyes shut, her mouth open. Her entire body shook. She was about to fall to the porch floor. Reaching out, I grabbed her just in time.

Pearl?

Her eyes remained closed. She kept shaking. Was this some kind of seizure? What was I supposed to do? Panic charged through my veins. I tugged her away from the door frame and onto my lap.

Pearl, talk to me. Babe, come on.

The shaking eased, and her eyes fluttered open. Brody.

Yeah, I’m here, I said.

We were so close to each other, our faces nearly touching.

Let me go, she said.

Not yet, I need to make sure you’re okay—

I mean it—there’s bad magic in there and it made me sick.

I held tight to her. I’m not letting you go until I know you’re—

Her chest heaved, and she coughed. She warned me with her eyes to let her go. She didn’t want me to keep holding her.

I’d hold her. I’d hold her no matter what.

And then she vomited all over me.

Chapter 1

Pearl

Donuts were magic. A mundane kind of sorcery, sure, and not created with spells.

Pro tip: don’t mix food with magic. Keep separate mixing bowls, separate spoons, separate everything. Brody still teased me about the Great Rabbit Ear Mix-up of 2015, when I’d mistakenly switched mixing bowls. Several Forbidden residents who had ordered jelly-filled donuts wound up with fuzzy bunny ears sprouting from the tops of their heads.

That had been a nightmare spell to reverse, given it had been an accident, and Brody fought the whole time to take photos of the poor victims...until I threatened to work the spell into his favorite donut next time.

Jeff Salzman was next in line at the serving window of my donut truck, a hopeful smile on his face. Hey, Pearl. Please tell me you didn’t run out of buttermilks.

I’ve got one for you right here, I said, placing it in a bag.

Cordelia, who stood at the cash register, counted out his change and he went on his way, whistling what sounded to me like an old Smashing Pumpkins song.

Was that ‘Bullet with Butterfly Wings?’ I asked Cordelia.

What? she said, sounding like she was only half paying attention.

I took a closer look at her. A thick lock of strawberry blond hair fell down over her face, half-hiding her distant indigo eyes. Cordelia was capable and kind, but guarded because of a past she didn’t like to talk about. Witches were a mixed lot, and received a mixed reception. I’d been lucky that my mom had established a positive relationship with the alpha who came before Declan. I’d always had a place here in Forbidden. Cordelia hadn’t been so lucky. She’d come to work with me because she was an inexperienced witch, and I had experience to share, despite the occasional mistake like the Great Rabbit Ear Mix-Up.

Pro tip: always have a memory charm or twenty on hand. You never know when you’re going to have to make a bunch of humans forget they ever had rabbit ears.

What’s going on? I asked Cordelia. You seem down.

Just a feeling, she said, rubbing her stomach. Something’s wrong, or something bad is coming? I can’t figure out what it is.

Tell me more, I said. Let’s talk it out.

I don’t want to bring you down, she said.

Not a chance. I’m here for you, just like I know you’re here for me.

That was the best thing about Cordelia. Not only was it awesome having another witch around to talk spells and magic with, but she was an amazing friend.

It’s like something is coming, she said. I wish I could be more specific, but it’s just that. Like some terrible thing that I’ve known all along is about to come true. Which is bizarre, because I can’t think of what it would be. Everything is great, you know?

Her eyes softened, and I knew she was thinking about her mate, Matt. The two of them were too damn perfect for words. I couldn’t be happier for them—Cordelia had been going through a really rough time when she met him. She’d been pursued by a neighboring pack and accused of cursing them, which of course she had not done.

Hey, I need something, a high-pitched voice said from outside the donut truck.

I looked out and didn’t see anyone, so then I looked down. A young girl, maybe around age seven or eight, stood at the window. She wore a fluffy jacket to protect her from the chilly November morning, and she had big doe eyes and a wild nest of brown hair that suggested she hated brushing it as I’d hated brushing mine when I was her age.

Hi, there, I said. What kind of donut would you like?

One with a curse in it.

Ah, so this one knew about my magic business. I’m sorry, I say, but I don’t sell curses.

What if I really need one? she asked.

I got this, Cordelia murmured to me before leaning over the fold-down counter and smiling at the girl. So you’re after a curse, huh?

Yep.

Care to tell me why you’d want to curse someone?

She narrowed her eyes and frowned. He’s making fun of me and says I’ll never get to shift into my bear.

Well, that’s rude, Cordelia said.

Duh, the girl said.

I folded my lips in between my teeth so I wouldn’t smile.

Pro tip: don’t laugh at people who are angry enough to ask for a curse.

So are you looking to take away his arms, Cordelia asked, or give him permanent rainbow spots all over his skin?

Ooh, the spots, the spots, the girl said.

Okay, cool, Cordelia said. Can you see your reflection in the side of the truck, there?

The girl peered at herself. Yep.

Okay. Now I want you to imagine yourself with multicolored spots all over your skin. Forever. And you can’t get rid of them, and you grow up and you have to get a job. What do you think?

The girl frowned. "But the curse is for Charlie, not for me. He’s the one being a jerk!"

Right, well, here’s the funny thing about curses, Cordelia said. The magic has a strange way of taking back what it’s given. So if it gives you revenge on Charlie...it might also take revenge on you. Are you willing to do that?

The girl was quiet for a moment. Then what do I do?

First, you come back with a parent, Cordelia said, and we can talk about a charm to make you see what your bear will look like when you get older.

The girl beamed. You could do that? I want to know if I’ll have a coat like my mom’s. She’s so pretty as a bear. I want to look like her.

Yep, we can do that, Cordelia said. "Because it is always better to use charms than curses."

I thought back to Cordelia’s own history, and how the wolf pack in Redemption had been biased against her because her mom had been notorious for cursing people left and right. Cordelia had never had a chance in Redemption. And it was the strangest thing. Whenever I thought about Cordelia’s mom, I had this weird sensation that I’d known her. It was a feeling or a memory of familiarity. When we’d first met, I’d thought the same thing when I’d laid eyes on Cordelia. Like we’d known each other as kids, or that our moms had been friends, even though I couldn’t find any pictures to prove it. And when I’d called my mom to ask, she didn’t know what I was talking about. Maybe the two of us were just meant to be friends, and the universe was trying to tell me that.

Thank you, Madame Witch! the girl exclaimed before traipsing over to a red bicycle she’d left leaning against the outside of Forbidden Hardware.

Madame Witch, I said, nudging Cordelia.