Free Den and Breakfast: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Honeycomb Falls Book 1) by Cassie Wright Page B

the hell? I hold it closer. I don't feel anything. No zing of magic. No zap of power. I give it an experimental shake. Nothing.
    "What the hell? Are you kidding me?"
    I assure you, I rarely jest.
    I let out a yelp and drop the staff, darting across the room to hide behind the wardrobe. The staff bounces and rattles on the floorboards. Silence. I try to stuff myself out of sight. My eyes dart back and forth.
    What. Or - who? Who said that?
    "Hello?"
    Nothing. I gulp. Peer around the wardrobe. Nothing. Nobody there. Just the staff lying on the floor. I take a deep breath. OK. I can do this. I'm a tough chica from NYC. I've got attitude, a hell of a booty, and I'm tougher than cheap diner steak.
    I tiptoe closer and prod the staff with my shoe. Nothing. So I crouch down and pick it up again.
    "Hello?"
    To be honest, this is proving to be an awkward introduction. Please don't drop me again.
    The old gentleman's voice sounds inside my head, complete with a posh British accent. "Who are you?"
    Not who, but what. I am a staff of power, once the possession of Simon Trimagister, who made a copy of his mind and implanted it in the wood that you hold.
    "You were once a person?" I'm doing my best not to sway, my knees weak.
    A copy of one, yes.
    "And - wow." Not the most eloquent thing I've ever said. I sit down on the bed. "Can you help me?"
    With what, exactly?
    "I need to convince the Cairn Elder to let me turn Honeycomb Hall into the Cairn Lodge. He doesn't think I can control my shifter guests."
    Control? Control them how? Like puppets?
    "No! I mean, stop them from fighting, or, I don't know, clawing up the bedposts." I'm not exactly sure what kind of trouble shifters can get into. "You know, like keep the peace."
    Ah. Authority. I can indeed help you with that. There are many ways of impressing others into behaving.
    "You can?" I almost bounce on the bed. "How would you do that?"
    It depends on the style you wish to adopt. You could call lightning down upon a tree, blasting it apart and making them fear you. You could charm their senses, making them worship you as a queen. Intimidation or love. Which would you prefer?
    I shiver. Power. I look at the staff, holding it in both hands. Real power. "I don't want people to be afraid of me. But I don't want them worshiping me either. Can I just punish people if they step out of line? But, like, fairly?"
    It is up to you to determine what is fair, but absolutely. As long as you wield me, you wield the means toward whichever end you desire.
    I gulp. I'm almost afraid. As if I'm standing on the edge of a building and looking down at the street far below. Power.
    "Erm, thank you. Thank you very much." I stand and put the staff back in the chest and close the lid. Holding it gives me ideas. Dangerous ideas. Ideas that aren't quite in line with who I am. Like hunting down Paul and turning him into a frog. Or asking the staff to conjure up a pile of cash. Or -
    No. I leave the room and skip down the stairs. The others have returned to the breakfast table and are eating in silence, looking downcast. I step into the room and beam at them. They look puzzled, completely surprised by my sudden change in mood.
    "We're back in business! Blake, I need you to find out which is the most dangerous pack that's coming for this weekend's Convocation. And invite them to stay here, free of charge."
    "What?" His eyes go wide and he pushes back from the table. "The most dangerous pack? Staying here?"
    I nod and sit down, picking up my fork. "I think we can be ready for them. Hui? Anita? Do you think you could be ready for guests by this Saturday?"
    They exchange a glance, and then nod, determined.
    "Great. If we can show the Cairn Elder that we can handle the most dangerous pack there is, then he'll have no reason to doubt our ability to be a Lodge."
    "Yes," says Blake, speaking slowly. His golden eyes are still wide. "But... we can't handle the most dangerous pack. I could maybe handle one or two of them, but all