Free Witchmate (Skeleton Key) by Renee George, Skeleton Key

find any anomalies in her world until the scream. She’d seen the fireball heading straight for the girl, her life in serious peril. The danger had been the trigger, and Aerina felt sick with anguish.
    “Tia,” she shouted.
    The raven beauty entered Aerina’s office. “Rina?”
    “What have you done?” She felt the power flexing in her veins, the tenuous tethers of her control ready to snap.
    Tia’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
    “Why are there elementals in the woods? And why are they attacking a defenseless woman?”
    “I’m at a loss, my queen. How am I to know what’s happening out of my sight?”
    She sounded genuinely surprised, and Aerina’s anger waned. “Find out what’s going on. I swear, if they harm the girl in any way, I will take a page from my father’s book and burn this city to the ground.”
    Fear flashed in Tia’s eyes as she backed her way to the door. “Yes, High Sister. I understand. I will send out word.”
    When the door closed, Aerina shrieked her frustration. She’d worked too hard and strategized too long for her plan to fail now. “That damned key.” She’d paid a high cost to get Emma here, and if the coven leaders found out how high, they would kill her. Or at least try. “Stay safe,” she whispered. “Let the impossible be possible and lead us to the end.”
    ****
    The tree stand was a four by four structure with a hatch in the floor, walls with tiny slits for looking out, and a roof. It had been designed to be virtually undetectable by even wolfkind. Only a few knew of the locations. Unlike most of their trails that relied on wolfkind scent markers, the treestand paths contained only physical clues, camouflaged so that no one else could find them. Only a few people knew their locations.
    They arrived after several hours of covering their tracks, adding in points of misdirection.
    “Wow, that really is hidden well,” Emma said as she stared straight up. “How in the hell are we supposed to get up there?”
    “Climb on my back,” Keir said.
    “You’re kidding, right?”
    “I’m not sure…”
    “What kidding means,” Emma finished. “Got it. Joking?”
    He shook his head. He was getting used to her strange words, but it didn’t mean he understood her any better.
    “You know, lying to be funny.”
    “Oh.” Keir shook his head. “I wouldn’t do that.”
    “Of course, you wouldn’t.”
    He turned his back to her, squatted down and patted his shoulder. “Hop up.”
    Emma pursed her lips, but stepped on his thigh and catapulted onto his back. As she looped her arms just under his collar bone, his skin shivered as her chest pressed against his back.
    “Jesus,” she said. “You’ve got muscles on muscles.”
    Her comment pleased him. Without ceremony, he began to scale the tree. Emma crossed her legs around his waist and held on as the top of the tree drew nearer, and the ground got farther away.
    Emma remained silent as he climbed higher and higher. She didn’t strike Keir as someone afraid of heights or much of anything for that matter. The way she’d jumped into the fight had scared him as no enemy could, but Emma, she’d been fearless. “A low hideout would be easily seen,” he said. “It would defeat the purpose.” He gripped the bark with his thighs and hit the hatch with his palm. It popped open. “Go ahead. I’ll follow you in.”
    He held on patiently as she threw her bag inside the entrance and used him as a ladder to get in the tree stand, grimacing as her slippered foot stepped on his ear.
    “Sorry,” she said as she disappeared into the structure. She turned around and peeked her head out. “Do you need some help?”
    “I’ve got it,” Keir said, and climbed inside, his broad shoulders scrapping against the small opening. He closed the hatch behind him. Right away, he noticed the shift in his abilities as his sense of smell returned. The pungent scent of the stale, musty tree stand was better than all the roses in the