Free Under Witch Curse (Moon Shadow Series) by Maria Schneider

up in the kitchen. I can do it. Take me a day or so.”
    Dad said, “Do you want me to cook breakfast or—”
    “Dad!” I blushed furiously and beat him to the fridge only because it wasn’t his kitchen so he stayed in the living room on the other side of the bar.
    “Can’t expect a man to erect walls on an empty stomach.”
    White Feather did not look my way, not once. He lined up coffee cups, found the bag of sugar and retrieved the half and half. Completely mortified, I scrambled eggs. There was no way to trick Dad into leaving. If I told him we didn’t need help, he’d be hurt. If I tried any of the lame excuses that came to mind, he’d just ignore me and buckle down to the tasks of his choice.
    It’s hard to protect yourself from family when they show up in the middle of the night. My defenses were down.
    “I’ll check on the supplies,” Dad said. “See how the bricks are coming along. We’ll be back in time to eat.” He nodded at the mason, a man whose name we still didn’t know, and headed down the hallway. They disappeared between sheets of plywood where the hallway abruptly met the great outdoors.
    I apologized to White Feather. “I’m really sorry. Dad has this way—”
    White Feather plucked the fork for the eggs from my madly waving hand. He chuckled, almost silently. Either he was hysterical from the rude awakening, or he was amused at my complete inability to manage the situation.
    “He seems to enjoy getting his way,” White Feather said around his amusement. “And he checks on you often. Is there enough light for him to inspect whatever it is he is inspecting?”
    It was November and pitch dark this early. “He’ll start a fire if he has to. Just a small torch, he’ll call it. But he can do sparks of light too.” Dad’s talent was that of fire, a flame he could ignite, control or extinguish by channeling his internal passion for life. He made it appear simple, but it was a silent workout. His muscles paid the price, flexing and burning up energy as he fueled the fire with his magic.
    White Feather grinned down at me. “He seems eager to make sure you have a decent place to live.”
    I didn’t see the humor. “I have a house.” But I didn’t, not anymore. Dad didn’t even know about my recent run-in with the vamps. My parents weren’t thrilled that we hadn’t been married conventionally, but they did respect my choice, if only because White Feather had proven himself when he endangered himself to rescue me. Saving my life held some sway when it came to my family. “Moonlight madness, you don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into,” I muttered.
    “We do need the walls up as soon as possible.”
    “It could be worse,” I muttered.
    “Oh?”
    “He didn’t bring Kas and her husband to install the toilet and other plumbing!”
    White Feather shook his head and grinned. “There’s always tomorrow morning.”
    By the time we finished breakfast, we learned that the mason’s name was Tracy. He was a drifter who had been a trucker, a guitar-picker and had been hired at the hardware store off the books when Dad heard about a guy with a “talent for brick work.”
    I had to recite spell ingredients in my head to refrain from blurting out random curses. The guy who ran the hardware store was my cousin Manny. And he knew Dad and his penchant for strays. Kept an eye out as it were.
    As soon as White Feather offered to show Tracy around in preparation for the day’s work, I walked Dad to his truck, fully intending to lay down the rules of engagement. They included a seven o’clock curfew—no showing up earlier.
    Dad strolled out, extolling the virtues of his latest find. “He seems like a good fellow. Doesn’t drink and doesn’t smoke. I’ll be back to pick him up this evening. He’s staying with cousin Manny.”
    “Dad—”
    “I was right impressed with the workmanship your White Feather has done so far on the house. It’s quality.” He smothered me in one of