Bloodwater, Texas:

‘The Copper Pot’ was his first baby. A watering hole, some might call it. Some might dub it a bar, some a saloon. To some in the know, though,  it is also a place of quiet exchange for less-than-legal goods— especially as they relate to apothecary items. Under-the-bar goods.

Ross Stevens, a scrappy old coyote shifter now in his 50s, may not look the part, but he knows his plants, his medicines, the little bits and bobs of magic that make certain things DO other things, especially when you mix them with other things. And just like his Pa and his Pappy before him, he hasn’t been afraid to go into some dark holes to fetch some dark things.

He runs the place with his grown son, Landon, whom he hopes will carry on the legacy once he’s gone, and a hire he took on when the gal got herself into a mess and needed a job with few questions asked. Tara had been a fast learner and knew how to keep her mouth shut about the back-end business.  And, she was a pretty face for the front end.

“You just pour the drinks and keep Sheriff Hal distracted Tara. Me’n Landon’ll take care of the rest.”

Yeah, he was a bit of an ass, maybe. It was no wonder the Stevens’ men historically had a hard time keeping mates around. But it was what it was, and the town of Bloodwater ticked on, whether your nights got lonely or not.

Trigger Warnings: potential misogyny and old grump behavior. Possessiveness. Power imbalance.

All romantic/sexual relationships are grown-up age and consensual.