by Bella Falls
I tapped Mason on the arm. When the detective wouldn’t respond to me, I pushed on him to get him to move out of the way. Without another word, I threw my arms around Dash. “While I’ve been trying—and failing—to deal with this all on my own, you’ve had nobody at all to support you, have you?”
Dash’s chest rose and sank with a deep sigh underneath my cheek. “Not really. It’s not something I can exactly reveal to my pack. Hey, I’m your alpha, but I’m actually metaphysically connected to this witch that lives hours away.”
“I would guess that wouldn’t go over very well,” Mason said in an attempt to lighten the mood.
The shifter snorted. “I should have kept better tabs on what was going on here. But I thought you wanted…no, needed…the separation. I didn’t want whatever was going on between us,” Dash pointed his finger between us, “to affect your relationship.” He nodded at Mason.
“Your binding has nothing to do with us other than it’s been making Charli get sicker and sicker,” the detective replied. He sounded so sure of himself that I almost believed him. Except for his hands that kept flexing open and shut.
Dash stopped glowering. “You’ve been feeling nauseous, too?”
“Too? What, so, you’ve been experiencing symptoms from the stupid binding and refused to let me know?”
He held up his hands in surrender. “It never occurred to me to communicate with anyone that I wasn’t feeling all that great. Again, an alpha showing any signs of weakness doesn’t do him any favors.”
“Sweet honeysuckle iced tea, I understand that you didn’t want to let your pack know you felt sick. But you could have let me know,” I fussed, the anger from before stirring itself back to life.
Dash breathed in deep. “Charli, I know there’s a lot I have to apologize for. But could you try not to get angry at me again?”
“Frosted fairy wings, I’ve got plenty of reason to be agitated with you. Why shouldn’t I?”
He grunted. “Because you’re getting me and my animal all riled up again.”
I opened my mouth to fire a zinger back at him but stopped. “You mean, we’re affecting each other’s emotions? I got mad because you were mad?”
The corner of Dash’s lip curled up. “Oh, I’m sure there was some legitimate frustration already there on both our parts. But yes, I noticed the connection between us was pretty…substantial when the two of you excused yourselves into the other room.”
I thought about what instance he was talking about, and my cheeks flamed to life. “Oh.”
“That’s…going to be pretty inconvenient.” Mason maneuvered to stand closer to me.
“It’s not exactly a party for me, cowboy,” Dash admitted to the detective.
Nana pinched the bridge of her nose. “Well, then we’ve got a bigger problem than I anticipated.”
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“From what I’m hearin’, your binding is strengthening beyond what either of you can control.” She leveled me with a concerned gaze. “Have you been taking my drink like I told you to?”
I nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Had some before Mason brought me here today.”
“And yet, I saw you looking a might puny before Dash arrived. And better after he did.” She tapped her finger against her lip as she mulled over the situation. “This is beyond my abilities. We’re going to have to kick this up another notch, kiddos.”
When Nana was worried, the whole town should be on alert. A bead of sweat broke on my forehead. “What does that mean?”
“We’re gonna have to call in the big guns, and we need to do it now. Grab your purse and whatever else you want to take with you,” she commanded as she hustled out of the room and up the stairs.
“Nana, wait,” I called after her. As soon as she hesitated on the steps, I rushed out and stood at the bottom. “Where are we going?”
“To answer a long-ignored invitation.” My grandmother dashed up the rest of the steps.
I emitted a long, drawn-out groan. “Great.”
“I don’t understand. Where does she want to take you?” Mason asked.
“To the Gray sisters.”
Chapter Three
My spell phone buzzed in my pocket for the second time. Taking it out, I read Horatio’s name and silenced the device, slipping it back in place as I sat in the back seat of my grandmother’s car with Mason. Dash’s hulking mass filled the front seat. We waited for Nana to find her keys so we could head out.
The shifter’s stomach made a loud noise. “Excuse me. I didn’t get to eat anything but that slice of pie since I left my place this morning.”
“I’ll bet if you ask real nice Nana will stop at the Harvest Moon and let you get something to go,” I suggested. “Although you’d have to promise a kidney and maybe a lung not to spill anything in here.”
Nana stomped down her porch steps. Her mood had morphed from hurried to irritated in the amount of time it took her to find her keys. She yanked the driver’s side door open with enough strength to make it creak under the force.
“Maybe I should drive, Vivi,” Mason offered from his seat next to me in the back.
“I can manage quite well, thank you.” She slid into her seat and shut the door with a slam. “Besides, we’re not going that far after all.”
I leaned forward, grabbing onto the headrest in front of me. “I thought we had at least a few hours’ journey.”
My grandmother adjusted the rearview mirror so she could look at me. “Change in plans. Flint called me when I was inside and gave me a heads-up. Seems that the Gray sisters got the jump on us and are headed into town.”
I swallowed hard. “How? If they share one eyeball between the three of them, then how did they drive here?”
Nana blew out an exasperated breath. “Birdy, I don’t know, and I sure as shinola don’t plan to ask them. First of all, it would be rude. Second of all, it doesn’t matter. They’re here, and I don’t really want them to remain any longer than they have to. They’ll give everyone the heebie-jeebies and scare them right out of our fair town.” She turned the engine over, and it rumbled to life.
“Guess that means we won’t have time for me to grab something to eat first?” Dash complained.
“Oh, you will. The sisters told Flint to convey their invitation to the cafe. I just hope Steve and any other patrons have the will to stomach their presence.” Shifting the car into reverse, she backed out of her parking spot and turned us in the direction of Main Street.
My stomach clenched at the impending meeting. I thought I’d have a longer drive to psych myself up to see the sisters. I’d only visited them once when I was younger after Mom got sick. Dad had dragged both Matt and me there with him against the advice from Nana that nothing those witches said would change anything. Still, my father had been desperate enough to try and get their help to stop his beloved wife from dying.
Once inside the eerie house they called home, Matt and I had been instructed by the shortest of the three to stay in the front parlor and play with their pets. We’d spent a few minutes looking for a dog or a cat only to find a few fat cockroaches and some creepy-crawly spiders around. We never knew whether or not they’d been counted as beloved pets of the sisters or not.
Although I’d blocked out a lot of what I’d seen in their house, I could still hear my father’s muffled voice shouting at them from behind a closed door. Matt had held onto me as we sat together on a dusty old chair with busted springs that poked into our behinds. When the door had flung open, tears had made shiny tracks down our father’s face. He’d shouted at us to come with him and stormed out without waiting to see if we followed. Afraid of his exit being seen as impolite, I’d curtsied for some reason and apologized.
Their response returned to my memory as Nana drove to the cafe. The middle sister had pointed at me and rasped, “We’ll be seeing you again soon.” I remembered that I didn’t know how she knew where I stood since both her eye sockets were closed over with flesh.
“Not soon, my dear Frida. In about twenty-one years, seven months, three days, seventeen hours, forty-two minutes, and thirty-seven seconds. Thirty-six. Thirty-five.” A gasping cackle had stopped her from continuing her countdown.
“It’s not in the next several centuries, so I would agree it’s sooner rather than later, Enya,” the other sister corrected.
The one she addressed shrugged. “I see your point, Dina.”
I’d grabbed onto Matt’s hand and hissed. “Let’s go find Daddy.” I’d wanted to turn around and hightail it out of their dingy domicile, but something kept me staring at the three.
“Give me the eye, sister dear,” the one called Frida demanded. When she received it in her open palm, she held it up to her forehead. The milky-gray iris moved around until it spotted me.
I squeaked in horror, my feet unable to move despite Matt’s insistent tugging on my hand.
“When you see us again, child, it will be to determine your fate. Do not be late. And make sure you order us the special of the day. Our work will make us very hungry indeed.” She wiggled her bony fingers at me.
“Children!” our father had called from outside. “We need to go back to your mother.”
“Come. On!” Matt pulled on me hard enough to get me to move.
The car I was riding in pulled to a stop outside of the cafe. Nana maneuvered her boat of a car into a parking spot, its tail sticking out past the other parked vehicles. The memories of that strange visit faded as my grandmother’s stare into the rearview mirror pulled me back into the here and now.
“Your dad heard everything back then. He tried to make me promise I would never let you see the old hags,” she said, apologies swimming in her eyes. “But I’ll tell you what I told him even though my son didn’t want to hear it. You can run and hide, but you can’t escape your fate.”
“Is that what the Gray sisters do? They can tell someone’s fortunes?” Mason asked.
“Not exactly. I mean, if they actually are who I suspect they are, then they’re more like the keepers of Fate itself. With a capital F.” Nana turned in her seat to look at me. “Although I have no proof, and there’s no way I’m going to ask them straight out to confirm my theories because it really doesn’t matter.”
My grandmother’s enigmatic answer spawned more questions, but before I could utter even one, I watched the door to the Harvest Moon Cafe slam open while a bunch of customers streamed out of the place, pushing each other out of the way.
“I’m guessing they’re already here,” Dash observed from the front passenger seat. He unbuckled his seat belt. “Well, I’m starving and now a little bit curious. Like you said, Ms. Goodwin. You can’t avoid fate, so we might as well go inside.”
Nana gripped the steering wheel. “I know. I’m just trying to pump myself up for whatever comes next.”
I cast a cautious glance over at Mason. If Nana was scared, exactly how was I supposed to feel? A wave of indifferent confidence washed over me, and instead of attempting to push Dash’s feelings away, I embraced them. Just this once, I would rely on his strength to get me through this strange ordeal.
The entire car dipped and bounced as the wolf shifter got out first. Mason attempted to make it around to my side of the car, but Dash beat him to it, opening my door first. Seeing the two men size each other up for a brief second over such a silly thing annoyed me. There were bigger fish to fry than their egos. Managing to stand on my own two feet, I pushed past both of them and filtered in behind Nana to enter the cafe.
The bells on the door tinkled as we walked in, but an eerie silence followed. I’d never seen the Harvest Moon so empty and devoid of even one customer. A tiny squeak from behind the main counter alerted me to the presence of at least one other being. I ventured to take a peek and found Gale, a brownie who’d replaced Sassy as a waitress, crouching underneath and covering her head in fear.
“Hey, Gale. Are you okay?” I asked her.
She opened her eyes wide and shook her head. “They don’t make sense. Scared everyone away.” With a long skinny finger, she pointed in the direction of the tables and booths. “They asked for water, but I just couldn’t bring myself to serve them.”
Nana muttered something unintelligible underneath her breath right beside me. “It’s alright, child. Just pour them some water, and I’ll make sure it’s served to them. Then you go see if your boss will let you take a break.”
Gale sighed in relief. “Thank you. I promise I’ll make it up.”
She stood long enough to scoop some ice into three glasses and pour water from a pitcher. As soon as she finished the menial task, she dashed away so fast that all she left was the door swinging back and forth.
“I’ve got it, Nana. I’ll follow behind you.” No way did I want to be the first to approach the table of the three sisters that had frightened everyone else away.
Both men offered to carry the waters for me, but I brushed off their attempts at chivalry and shooed them to file in front of me as well. Bringing up the rear, I paused a few feet away from the table, staring at the wiry silver hair sticking out in all directions from the two sisters facing away from me.
The third leaned over so she could see me around her sister’s shoulder. “Well, be quick about it. Our thirst is great after such a long journey.”
I swallowed hard, unsure of how to handle that she looked directly at me. And yet, her eye sockets were hollow and empty. Setting the tray on the table, I attempted to place a glass in front of each of them without spilling too much of the water due to my shaking hands.
Without so much as a thanks, the three of them gripped their drinks and gulped down the contents, creating a chaotic wet mess all over their mouths. The one sister sitting opposite the others finished first and slammed the glass on the table hard enough it surprised me it didn’t shatter.
“More,” she demanded, wiping the spittle clinging to the edge of her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Now, now, Dina. When we are out and about, we cannot demand as if we were in our own home,” one of her sister’s reprimanded in a voice that sounded as thin as tissue paper that might disintegrate at the slightest gust of wind.
The old hag frowned as her head whipped to face the one who spoke. “I know that, Enya. But we wouldn’t be here if our invitation hadn’t been so blatantly ignored.”
I had received a card from the sisters right after Dash and I had Lucky bind us together. It had read, Your fate is broken. If you want it fixed, come see us.
“And we gave that to you with enough time for you to be prepared. No reason to ignore it other than sheer stubbornness,” the third sister commented.
“Too right, Frida.” The one called Dina tapped her empty glass. “We sent that note to you so that it would arrive at just the right time.”
Enya held up her bony fingers in front of her, revealing her possession of the single eyeball. “And we cautioned her those many moons ago. Even gave her the exact time. Yet, here she stands, bewildered and befuddled—”
“And still hasn’t ordered us what we asked for,” finished Dina. “And in case your memory fails you, we’ll be having the special. I love a good fried rat.”
My stomach turned, and I drew in a quick breath of shock. It took a lot of energy to keep my feet planted rather than running away screaming as Enya turned the eye to look at me.
“Chicken, dear sister. I believe they fry chicken here. Not rats.” Dina turned her eyeless head in my direction as if she expected me to give her a gold star for the correction.
“Really?” Dina pouted. “But rat is just so tasty. Especially the tail.”
Mason placed a hand on my arm to scoot me out of the way. He brought a full pitcher of water to the table and proceeded to refill their glasses.
Enya whistled as she held up the eye. “My, my! What a fine specimen we have here.”
Frida snapped her fingers. “Give me the eye, sister. I must see for myself.”
“Me, first,” demanded D
ina.
The sisters squabbled over who would get the eye next, and I looked at Nana for guidance. Her mouth fell open at the spectacle, and she widened her eyes at me in astonishment.
“Oh, yes. He is a nice hunk of meat,” Dina said as the winner of their quarrel, licking her cracked lips and cackling. “I like a man with a beard.”
“Beard!” shouted Enya. “No, I like the clean-shaven one. His future is not as unsure as the other.”
Frida pouted. “I’ve yet to see. It’s my turn next.”
With a dissatisfied grunt, Dina handed the eye across the table. Frida held up the ocular device and beheld both Dash and Mason. “Hmm. The bearded one is tasty. I could eat him alive, skin to bone.”
“Sorry. I’m not on the menu, ladies,” Dash growled, his eyes flashing in warning.
“Ooh, he’s a feisty one, too,” Frida cackled.
“But can you not see that both of them are tied to this girl’s choices? Too many fates intertwined and knotting. Making too much of a mess.” Enya wrinkled her hooked nose.
“Hold on, wait a minute. Before we go talking about mixed fates and messes, let me put in your order with Mr. Steve.” I hightailed it towards the kitchen, needing to distance myself from the intense amount of crazy sitting at that table.
I caught the owner and main cook of the cafe staring through the round window of the swinging door. He backed up to let me push my way in, scowling the entire time.
“I don’t like them,” he groused, waving a spatula in the air.
“If it’s any consolation, neither do I.” I shrugged in agreement.
Mr. Steve jammed his thumb in the direction of the dining room. “They scared away every single customer. Even all my regulars who’ve put permanent butt marks in their usual seats.”
“Honestly, I’d run far and fast if I thought it would do any good. But since they told me when I was no more than five years old that they’d be meeting me today, I’m guessing I should actually listen.” Before the cook could complain again, I placed three orders for today’s special and left it with him to complete.