Rocking Out
Wayfair Witches Book Seven
by A.A. Albright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organisations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously.
Text Copyright © A.A. Albright 2018
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author.
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Table of Contents
1. Kissy Face
2. The Body in the Boot
3. Unfamiliar Ground
4. The Mysterious Little Elf
5. The She-Wolves
6. Murphy’s Law
7. Pish to Prophecies
8. The Law of Attraction
9. Lunas’
10. A She-Wolf in the Closet
11. Die Hard Fans
12. The Cabin in the Woods
13. Frustrating Fragments
14. The Money Trail
15. Protecting His Interests
16. An Offer I Can’t Refuse
17. The Plain Old Cauldron
18. The Dreamlike Dance of Not-Love
19. Werewolves Do It Better
20. We’re Not in Moony’s Anymore
21. Unhappy Reunion
22. Last Meal
23. The Great Big Obvious Distraction
24. Function Rooms and Microwaves Have a Lot More in Common than You’d Think
25. A Nice Day for a Wolf Wedding
26. Burning to Tell You
1. Kissy Face
Soft music was playing. The lights were low. A dancefloor was filled with bodies, huddled in pairs and swaying to the music.
I was over by the buffet table, nibbling on an enormous pretzel when I saw him: a tall, perfectly-formed man walking out of the shadows and looking my way. He was faceless, but I knew without a doubt that he was the one. My heart filled with the most joyous of joys – a joy so joyous that I wasn’t even hungry anymore.
The faceless man crossed the dancefloor, took my hand and said, ‘Wanda Wayfair, will you dance with me?’
I let out a breathy reply of, ‘Yes,’ as I threw my half-eaten pretzel to the table.
We moved out onto the dancefloor, our bodies tight together, my lips grazing his neck. I still didn’t know who he was, and yet I knew him better than I knew myself. I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I felt like this moment had been far too long in coming. As he leaned down, I craned my neck upwards. And then our lips were kissing, and kissing and kissing …
It was the perfect mixture of passion and familiarity. After what felt like an eternity of deliciousness, he pulled his lips from mine and whispered, ‘I love it when you taste like pretzels.’
Ah – such beautiful words!
Suddenly, his mouth was on my neck. Instead of softly kissing me, he was licking. In fact, I’d go so far as to say he was slobbering.
His clothes began to feel furry. And his scent changed from intoxicating masculinity to something a bit … on the doggy side?
The slobbering increased. The fur was becoming furrier. The soft music had changed to an irritating buzzing. And with my most ladylike snort of all time, I jerked awake.
‘Wolfie!’ I cried out.
The enormous Irish Wolfhound was standing over me, licking what was left of the packet of pretzels I’d fallen asleep eating. Every now and then, his slobbering would stray from the pretzels and wander over in the direction of my face.
‘Morning Wanda,’ said the dog. ‘Your alarm’s going off. Hey, why do you make a kissy face when you sleep?’
I wiped the slobber from my face and sat up. The pillow and the covers were hairy, smelly, and indented with the definite shape of dog.
‘Did you sleep here, Wolfie?’ I asked groggily.
The dog had finished the pretzels, so he jumped up onto the bed and lay down on the pillow next to me. ‘I was right here. For hours. I looked at you while you slept. I thought you might wake up and we could eat the pretzels together. But …’
‘But I didn’t, so you ate them anyway.’
‘Are you angry, Wanda?’
I shook my head and cuddled into him. ‘Grateful, actually. Now I’ll be forced to have something healthy for breakfast. But why did you sleep here? You’re usually in Max’s room.’
Wolfie buried his head in his paws. ‘Emily came over last night. She and Max were making real kisses, not just pretend kissy faces in their sleep.’
‘Oh. Well, that’s … nice.’
I heard an unmistakable sound above me – the sound of the Lesser-Known Mango Bat, peeling an eyelid open in a slow, sarcastic sweep. I looked up into the one open eye of Dizzy, my bat familiar, as he hung upside down from the light fixture above my bed.
‘Nice, is it?’ he said in his squeaky little voice. ‘Funny, because I think you look pretty upset about Max and Emily making kissy face together all night long.’
‘Pish,’ I replied – because I’m clearly the queen of comebacks.
Dizzy shrugged his wings and closed his one open eye. ‘Fine, whatever. But if you want to cry on my shoulder about it, maybe wait for a couple of hours. I’ve had a very busy night.’
‘Of course you have,’ I said with a not at all irritable sigh, pushing the blankets off myself. I mean, what did I have to be irritable about? What were familiars and magical animals even for, if not to make my life a misery?
I patted Wolfie’s head and swung my legs out of the bed. As I did, he pressed his face to mine and gave me one more slobbery kiss. ‘You always look so pretty in the morning, Wanda,’ he said. ‘I think you’re the prettiest girl I know.’
Aw! I could feel the cracks begin to form in the ice of my grumpy morning heart. ‘Aren’t you adorable?’ I said, ruffling the dog’s fur. ‘Tell you what – give me a minute to pee, and then I’ll get you the biggest, yummiest brekkie you can imagine.’
What – me, gullible? Never.
≈
There’s nothing like looking your best in the morning. And luckily for everyone else in the house, they did. Emily was looking perfect in jeans and one of Max’s T-shirts while she kissed Max goodbye in the hallway. Max was looking gorgeous in his usual scruffy way as he kept his eyes closed tight and enjoyed those kisses. Melissa was looking perfect in her yoga clothes while she made a smoothie in the kitchen and hummed along to the songs on the radio.
Me, however? My bathrobe was covered in pretzel crumbs and I still hadn’t washed the dog drool from my hair.
‘Morning Wanda,’ sing-songed Emily. She had moved her lips from Max’s, but her arms were still wrapped around his neck. ‘Will we be seeing you later on for the gig?’ she asked.
It took my sluggish morning brain a moment to catch up. The gig? Ah, the gig. The Call of the Wild were playing tonight. It was a small, intimate affair in Lunas’ Nightclub. It was the midway point of the band’s latest tour, and seeing as Max shared custody of Wolfie with the band’s bassist, he and all of his friends had been invited.
‘Yeah, I guess I’ll be there,’ I said with a sleepy smile. Sensing that I might have some pretzel caught in my teeth, I quickly clamped my mouth shut.
‘Great,’ said Emily. Funny, the way she said it didn’t sound like she thought it was great. Had I done something to offend her? She gave me a small smile and followed up with, ‘That’s just … great. Well, see you tonight.’ Then she gave Max one last, noisy kiss, before she snapped her fingers and disappeared.
For a moment Max looked awkwa
rdly at me, hopping from foot to foot and running a hand through his messy brown hair. After a few seconds of that, he said, ‘I … em … I have to go get in the shower,’ and then he rushed up the stairs and out of my sight.
Wolfie gave him a mournful look and followed me through to the kitchen. I could understand that hangdog expression on Wolfie’s face. I wasn’t feeling all that happy myself. Just one more morning when Max avoided me. But then, I couldn’t really complain. Not when I was sort of avoiding him, too.
As soon as I opened the back door, Wolfie ran outside to do his business. Well, first of all he chased a bird, because he was the kind of dog who knew how to prioritise. I would have happily sat on the doorstep and watched him, but I’d promised him an amazing breakfast, and that was what he was going to have.
I opened the fridge and pawed through the contents. Rice and beans was one of Wolfie’s favourites, and there was a big bowl of that in there (that might have had something to do with the fact that I made it for myself the day before and then ate a tub of ice cream instead).
I mixed the rice and beans in with Wolfie’s kibble, and added a couple of dog biscuits as well. They were shaped like bones, and he loved them.
‘Wow, someone’s getting special treatment this morning,’ said Melissa, popping a strawberry into her mouth.
‘What can I say? He deserves it for being such an awesome kisser.’
‘Oh dear.’ She let out a peal of laughter. ‘I thought I heard him snorting in your bedroom a little while ago.’
‘Could have been him. Could have been me. We’re both equally lovely in the morning. Hey, what is that noise?’ I nodded to the radio. A song I’d never heard before was playing, and it was hurting my ears.
‘Ugh!’ Melissa shuddered as she changed the channel. ‘That’s Alpha. The latest werewolf rockers to try and steal the crown from the Call of the Wild. For some bizarre reason, they might actually succeed. They’re at number two this week.’
She lifted the jug from the blender and poured her concoction into two glasses, passing one to me.
‘I would have woken you for yoga class,’ she said. ‘But you got in so late that I figured you could use the sleep. Say, what case are you working on, anyway?’
I sniffed the green smoothie. ‘Oh, lots of stuff,’ I said vaguely. ‘What’s in this?’
‘Kale, spirulina, a couple of pears, some mango, some strawberries, and a banana. Oh and a dash of maple syrup, too.’
‘Lovely.’ I took a sip. It really was lovely, but it wasn’t what I wanted right then. I wanted chocolate cake, doughnuts, pretzels and ice cream, and I wanted it all in a big bucket that I could disappear inside. ‘Hey, got time for a quick practice?’
‘You know it.’ She put her hands on her hips and grinned at me. ‘I hope you’re ready, because I’m going in now, and I will not be gentle.’
I didn’t laugh, because I knew she meant it. Ever since my recent encounter with the Dark Team, Melissa had been helping me learn how to keep vampire intrusions from my mind. She was a witch, like me, but she’d inherited some vampire abilities from a far-back relative. Even though those abilities had skipped many generations, Melissa’s power was strong – strong enough that she could probably have been a member of the Dark Team herself. Y’know – if she was a creepy, evil, megalomaniac who wanted to force me to bear her hybrid-child.
Seeing as she was none of those things, she was the perfect teacher. I had some natural abilities, but seeing as six of the thirteen Dark Team assassins were still on the run, I wanted to make sure I was ready for anything.
I felt the familiar itch at my brain, and erected an imaginary wall in my mind.
Another itch came, and I raised another wall. We were just about to go for round three when Wolfie crashed in through the door and made straight for his bowl.
‘His enthusiasm is making me hungry.’ My stomach growled as I spoke, and I sat down at the table. ‘Let’s eat. Or … drink. We can try again this evening if you’re up for it.’
‘I’m up for it, but are you?’ Melissa’s brows furrowed in concern as she sat down across from me.
I drained my glass and burped. ‘Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?’
She gave a little shrug. ‘Oh, I don’t know. I just wonder sometimes if it’s still okay. Me living here, I mean.’
I reached out to pull her pigtail – because as every young boy knows, that’s the best way to tell a girl you like them. Melissa really did wear pigtails for yoga class. And unlike when I wore pigtails, she somehow managed to make them sexy. ‘Of course it’s okay. I love having you here. Why would you think it’d be a problem?’
She looked down into the green dregs of her drink. ‘I dunno. You just seem distracted this past while. I thought we’d be watching girly movies and having one big long sleepover but … you always seem to be working. So instead I spend my evenings feeling like a gooseberry while Max and Emily cuddle on the couch. Are you … are you avoiding me?’
I cringed into my empty glass, wondering how to field that one. Yeah, I was avoiding Melissa – but only because she lived here, in the house I shared with Max. It had nothing to do with her.
‘I just wondered if it was still about that love potion thing,’ she went on. ‘I mean, I know I went a bit crazy and we had that fight over Max but … it was just a potion. We’re all over it now. Aren’t we?’
I went to the sink to fill Wolfie’s water bowl while I thought of how to answer. Sure, everyone was over the effects of the love potion that had caused so much chaos back in February. And why wouldn’t they be? It was over two months ago.
When my then boyfriend spiked a bottle of Château Toff de Toff, I was supposed to be the only one to drink it. But instead, most of the female members of the Wayfair coven had shared the bottle. Even Max had some of the tainted wine. And so … well … Melissa and I both fell for him. She was over it. I was … well, I wasn’t sure what I was.
‘Don’t be silly,’ I said. ‘Of course we’re all over it. And we do spend time together. And we’ll get to spend the whole night together this evening at the Call of the Wild gig. Y’know, if you’re not too busy fighting off half of the band.’
She looked like she was just about to make a zinger of a comeback, when the doorbell rang.
‘Odd. It’s pretty early. Maybe Emily forgot something.’ She sprang up and walked to the front door.
I started to wash the dishes, laughing at Wolfie as I worked. Most dogs just go right in there and eat everything all at once, but Wolfie had a system. He went in order of his least favourite. So he started with the kibble, then moved on to the rice and beans, and finally he chomped down on the biscuits. When his bowl was finally clean, he let out a loud burp and gave me a drool-soaked smile. ‘Thanks Wanda,’ he said. ‘You always make the best breakfasts.’
I picked up his bowl and threw it in the sink. ‘Why thank you, kind sir.’ I gave his head a quick rub and peered into the hallway. Melissa had been an awfully long time, and I was beginning to get curious.
She was just standing there, at the open front door, in absolute silence. She looked like she’d been hit with a freezing spell. Oh dear. That was just what we needed – yet more evil shenanigans. I abandoned the dishes and ran to her. ‘Melissa? Are you okay?’
She didn’t answer. She just kept standing and staring.
I pulled the door aside and looked out, and then I let out a long and loud sigh of relief. She wasn’t frozen by a spell. Not unless you considered being madly in lust to be a spell.
There, on the doorstep, was Mack McAdams, lead singer with the Call of the Wild. He was wearing a clinging white T-shirt and faded jeans. His tight-cut blond hair was shining in the morning sun. He looked as perfect as a statue. He also looked as still as one.
Just like Melissa, though, Mack had not been hit by a freezing spell. He was perfectly able to walk, talk and move. If he wanted. But right now, it seemed that all he wanted to do was stand in silence and stare at Melissa.
Mutual adoration, I thought. One day I’d find that with someone. I just hoped I wouldn’t need to look as good as Melissa did in yoga clothes for it to happen – because if I did, I’d be waiting a very long time.
Max appeared behind me, peeping curiously at the pair. ‘They okay? Oh, hey – is that Jasper in the car?’ He nodded at Mack’s car, an old red Cadillac that was currently taking up all the space in our small driveway. It was crammed with musical instruments and dog toys.
I took a closer look. Ah – Jasper was there. He was lying beneath a pile of dog toys on the back seat, snoring his brains out.
‘So anyway, Mack,’ I said, a mischievous smile pulling at the corners of my mouth. ‘What brings you here on this lovely spring morning?’ As if I didn’t know. For weeks now, Mack had been coming to our house every time Jasper did. Sure, he didn’t do much more than stand to one side and shoot longing looks at Melissa, but I was determined to drag a word or two from him this morning. Even if it was something along the lines of ‘Get lost – I’m trying to stare at your housemate.’
Mack cleared his throat and pulled his eyes from Melissa. He didn’t tell me to get lost. Instead he said, ‘I … Wolfie. We came to collect Wolfie. Jasper fell asleep on the way.’
Max chewed at his lips, looking worried. ‘Are you sure Wolfie’s going to be okay going on tour with you guys this week? I know tonight’s gig is small, but you’ll be playing stadiums the rest of the time. And you’ll be on the road constantly. He needs regular meals and walks, and I’m just worried that you’ll all be so busy you might forget.’
Wolfie suddenly appeared in the doorway, wagging his tail.
‘I’ve been on tour before, Max. It’s fun. All of the band’s fans bring presents for me. I get lots of chocolates, and balls, and squeaky bones.’
‘It’s true,’ said Mack. ‘All the girls love Wolfie. And a couple of the other band members have dogs, too. Callum’s always complaining that the dogs get more fan mail than he does. And speaking of Callum …’ Mack’s ice-grey eyes darkened and he looked straight at Melissa. ‘He wanted me to tell you he’s set up a Super VIP seat for you tonight.’
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