by Tay LaRoi
Bella pushed the door open, and they walked in. Some people looked up at the sound of the door opening, but most people paid them no mind. Bella weaved between the tables with Cassie following close behind her until they reached the counter. Bella didn’t recognize the server, but when she asked to see the manager, Kegan, the young witch nodded and called for him.
They took their coffees to a table and waited, and before the coffee had cooled enough for the first sip, Kegan appeared and took a seat opposite them, grinning like seeing them was the best thing in the world. Kegan was always the cheerful sort. It often misled people into thinking he was not as sharp as he was, which Bella thought hedid on purpose. He was wearing denim shorts and flip-flops, a T-shirt with a cat on it, and beads around his neck. He didn’t look very professional, but Bella knew he took a practically failing business and turned it into a thriving hotspot for young witches and warlocks.
“Hello, Bella. You’re looking as beautiful as ever. You have a glow about you today, a good energy. And who’s your friend? She’s hard to read. We don’t get many werewolves around these parts,” Kegan said with the bouncy energy of a two-year-old with a new toy.
“Hello, Kegan. This is Cassie, a friend and council colleague.” Bella didn’t address the rest. It was possible that Kegan could see her positive energy from having such a good time the night before. Witches and warlocks read people’s energies, and Kegan was really good at it. He read people like books for children.
“Welcome, Cassie. I hope you enjoy your time here in our little hole-in-the-wall, but I have a feeling you’re both here for more than my amazing coffee blend.” Kegan smiled, a hint of slyness at the corner of his mouth.
“We need some information on someone who’s been beating up and stealing from werewolves,” Bella said, getting straight to the point.
“I heard about that.” Kegan nodded.
“Did you happen to hear who’s responsible?” Cassie asked, taking a sip off her black coffee.
“Not quite. What’s your theory on the crime so far?” Kegan asked.
“Well, it’s someone with a grudge against werewolves, either these specific wolves or the whole species. They’re clearly interested in more than stealing, or they’d just be in and out. They wouldn’t bother to harm the weres. If they’re that good at memory manipulation magic, they could just blank the person, go about their robbery, and leave, so it feels personal,” Bella said thoughtfully. She’d been thinking about it since she was told. Bella could feel the heat of Cassie’s leg against her knee and thigh and it made her think of last night. Bella tried not to react, even though her heart beat faster at the thoughts. She didn’t want Kegan smugly reading her and trying to play games. He often liked games.
“Good theory, but what if I said whispers tell me it’s not personal?” Kegan asked.
“If not personal in nature, then why are all the victims werewolves?” Cassie frowned.
“A challenge. There’s this group, young warlocks, call themselves the Wild Things, high-class kids playing at being a gang. Rumor has it you have to get a personal item from a werewolf to join, and…” Kegan broke off.
“And what?” Cassie pressed
“And some werewolf blood.” Kegan sighed.
“That’s why they hurt them. They beat them to get blood, but don’t want the bloodletting to be obvious,” Bella realized, shocked.
“Why would anyone want werewolf blood?” Cassie asked.
“Blood magic is very powerful. Using different blood can have different effects. Witch blood, vampire blood, werewolf blood all give a boost to different kinds of spells,” Bella explained.
“What kind of magic does werewolf blood boost?” Cassie looked troubled but not shocked.
“Sex magic.” Bella sighed.
“Bingo. Boys and their toys. The gang is using it to impress the young witches and other ladies in their life. I guess they weren’t bringing it in the bedroom without help.” Kegan smirked.
“I don’t suppose you’re going to be helpful and tell us any of the names of this gang?” Bella asked. She was frankly surprised Kegan had told them that much for free. Maybe he was actually worried about what could happen between werewolves and witches if it was discovered a group of warlocks were using werewolves blood as a party drug.
“Would you believe me if I said I didn’t know names? They don’t use their real names, but there’s a way to tell who’s in the gang. I can tell you about that,” Kegan offered.
“Will you tell us?” Bella asked.
“Seeing as I’d hate to spoil your good mood and that beautiful glow, I’ll be kind. Each warlock wears a ring. If they haven’t yet beaten and stolen from a werewolf, the band will have two stars and a moon. If they’ve succeeded in their little game, it’ll have the stars, a moon, and also a sun,” Kegan explained, and Bella was already glad she’d met Cassie and spent time with her, but now that the afterglow of getting laid had helped her out, she was even more pleased.
“Thank you.” Bella smiled.
“I’ll leave you ladies to your coffee, and do be careful. These warlocks are young but reckless and dangerous. I don’t agree with what they’re doing, and it’s only a matter of time before someone is killed when they try to push further, when the high of what they’re doing is not enough,” Kegan said, standing up, but before he walked away, he put his hand over Bella’s and squeezed like he was truly worried about her safety. Then he went back behind the counter and disappeared into the back of the coffee shop.
“Do you… I have no right to ask, but do you have a history with that warlock?” Cassie asked, her voice low and even, the idea obviously bothering her.
“Not the kind of history you’re thinking. We’ve known each other for many years. We took very different paths. I went into the council. He got in trouble and was involved in a more underground magic scene, but we stayed friends. I helped him out a time or two,” Bella explained.
“Sorry, I’m not usually the jealous type. I just, I had a really good time last night. I want to see your beautiful smile when I kiss you in the darkness of a moonless midnight,” Cassie said, and she signed the hand sign for beautiful as she spoke.
“I like you too, Cassie. Even if you hadn’t requested me for this case, I’d have called you today, but I’m glad I’m the one working this case with you and no one else.” Bella wasn’t possessive either, but she was feeling a little greedy—greedy for Cassie’s time and company.
“I’m going to email what we know to the council. They can put an alert out about the rings so werewolves know to avoid anyone wearing one. My fellow enforcers can help round them up, so they can go before the council for punishment,” Cassie said, taking out her phone and typing.
“Good idea. People can protect themselves, and we don’t have to be the ones to catch god knows how many warlocks. This gang has at least five members, if each attack was a different warlock. I guess next, we go interview the victims to see if they can tell us anything, like if they saw anyone wearing that ring before they were attacked,” Bella suggested, taking a drink of her fancy coffee, loving the sweetness and the buzz of caffeine.
“Yes, they might be able to describe the warlock.” Cassie nodded.
They finished their coffees quickly and left the shop, making their way out of the alleyway. They were close to Bella’s car when Cassie suddenly shoved her out of the way. Bella saw a bolt of energy fire above her head.
Bella rolled to the side and saw a young man with short blond hair and blue eyes who had been in the coffee shop. A warlock: Bella could sense it, and as he raised his hand, she saw a glint of a ring on his finger. One of the gang, then. Bella fired back her own ball of energy, but she had more practice, it seemed, more power, and it hit the warlock, making him stagger back and cry out in pain.
Cassie launched into action then. Even in her human form, there was something wolflike in her movement as she lunged and tackled the warlock to the ground. She wrestled with him, flipping h
im onto his stomach.
“Get his hands. He can’t blast without his hands,” Bella warned, and Cassie forced the warlock’s hands behind his back and pulled a zip tie out of her pocket, using it to strap together the warlock’s wrists. He spit and cursed. Cassie grabbed the back of his head and shook him till he went quiet.
“I’ll watch him. Call it in for me. They’ll send someone to get him,” Cassie ordered. Bella pulled out her cell phone, keeping an eye on the warlock to see if he tried to cast any spells, but he looked dazed and bruised.
Bella made the call. It took talking to a few people to get through to a werewolf enforcer, who kept her on the phone till a van arrived. Several werewolves got out of it and came over, taking the warlock, cuffing him, and putting him in the back of the van under guard.
“You did a good job,” the older female werewolf said to Cassie.
“Thank you, but I didn’t do it alone. Bella got him with this energy ball thing.” Cassie signed thank you to the woman, and Bella was surprised when the older werewolf signed back several gestures that Bella was not familiar with given her limited knowledge of sign language.
“Bella, thank you for your help on this case. I also know it’s unlikely we’d have been given the information so easily or quickly if it wasn’t for you and your connection. There’s no need for you to interview the victims or act further. Every werewolf on the council is hunting these rings and the warlocks wearing them. If you’d like to both take the evening off, that would be a good idea. You deserve it after your work,” the older wolf told them, and Bella was surprised but pleased.
“Thank you. I’m glad I could help this way.” Bella nodded.
“I’ll be going; I’ll see you for dinner Sunday, Cassie?” the woman asked.
“Yes, Aunty,” Cassie nodded, and the woman went back to the van.
“So, that was your aunt?” Bella asked the obvious.
“Yes. She lives locally. She’s been encouraging me to move here, so I can help her with enforcer training classes and self-defense classes for werewolves,” Cassie explained.
“So, you might be sticking around?” Bella asked hopefully.
“I have plans to, but I don’t want to put pressure on you.” Cassie sighed, looking away, and Bella waited till Cassie turned back and could see her lips before she talked.
“You’ve never pressured me, and I’d very much like if you lived close so we didn’t have to do long distance right off the bat. I want to get to know you. I want to take you for dinner. I want to cook for you. I want to show you my favorite places. I’m not going to profess my love. I’m not there after an amazing night and a day, but I think what we have has potential, and I’d like to explore that,” Bella said, taking a deep breath.
“How about we go grab dinner, talk more?” Cassie suggested.
“I like that idea.” Bella nodded. She opened up her car, and they both got in. Bella performed the spell so she could start her car and asked Cassie if she knew where she wanted to go.
“Well, I’m not local, so I don’t know many. Why don’t you show me your favorite?” Cassie smiled, and Bella couldn’t help smiling back. She’d never been so excited about a brand new relationship, but she could feel butterflies in her stomach every time she looked at Cassie.
“I know just the place.” Bella drove them to a little Greek place not far from her apartment. Cassie opened the door for her and took her hand, which Bella found charming, and they walked to the restaurant hand in hand.
The waiter, David, knew Bella, and he seemed pleased to see her with a date. He gave them a cute booth in a corner where they had privacy but could still see everything.
“I hope you like Greek food?” Bella asked, suddenly nervous.
“I do. This place smells great.” Cassie smiled, scenting the air.
“I bet you can smell it better than me. I’m often jealous of a were’s senses. I wish I could smell the flowers and herbs in a concoction better. Some witches I know can sniff a brew and tell you every ingredient in it.” Bella couldn’t imagine doing that. She was a good witch, skilled. She made elixirs that worked well, but her aim was to do better, to be more like her world-famous great-grandmother, who was known for her potion-making abilities and spell casting.
“That’s quite the skill to have… I meant to say that ball of energy thing, what was that?” Cassie asked.
“Earth energy. Witches can draw from the natural magic in the earth and shape it to do different things. I used it to disarm. It can do more harm than that, but I don’t like to do that. Most witches don’t. We believe in doing as little harm to the world and those in it as possible,” Bella explained, pausing when David brought them menus and a glass of red wine each. Bella would only allow herself one, even though she only had a short drive home. She might need to drive Cassie somewhere else, though Bella hoped that Cassie would want to go home with her.
“Werewolves aren’t really like that. Lot of fighting between packs and even within packs. Part of the reason for enforcers like me. I’m around to stop violence and track down those doing harm. I enforce our laws,” Cassie said.
Bella wasn’t worried that Cassie was violent because she was a werewolf. She knew from what she’d seen and heard that enforcers were picked for their even tempers and ability to control themselves and any of their more violent instincts.
They ordered their food and kept talking. Cassie told Bella about jobs she’d done for the council, and some of them sounded quite dangerous.
“I’m going to have to make you a protection amulet,” Bella said firmly.
“Protection amulet?” Cassie repeated.
“Magic. Certain ingredients mixed in a vile. Some words cast by a witch who cares for you if you want a stronger spell. It will help keep you safe. I’m not suggesting you can’t handle yourself. I’ve seen that you can. You slammed a grown man around like a ragdoll. But I’d feel better knowing you were going into danger with something from me to help keep you well.” Bella had only just found Cassie. She didn’t want to lose her, and Cassie was a good person, kind and hardworking. She didn’t deserve to get hurt doing her job.
“Well then, I’d be honored to have an amulet made by you. I’ll take any edge in a fight I can get.” Cassie smiled sweetly, and Bella took her hand and squeezed it.
They ate and talked, drank their wine, and then had dessert, sharing forkfuls of cake and tarts. Bella felt her heart racing. When it got noisy, Cassie had to focus more on Bella’s lips and Bella tried to sign the things she remembered. They split the bill and headed for Bella’s car, planning to go to her apartment and continue their date.
But once again, Bella found herself under attack on the way to her car, once again this time she dodged a stream of flame that just licked over her car door handle. Cassie grabbed her and put herself between Bella and the attacking warlock. Bella fired a spell around Cassie to dampen the flames, effectively tipping a bucket of water over the man’s head.
Cassie charged him like a rugby player and knocked him up in the air. He landed on his back with Cassie straddling him, growling, looking like she could tear his throat out with human teeth, and the warlock began to sob.
Bella fumbled out her cell phone and called the number from before, when the van from the earlier capture came roaring up the street as if it had already been in the area, and several werewolves, male and female jumped out and were soon taking the man from Cassie, putting him in cuffs and dragging him away.
“We were tracking him,” Cassie’s aunt explained.
“Why did he come after us?” Bella asked.
“It seems the little gang have put a bounty out on both of you. Only within their group, for ruining their fun. Cassie, I think it’s best that you stay close to Bella until we’ve caught all involved,” Cassie’s aunt instructed.
“I’m sure if Bella doesn’t mind, I can manage that. Better than a hotel room till I find a place,” Cassie said, looking to Bella.
“I think it’s a go
od idea, too. I mean, I can protect myself one-on-one, but if the warlocks team up, I’d feel better with backup.” Bella nodded. It was really no chore getting to spend time with Cassie, but Bella didn’t want to announce to Cassie’s aunt that she wanted to see Cassie naked as often as possible.
“I’ll leave you to your evening.” Cassie’s aunt didn’t ask any questions about why they were still together, but Bella had a feeling she knew that something was between them and didn’t care.
Cassie said goodbye to her aunt. They had a short conversation in sign language that Bella couldn’t follow at all, and then they went back to Bella’s car and drove the stupidly short distance down to Bella’s place and her usual parking spot.
They went up to Bella’s apartment using the back door, so they didn’t have to go through the shop. Bella turned on all the lights in the room and waited for Cassie’s reaction.
“I like it. Tidier than my place.” Cassie grinned.
“Can I get you anything?” Bella asked.
“Can I borrow some clothes? I’d like to get out of this suit, and as pleasant as spending the time naked with you sounds, it’s cold and late, and we have time, so I was thinking movies in bed?” Cassie suggested, looking hopeful.
“I love that idea. It’s been such a long day, and after a late night. As long as you don’t mind cuddling? And of course I have clothes. They might not be the perfect fit for you, but close enough. Come with me.” Bella offered her hand, and Cassie took it. Bella led the way into her bedroom.
She said the incantation to light the candles on her dresser, turned on one lamp herself, and then went to her closet. It took some rummaging, but she found a long nightshirt and pair of cotton sleep pants that wouldn’t be miles too short on Cassie’s taller frame, or too tight on her curves.
Bella handed them to Cassie, who started undressing without a hint of shyness. Bella couldn’t help sneaking glances as she got out of her own clothes, till she heard Cassie laugh. Bella turned to find Cassie standing in nothing but a pair of red panties, and it was like every teenage fantasy she’d had about a woman in her bedroom, the pixie hair, the curves, the full breasts.