The Witch's Handbook To Catching Werewolves (Southern Single Mom Paranormal Mysteries 2)

by Amy Boyles

  Dex flashed a wicked grin but said nothing. He ordered a rare steak, and not being that hungry, I opted for soup.

  “What do you know?” I said.

  Dex leaned across the table. “Your eyes really sparkle in this light. Has anyone ever told you that?”

  “I’m not flattered by you,” I said.

  “I’m not trying to do that.”

  “Yes, you are,” I hissed. “That’s not what I want.”

  “Okay, but that blush back there said something differently.”

  See? Darn, my body betrayed me to my undead and irritating husband.

  “All I’m saying is that your eyes look beautiful. Most women will just take the compliment and go with it.”

  “I’m not most women.”

  “No. You’re much more than that.”

  I locked gazes with him. Goose bumps spread over my flesh, all the way down to my toes. “What do you know about Gabby? And don’t try to distract me again.”

  Dex leaned back and rested his head in hands clasped behind him. My stomach fluttered at how handsome he was. It was beginning to be impossible not to be drawn to him.

  Jerk.

  Not really kidding but kinda sorta.

  “What I know are my own musings, ideas, nothing concrete. I understand Gabby’s powerful—more powerful than me or you, at least potentially. If an angel has been sent to protect her, that means something huge is coming. In all the confusion with the supernaturals arriving, my guess is whatever that evil is, it will take advantage of it and nab Gabby then.”

  I raked my fingers through my hair. “But why does it want her?”

  Dex shook his head. “Her power? No idea. Besides, all we really know is Stone is her guardian. We can’t say for sure if something is coming to take Gabby. If I knew specifics, I’d be hunting it down, trying to destroy it.”

  My heart sang. Even though Dex didn’t know our daughter, his natural instinct to protect her was enough to humble me.

  Almost.

  “I know that’s why that angel boyfriend of yours is here, too,” Dex said.

  Stone. I almost felt guilty having dinner with my husband when I thought about Stone. Why? He’d made it perfectly clear that he was leaving, we couldn’t be together and I had to get over him.

  I raised my hand. “This conversation is getting heavy. Can we talk about something else?”

  Dex smiled. “Gladly. I’ve got a story for you that’ll even rival one of Dot’s crazy escapades.”

  I grinned. “Let’s hear it.”

  He quirked a brow. “Are you sure you can handle it? It might actually make you laugh.”

  “I can handle it.”

  “What if you find yourself enjoying my company?”

  “Remind me not to admit if that happens.”

  Dex chuckled. “Okay. Once upon a time…”

  I rolled my eyes. “I don’t have time to age over this story.”

  Dex’s eyes sparkled. “Neither do I.”

  He proceeded to reveal a tale about his early days as a vampire, and about how an elf tried to get Dex to change him into a vampire.

  “So when I explained that he wouldn’t be super elf, he’d just be a vampire, do you know what the elf said?” Dex asked.

  I shook my head. “No. But it must be good.”

  Dex nodded. “He said he’d rather elf-en try than not try at all.”

  I mumbled his words back until I realized the curse word that the elf had not said, but implied—and I also realized the whole story had been a joke. I threw my napkin at Dex.

  “That was ridiculous,” I said, stifling a chuckle.

  He smiled. “But it made you laugh.”

  “Yes, it did.” An uncomfortable silence blanketed us. “Any ideas what to do about catching Antonio? Think he’ll try something tonight?”

  Dex thought about it for a minute. “You know, there’s one thing I believe that even the fullest of wolves can’t resist.”

  I frowned. “What’s that?”

  Dex smacked his lips. “Fresh blood.”

  “Ew,” I said. “I’m not giving up any of mine.”

  “Relax,” Dex said. “What’s pooled on my plate is enough.”

  The raw steak Dex had ordered had bled just enough to gross me out. “I’ll get a to-go bag.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Once Dex had his box, we were all set. The waitress brought the check, and he pulled his wallet from a back pocket. He must’ve paid with cash the other night we went out to eat, because I didn’t see it then.

  The flat of it was worn to shining, the fold soft from wear.

  “That’s the wallet I gave you,” I whispered.

  He nodded. “Want to see it?”

  I hesitated, curling my fingers as if the thing might burn me if I touched it. When I finally did grasp it, it was as smooth and supple as I remembered. Without thinking, I peeled it open. Peeking out from under a sleeve lay a photo. I wondered if it was the same one Dex used to stow there. Without asking, because that’s just how I am, I pinched it between two fingers and pulled it out.

  There we stood on our wedding day. I wore a simple white slip dress, and Dex wore his best beach wear of a tropical shirt, khakis and flip-flops. Sand lay under our feet, and the sky bled purple as the sun burned to the horizon.

  We’d gotten married in Gulf Shores with our hunting buddies as our witnesses. An egg pushed to the top of my throat. I swallowed it down, pressed the photo back into the wallet and slid the whole thing over to him.

  “I’ve always kept it,” he whispered.

  I didn’t say anything. But I had to come up with something. “Thank you,” was all I managed.

  He tapped the wallet on the table and then slipped it into his pocket. “I don’t know about you, but I’m hankering for some hunting. Let’s go get this guy.”

  I nodded and pushed myself up on wobbly legs.

  Dex took my arm. “Now how are you supposed to keep your reputation as a big, bad huntress if you start getting all weepy on me from a picture with a vampire in it?”

  I laughed. Dex could always swing a serious mood back to a playful one. I inhaled deeply and said, “You’re right. Let’s go get ’em.”

  We walked over to the fountain where Stone and I had eaten only a couple of nights earlier. Dex placed his hands on his slim hips. He drummed his fingers while looking around.

  He snapped. “There.”

  “Where?” I said.

  “We’ll put it in front of the antique shop’s door. It’s dark enough that the wolf will feel safe enough to smell it out. Once he shows himself, we pounce on him.”

  “You and me?”

  Dex nodded. “With our combined magic we should have enough to hold him.”

  “I brought the book with me.”

  He raked his fingers through the hair curling behind his ears. “Don’t use it. We’re not trying to shred him into confetti; we only want to catch him and find out what the heck’s going on.”

  I bobbed my head from side to side. “Okay. What’s your brilliant plan?”

  He winked at me. “Thank you for calling it brilliant.” Dex rubbed his hands together. “This is what we’re gonna do. I’ll start by creating another magical cage.”

  A few minutes later I was set up on one side of the square and Dex was set up at another. I waited, quietly breathing for what seemed like thirty minutes before anything happened.

  Then a crash came from the antique store. I ran across the square. Dex was already in front of the door, the magical cage down, the werewolf caught.

  The wolf rose to its full height of easily seven feet. With a single swing, it shattered the tendrils of magic that created his prison. The beast snarled at Dex and ran for him.

  Dex met him head-on, grabbing hold of the monster’s claws so it couldn’t rip into him. It was like watching Superman against the wolf man—both were of equal strength and no one was winning.

  With his hands busy, Dex couldn’t
work magic. Some witches can blink or wiggle a nose; Dex used his hands. Always had and probably always would.

  The beast bore down, and I knew he would crush Dex. Okay, so even though my husband was undead, I still didn’t want him to get hurt.

  I raised my hands, pulled the energy from the air and projected it straight into the wolf’s side. It slammed the beast against the wall, breaking his hold on Dex.

  The animal whimpered and started to pad off.

  “I know where the box is, Antonio,” I cried.

  The wolf whirled on me. Next thing I knew, it was barreling down at top speed. I jumped out of its path, but the animal moved like the wind. It landed on my chest, knocking me to the ground and forcing the air from my lungs with a swoosh.

  Jaws snapped, saliva drooled.

  Then it was gone. Dex threw the creature across the pavement. The monster skirted off into the night, yelping in pain.

  “Go,” I yelled at Dex.

  He looked from me to the wolf. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  I pitched forward. “We need to chase him. Find out where he went.”

  Dex grabbed my arm tenderly and rubbed a hand over my head.

  “What’re you doing?”

  “Looking for bumps. I think you hit your noggin.”

  I scowled at him. “What makes you say that? What are you even talking about?”

  He shook his head and grinned. The dimple on his left cheek peeked out. “Now, Andie Taylor, you should know good and well exactly where that werewolf is headed.”

  I sank to my knees. Dex grabbed me by the shoulders and lifted me back up. “It’s okay. It’s going to be fine.”

  I shook my head. “No, it’s not. It’s horrible. What have I done?”

  Dex gritted his teeth. “You just invited a werewolf to your house. Come on. Let’s see if we can beat him there before he destroys your home.”

  NINETEEN

  We reached the house in record time. I instructed Dex to pull up behind my 4Runner stationed on the carport.

  I know. That was a big step in our renewed relationship, or whatever it was. At the moment I didn’t have time for specifics.

  Anyway, we raced inside to a quiet, dark house. Everyone was asleep. Even Vordrid, who technically didn’t need to rest.

  “I guess we beat him here?” I said.

  Dex stepped in behind me. He unzipped his slim black jacket and peeled it off. His biceps rippled in an annoying way under his shirt. Dex draped the jacket over a chair and sat.

  “He might not come tonight. Might have to figure out where you live, but my guess is he could smell his way to the house if he wanted to.”

  I sank onto a wall. “Great. I’ve effectively put my daughter in danger.” A paralyzing thought pierced my brain. “What if he’s the big bad we’ve been waiting for? The evil?”

  Dex rose. He crossed slowly until he stood a foot away from me. He reached out and curled his hands around my arms. “Don’t blame yourself. This isn’t your fault.”

  I rolled my eyes. “This is my fault, and I do blame myself.”

  Dex picked me up and pulled me closer as if I didn’t weigh any more than a sheet of paper. Which, to a vampire, is probably how I felt.

  He whispered into my hair. The spicy scent of him trickled up my nose. “Don’t blame yourself. There’s no point. What’s done is done. We’ll keep Gabby safe. I’m not leaving tonight.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Of course you are. You can’t stay.”

  Dex leaned back and grazed his fingers under my chin. “Try to make me. I will fight fire with fire. This, you have to give me, Andie. You need me to help you if that werewolf comes.”

  I nibbled my bottom lip.

  “You’re always so sexy when you do that.”

  I immediately stopped. “Can it.”

  Dex backed up. “I’m not leaving.”

  Since Dex insisted on staying, there was only one thing to do. “Help me pull Gabby’s crib into my bedroom.”

  He peered over the rail. His gaze milked her and even my hard heart tore a little as I watched a father drinking in the sight of his daughter.

  His fingers flexed as if he wanted to scoop her into his arms and inhale the powdery scent of her hair.

  Part of me wanted to tell him to do it, the other half still needed definitions and delineations for their relationship—even for the connections between the three of us.

  Either way, Dex never asked me to hold her, and part of me shredded a little that he didn’t.

  But I knew he wouldn’t ask. He’d wait for me to tell him it was okay.

  And right then, I just couldn’t.

  When her crib was stationed at the foot of my bed, he said, “I’ll go into the living room and wait.”

  “I’ll help you,” I said.

  He shook his head. “Get some rest. You’ll need it. If he doesn’t come today, he may show up tomorrow. At that point you can let the angel know.”

  I thought about that a moment. “But what about tomorrow? How will I get you home?”

  Dex scrubbed a hand along his jaw. “I’ll call Fitz and have him bring some clothes for tomorrow night. In the meantime, can you close these drapes?”

  I nodded. “I can make it so the sun doesn’t come in and you can stay in here.”

  He quirked a brow. “You don’t have a basement, right?”

  I shook my head. “No basement.”

  ”Then this will do if you’ll allow it.”

  My heart stuttered through a series of beats. I could send him home, but Dex had done so much to help, I’d almost consider it rude. Fact is, I needed him. If that werewolf showed up again, we’d be in trouble and I’d need Dex to help protect Gabby.

  Besides, he was her father.

  Did I think that out loud? Really admit to myself the spectrum of their relationship?

  Well, if pigs never ceased to fly.

  He ran his fingers down my arm. “You stay here and sleep. I’ll wait up in the living room. When dawn approaches, I’ll wake you up. Sound like a plan?”

  I nodded weakly. “Sounds like the best thing we’ve got.”

  Dex left the room. His absence seemed to tug on my heart. I suddenly wanted him near, wanted him close, wanted to curl my fingers in his hair and breathe the spicy scent that drifted off him.

  I’m sure it was just a little bit of rebound emotion from Stone breaking up with me earlier that day—that was the only reason why I wanted a vampire as a bed buddy.

  But was it?

  It didn’t matter. I was a big girl, and I wasn’t going to have my daughter wake up to Mommy in bed with a strange man. I changed my clothes and got under the covers. It took a while for me to sleep, but I finally drifted off.

  Next thing I knew, Dex was gently waking me.

  I blinked the blur of slumber from my eyes. He sat on the bed, fully dressed. My gaze washed over his form—broad shoulders, straight back, biceps cut from marble—I swear, Dex was perfection.

  My brain jumped back to a different time, one where we were getting ready to leave for a mission. For a moment I didn’t know what day it was, what time it was, or even where I was. All I knew was that I’d missed my husband for so long, missed his fingers brushing my skin and his lips on my mouth.

  More than that, I missed his comfort, his understanding. Dex may have taken the lead on missions because he was more experienced, but he always listened and accepted me. I never felt like an outcast with him, not like I had with humans. Never.

  I took a handful of his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss.

  Yes, I know I had morning breath, but I didn’t think he’d mind. To be honest, I didn’t care if he minded or not.

  Dex pulled me to him without hesitation, and his lips claimed mine as a blaze of fire spread over my entire body. He was the spark, and I was ignited. His fingers threaded through my hair, and my hands wrapped around his neck as his mouth seared mine.

  “Hi, Mommy,” came the sque
aky little voice.

  I immediately pushed Dex away. I jumped off the bed and walked over to the crib. “Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep okay?”

  Gabby eyed Dex for a minute. She looked from him to me.

  “Pizza?” she said.

  Because apparently the only time a man came over to my house, other than when Stone visited, was when we ordered pizza.

  “No, it’s not the pizza man.”

  Gabby still stared at him. Dex studied her as well. His mouth twitched, and I could tell that he wanted nothing more than to hold her to him.

  I bit down on my lip and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and opened them. “Gabby, this is Daddy.”

  Gabby pointed to an old picture of Dex I had on the nightstand. “Daddy?”

  I nodded. “It’s Daddy. Do you want to hug him?”

  “Okay,” Gabby said.

  I pulled her down from the crib and stationed her on the floor. “You can give Daddy a hug.”

  Gabby looked at me for a minute. I nodded that it was okay, and she slowly walked over to Dex. He knelt down. His eyes shimmered as if he were about to cry.

  Vampires didn’t cry. I knew that. But it looked like he might.

  Gabby toddled up to him and raised her hand. “High five.”

  Dex gave her a high five, and she left the room.

  I offered a smile and shrugged. “Okay, so I guess she changed her mind about the hug. That still means she likes you.”

  He exhaled a shot of air. Dex had been holding his breath. I realized he was just as nervous about their meeting as I was.

  “It’s a start,” he said.

  And in that moment I knew what Dex wanted. He wanted his family back. I saw it in his eyes when he watched her leave the room. Jitters made my heart jump. That was a lot to take in—a world of knowledge that I couldn’t deal with at the moment.

  I got Dex settled in the room and went to find Dot in the kitchen. She had the turkey in the sink and about a thousand bowls of other ingredients strewn about the room.

  I picked up a stack of matching blue mixing containers. “How is it you don’t want to cook on a normal day, but give you a holiday and you’re suddenly Martha Stewart?”

  Dot poked the air. “Because today has purpose, Andie. All those other days are just regular. Nothing special about them. This is a day family and friends gather to eat and be grateful for all they have. Like, for instance, the naked man in your room.”