by Amber Lynn
“Well, I suppose that’s an okay way to look at things. You’re off to a good start. I think you mentioned getting a house, you’ve got a job and you’ve got me. I’d say you’re doing better than most people.”
Whether she was an asset was still to be determined, but I did feel like I was where I belonged at that moment. We made a little small talk as we finished eating, mostly talking about what the winters were going to be like.
“What else do you have planned for the day? I’m hoping you weren’t just going to go back over to the bench and sit there the rest of the day.”
“I hadn’t really thought that far ahead. I guess I’m open for opportunities to do something else, if you have any.”
“I always have ideas. Let’s go down to the antiques store and see if there’s anything I can buy you as a housewarming gift.”
“That’s really not necessary, but I wouldn’t mind looking around. The house is still a little bare. I’m currently using the name Kennedy, by the way.”
I reached my hand out to shake my new friend’s hand. I had a feeling Abigail was going to turn out to be a good friend, but at the same time, we were going to get in all sorts of trouble together.
Chapter One
Present day
“You can’t trust a werewolf, Kennedy. I don’t care how pretty the package he comes in is. They’re the most despicable beings roaming this planet, and they stink too.”
Sighing, I tucked a strand of my long black hair behind my left ear. It had recently seen some red streaks added to it. After a decade without a change to the color or length, I’d decided something needed to be done. I couldn’t stand cutting it, so I added a little color.
“Do you honestly think I need to hear that, Abbie?”
There were times I thought my best friend believed I was a child. Whether it looked like I could barely buy beer or not, the fact remained that I’d been alive for over five decades. In a witch’s life cycle, I was still a baby, and my looks reflected that.
Abigail was sixty-four, only about a decade older than I was, and she looked closer to what humans would consider thirty. Those ten years she’d been alive before I was born evidently made her an expert on my life.
“Yes, I do. I saw the way he looked at you, and I know wolves are nothing but a bunch of lotharios. All they care about is seducing women.”
The wind coming off Lake Superior was wicked, causing me to finally give up the fight of tucking strands of hair in place once they whipped around. I fished a black ribbon out of my pocket and pulled my hair back to secure it in place. I’d dressed as professional as I could for the meeting, and knowing the wind could be a factor, I’d come prepared.
“You might want to think about getting your eyes checked. Wolves have decided to mingle a little more in the real world in recent years, but they don’t take the mingling as far as you’re suggesting.”
Worrying about a werewolf trying to seduce me was ridiculous. Everyone knew werewolves were all about trying to keep their bloodlines strong. At least that seemed to be the case. I didn’t have a lot of experience with the wolves to know firsthand how their minds worked.
I felt an odd draw to the wolf I’d just met, but I wasn’t sure the attraction was returned. Even if it was, I wasn’t the kind of woman who spent time dating.
“I don’t care how things have been, that man wanted to take a bite out of you. And if you’re going to tell me that you didn’t think about biting him back, I’m going to call you a liar.”
I rolled my eyes and turned away from the water. We stood watch to make sure the wolves weren’t planning anything after the impromptu meeting they’d requested. The request was for me personally, but Abbie had refused to let me meet the wolf alone.
I’d expected more wolves, even after he said he’d come by himself, so bringing my own backup seemed sensible. After meeting him, it was clear he didn’t need to bring reinforcements to protect him from a witch. Sure, I could’ve easily turned him into a newt if things got out of hand, but there was something about him that made me believe he’d find a way to change back.
“I’m starting to think you’re just jealous he didn’t call you. Are you even going to ask why the wolves were looking for a witch?”
Abbie had stayed back while I went to talk to him alone. As the lookout, her job was to make sure sneak attacks didn’t catch me off guard. She’d stayed in the shadows, so the conversation remained private. If I was the lookout, chances were I would’ve figured out a way to hear what was being said. Luckily for me, Abbie didn’t have the same powers I had.
“Of course I’m jealous he didn’t call and ask for me to meet him. I’m cautious, not blind. I just want you to be careful if any subsequent meetings were discussed. Go home and do a reading before you make any decisions. I guess you don’t really do readings, but take a peek to see what he’s got planned before you meet him.”
Dramatic sometimes worked as a word to describe Abbie, but she was going overboard if she wanted me to run home and take a look at the future. What she saw from fifty feet away couldn’t have matched what I did up close.
“I only do magic on Fridays, which is exactly what I told him. He wanted to set up an appointment for a reading, but he needed to make sure I was legit before he let me meet the person who wanted the reading.”
“Does this guy have a name? While you’re answering that question, explain who’s important enough to warrant an inspection before a reading. I know it wasn’t a girlfriend.”
She continued to stare off after the wolf, like he’d magically reappear. I was ready to leave, and answering questions was delaying getting on with the rest of my day.
“We didn’t get into who was coming for the reading. Jack just wanted me to prove whoever it was didn’t waste any time making the trip. Now, how about we go grab a midnight snack, all this excitement is making me hungry. You can quiz him more when he shows up tomorrow. I’m sure you’re going to insist on being there.”
I started walking away. My heels made clacking noises as I traversed across the parking lot to my black sedan. Abbie had offered to drive, but the meeting made me nervous, even if I tried to pretend it didn’t. I needed the ability to escape under my own power if things went south.
Meeting Jack in person wasn’t what I’d expected. Wolves didn’t come looking for help, so I thought he’d be rather weak. It was the only explanation I had for him making the call, even after hearing his voice over the phone.
The voice hadn’t sounded weak, rather it seemed forceful with his deep timbre. I considered it was an act, but meeting him in person erased any doubt about strength. The man exuded alpha characteristics, which I picked up the second I got close to the pier.
The power rolling off him was intoxicating, and the ripples of muscles in his arms and visible under his tight shirt told me he could pick me up and throw me in the lake, and I’d have no way of stopping him. If he wasn’t a wolf, I would’ve considered asking him out on a date, which was against all of my rules.
I had a thing for guys with power. Most witches seemed to, but it was hard to find anyone who fit the bill. A wolf didn’t work into any dating equations, so I stopped at my car to see what was taking Abbie so long to follow. She’d started towards the car, but seemed to hesitate.
“What’s going on with you? He said he was fine coming back tomorrow, so I doubt he’s going to run back claiming he forgot something.”
Abbie looked over her shoulder at me. She’d been playful when teasing about Jack looking at me, but even from thirty feet away, I could see the concern in her blue eyes.
She was quick to make up the distance between us once I shook her out of her thoughts. The closer she came, the dread flowing from her increased. It’d been two minutes since she was trying to convince me a wolf checked me out, and I had no clue what could’ve changed in that time.
“I think I’m going to have to skip the snack. I forgot I had a client coming over for a reading in an hour, so I thin
k I better get home to set things up.”
Abbie made a living sharing her gifts with others, which had made it strange that she hadn’t received the call from Jack. I spent my days in a library, trying to keep my gifts a secret. I wasn’t ashamed of them, I just grew tired of people thinking I was a freak when I predicted something would happen or stopped something from toppling over.
“You do remember I’m a witch, right? I can tell you’re lying to me. What’s up with the quick mood change?”
Even if I couldn’t tell she was lying, a reading that early in the morning was a ridiculous excuse. She got to the car and opened the passenger’s door before she looked up at me. The wind hadn’t been kind to her brown hair, blowing it so strands went every direction. She tried to move the ones out of her face, but gave up and sank down into the car.
As vocal as she usually was, her silence was deafening, or maybe that was the wind as it picked up. I rushed to get in the car before a tornado decided to form before my eyes.
“What’s up with all the drama, Abbie? You know I hate drawing attention, and a twister is going to be noticed.”
Looking out my window, I saw a cloud grow a tail as it reached towards the ground. I’d been joking about an actual tornado, but the weather started looking a little stormy.
“I didn’t magically learn new powers overnight, and you’re well aware that I can’t control weather. Did you honestly not feel that force enter the area when you walked away?”
I turned the key in the ignition, hoping to get us out of there before all heck broke loose. Reaching out with my senses, I tried to pick up the energy she’d mentioned, but I didn’t feel anything other than us.
“I felt you change moods, but I didn’t sense anything else.”
I focused on trying to navigate out of the parking lot. The unexpected storm had caused trash cans and other debris to find their ways into my path. It wasn’t natural for a storm to appear out of nowhere. Sure, it happened sometimes, but not when I didn’t have one on my radar.
I wasn’t sure which witch decided they wanted to cause the inconvenience, but I hoped they wouldn’t keep it up for long. It was early in the morning, so witnesses would be minimal. That didn’t make the outburst okay in my book.
“You’re stronger than I am, you should be able to feel the weight that descended upon the area. If I believed in that kind of thing, I’d swear a demon showed up and decided he wanted to pick a fight.”
Abbie didn’t believe in demons any more than I did, so her statement was surprising.
“Are you saying you don’t recognize the magic?”
All magic had a certain flavor that could be traced back to the person wielding it. Abbie had taught me that herself. There were seven witches, including Abbie and me, who lived in the area. Two of the others were strong enough to start a storm. I didn’t know how long they could keep it going, though, and a full funnel had formed to the west of us.
It was at least five miles away, and seemed to remain stationary, so I didn’t worry about it directly interrupting our path. The winds with it were annoying as I dodged flying objects, but the car wasn’t trying to move into the lane of oncoming traffic.
“It’s not like our magic. I know you don’t use your magic often, but it’s just as strong as yours. It feels dark in some way, hence me mentioning demons.”
“Well, it seems someone is having a bad day. I just hope they keep it on that side of town.”
A part of me considered doing something to stop the fuss. It wasn’t something I could correct while driving. Saying a few words wasn’t going to cut it. To counteract a storm, I needed a lot more of my energy to be focused on it alone. Driving down the road made that option a little unrealistic.
“I hope whoever it is decides they don’t want to stick around. Thank you for not driving right into the storm. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know I don’t want to be anywhere near it.”
She was looking out the window on her side of the car, running her fingers through her hair mindlessly. I didn’t see anyone peeling off to rush towards the tornado. Thankfully most people weren’t awake at that hour, and the ones who were, weren’t as stupid as they acted most of the time.
“If it hasn’t blown over by the time I get home, I’ll get it under control. I’m a little worried about what’s going on if it isn’t one of us testing out our powers. I know we wouldn’t put lives at stake, and hopefully whoever’s playing around has that same mentality.”
It was weird that I couldn’t feel the string connecting the magic and the person like Abbie could. My magic was strong, and it should’ve made it easy to find the person and know their intent. Abbie couldn’t really get down to the intent level when she followed magic, but the mention of a demon wasn’t a ringing endorsement, whether she could trace it to a person or not.
“With all the smut in the air, I doubt that person shares our beliefs. The storm does seem to be waning, so maybe they got it out of their system.”
The winds were still strong, but as I took a quick look out my window, the tail of the funnel cloud did appear to be sucking back up into the air. As it did, I heard my phone ring. Since I was driving, I couldn’t fish it out of my pocket to answer it, not that I would while I was concentrating on the road.
“You think that’s a coincidence?”
Abbie sounded a little more like herself asking the question. She still seemed worried, but the storm coming to an end had lifted a little of the dread.
“It’s probably a telemarketer.”
“At three in the morning you think a telemarketer is trying to sell you a subscription to something? I highly doubt that. Why don’t you pull over so you can answer it?”
We were three blocks from her house, and another eight from mine. I was sure whoever thought it was important to call in the middle of the night could wait another five minutes.
The phone stopped ringing after forty seconds. I’d never been happier to hear the flutes of my ringtone fade into silence. My stomach sank a little when the buzz of a voicemail went off.
There was no reason for me to fear whatever message was left, but something about the events of the night gave me a feeling that I wasn’t going to like it.
“If they left a voicemail instead of calling back repeatedly, I’m confident it wasn’t something important. So, I guess this is good night.”
I pulled in front of Abbie’s cute little ranch house. There probably wasn’t another house in the city that looked less like somewhere a witch would call home, if you based witches’ accommodations on the things you saw in the movies.
“What time is the meeting Friday? I know we have all of today to talk, but I’m guessing you’ll be busy at work.”
It had been a little foolish of me to agree to meet Jack on a night I had work the next day. I’d spent a few hours after dinner napping to make sure I had at least a little sleep in case I couldn’t fall asleep after the meeting. I wasn’t a bit tired, so the nap was more than likely going to fuel my Thursday.
“Two in the afternoon. He’s bringing his guest to my place, so it won’t look like we’re doing shady business on the pier.”
“If you’re just doing a reading, I’m sure it wouldn’t look that shady, but it’s probably a good idea to have home turf advantage when it comes to him. Try to get some sleep, you don’t want to show up to work with those huge bags under your eyes.”
She leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on my cheek before she hurried out of the car. The kiss was a usual sendoff for her, even though I’d asked repeatedly that she knock it off. I’d never been a person who liked other people touching me.
I waited to make sure she didn’t get swept up by a sudden tornado, and then headed towards my place. I wanted to get behind my locked doors as soon as possible, so the speed limits I was usually very careful to watch were ignored.
It took two minutes to get to my driveway, where I could open the garage door. I was glad I didn’t have to leave my car out in
the elements that night. I had no reason to expect more tornadoes, but a sudden hail storm very well could’ve been on the horizon.
Once the car was off and I was sealed in my protected home, I let out a sigh of relief. Going to meet a wolf had been a little careless from the beginning. Witches and wolves had never mixed, even before the wolves had blocked themselves off from the rest of the world. Again, my information came from Abbie, but I’d learned over the years that I could trust her teachings.
I didn’t have time to think about all the stories I’d heard of wolves ripping my ancestors apart, so I focused on getting into the house and trying to convince my brain it wanted a little more sleep. It wasn’t doing a good job of listening, but I was just as hardheaded as it was.
I put the bag I had with mace and a gun, along with my driver’s license down on the table next to my favorite chair. I didn’t think either of my choices of weapons would hurt Jack, but they’d give me a split second to work a little magic on him if he’d turned aggressive.
I fished my phone out of my pocket and sat down, pulling an afghan up over me in the process. There was no need for me to mess up my made bed for only a couple hours of sleep, so my recliner was going to do the honors of a bed.
I hit the buttons necessary to get into my voicemail, not bothering to look at who the missed call was from. I figured it was one of the other witches in the area calling to verify I knew a giant twister had formed. Hearing Jack’s voice was definitely not what I’d expected.
“Hey, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t you who sicced a tornado on me while I was trying to drive home. If it was, and you were trying to challenge me in some way, I passed, so I’ll be there tomorrow as planned. I also was hoping to verify you made it home safe, but you don’t have to worry about calling back to let me know. It’s late and I’m sure you want to get some sleep. I’ll call sometime after the sun comes up and make sure our arrangement hasn’t changed.”