“I’ll stop at the Wish Market,” I said. “What’s a special dessert for werewolves?”
"It's not a wedding, Rose," the sheriff chastised me. “You don’t need to do anything special. Pack barbecues are completely normal. You'll see."
Normal? I was still getting used to the fact that I was a witch and that werewolves existed. Besides, it was one thing to agree to a couple of dates with the sheriff. It was quite another to have to get to know his entire werewolf family.
"I don't know," I said. “We have a killer on the loose. Maybe we should postpone the family meet-and-greet and do something simple like Bailiwick Burgers."
Sheriff Nash patted me on the shoulder. "I appreciate that you’re a cheap date, Rose, but a barbecue with the pack will be loads more fun. Trust me. And it’ll give you a chance to mingle with the common folk. I mean, not everyone can be lucky enough to be descended from the One True Witch.”
Ugh. He definitely had a chip on his shoulder about the Rose clan. I couldn’t help my heritage any more than he could help his.
"Just go, Mom," Marley called from her bedroom. “Stop stalling.”
"Stop eavesdropping," I yelled back. My daughter clearly needed a lesson on privacy. I glanced helplessly at the sheriff. “At least let me stop at the Wish Market on the way.” Store-bought food had to be better than no food at all.
“I already told you, the spread is taken care of,” he insisted. “You’re meant to come empty-handed. No one’s trying to trick you.”
I wanted to believe him, but it was hard. I was still reeling from the recent discovery that I was expected to take a hostess gift to my aunt for Sunday dinners.
I stopped pacing. “Okay, no food. Then what does one wear to a pack barbecue?"
The sheriff grinned. "Clothes are a good start, at least until midnight." He winked.
I threw out my hands. “Clothes, perfect. Let me go change. I'll be two minutes."
"She'll be ten minutes," Marley called. "She's incapable of doing anything in two minutes, except rip somebody a new…”
“Marley!” I interjected.
The sheriff chuckled. "Do you think Marley would like to come, too?”
I hesitated. On the one hand, I liked the idea of Marley getting to meet people I was spending time with. On the other hand, it was hard enough for me to agree to go out with someone. I didn't want to drag Marley into a relationship unnecessarily. What if the sheriff and I quickly realized that we couldn’t stand each other, but Marley had become attached? It was bad enough that she’d taken a liking to Alec. No, it was better to keep Marley out of it.
"Maybe next time," I said.
"If you’re sure," the sheriff said. "There’ll be plenty of kids at the barbecue for her to play with. That's one thing there's no shortage of in the pack is kids. Wolves love the reproduction process, from start to finish.”
“I bet,” I said.
"I'm spending the day with Florian," Marley yelled. "He's taking me on the boat to see mermaids.”
“Is that for your benefit, or his?” I called. I knew which one my money was on.
I hurried upstairs to change. Not that I had any clue what to wear for a werewolf barbecue. I began to feel nervous. What if they served raw meat? No, barbecue implied that there would be cooking involved. I chose a pair of denim shorts and a blue top with cut out shoulders. Aster said it was the current trend and insisted that I own a top like this.
We dropped Marley off at Florian's man cave and continued driving in the direction of Fairy Cove. It was a beautiful day, which was par for the course in Starry Hollow.
"Where’s the barbecue?" I asked. “Your mother’s house?”
“Heck, no. The pack owns land that overlooks the sea, so we try to take advantage of it every now and again. We’re wolves at heart. We like to be outdoors as much as possible."
"Well, I'm not a wolf, but that's how I feel, too," I said.
"That's the witch in you," the sheriff said. "You have a deep connection to nature, same as us.”
"Do you ever wish you were anything else?" I asked.
He looked at me askance. "Anything else? Like what, a vampire? A wizard?" He shook his head firmly. "I can't imagine being anything other than a werewolf. Suits me to a T."
We parked in a clearing where there were already about a dozen vehicles in a row.
"I see my brother’s already here," the sheriff said.
"I guess he'll have brought a date, too," I said. Wyatt Nash seemed incapable of going anywhere without one, even when he was married to Linnea.
“Yes, but Bryn and Hudson are here, too,” the sheriff said.
Bryn and Hudson had inherited the Nash werewolf gene, much to my aunt's displeasure. Just one more reason she loathed Wyatt.
We threaded our way through the trees until we reached another huge clearing that overlooked the sea. It reminded me of the place where I’d met Iris Sandstone practicing yoga one morning. The High Priestess of the coven also happened to be a dedicated yogi.
"This is pack land?" I queried. "How’d you get so lucky?"
“One of my ancestors was a shrewd negotiator. Or so I'm told."
The wind carried the sound of music to our ears.
“Your cousin’s band?" I asked.
“Yep. The Drunk Pandas. They're getting better every time they play. That's why we encourage them." His gaze lingered on my shorts. “You chose a little too well, Rose. I suspect I’ll be beating back half the pack today.”
The barbecue came into full view as we rounded a corner. As promised, there were tables loaded with food. There were several grills working at the same time, and even a makeshift bar. A round woman with thick brown hair came bustling over when she saw us.
"There you are, Granger. We were wondering when you would show." She fixed me with a broad smile. "You must be Ember. It's so nice to finally meet you. I’m Marianne Nash, Granger and Wyatt's mama.”
So this was the woman who gave birth to the Nash brothers. "Thanks for having me today. I’ve been looking forward to it.” The way I looked forward to root canal.
Marianne Nash put her arm around my waist and steered me toward the other werewolves. “Stick with me and you'll be fine. If anyone gets out of line, just give them a good smack on the nose. That's always worked for me."
I glanced at the sheriff over my shoulder. He gave me a cheerful shrug and headed toward the bar. Traitor!
I met more wolves in one afternoon than I’d met during my entire stay in Starry Hollow. Where had they been hiding all this time? I felt like Dorothy in the scene from the Wizard of Oz when all the munchkins emerged from the shrubbery at Glinda’s behest.
Marianne and I sat at a picnic table to enjoy another round of drinks and grilled food when I decided to broach the subject of Mr. Nash.
“The sheriff…I mean, Granger never talks about his dad,” I said, between sips of homemade honeysuckle tea. “Is he not in the picture?”
“Heavens no,” she replied. “Roy died when the boys were young.”
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I didn’t realize.” Although the sheriff wasn’t as guarded as Alec, he was tightlipped about certain aspects of his life. His dad was one of them.
“You never remarried?” I asked.
“Never interested me,” she said. “Marriage in general never interested me. Roy was the only reason I dove into the marital pond. I wouldn’t do it for anyone else.”
“He must’ve been one-of-a-kind.”
“Absolutely. It’s still hard sometimes,” Marianne admitted. “He had such a big personality. The pack fell apart for a while after his death. It took some time to pull back together.”
She didn’t offer the details of his death, so I didn’t ask.
“I bet he’d be proud of Granger,” I said. “Becoming sheriff in a town like Starry Hollow at his age is pretty impressive.”
“If it weren’t for his daddy’s death, I doubt he would’ve wanted to become sheriff,” Marianne said.
“It was when they were investigating the murder that Granger became interested in law enforcement. Before that, he was all about athletics.”
The murder? “Your husband was murdered?”
Marianne tilted her head. “I’m surprised he didn’t tell you. Who am I kidding? He barely tells me anything and I’m his mother.”
The sheriff chose that moment to reappear. “And how are you wonderful ladies getting on over here?” He sat beside me and gave my thigh a reassuring squeeze.
“Peachy keen,” his mother said. “Ember’s life in New Jersey is fascinating. Don’t you think?”
It wasn’t every day life in the armpit of America was described as fascinating.
“I think everything about Rose is pretty fascinating.” He grinned at me.
“How much have you had to drink?” I asked, squinting.
“Werewolf punch is potent stuff,” Marianne said. “Designed to overcome our relative immunity to the effects of regular alcohol.”
“Designed to get you good and drunk, in other words,” I said.
The sheriff chuckled. “It’s a barbecue. That’s what we do. Eat, drink, and get naked.”
“Excuse me?” I almost spit out my honeysuckle tea.
“Oh, he doesn’t mean like that,” Marianne said. “Granger, don’t torment the poor witch.” She gave me an easy smile. “We turn and go for a nice run later, after sunset.”
“Turn? As in, go full furry?” I queried.
“That’s right,” Granger said. “It’s quite a sight.”
“Is that…safe for me?” Or did I need to seek security from the sole werebear in attendance?
“Of course, it’s safe,” Granger replied. “We’re not vampires. There’s no bloodlust involved. I secured the permit months ago. Can’t have the sheriff’s family breaking the rules. I’d never hear the end of it.”
“There are animal instincts, though,” Marianne said. “You should warn her about those.”
“You mean someone might pee on my leg?” I was used to that from PP3.
“I like to think our manners are better than that,” the sheriff said. “Except maybe Wyatt’s.”
His mother swatted his arm. “Granger, be nice. Your brother has his flaws, but that’s not one of them.” Marianne jerked her head toward the band. “You should ask your date to dance, Granger. She’s been sitting idle for too long.”
He gave me an appraising look. “How about it, Rose? Ready to shake it with the sheriff?”
“I’m not sure.” I glanced at the clearing in front of the makeshift stage where shifters were kicking up their heels and having a blast. Their moves were far smoother than anything I could manage. With my luck, I’d kick one in the shins and the sheriff would have to step in to defend me, swearing up and down that it wasn’t an overt act of aggression.
“What’re you worried about?” the sheriff asked. “I’ll keep my hands to myself.” He pretended to tie them behind his back. “You can use my handcuffs if you really don’t trust me.”
Marianne pressed her hands to her cheeks. “Granger, such talk. Just treat her like the gentleman you are.”
“I’m trying, Mama. As you can see, she doesn’t make it easy.”
I swallowed the last of my tea and stood. “I’ll make it easy, but only after a glass of that potent punch.”
“Liquid courage,” he said, clearly delighted. “Might be a little on the strong side for your delicate constitution.” He laughed. “Who am I kidding? I’ve seen you drink. Come on.”
He looped his arm through mine and guided me to the table with the punchbowl. He filled a cup and handed it to me. “Take it slow. You don’t want to drink this too quickly.”
“She can handle it, brother.” Wyatt appeared beside us, his arm thrown casually around the shoulders of a reedy brunette. “One for Micha, too, while you’re at it.”
Micha’s smile seemed too practiced to be genuine. “Only fill mine an inch. I don’t need the extra calories.” She patted her flat stomach.
“You’ll work ‘em off at sunset,” Wyatt insisted. “Shifting does the body good.” He squeezed his date’s shoulder. “Micha is a personal trainer. We met at the gym.”
“You joined a gym?” The sheriff sounded skeptical.
“No, I was waiting for a date to finish her workout.”
“While he was waiting, he met me in the lobby.” Micha bumped his hip. “We’ve been inseparable ever since.”
“Since…?” I prodded.
“Yesterday,” Micha said, as though it was perfectly obvious.
“That’s nice,” the sheriff said. “Glad you could make it to the barbecue.”
“Our faction of the pack holds its barbecue next month,” Micha said. “It’s always a good time. You’ll love it, Wyatt.”
She was dreaming if she thought the relationship would last another twenty-four hours. Didn’t every female in the pack know to steer clear of Wyatt Nash?
“You don’t have one big pack barbecue?” I queried.
“Too big,” the sheriff said. “We wouldn’t have the outdoor space needed.”
“You could use the convention center,” I joked. “Make the inside like a forest. What they’ve done for the butler conference is pretty amazing.”
The sheriff appeared thoughtful. “You know what, Rose? That’s not a bad idea.”
“Really? Because I was kidding.”
“We could open the roof,” the sheriff said. “Use it as an amphitheater so we can still see the moon.”
“All that testosterone in a closed environment, though,” I said. “Isn’t that risky?”
“The convention center uses magic,” Wyatt said. “It wouldn’t feel closed in. The illusion of a wide open space would seem real.” He lightly punched my arm. “I don’t care what anyone says, Ember. You’ve got those Rose brains.”
I set my empty punch cup on the table. “They say I don’t have the Rose brains?”
“No, of course not,” the sheriff said pointedly. “No one says that, do they, Wyatt?”
Micha scrutinized me. “You’re a Rose?” She tilted her head up at Wyatt. “As in your ex-wife?”
“Linnea is my cousin,” I said. “Speaking of Roses, where are Bryn and Hudson? I haven’t seen them.”
“Playing tag in the woods with the others,” Wyatt said. “After sunset, they’ll do it in wolf form. Use their other senses.”
“It’s great training for other activities,” Micha said suggestively.
“When they’re much, much older,” the sheriff added.
“How old is Bryn?” Micha asked. “I wasn’t much older than her when I…”
Even Wyatt couldn’t tolerate the conversation. “Bryn is my daughter, Micha. She’ll be locked in a tower for another five years.”
“Then she’ll find a way to sneak out,” Micha said. “You can’t contain the wolf.”
It was like a light switch flicked on in Wyatt’s head. “Bryn is a teenager.” He examined his date closely. “She’s only a few years younger than you.”
“More than a few,” I said, and quickly covered my mouth. “I mean, Micha’s clearly old enough to make her own decisions.”
Beside me, Sheriff Nash smirked.
“How many boys are out there with her now?” Wyatt asked.
“Almost all the kids are playing,” the sheriff said. “Don’t worry about it. She’ll be fine.”
“How about a dance?” Micha asked, rubbing his bicep.
“Maybe later,” he replied. “I’m gonna check on my kids.” He unhooked himself from her and stalked off toward the woods.
“I’ll come with you,” Micha said, chasing after him.
“He doesn’t need to be concerned about Bryn,” I said. “She’s an incredibly bright girl.”
“You and I know that,” the sheriff said. “But I think it’s good to let him worry for a change. Might activate a part of his brain that I thought was long dead.”
“Which part is that?” I asked.
“What should I do?” I asked. “Hide in the car with the doors locked?” I wasn’t sure how I felt about being surrounded by so many naked werewolves in the dark.
“Any interesting spells you could conjure?” he asked. “Full moon and a forest full of furries. Could be fun.”
An idea occurred to me. “I could astral project. Run with the pack from the safety of the car.”
The sheriff regarded me carefully. “What’s that now?”
“I can try to join you. I guess, technically, my consciousness would join you while my body stays behind in the car. That way if animal instincts do get out of hand, I’ll be safe.” I stifled a yawn. The punch was so potent that it was making me sleepy.
“You’d be safe no matter what, Rose,” he said, leaning closer. “I’d never let anything bad happen to you.”
“No one can promise that, Granger,” I said. “Life taught me that early on. Accidents happen and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it.” My head buzzed from the punch, and a yawn escaped me. “I know you’d never put your niece and nephew in danger, though, so it must be safe enough.” Then again, Bryn and Hudson were werewolves.
He smoothed back my hair and kissed his my forehead. “I’m sorry you’ve had a rough start in life, Rose. If I could absorb all that hurt and carry it for you, I would.”
My heart stirred. There was no denying that Granger Nash was sweet and considerate, unlike Alec. I gave my head a shake. I didn’t want to play the comparison game. It wasn’t fair. Granger was willing to take a risk and Alec…was not. It was as simple as that.
I retreated to the car in order to prepare for my first pack run. I closed my eyes to focus my mind on astral projection and promptly fell asleep.
Chapter 10
“Are all my lessons going to take place in the woods behind my house?" I asked. "I mean, it's convenient location-wise, but a change in environment might be good for me. Stimulate the brain." That's what Marley would say, anyway.
Magic & Mercy Page 9