Wolves, Witches and Bears...Oh My!

by Nicky Charles

  Shutting the closet door, she popped her head into the kitchen. It was a habit from the days of Jeff the chef. “I’m done for the day, Marisol.”

  “See you tomorrow.” Marisol barely glanced up from the meal she was plating.

  Lou waited a beat and then left to grab her purse. Marisol wasn’t as prone to chatting as Jeff had been, but Ashton certainly was.

  He always checked if she’d had any problems during her shift, if she was heading home or working at the centre. If it wasn’t that he batted for the other team, she might have thought he was interested in her. Instead, she decided he just cared about his employees.

  “We’re like a family here,” he’d told them more than once. “If you have a problem, tell me.”

  It was nice knowing someone had her back. After giving him a wave, she left the building and headed towards the bus stop.

  Aimee, one of the new waitstaff, joined her. “You heading to that centre you volunteer at?”

  “Yep.” She nodded as she took out her bus pass. “What about you?”

  “Chris and I are going to look for wedding rings. After four years together, we’ve finally decided to make it official and tie the knot.”

  “That’s great!” She made congratulatory noises as they climbed on the bus and sat down, all the while ignoring the pain that still filled her whenever she saw a happy couple.

  “Thanks, we— Oops, that’s my phone, sorry!” Aimee became lost in her texting.

  Lou stared out the window, her thoughts drifting as they so often did lately. It was October. The leaves were changing colour and Halloween decorations had started to appear in the windows of the various businesses; round orange pumpkins and black cats, witches and ghosts, spider webs and signs that said ‘Boo’. She smiled as she watched a family walking down the street. The mother had a child on her hip and briefcase in her hand while the father was carrying bags of groceries. Would her life ever be like that? It didn’t seem like a lot to want yet it eluded her.

  Maybe she was expecting too much. Maybe the perfect man who wanted exactly what she wanted, when she wanted it, didn’t exist. It was something she considered while she worked at the centre that night. The perfect man, the perfect time, the perfect place; was it just a fantasy? Perhaps you had to compromise on one of those things in order to get the others.

  Or was perfect what you made of it? The voice inside her asked.

  Maybe.

  Done for the evening, she stepped outside and did up her coat. The sun set early this time of year and there was a distinct chill in the air as the warmth of the day gave way to moonlight. A breeze stirred the fallen leaves, causing them to skitter down the road while the bare branches overhead swayed and clattered, casting odd shadows on the ground below.

  She headed towards the pool of light by the bus stop, thankful for the presence of the street lamp. Standing in the dark waiting for a bus always made her uneasy.

  “See you tomorrow, Lou!” Neil was locking the door of the centre.

  “Yep.” She nodded and shoved her hands in her pockets, hunching her shoulders as a gust of wind suddenly swept down the street.

  “Would you like a ride?” Neil never gave up, asking her at least once a week. It had become a habit and he barely slowed his step likely anticipating her refusal.

  About to give her usual reply, she paused.

  When she didn’t answer, his steps slowed and he turned to face her. She could see the hopeful look on his face, the way his thinning blond hair ruffled in the wind. There was nothing wrong with him. He was a nice ordinary guy who worked in a field she was interested in. And he lived in the city.

  “Sure, thanks Neil.” She spoke the words quickly before she could change her mind.

  “Great!” His eyes widened and he smiled, extending his arm in a gallant gesture towards his car. “Your carriage awaits, milady.”

  She allowed him to lead her to his car. There was no spark where his hand gently touched her elbow, no change in her breathing as they sat beside each other in the confines of the vehicle.

  “Would you like to stop and get a burger and fries?” He slid a look her way as he negotiated the traffic. “We could talk about the programming for the next month.”

  “Um...sure. That would be nice.” She tried to inject some enthusiasm into her voice. This was what she wanted, right? Mooning over what she couldn’t have made no sense.

  And yet, if it’s the right thing, her inner voice nudged, why does it feel so wrong?

  It takes time to get used to a change in plans, she pointed out.

  Lacing her fingers together, she pinned a smile on her face and began to talk about the weather.

  Roxi yawned and stretched adjusting how she was sprawled on the sofa, then reached for another chocolate. There was a box balanced on her stomach and she was methodically eating her way across the rows. The current one she was chewing on had nuts in it. She liked nuts…if they weren’t attached to a man.

  Scowling, she mentally cursed all males of the species and chomped down especially hard on the sweet.

  Todd had been a dick.

  An uber-dick.

  He’d had the nerve to dump her. This after she kept him around longer than he deserved, especially given the pathetic lack of food at his place! She was usually the one who did the dumping, not the other way around and the change in roles wasn’t sitting well with her at all.

  She grabbed another chocolate and bit into it, then examined the filling. Pink creamy stuff, sort of cherry flavoured. Not bad. Popping the rest of it into her mouth, she licked the sticky sweetness from her fingers.

  Wallowing in chocolate was good. She could have gone to Club Mystique and looked for a new guy except her luck there sucked when it came to men. No, she’d hang around human clubs from now on. Normal guys were easier to handle. Of course, Mystique was a good source of information, but she’d started a new job with a cleaning company and it looked like it would provide her with access to all sorts of interesting tidbits. Plus, she’d be getting the information first hand without having to worry about anyone overhearing. Exclusive rights meant more money for her.

  Yeah, that seemed like a good plan. A new job, a new source of info and a new hunting ground for a guy…or maybe not. Men could be such a pain in the ass.

  The sound of a key in the lock drew her attention and she craned her neck to watch as Lulu entered the apartment.

  “You’re late.”

  “Sorry, mother.” Lulu stuck her tongue out at her.

  Roxi laughed. “So, where were you?”

  “Neil offered me a ride home.”

  “Neil?” She quickly grabbed the box of chocolates and flipped around so she was sitting up. “Boring as warm milk Neil?”

  “He’s not that bad.” There was a distinct lack of conviction in Lulu’s voice.

  “Hey, those were your words once, so don’t blame me.”

  “Yeah, I guess they were.”

  “So, what changed?” Roxi left the chocolates on the coffee table, Lulu’s love life currently more interesting than food.

  “Nothing. Everything.” Lulu took her coat off and hung it on the coat tree in the foyer. “I decided I need a reality check on my expectations. Wishing for what you can never have is pointless.”

  “I suppose, but…Neil?”

  “He’s a counsellor. I want to be one. We have something in common.”

  “So, you talked about work?”

  “And the weather.”

  She glanced at the clock. “For three hours? Wow. Exciting stuff.”

  “Yep. It was…interesting.” Lulu trailed her hand along the edge of the table and sighed, then wandered into the living room and dropped down into a chair. Her mouth was saying one thing, but her body language wasn’t corroborating the story.

  “Is there any zing between the two of you?”

  “Honestly? No.” She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “At least not now. But it might happen. We’re friends and
friendship can grow into something else if you give it a chance, right?”

  “Or it can fizzle into nothing.” Roxi shook her head. “It sounds to me like you’re trying to convince yourself the way you do before taking some gross medicine. You know, the old ‘it’s supposed to be good for me, but it makes me feel like puking’ kind.”

  “Neil doesn’t make me want to puke.”

  “Has he made a move on you yet?”

  “No.”

  “Then the puking part might still be coming.”

  “Roxi!” Lulu picked up a pillow and threw it at her.

  “Thanks.” She caught the cushion and tucked it behind her back.

  “Anyway, Armand’s been gone almost two months and he’s not coming back.”

  “But what about your crème brûlée story? You know, once you’ve had it, it’s all you want or whatever it was you said.”

  “I still want him, miss him every day but sometimes the restaurant that serves crème brûlée closes. You can stand outside with your nose pressed to the glass wishing it would open again, but eventually you have to accept that it won’t. That’s me and Armand.” She shook her head. “It was never the right time for both of us. Our stars weren’t aligned or maybe we were never meant to be… Pick whatever cliché you want. It still ends up the same. I’m in Chicago and he’s not.”

  Lulu stood and wandered over to the window, tracing a heart shaped smudge that had appeared on the window one day. Roxi had noticed it around the time Armand had left but something—more than her dislike of housework—had kept her from wiping it off.

  With a sigh, Lulu turned to face her. “Neil’s a nice guy. It’s time I gave him a chance.”

  Roxi made a non-committal sound. Nice was just so…so…boring.

  Back in Stump River…

  Ryne sat in his favourite corner at the Broken Antler. It was dark and secluded. The perfect place to be left alone.

  Daniel’s band was playing some song that had everyone crowding the stage and hopping around in time to the music. Well, not everyone. He was in his seat and so were some of the older-timers, not that he included himself in the group. Sitting in the corner gave him a chance to observe Melody dancing.

  Her honey-blond hair spilled down her back in an array of loose curls, swaying as she moved and giving tantalizing glimpses of the bare skin that peeked out of the fashionable holes in her shirt. The concept of buying a shirt that was already worn out made no sense to him. However, she was happy and it did look damned sexy on her.

  They were on a date night, something that was tricky to do in Stump River, but they were managing. Dinner at Ruth’s, drinks and dancing at the Broken Antler, and when they got home, a movie in bed…which would hopefully lead to something else. Bryan and Cassie had agreed to babysit so the potential for the evening was better than most nights.

  When he’d suggested the outing, Melody had been pleasantly surprised. Lately, she’d been asking him if everything was all right, seeming to sense he was holding something back from her. That was the double-edged sword of a blood-bond; it made keeping secrets, like Lucy still being alive, much more difficult.

  The original lie had been easy to maintain. Melody had been new to all things Lycan and then, over the course of time, the lie had been pushed so far to the back of his mind it had become lost in the business of daily life. Now it was back in the forefront and he was working hard to keep it from damaging his relationship with his mate, while not breaking his vow to Lucy.

  A waitress came by and delivered another beer. He nodded his thanks while eyeing her speculatively. Melody had delivered the inside scoop on the woman to him a few weeks ago.

  ~~~

  “There’s a new citizen in Stump River.”

  They were lying in bed, her head resting on his shoulder while he idly played with her hair.

  “Really? Who?”

  “Her name’s Jenna Lewis.”

  “Lewis?” He frowned. “I don’t remember any family with that name in the area. Why did she move here?”

  “Well, the rumour mill claims she’s recovering from a bad breakup and wants to make a fresh start here.”

  “No, I mean why Stump River? Why not some other small town?”

  “You sound suspicious.”

  “No one moves to Stump River.”

  “You did.” She gave him a gentle poke. “And so did I.”

  “Because it’s in the middle of nowhere. And you moved here to spy on me.”

  “Oh. I see what you mean. Apparently, she stuck a pin in the map and picked the closest town to it.” She gave a soft laugh. “She’d been sticking pins in a picture of her ex when the idea came to her.”

  “She sounds vindictive.”

  “No, I’ve talked to her and she seems nice. I think she was just really hurt by her ex. He was probably a bastard.”

  “That’s what you called me once, and look at us now.”

  “That was different.”

  “Yeah, you were being a nosey reporter at the time.”

  She gave him a dirty look before settling at his side again. “Jenna isn’t a reporter. She’s running some kind of internet marketing business. Right now she’s working from home—a place she rented on the lake—but if it takes off, she’s going to open a store front in one of the empty places downtown.”

  “Hmph.” His interest in the newcomer was dwindling. Melody’s breath was fanning over his chest, her fingers tracing patterns increasingly lower on his torso.

  “Right now she’s working part-time as a waitress at the bar.”

  “Good for her. Now let’s talk about something more interesting...” He muttered the words as he rolled over to kiss his mate.

  ~~~

  Now Ryne noticed Armand was watching the new waitress and he eyed him speculatively, wondering if there was a potential romance there. Both were on the rebound so at least they had something in common.

  Picking up his drink, he wandered over to the bar.

  “Hey, Armand.”

  “Yes, my friend? Is there something wrong with your beer?” Armand glanced at the nearly full drink.

  “Nope, it’s fine.” He took a swig to prove his point. “I was wondering how you were doing.”

  “Fine, as always.”

  That was a load of crap. When Armand had returned from Chicago, he’d been as surly and taciturn as a badger. It had required a good deal of cajoling and a large quantity of after-hours drinking to get the man to spill what had happened. Ryne couldn’t blame Lucy or Armand—they each had their reasons—but it was a shame they hadn’t managed to find a compromise.

  Armand was slowly coming around from the experience. There was no twinkle in his eye, no loud bellows of laughter but he wasn’t moping either. Mostly he was just…quiet.

  “Your new waitress, Jenna, is doing a good job.”

  “Yes, she is.” Armand’s gaze drifted to her.

  “So maybe you’ll ask her out someday.”

  Armand shrugged and concentrated on polishing the surface of the old bar.

  Ryne knew when to push and when to wait, so he drank his beer and watched the band. Eventually, Armand cleared his throat.

  “If you didn’t have Melody, if she had turned you down when you asked her to be your mate, how would you have felt? What would you have done?”

  Ryne rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s hard to say. I would have been angry I guess.”

  Armand nodded.

  “Maybe...” He cleared his throat not liking to admit to feelings, but Armand was a friend and you did things for friends you wouldn’t do for others. “Probably hurt and sad.”

  “You would have felt as if your heart had died, that life wasn’t worth living.” Armand stared into the distance, his hand slowing in its polishing of the bar. “And yet, you wouldn’t be dead. Life would continue on around you.”

  “Yep. That’s probably how I’d feel.”

  “And eventually others…good friends…would urge you to do some
thing.” His eyes grew focused again and he stared directly at Ryne. “Would you listen?”

  Damn, this was hard. A life without Melody in it was incomprehensible, however he did his best to reply honestly. “I wouldn’t want to, but I suppose I’d have to believe my friends were looking out for me. That maybe they could see what I couldn’t.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking.” He nodded and sighed. “Tonight, I’ll ask Jenna if she wants to stay and play a game of darts.”

  Ryne gave a nod. Armand didn’t sound thrilled at the prospect, but it was a step forward.

  “Ryne!” Melody appeared at his side, her cheeks flushed. “I convinced Daniel to play a slow song. Come and dance with me, please?”

  “Convinced, bribed or blackmailed?” He looked down at her and smiled. Damn, she was beautiful. He was a lucky man to have a mate such as her.

  “That’s between me and him. Reporter’s oath of confidentiality and all that.” She gave her hand a negligent wave.

  “Is there such an oath? Or did you make it up to avoid answering? And if there was an oath, wouldn’t it only count if you were interviewing him?”

  “Who’s to say I’m not?”

  “Are you?”

  “Can’t say.” She folded her arms, a smug smile on her amazingly kissable mouth.

  He laughed and proceeded to kiss her quite thoroughly. When he was done, she was breathless and clinging to him in the way he loved.

  “So, will you dance?”

  “For you, anything.” He downed the rest of his drink and let her lead him to the small dance floor.

  She wrapped her arms around him, her cheek resting on his chest. He could feel the warmth of her pressed against him, the sweet scent that was uniquely her. His wolf murmured contentedly. There was nothing better than being with your mate.