I feel a smile creep across my face.
Ames, you’re gonna like that.
I hear noise, so I spin to look out the window.
The big black wolf walks by. He sees me in the window. He keeps walking.
I stare out at the trees ahead. A minute later he walks by again. He’s doing circles around the house.
And my chest hurts at the sight.
There’s a strangely potent scent of him all around me.
Can I forgive him? Is it possible?
Can I stay here and embrace a life with him?
Or in Arcana Falls where he’s part of something bigger, something better for him, something he was supposed to have but got robbed of? What would that mean for me, though? Life here?
With Amelia?
Amelia is engaged to Rick the Dick. And she’s probably getting dicked by the very good-looking, big, and strong Mason the werewolf right now.
Is it as simple as me and Amelia being from the same family that screwed with Mason’s senses about me because of witchcraft?
So much has happened. It’s a lot. It’s overwhelming.
I finish the last of my coffee and decide I should go take a bath.
Baths are always therapeutic for me.
I’ve gotten clarity on a situation more times than I can count sitting in hot and bubbly water. I’ve even gone so far as to symbolically give my problem to the drain and let it wash down.
Can I wash all this hurt down the drain?
50
Tyson
I shift back to man form and lift my jeans from the dirt beside the porch. There’s more than just my mother’s SUV here. Riley’s motorcycle is here, too.
I pull the jeans on and carry my boots up to the porch and drop them.
I step inside with my shirt in my hand.
My mother sits at the table with Riley. They both have mugs in their hands.
They watch me approach.
“How are you, cuz?” Riley greets. “Good run?”
It was a long run. And a long swim, all the way to Arcana Falls and back.
Did it help? I don’t know. I’m too tired right now to know.
I jerk my chin up in return greeting and ask my mother, “Where is she?”
“She’s in bed. I got here while she was in the tub. She went right to bed after that. Not feeling too talkative. Want some coffee?”
I shake my head.
“You probably want us to go, but sit for a minute and talk with us before we do,” Riley says.
I sigh and sit down in an empty chair.
Riley leans forward. “Mason has Ivy’s sister at his house. He called me and we already knew, but he called to ask me to tell you that he got it wrong. He couldn’t make the scent out with Ivy, but the second Amelia stepped into town, he knew. In fact, he said she called our office, we work together, and he happened to answer when she phoned trying to track down her sister and he was pretty sure he knew by her voice. The call to him and to his wolf was that strong. She’s a little… resistant, though. He’s got her at his house on Chariot Lake.”
“Things are coming together, Tyson,” my mother says. “We have word from Scotland on his bloodwork. I emailed the lab results from a local doctor who is a friend to our pack, and everything looks normal with Mason’s labs. This definitely seems like witchcraft has come in to play.”
“The night Ivy hit me with her car, the moon wasn’t right. Neither was the road. We were pushed into the same place,” I say. “I thought witchcraft was part of the night. Thought Ivy might even be a witch for a moment because of the way it all initially… felt.”
“Hm,” Riley says.
“Cornelius used to go to a witch. I didn’t know why. He often went and made me wait outside.”
“Where?” Riley asks.
“Drowsy Hollow. It used to be a fortune teller, now it’s a dry- cleaner. I saw it when I was in town with Ivy when she went shopping for the strawberry moon party.”
“We’ll look into that immediately. It’s probably a good idea to get the four of you in a room at some stage. See if you have any reaction to Amelia Brennan,” Cat says.
“Probably Amelia Quinn by now,” Riley says with a smirk. He drains his coffee. “Okay, we’ll go.”
“Here. Your new phone. The rest of your money. You gave me too much. We’re all in there under contacts.” Cat shows me the phone, pointing out how I turn it off and on and where the phone and message options are.
“I can figure it out,” I say. “Thank you for staying with her.”
Cat gives me a tight smile. “Call me tomorrow. Let me know how you’re doing. How she’s doing. Let me know if you need anything. Try to get her to eat something.”
“I will. Love you,” I say and kiss her forehead.