25. A Nice Day for a Wolf Wedding
It had been a long but glorious night. Glorious? Well, yeah. With the last six members of the Dark Team on remand and awaiting trial, I felt about a hundred pounds lighter. Sure, now that I was back in my own body instead of Marion’s I was actually heavier, but let’s not get caught up in semantics.
As wonderful as it felt to finally be free of the Dark Team, there was something that made me feel even better than that. And that was the look of joy on Melissa’s face when Mack walked free just an hour ago. Even after all of the offenders had been processed, I had waited with Melissa, Wolfie, and Dizzy, so we could tell the Call of the Wild the news as soon as they changed back this morning.
Most of the band were off celebrating now, but Melissa and Mack had decided to do something simple. Instead of heading to Swanks for champagne, they had gone to the Hungry Hippy for a cup of coffee. They had invited me, but I knew perfectly well that I would have been about as welcome as a meat eater at a weredog barbecue.
So I left them to it, and walked home.
It was almost nine a.m. when I finally turned my key in the front door. Sure, I could have clicked my fingers and sent myself straight from Warren Lane to bed. But that would have meant I couldn’t walk with Wolfie and Dizzy through the streets of the city, and listen to them tell me how happy they were. I got a few strange looks from the humans I passed along the way, but I could live with that.
Before I could push the door open, Max pulled it from the other side.
‘Wanda!’ he cried, yanking me in and hugging me tight. ‘I only heard what happened when I got back this morning. There were about a million text messages on my phone from everyone. I can’t believe it. The whole Dark Team are in prison!’
I pulled away a little, giving Wolfie room to jump up on Max.
‘And Murphy,’ said the dog. ‘And all of Alpha. And some men who worked in Moony’s. And …’ The dog stopped, looking like he was thinking. ‘A lot of people are in prison. But not Mack. And not Bryce. And Jasper’s not a purse of interest anymore.’
Max’s face screwed up as he tried not to laugh. ‘Yeah, I heard that Jasper’s not a person of interest anymore. And I heard that all of the Call of the Wild are off the hook, too.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s amazing.’ He reached out and stroked the side of my face. ‘You’re amazing.’
For a second I looked at him, thinking how nice this felt. Just me and Max and Wolfie and Dizzy. A weird but somehow functional family. And then, somewhere in his clothing, Max’s phone began to ring.
Clearing my throat, I stepped a little further away and said, ‘It was all Paul’s doing, really. For a guy who eats so much cheese, he’s really on the ball. Anyway, you should answer your phone.’
Max pulled it from his pocket and looked at the screen. ‘It’s only Emily. I can call her back. I wanted me and you to have breakfast together before I went to bed. I mean, I’m not going to see much of you over the next two nights, so I want to make as much of our days together as I can.’
Dizzy flew to my shoulder, nuzzling into me. I really loved that bat. He always knew exactly when I needed some comfort. ‘You should talk to her now,’ I said. ‘She’s your girlfriend. She should come before anyone else.’
Max shook his head. ‘No. I mean, yeah. But … can’t she come equally to you? Anyway …’ He waved his phone in the air. ‘It’s stopped ringing. So the decision’s already been made. Come on, what do you want? We could have hash browns and baked beans. Or we could nip out for a breakfast burrito.’
I felt my eyes begin to smart. I had almost stopped to buy Max a breakfast burrito on the way home, but I’d decided against it. It didn’t seem to fit in with my resolution to give him and Emily some space.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, his eyes filled with worry. ‘I told you the other day – I’m going to be a better friend. I’m going to spend at least as much time with you as I do with Emily. I said I missed you, and I meant it, Wanda. I miss you.’ He sighed. ‘It’s because of how she was at Dennis’s retirement do, isn’t it? You’re afraid if we spend a lot of time together it’ll make her jealous. Well, sod it, Wanda. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. I’m not giving you up.’
‘You don’t get it.’ I shook my head at him. ‘She should be jealous. She has a right to be. You and me … we behave like a married couple, Max. It made Gabriel jealous, too. And sure, he turned out to be a psycho in the end, but still. We need to cool it a bit. Act like housemates instead of a couple. I still want to be your friend, but this is the end of breakfasts in bed together, and cuddling on the couch. It has to be. Just because you and me know there’s nothing romantic in it, that doesn’t mean other people will see it the same. Emily doesn’t see it the same. We’re hurting her, and I don’t want to do that.’
Even as I spoke, I wanted to take back my words. I didn’t want it to be the end. I didn’t want to say goodbye to our closeness. As much as I knew I should just run away from him and hide beneath my duvet, there was something holding me there. And that something was a small blue flower, caught in his hair. I pulled it out and held it up.
‘It’s a forget-me-not,’ I said. ‘I’d ask how this got in there, but I’m not sure I want to know what weredogs get up to on full moon.’
Max let out a husky laugh and took the flower from my hand. ‘I don’t get up to much. But I’m going to take this flower as a sign. You and me – we are not going to forget each other. It might be a bit rocky right now, but we can manage it like grown-ups. So I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to call Emily back. And after I’ve spoken to her, then you and me are going to have breakfast together. Okay?’
It all sounded so sensible and straightforward. Maybe he was right. Maybe we could manage this like grown-ups. So why did I feel like this was going to go all kinds of wrong?
‘Okay,’ I said unsurely. ‘Breakfast it is.’
≈
Two weeks later, I sat in the shining sun. Max and Emily were to my left. Melissa and Mack were to my right. All around us were more people we knew and loved, and every single one of those people was staring up at the spectacle of the year.
Bryce Blue and Veronica Berry were getting married. They had lived together, loved together, almost been through a murder trial together, and now they were finally making it official.
It was taking place on the east side of Riddler’s Cove, at the Berry mansion. I’d been to Will’s house in Dublin before and thought it was huge, but this place was about twenty times as big, with immaculate grounds, a team of smartly-dressed servants, and so many fountains that, if you tried to make a wish in every single one, you’d run out of copper sickles to throw in the water.
For a celebrity wedding that was taking place in an enormous estate, they had somehow made it an intimate affair. As Veronica and Bryce spoke their vows, I could feel the love shining out of them. Emily laid her head on Max’s shoulder, Melissa laid her head on Mack’s, and I … well, I leaned down and gave Dizzy a quick rub.
The wedding was wonderful. The party afterwards was wonderful. It was all wonderful. And I wasn’t even remotely lonely throughout. Honestly. This isn’t a case of me protesting too much. I really was okay with being alone. I know there are girls out there who like to be part of a couple, and that’s fine. But so far, boyfriends had brought me nothing but complications.
After we ate, a succession of bands and DJs played, and the party went into full swing. As dusk began to settle, Dizzy went off to meet up with the bat colony from Wayfarers’ Rest. Wolfie was off playing chase the ball with Max and Emily, and everyone else was out on the dancefloor. Well, everyone except me. I was where you probably expected to find me – by the snack table, munching a bowl of peanuts and taking it all in from afar.
As I moved from peanuts to pretzels, the latest DJ stopped playing and Bryce took the mike. ‘Hey everyone,’ he cried out. ‘Now, you’ve all already heard my sickly sweet wedding speech to the love of my life, so I�
�m not gonna make you all barf some more. I’ve just come up here to say that my new wife – who is, by the way, the most beautiful, most amazing, most awesome woman ever – has decided to do one of my friends a favour. Now, you might have all heard that this wedding was going to be a Call of the Wild free zone. Why would I want to play music when I could be dancing with my wife? But. We’re gonna play one song. Just one. And we’re gonna play it because … why should ours be the only romance here today?’ He reached out and pulled Mack to the microphone.
Mack cleared his throat, then took the microphone in his hands. ‘We em … we’re just gonna play one song, like Bryce said. And it’s gonna be Red. The woman I wrote this for … she’s something else. Without her and her Wayfarer buddies, me and Bryce wouldn’t be standing here right now. So Melissa, this one’s for you.’
As the song kicked off, Melissa came to my side and gave me a little squeeze. ‘You having fun?’
I put my pretzels down and smiled at her. ‘It’s really sweet of Mack to play your song. How are things going with the pair of you?’
She chewed on her lower lip, looking like she was trying to contain a grin and a squeal all at once. ‘Amazing. We’re taking it slow, though. Really slow. But I’m finally going out to his creepy cabin in the woods tonight, and I’m kind of scared. I mean, I know he didn’t actually murder anyone there, but Jasper and Callum keep saying it’s like this tumbledown shack that even a rat wouldn’t live in.’
I chuckled. ‘Well, once you get there you’ll see that it’s not creepy or tumbledown. More like a fairy tale paradise.’ I stood on my tiptoes and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. ‘Fit for a fairy tale princess like you. Trust me – you’ll have a great time.’
She finally let her grin spread across her face and pulled me in for a tight hug. I knew it was just so she could let her squeal out into my shoulder, and thus keep the noise down, but I was okay with that.
‘Hello, Wayfairs.’ A haughty male voice reached our ears.
Melissa and I looked around, but could see no one anywhere near us.
‘How rude,’ said the same voice. ‘When someone greets you, the polite thing to do is to greet them back.’
Melissa pointed down. ‘He’s at your feet,’ she whispered.
I looked down to see a white, well-groomed poodle with a purple collar looking up at me.
‘I’m Bonbon,’ he said.
I did the best I could to relax my expression. A murder investigation with no familiars had been horrific. But just because I felt bad for those two murdered cats didn’t mean I wanted another familiar to introduce themselves so soon. In fact, I’d be perfectly happy never to have another familiar ask for my help in solving their witch’s murder – because that might mean that there were no more murders. A peaceful, killing-free world. I could definitely get on board with that.
But seeing as Bonbon was staring up at me with his big brown eyes, I had the sinking feeling that Paradise wasn’t about to take over the planet anytime soon.
‘Are you okay?’ I asked the dog. ‘Do you need me to help you with something?’
Bonbon rolled his eyes. ‘I think you’ll find it is I who can help you, Wanda Wayfair. I came to tell you something important.’
‘Yes?’ I prompted.
‘I came to tell you that …’
‘Yes?’
‘I came to tell you that …’
I sighed. He was really stretching this out, the little bugger. I had a good mind to tell him to go solve his witch’s murder by himself. ‘Yes?’
‘I came to tell you that you have confetti in your hair.’ The poodle smirked. ‘The confetti is pink and orange, and it really clashes with your outfit. You should go and brush it out. Or chop off your hair. Either way is fine with me.’
I gasped in shock. ‘Why, you cheeky little …’
I didn’t get to finish that sentence, because Bonbon was happily trotting away from us, his tail wagging as he ran across the dancefloor. He finally stopped beside Mandy Parker.
She scooped him into her arms and, as the song finally ended, I heard her say, ‘There’s my precious little Bonbon! What has the best little familiar in the world been up to? Eh?’ She tickled beneath his chin. ‘You’re a good little boy, aren’t you? Yes, you are!’
Melissa let out a grunt and wrinkled her nose, glaring at Mandy. ‘We should have guessed he was her familiar. He’s even more irritating than her.’
I was just about to agree when the Call of the Wild left the stage, and Mack headed straight for Melissa. The DJ had started to play again – it was a slow song – and Mack said, ‘I’m kind of hoping that I’ve earned a dance.’
Melissa looked at me. ‘Will you be okay on your own?’
‘Sure.’ I nodded a little too quickly. ‘Go and enjoy the dance. I have a whole table of snacks – what more do I need?’
Mack spun her onto the floor, and all eyes turned to them. They looked amazing together, and I suspected that a lot of women were jealous that Melissa had bagged the man of their dreams. A few of the She-Wolves had been invited, and although Marion was dancing with her husband, I saw her giving Melissa a dagger-laden stare.
I guess that Mandy didn’t like all eyes being on any woman but her, because she placed Bonbon on a chair, took Will in her arms and dragged him right into the centre of the floor.
‘Say, what’s with the two of them, anyway?’
I jumped and turned to my right. While I’d been busy scoffing down food and watching the action, Shane Moore had arrived by my side.
‘Wasn’t Will Berry supposed to marry Mandy Parker this spring?’ he asked.
I nibbled delicately on a pretzel, giving myself some time to affix an uninterested expression on my face. ‘Oh. Yeah. Well, they’ve had to postpone it. Will’s cousin got murdered a while back, so … I’m sure they’ll set a new date soon.’
Shane shuddered. ‘Yeah, well I’ll be surprised if Will is in any hurry. Mandy is stunning, but she looks like hard work. Anyway – Finn sent me over here. He said I should ask you to dance. He also said something weird about how the Major Crimes team that plays together is the Major Crimes team that stays together.’ He shrugged. ‘Something like that.’
I looked around until I saw Finn. He was dancing with Gretel, and the two of them were sending mischievous grins my way. ‘Did he now? Yeah, that sounds like something he’d say. Listen, Shane, thanks for asking me, but I’m not really in the mood to dance.’
He looked pointedly at me. ‘Really? Because as I was making my way over here I could have sworn I saw you swaying your hips and tapping your feet to the music. Look, I’ll admit it – I kind of got the impression that Finn was trying to set us up.’
‘Yeah, well, that’s Finn – subtle as a sledgehammer.’
Shane chuckled. ‘Yeah, he’s that all right. But the thing is, even though I somehow managed to see through his clever scheme, I still came over here. Wanda, I’ve just come out of the worst relationship of my life. And I heard that you just got out of a really bad situation too. So I’m not looking to be set up. I’m looking to have a dance with a colleague I like and respect. A colleague who should really stop hanging out at snack tables by herself when there’s a whole room full of people who’d love her to get up and dance.’ He held his hand out. ‘So what do you say?’
Well, that told me. He was right, though. Why was I over here, moping all by myself when I had friends aplenty in the world? I laughed lightly and took his hand in mine. ‘I say you’re right – I really do feel like dancing.’
26. Burning to Tell You
Later that night, I lay deep in dreamland. And in that dream, soft music was playing. The lights were low. A dancefloor was filled with bodies, huddled in pairs and swaying to the music.
I was over by the buffet table, chewing on a giant chocolate-chip cookie when I saw him: a tall, perfectly formed man walking out of the shadows and looking my way. He was faceless, but I knew without a doubt that he was the one. My heart fil
led with the most joyous of joys – a joy so joyous that I wasn’t even hungry anymore.
The faceless man crossed the dancefloor, took my hand and said, ‘Wanda Wayfair, will you dance with me?’
I let out a breathy reply of, ‘Yes,’ as I threw my half-eaten cookie to the table.
We moved out onto the dancefloor, our bodies tight together, my lips grazing his neck. I still didn’t know who he was, and yet I knew him better than I knew myself. I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I felt like this moment had been far too long in coming. As he leaned down, I craned my neck upwards. And then our lips were kissing, and kissing and kissing …
It was the perfect mixture of passion and familiarity. After what felt like an eternity of deliciousness, he pulled his lips from mine and whispered, ‘I love it when you taste like cookies.’
Ah – such beautiful words! And so familiar, too. I felt as if I’d heard them before. Or something like them, anyway. Maybe it was in a dream.
He returned to kissing me, and kissing me, and kissing me …
Suddenly, his mouth moved from mine, and he began to tap my arm. Tap, tap, tap, like he was trying to tell me something.
‘You already have all my attention, dream man,’ I murmured. ‘Come on – let’s get back to kissing again.’
‘Well, I’d really rather not, if you don’t mind.’
Wait. That voice wasn’t coming from the dream man. That voice was the voice of a woman – the voice of a woman I knew.
‘Look, I’m sorry, Wanda, but if you don’t stop making kissy faces in your sleep and just wake up, I’m going to have to throw a bucket of water over you. This is important.’
I sat up. ‘Good goddess! What are you doing here?’
Through tired eyes, I found myself looking at Christine. She was sitting on the edge of my bed, her eyes burning urgently into mine. ‘I did ask Dizzy if it was okay to come in, and he said he was sure you were awake because he heard you mumbling.’
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