by Amy Boyles
She glowered at me. I shrugged innocently. “Sorry. My mistake.”
Lacy pinned her ire on Betty. “Get rid of the guinea pigs. All of them. Now.”
Betty cracked her knuckles. “Not that I’m the witch who called them here, but let me see what I can do.”
Betty chanted under her breath. I peered out the window, watching as the storm of rodents receded. They turned mid-run and headed out of town, back in the direction they had come from.
Betty smiled. “There you go. Safe travels.”
Lacy grabbed her skirts and headed toward the door. She whirled around, fixing a glare on me. “One week. That is all.”
The door opened by itself, and Lacy strode through, not looking once over her shoulder at us.
I deflated onto my cot. “Glad she’s gone.”
Axel stared at me. “What you’ve stepped into is worse.”
I smiled weakly at him. “Oh, I don’t know. It was between keeping the people of this town safe and my own preservation. I think I chose the wiser.”
“We have a lot of work to do,” Rufus said.
“I know. We need to get started today.”
Betty huffed. “You can count on one thing for certain.”
“What’s that?” I said.
“Lacy won’t fight fair. Not a witch like her. She’ll do whatever she can to win, and that means she’ll fight dirty.”
I shot Axel a worried look.
He shook his head. “One reason I tried to talk you out of it.”
“What do you propose we do?” I said.
Betty clapped her hands. The guinea pig that had hidden under my cot shuffled out and into her arms.
“How come that little guy didn’t go with the others?”
Betty smiled at me. “I asked him to stay. I figured we’d need all the help we can get against Lacy.”
“What’s he going to do?”
She grinned wickedly. “This little guy is going to be the eyes and ears of the resistance.”
“Pardon?”
“He’s going to spy for her,” Rufus said.
I pointed at the guinea pig. “That rodent is going to spy on Lacy?”
Betty nodded. “Most certainly he will.” She scratched under his chin. “He’ll tell us everything we need to know.”
Okay, great. Now that I knew Betty was officially ready for the looney bin, I could at least think the rest of this situation was normal—like the insanity of me dueling against a highly trained witch, for instance.
“Just you watch,” Betty added. “This little guy will give us serious intel.”
“I’m going to talk to the werewolves,” Axel said. “See what I can find out about the skirmish.”
I stared at him. He studied me for a moment before glancing at the wall. “You’re…you’re leaving?” The words barely came out. They exhaled in a whisper that was barely audible.
“You have Betty and Rufus to keep you safe.”
What? Axel didn’t like Rufus. I wouldn’t say he hated him, but he certainly didn’t one hundred percent trust the man.
“When will you leave?”
“As soon as I see you safely home.”
It felt like a hand had grabbed my heart and squeezed. My rib cage constricted, and my head floated like I couldn’t get enough oxygen.
“I won’t be gone long,” he said soothingly.
I nodded, unsure of what else to say. Betty had the resistance, Rufus would train me and Axel would…leave. It was a strange chain of events.
“I’ll be back within a couple of days,” Axel said. “Long before you duel against Lacy.”
That at least made me feel better. I pushed a smile to my face to show that I was strong. That all of this was okay and that we would come out on top.
Betty rubbed the guinea pig to her nose. “Okay, little guy, are you ready to go spy on Lacy?”
“You bet,” he answered in a high-pitched voice.
Betty lowered him. “Then scat, find out everything you can and report back to me.”
The rodent scurried across the floor, squeezing out the door through a small gap at the bottom.
Betty rubbed her hands together. “All right, Pepper. It’s time to get you out of here.”
The cell door vanished. I glared at her in surprise. “You mean you could do that the whole time?”
She shrugged. “I’m an old witch. I can do a lot of things.” Betty nodded to Axel. “Say your goodbyes. We’ve got work to do.”
I scrunched up my face, forcing away tears. Axel took my hand and led me from the jail.
We only had a few moments. Time to say everything to him I’d always felt but never admitted—at least not to him.
TEN
We walked slowly back toward the house. A few straggler guinea pigs ran this way and that, but otherwise the rodents had evacuated the village.
A humorous image of Betty playing a pipe leading the guineas from Magnolia Cove popped into my head. She was dancing and dressed like the Piped Piper.
I mean, she basically was, after all.
“I shouldn’t be gone long,” Axel repeated.
We walked through the park beside Bubbling Cauldron. I’d slipped my hand into his. His hand offered little comfort when what I wanted to do was throw myself onto him and beg him not to leave.
“I don’t want to go,” he said as if reading my mind, “but you’re in good hands, and I can’t exactly send Rufus to meet with the werewolves and become their best friend overnight.”
I smiled widely. “Are you sure?” I teased. “I’m pretty certain Rufus could make friends with them easily enough.”
He barked a laugh. “Not with his reputation.”
“Shucks,” I replied.
We were silent. The heaviness of the situation creeped in. I tried to dispel it, but it was no use.
“The other day—” I started.
“When I asked you—” he said at the same time I did.
We stopped. Stared at each other. I giggled nervously. Axel’s mouth ticked up into a delicious smile. “Go ahead,” he said.
I screwed my courage to my spine. “The other day, when you said…”
“Marry me?” he finished for me.
My gaze darted right and left. “Yes.” Sheesh. I hated having serious conversations like this—you know, the kind where the feels were all tangled up.
“That’s the conversation I’m talking about. When you said that…”
“I meant every word.” He studied me sharply. His eyes narrowed, and his pulse quickened in his throat. “There were only two words, after all,” he joked. “But I meant them both.”
“Being with you is all I want.” I took his hands in mine. “I know this is where our relationship is headed. I guess I’ve always known, but I’ve been scared.”
“You think?”
I shook my head. “This world is full of so many unhappy endings. I just want ours to be happy.”
He slipped his hand from mine and stroked my chin. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I promise to do everything in my power to make it that way. I won’t add to any more of your tears, Pepper.”
I smiled. “One thing I wanted to know about myself was if I could make it alone. We took things slowly, not rushing in, and I needed to be sure I could stand on my own two feet.”
“You can,” he said proudly. “I’ve watched you do it.”
“But there are other things I’ve had to deal with. I’m afraid of losing you. I’ve been afraid you’ll get tired of me, bored with us.” I cocked my head. “I don’t exactly have a stellar track record with men.”
He smiled. The edges of his eyes crinkled. “I’m different. I’m not all men.”
“But you are all man,” I joked.
He chuckled.
“I know I’ve pushed away from you. I know I haven’t been easy to deal with, but I’ve been wrestling with my own demons. Trying to lay them to rest so that when we move forward, there’s nothing standing in our way.”
Axel grabbed my hand and tugged me to him. His lips claimed mine, and he drank from me until he had his fill and my knees quaked.
“There’s nothing standing in my way of being happy,” he said huskily.
I had to snatch at the words floating around in my brain to make them stay. I felt scattered to the wind, broken apart by him and free.
“I know what I want,” I said. “I’m ready to answer your question.”
He pressed a finger to my lips. “Wait.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Until I return. Tell me then.” He pressed my hand to his heart and smiled. “It’ll give me something to look forward to, and make my trip faster if I know what I’m waiting for.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you kidding?”
He shook his head. “No.”
I scoffed. “You’re going to make me wait until you return to tell you?”
He laughed softly. “You made me wait before you were ready to broach the subject, so I think it’s fair.”
I opened my mouth, shut it again. He was right. Crap. Axel was absolutely justified.
Oh well, I supposed I deserved it after I’d spazzed out on him when he first mentioned the words in his cellar while he was naked.
That was another story for another time.
I tipped my head back and let him kiss me again. “I guess I deserve that.”
Axel grinned. “Come on. Let’s get you to the house.”
Before we could take another step, Rufus magically appeared in front of us.
“Sorry to disturb the two of you, but we have a problem.”
Axel’s shoulders tensed. “What sort of problem?”
Rufus nodded to the edge of the park, where a line of witches from the Order were marching toward us.
Panic fluttered in my throat. “What are they doing? Lacy called a truce.”
“I guess they didn’t receive the message,” Axel growled.
“What do we do?” I said.
“Rufus,” Axel said, “can you change me?”
Rufus eyed Axel apprehensively. “Now? On the spot?”
“Yes.”
“Perhaps. But I can’t guarantee the stability of the spell.”
“Meaning?” I asked.
Rufus’s gaze flickered to me. “Meaning it’s possible that he’ll remain a werewolf for a lot longer than intended.”
“I’ll have control,” Axel argued. “I’ll be present. Can you do it?”
The line of approaching witches neared. Rufus clenched his fists. “I can try.”
Axel nodded with the resignation of a soldier being shipped off to war. “Do it.”
Rufus started to chant and wave his arms.
“Axel,” I said weakly.
His gaze snapped to me, and before I could speak another word, he said, “I love you.”
Those were Axel’s last words before fur sprouted from his flesh, his muscles grew, tendons split and his clothes ripped away as they became shredded rags.
Axel’s face stretched. Fangs took the place of his human teeth, and dark whiskers erupted on his cheeks.
I sprang back, and the line of head witches stopped. Rufus took position beside me as the last of Axel’s human self disappeared and he became the beast.
Axel? I flung my thoughts out at him.
The werewolf whirled around. He stared at me with yellow eyes. The tension between us was taut. It was like I stood on one side of a chalk line and Axel on the other. He would either hear me and respond, or because Rufus had forced the change, Axel wouldn’t know me. Which meant I’d be at risk of attack, but so would the witches approaching us.
I’m here, he finally said inside my head.
I exhaled and nodded at Rufus. “He’s with us.”
Rufus strode toward the line of witches. “We are in a truce with you at this time. Lacy has given us her word. If you refuse to listen, you will be at the mercy of the werewolf.”
Rufus smirked. “That’s only something I would wish on my greatest enemy.” He opened his arms in invitation. “All of you are welcome to try for the position of winner against him. At this time it’s open.”
The witches stared at us, and then finally a man spoke. “We will only listen to Lacy.”
Rufus flashed me a grin. “I think I’m going to enjoy this.” His gaze flickered to Axel. “They’re all yours, wolf.”
Axel’s muscles twitched in anticipation. He bounded forward, leaping one story into the air.
The witches threw magic at him, but Axel’s skin was tough. He threw himself into their midst, and the witches scattered like ants discovered stealing from a picnic.
The diversion worked. The witches were so busy warding off Axel that none of them paid attention to us. Tears spilled from my eyes as I watched him.
Rufus placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “He’ll be fine. He has enough of himself inside there to know what to do.”
“But how will he escape the lockdown?”
Rufus smirked. “I believe your grandmother worked something out with the sheriff. Made sure there was a way to get one werewolf out of this place.”
Hope bubbled in my chest. “But if it could work for him—”
Rufus shook his head sadly. “He’s the only one of his kind in here. The shields would bend for him but not the rest of us.”
It was probably a good thing.
Axel tossed a few of the witches in the air. They landed hard on their backs. The Order would be ticked about this.
“I warned them,” Rufus mused. “I told them we were in a truce, but they didn’t listen.”
“Do you think they’ll retaliate?”
He scanned the horizon. Axel stood panting as the last remaining witch ran in the opposite direction, away from him.
Rufus smiled. “No, I don’t think they’ll retaliate. I think they’ll be too afraid to touch one hair on your head.”
The wolf turned and stared at us. Then, without warning, he leaped into a copse of trees, disappearing from sight.
ELEVEN
Axel’s absence wasn’t like a hole in my heart; it was more like a hole in my entire body. Even though Rufus and Betty told me not to worry, it was difficult not to.
“He’ll let us know when he’s arrived,” Betty said. “Your Axel is a big wolf, able to take care of himself. He will find out everything he can.”
“Do y’all even know where he went?”
Rufus dragged his gaze to Betty. “He asked us not to say. Just in case it got out.”
Hurt sliced through me. “I deserve to know.”
“He didn’t want you to know for your own protection,” Betty said. “Be patient, Pepper. He’ll return.”
“Better to be safe and sound,” I mumbled.
“Let’s focus on what we can,” Betty said. “Cordelia, Amelia and I are working on the resistance. The guinea pig is in place discovering information. And you”—she turned her gaze to me—“must prepare for a fight with Lacy.”
I nibbled my bottom lip. “Lacy killed Bee; I just know it. I only have to prove it.”
Rufus snickered. “What are you going to do? Go up and ask her to confess.”
“I had considered it.”
He shook his head. “No. Your best bet is to discover how to fight her and win. I will help with that.”
I wanted to argue, but I had put myself in this position. “Fine. Let’s get to work.”
“Good, because I have a new tutor for you.”
I hiked a brow. “Oh? Who?”
One side of Rufus’s mouth curved into a smile. “Just wait and see.”
“Where are we going?”
Rufus had transported us by magic to a hillside. I didn’t recognize my surroundings even though the appearance of magnolias along with poplars easily meant we were on the other side of town.
“We’re near the Conjuring Caverns.”
“Oh,” I said quietly. “Why’d you bring us here?”
“Because this is wher
e you’re meeting your tutor,” he said impatiently. “Did you really think Lacy would allow you to practice out in the open?”
“I hadn’t thought about it,” I muttered.
“Well I did, and seeing as how I’m in charge of your education so you don’t get yourself killed”—he shot me a sidelong glance—“then in the dark depths you will learn. It’s best for all involved.”
“Thank you,” I said, humbled.
Rufus stopped. Stared at me. His jaw clenched. “You’re welcome. Now. When you meet your tutor, don’t scream. Don’t be scared.”
We had nearly reached the cave. Light splashed inside the open mouth.
“Why would I be scared?”
A dark figure stepped into view. He was tall with a cowl draped over his head. He held a lantern in one hand.
I stopped. A jolt of fear snaked up my spine. Rufus placed a calm hand on me.
He spoke through clenched teeth. “I said, don’t be afraid.”
“How can I not be afraid?”
“Because he’s here to help you.”
“Isn’t that Hermit?” I locked my knees, stopping Rufus from pushing me forward. “But he’s one of the Head Witch Order.”
“He’s also a friend.”
I twisted my head to look up at Rufus. “Whose friend? Yours?”
“And yours. You have to trust me.”
“I trust you. But he’s one of them,” I whispered fiercely.
“Come now.” Rufus pushed me forward. “You wouldn’t want our guest to think you’re not grateful for his help.”
I stared at Rufus darkly. My knees unlocked, and he forced me along.
“Trust me,” he whispered in my ear. “Hermit will help us. He’ll help you, but you have to trust him.”
I relented. “Fine. But I’m cautious.”
Rufus’s eyes widened in mock surprise. “You? Cautious? I’d love to see it.”
Rufus led the way inside. Hermit stepped back, keeping to the shadows.
They clasped hands like old friends. “Hermit, thank you for coming. I believe you know Pepper.”
He nodded slowly. Up close I saw the man’s features. His face was thin, and his jowls sagged from age. His eyes were watery, but they held friendship, not the contempt I had figured most of the Order had.
