“You’ll get no argument from me.” Millie was smug as she fell into step with me. “So, just out of curiosity, what did happen this afternoon?”
“I’m not sure you’ll believe me if I tell you.”
“Try me.”
WE WERE PARKING ON THE ROAD that led to the Winters house, making sure to hide the Jeep the best we could before proceeding on foot, when I finished the story.
“I don’t know what to make of it.” I zipped my black hoodie, hating the sweat that rolled down my back thanks to the stifling fabric and high humidity. “I want to talk to her, but I can’t do it with Jack and the others around.”
“Wow! That’s quite the story.” Millie shrugged into her own black hoodie before pocketing the keys. “Did she seem as surprised as you felt?”
I searched my memory. “She did. She seemed really curious, too. Unlike me, though, she wasn’t afraid.”
“How do you know that?”
I shrugged. “It’s a feeling. I can sometimes read emotions. She didn’t seem all that surprised at what she saw in my memories, while what I saw in hers completely threw me. I mean … I swear I saw magical power beams flying through the air at one point. I can’t figure out where they were coming from, but they were definitely there.”
“Now I really want to meet her.” Millie beamed as she followed me into the woods. “She sounds like she’s extremely powerful.”
“She does,” I agreed. “I think she’s the most powerful being I’ve ever come across.”
“More powerful than you?”
“I’m not that powerful. I can do, like, two things, my parlor tricks, if you will. If what I saw in those flashes was any indication, Zoe Lake-Winters can do a heckuva lot more than I can.”
“Which probably means her husband is aware of her abilities, and that’s why they went into hiding in the first place,” Millie mused, her eyes focused on the ground so she didn’t accidentally trip over a branch. “I’m going to guess they’ve led a rather interesting life if what you saw in those visions is true. Was there any one part that stood out?”
I nodded without hesitation. “Yeah. The part where she died.”
Millie came to a complete standstill. “What?”
“She died,” I repeated. “It wasn’t just that I saw it. I felt it. It was almost as if I was there with her.”
“If she died, how is she here now?”
“I don’t know.” I thought about my parents and how they died so young. “I want to know how she did it. She cheated death. Although – and I know this is going to sound strange but I swear it’s true – she seemed almost surprised when she realized she was still alive.”
“How do you know that?”
“I felt her emotions. She was ready to let go. I mean … she was unbelievably sad. The husband was practically screaming he was so upset and the girl … well, she was a mess of tears and fear. Whatever happened was big enough that Zoe felt she’d done her very best and realized she was okay with dying. It was one of the most profound moments I’ve ever witnessed.”
“Which is part of the reason you’re obsessed with seeing her again,” Millie surmised. “You want to know if you can learn how to cheat death, don’t you?”
I hadn’t really considered the question until Millie brazenly asked it. “I’m more interested if I can stop death for others.”
“Oh, that’s a load of crap.” Disbelief flashed in Millie’s eyes. “No one wants to die, Charlie. It’s okay to be curious about what this woman can do. If you’re similar and can do it yourself, that might change things for you.”
That was true, but … . “That’s not the first thing I thought of when I saw the flash.” I opted for honesty. “I thought about my parents. And, yeah, I know they’ve been gone way too long to help. But if I could’ve helped back then, perhaps saved them, I can’t help but wonder how different my life would’ve been.
“So, yeah, in theory it would be great to save myself if the opportunity arose,” I continued. “But I really am more interested in helping others.”
“Then I guess we should see if we can find this magical wonder.” Millie flashed a genuine smile. “Just out of curiosity, do you have any idea how you’re going to approach this?”
I nodded, causing Millie’s eyebrows to wing up her forehead.
“I thought we would hide behind some trees at the back of the property and see if we catch a glimpse of them,” I explained. “Once I’m comfortable spying and know where they are, I thought I would make a rash decision on the spot and possibly get us killed.”
Millie didn’t appear bothered by the admission. “Well, at least you have a plan.”
IT TOOK US A LONG time to wind through the woods and find a spot that was comfortable to spy from. The back of the sprawling property looked up at a beautiful elevated deck that ran the entire length of the house. The yard was green, lush, and sloped toward the woods. There also looked to be a hot tub off to one side, offset by romantic lights, which offered a pretty place where I was certain Zoe and her husband spent a lot of their time.
We watched in silence for a good twenty minutes, but nothing stirred. I could see lights from the second floor of the house – it made me think someone was in the living room watching television – but there was no movement. I was just about to suggest to Millie that we move closer for a better look when a first-floor door opened and allowed two people to exit.
“I still can’t believe you talked me into having a kid.” I recognized Zoe’s voice right away. She had a certain cadence that couldn’t be mimicked. “That was a stupid idea, huh?”
I couldn’t initially make out the individual who chuckled as he followed but I wasn’t surprised to see the man from the visions once a beam of light from the balcony runners hit his face. “You talk big but you kind of like her,” Aric Winters said, his voice full of light and mirth.
“Oh, come on,” Zoe countered. “I’m not saying I don’t love her, but there are still times I would like to trade her for a cat.”
“You don’t like cats.”
“I like cats,” Zoe countered. “They’re easy to take care of and they don’t chew shoes. That thing upstairs watching Netflix with Sami has eaten at least three shoes in the past six months. A cat wouldn’t do that.”
“A cat wouldn’t protect her from attack either,” Aric pointed out as he sauntered toward the hot tub. It was only when he closed the distance that I realized he had towels draped over his arm. Crap! They were hitting the hot tub, which meant there was a very good chance they might get naked. Laura might want to see something like that, but I was fairly certain I’d never get over the mortification. “At least at times like this, times when we want to be alone, we know Trouble will alert if someone tries to get in the house.”
“No one will try to get into the house.” Zoe stopped next to the hot tub and kicked off her shoes. “We haven’t heard as much as a whisper from potential enemies in almost a year.”
I risked a glance at Millie and found she was intent on the conversation. She didn’t as much as move a muscle or make a sound while breathing. I was so edgy I feared I would fall forward, make a ruckus in the bushes and cause what I was sure would be a terrifying and painful death.
“You can’t just assume no one will ever come after us again, Zoe.” Aric’s tone was gentle but firm. “What happened was amazing – and I’m certainly glad that no one has bothered us since – but I don’t think our luck will hold forever. We can’t let down our guard.”
Aric stripped off his shirt, revealing one of the most muscled chests I’d ever seen. He was tall to the point I swore he could’ve doubled as a male model – even though records put him at older than forty – and I had to blink several times to believe what I was seeing.
“I didn’t say we should let down our guard,” Zoe argued, her eyes trained on her husband’s face. “I’m just saying that … things are quieter now. The big battle is behind us.”
“Our big battle,” Aric
corrected. “I think people have learned their lessons about coming after you. Heck, they better have. You’ve sent more messages than Western Union. That doesn’t mean that Sami won’t make an enticing target again at some point. No one knows exactly what she did that day, and if rumors are to be believed, most of the community thinks you’re the one who razed the school.”
Most of what they said didn’t make sense to me. Razed the school? Did that mean they destroyed an entire school? Was that where they were in the vision I saw, the one where Zoe was dying and then suddenly she was alive and embracing her family? If I focused hard on what I remembered from those images, it did sort of look like a school. I made a mental note to do a little research. If they destroyed a school, surely that would’ve made the news.
“I would rather they think it was me than her,” Zoe said, holding out a hand when Aric reached for his shorts. “Don’t get naked.”
Aric’s expression was hard to read, but I was certain the smile on his face reflected surprise rather than disappointment. “Since when don’t you want me to get naked?”
“Oh, there have been plenty of times when I haven’t wanted you to get naked.” Zoe made a face that caused my lips to curve. “You have a big head and assume I always want to see you naked because that means you’ll get sex. That’s not happening tonight.”
“It’s not?” Aric’s smile slipped. “Why did you get me all excited for a hot tub night if you’re going to make me suffer through something else? You said we were going to spend some quality time together. That means hot tub time. What else did you have in mind?”
“I said we were going to do something important outside,” Zoe clarified. “I didn’t say anything about the hot tub.”
“You saw me grab the towels.”
“I did. I thought about telling you to put them back, but then I realized they’d make good cover.”
Aric knit his eyebrows. “What kind of cover?”
“I wanted to get a feeling for the people hiding in the bushes watching us without them realizing what I was doing,” Zoe replied, causing my heart to plummet to my stomach. “If they thought we knew they were out here they would’ve run, which meant we would’ve had to chase them. It’s too hot to run.”
Aric let loose a wild growl as he dropped the towels and adopted a territorial stance, sweeping out his arm to shove Zoe behind him. Zoe easily sidestepped her husband and focused her eyes on the exact spot where we hid.
“Who is it, Zoe?” Aric sounded as if he was about to start ripping out hearts and tongues. “Where?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Zoe took three long strides in our direction. “They’re not dangerous. Er, well, at least I don’t think they’re dangerous. I guess they could be dangerous, but I don’t happen to believe so.”
“Ugh. I hate it when you’re purposely vague.”
“I know.” Zoe took another step, narrowing her eyes until she finally snagged my gaze through the heavy foliage. “There you are, Charlie. I’ve been expecting you.”
And just like that my covert mission turned into something else entirely. I really should’ve seen that coming.
9
Nine
I was uncomfortable as I stood, my heart hammering and my cheeks burning. I kept my gaze on Zoe and did my best to ignore her large and intimidating husband.
“You knew we were out here.”
Zoe pursed her lips and nodded. She looked amused, which seemed completely inappropriate for the situation.
“How long have you known?”
Zoe shrugged. “A little bit. Before we left the house. I’m assuming it was after you parked and picked your way through the woods. That probably wasn’t a smart move, by the way. We have roaming security.”
I had no idea what that meant. “How does it roam?”
“Very carefully.” Zoe folded her arms over her chest and looked to Millie’s crouching form. “Your friend doesn’t have to hide. I knew you weren’t alone. It would’ve been stupid for you to come here without backup.”
“Um … right.” I grabbed Millie’s arm and gave it a tug. “Stand up. She knows you’re here.”
“Fine.” Millie grumbled as she dusted off the knees of her jeans and stood. There was something defiant about her stance as she glanced between Aric and Zoe. “Do you have a problem with us being here?”
Aric’s face relaxed into something akin to a smile as he shook his head. “You brought your grandmother to eavesdrop with you? I have to say, that’s a new one.”
Millie was angry. “I’m not her grandmother! We’re co-workers.”
“It would’ve been a funnier story if you were her grandmother.” Aric was blasé as he flicked his eyes to me. “You’re the woman my wife met in the woods this afternoon, aren’t you?”
I swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes.”
“How did you find your way here?”
“Everyone in town knows who you are.” I opted for a false veneer of bravado, as if I weren’t terrified of what the couple – especially the woman – were capable of. “You two are famous in local gossip circles, in case you’re interested.”
“I create a stir wherever I go,” Zoe agreed, grinning. “I think you and I should have a talk, Charlie. I was expecting to see you again. I didn’t think you’d pull a boneheaded move like this, but I have to give you credit for being courageous even though your survival skills seem to be lacking.”
Millie narrowed her eyes before I had a chance to respond. “Was that a threat?”
Zoe shook her head. “I have no interest in threatening her. However, I do have an interest in talking to her. I was considering trying to find her tomorrow, after some sleep and a little more time spent thinking. I’m guessing Charlie is the impulsive sort. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I was that way for a number of years.”
Aric made a face. “Are you suggesting that you’re no longer impulsive?”
“I’m saying that I’ve matured with age,” Zoe replied. “I think things through now.”
“Really?” Aric snorted. “Two days ago, on a whim, you decided you were going to throw a net over the beehive at the back of the property. You thought that would keep the bees inside, allowing you to keep a promise you made to me a very long time ago about not killing the bees while still keeping them from landing on you. What happened?”
“I don’t think now is the time to bring this up.” Zoe sent Aric a pointed glare. “Our guests don’t want to hear about the bees.”
“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong,” Millie countered. “I totally want to hear about the bees.”
“Well, great.” Zoe wrinkled her nose. “This is exactly how I saw my night going.”
“Since you won’t tell them, I will,” Aric said. “You threw a net over the hive and the bees crawled through the holes and chased you through the yard. You screamed so loud I thought it was Sami being … well, Sami. I’m pretty sure that was an impulsive decision.”
“I thought the netting holes were smaller,” Zoe argued. “That would’ve been a good plan if we’d had the proper netting.”
“Whatever.” Aric rolled his neck. “I’m simply pointing out that you calling someone else on impulsive behavior is a bit hypocritical. Of course, I married you either because of or in spite of that impulsive behavior, so what does that say about me?”
“You’re a glutton for punishment,” Zoe answered as she locked gazes with me. “Why don’t you take Charlie’s grandmother in the house and give her some juice or something? I need to talk to Charlie.”
Aric sobered. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“I’m not her grandmother,” Millie barked. “I’m also not sure leaving her alone is a good idea. I mean … can you promise me your wife won’t kill her? We’re here looking for a werewolf. I don’t know if you realize that or not, but if your wife is a werewolf I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave her with Charlie. She’s young, so Charlie is probably a nice meal for a werewolf. You know, soft and
tender.”
Aric didn’t bother to hide his smirk as he glanced at his wife before focusing on Millie. “I swear my wife isn’t a werewolf and won’t eat her. She’ll be perfectly safe … as long as she doesn’t move on my wife.”
Now it was my turn to balk. “That’s not why I’m here.”
“I know.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because Zoe has a feeling about you and I’ve learned to listen when she has a feeling,” Aric replied, holding out his arm for Millie to link hers through. “Come on. I’ll help you up the steps.”
“I’m not old,” Millie complained bitterly as she moved toward him. “You’re acting as if I’m ancient.”
“The steps aren’t illuminated,” Aric countered. “It’s simply for safety, not a reflection of your age.”
“I’ll have you know I’m only agreeing to this because you’re hot and shirtless,” Millie offered, causing my lips to curve.
“I’m fine with that. In fact … .” Aric didn’t get a chance to finish because a shriek emanated from the elevated deck, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end as I readied myself for attack.
“Daddy!”
I realized it was Sami – she sounded as if she was in mortal peril – and braced myself to run up the stairs in an attempt to help. Neither Aric nor Zoe moved to race to their child’s aid, though, so I remained rooted to my spot.
“What’s wrong, Sami?” Aric yelled out. “How many times have I told you not to screech like that unless you’re actually under attack?”
Sami, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, appeared at the edge of the deck and looked down. She registered surprise when she saw us. “How do you know I’m not in danger?” Sami asked her father while focusing on me. “You’re the woman from the woods this afternoon.”
“I am.” I forced a smile for the kid’s benefit. “You look like your father.”
“And acts like her mother,” Aric muttered, glaring at his child. “I know you’re not in danger because you have different screams. That was your ‘my life is going to end because I broke a nail’ scream. It’s not the same as your ‘there are monsters breaking through the windows trying to eat me’ scream.”
The Werewolf Whoops Page 8
