by V. Vaughn
When we get close to the gypsy wagon, a woman with wavy hair almost down to her knees is standing with her hands clasped in front of her as if she’s waiting for us. She’s in a peasant skirt and blouse that look as if they could use a good washing, and the odor coming from her accosts my strong sense of smell as I fight the urge to vomit. The authentic witches have a different idea of hygiene, but at least I know they tell the truth.
“Come,” says the woman. She leads us behind her wagon to where a simple fire is burning. A large pot with it’s contents bubbling is on the grate.
Alisha says, “We both want to know about our love lives.”
The woman stares at Alisha and puts out her hand. I say, “I’ve got it.”
I reach into my pocket, but the old woman says, “No. I don’t take your money.” She gives Alisha the once-over. “I’ll do both for free.”
Alisha glances at me, and I shrug because I’m not about to tell her the witch probably knows I’m a werewolf.
“Okay,” says my friend.
The gypsy grabs Alisha’s hand, and the old woman’s head tilts back as she closes her eyes. She snaps her head back down as her eyes pop open. “He’s good for now. Get a calculator.”
Alisha gasps. “Logan?”
The woman rolls her eyes as if Alisha asked a stupid question and turns to me. She takes both of my hands, and her bony fingers squeeze hard enough to hurt. “Juliet. You have a Romeo.” She drops my hands, reaches into the pocket of her skirt, and pulls out a small bottle of clear glass that appears to contain an amber liquid. The woman presses it into my palm. “You will need this.”
I recall the story of Romeo and Juliet and how she took a potion to appear dead to get out of an arranged marriage to someone other than her true love. But when Romeo found her, he thought she really was dead and killed himself, which caused Juliet to kill herself too when she awoke. I ask, “Am I supposed to drink this?”
The woman shakes her head. “It will save him.”
“Who is he?”
Now she rolls her eyes at me as if I’m supposed to know. She shoos us away with her hand. “Free time is over.”
I frown as I try to sort out what I just heard. Once we’re far enough away, Alisha whispers, “I think she was right about me, but what she told you was strange.”
I gaze down at the tiny bottle in my hand. I’m tempted to pitch it into the garbage, because for all I know, the witch was testing me. A tiny shiver runs down my spine and it makes me stick the vessel in my pocket instead. “I know. Does she expect to me to carry the potion around until I bump into my dying Romeo?”
“Maybe she’s talking about Roman.”
I snort. “Right.”
“You never know… she did know your name without being told.” says Alisha.
She did. I shake off the feeling that the gypsy might have been right after all and place my hand on my pocket to make sure the bottle didn’t magically disappear.
When we get back, I take on the task of building the fire so we have nice coals to cook over later. The logs clunk together as I drop them in the pit, and I squat down to arrange them better.
A faint howl sounds in the distance, and I glance at my friends to see if they heard it. Alisha and Chelsea are arguing about how best to hang the lights, and I decide they couldn’t detect it with their human ears. But my wolf heard it loud and clear, and my primal side is trembling with the possibility of finding a mate. Is my Romeo out there? I sigh because this isn’t going to go well for me either way. I gave up on the idea of a mate a couple years ago, and I’m not about to sneak off to a scenting ceremony and get my hopes squashed like a bug one more time. And even if I did, how would I explain it to my friends? Either way, my wolf is going to make my human miserable. She’s got a one-track mind and doesn’t care if another wolf will break my heart when his true mate comes along.
I grab the newspaper Alisha bought with the sole purpose of using it to start the fire. The inky paper crumples, and it’s a hard ball before I realize what I’ve done. I loosen it up a bit before I shove it under the wood, and the sulfur of a match tickles my nose as I strike it. I may need to drink heavily tonight in an attempt to dull my senses. Once I’m sure the fire will stay lit, I get up to find the vodka.
The aroma of something cooking in butter with garlic follows Jayden as she emerges from the RV, and both lighten my mood. She holds plates full of cheese, fruit, and crackers, and I grab some food as I pass by her to go make a strong drink. When I’m inside, I also mix a weak one for Chelsea and grab two more beers for the other girls before I go back outside.
I enter the tail end of a conversation, and Chelsea says to me, “Alisha got a text from Alex. The guys are coming for dinner tomorrow night and bringing steaks.”
My skin tingles with excitement before I convince myself it’s really dread. I say, “Sounds fun,” and stick my hand in my pocket. The potion is warm in my hand as I grasp it and wonder who my Romeo might be.
3
After a meal that Jayden managed to make in one pan over the fire, I’m stuffed. I toss a new log into the embers and crouch down. Air whooshes out of my lungs as I blow so flames will catch, and the fire crackles in response. I say, “Jayden, you continue to amaze me with your cooking skills. If the family thing doesn’t work out, be my wife?”
Alisha says, “Agreed. I never expected all that food mixed together would taste good. Even Chelsea ate it.” Chelsea is all about food islands on her plate and is used to our teasing.
“I have to admit that was really yummy,” says Chelsea. “What’s the trick?”
“Butter. Lots of butter,” says Jayden.
Sweat trickles down my forehead from the heat of the fire, and I remove the oversized fleece I tied around my waist in case I needed it to ward off the night chill. I glance over at Alisha, who is always cold. She borrowed a flannel shirt to put on over her T-shirt, but I bet she’d like more covering. I ask, “Do you need another layer?”
“I’d love one.” She reaches out to take my jacket from me. The zipper rasps as she tugs it up to her chin and holds her hands out to the heat of the flames. I step away to cool off and gaze out at the forest. The sky is at the edge of the darkness that will soon envelop us, and I hear the faint howl of a wolf again. A tiny shiver of desire races down my spine, and my wolf begs to be let out to explore the possibilities. Maybe I can take a quick run later tonight to check things out. I shake my head at my lack of willpower.
Jayden interrupts my thoughts. “I think it’s time for gourmet s’mores.”
I turn to give her my attention. “Gourmet?”
“Yup. I packed fancy imported chocolate and my homemade marshmallows.”
Chelsea says, “She even bought sugar cookies at the grocery store to use instead of graham crackers.”
Alisha says, “Oh! And we have the most delicious chocolate liqueur ever to go with them.” She grabs the flashlight and clicks it on. “I’ll go find some roasting sticks.”
I make my way inside the RV with Chelsea and Jayden to help gather what we need. Chelsea gives me the task of pouring everyone an after-dinner drink while she and Jayden take care of the food. Ice cubes thud as I drop them into short plastic cups, and Jayden says, “I’m so glad we’re doing this. It’s like college, only we have more money now.”
Chelsea says, “Yeah, but all that means is we buy more-expensive liquor.”
I recall the time we decided to go to the ocean for the weekend and thought we could camp on the sand. After we were kicked out of the state park, we ended up squished in my pickup in a store parking lot for the night because none of us could afford a hotel room. I say, “And we have an RV instead of sleeping in the back of my truck.”
I take a sip of my drink, and creamy sweetness coats my tongue. Chelsea grabs a cup from the counter, and the door clicks when she opens it. She holds it while we go back outside.
Alisha should be back by now, and when I don’t see her, my wolf senses perk up. I listen to see if I can fi
gure out where she might be. When I don’t hear anything, I say, “I’m going to go help Alisha find those sticks.”
The flashlight is cool in my hand when I grab it to make a show of being human, and I step into the area where Alisha went. I call out her name a few times before my heart begins to beat faster. I’m deep enough into the forest now that I’m tempted to shift into a wolf so I can run and have full use of my senses. “Damn it, Alisha. Where are you?” I recall how she managed to get lost on our tiny campus the first week of school. Her lack of directional skills is legendary, and I really shouldn’t have let her come out here alone. “Alisha!”
“Juliet!”
Relief floods my body when I hear her voice, and I relax as I turn at the sound of my name. “Alisha, stay where you are, and just look pretty!” I love to tease her that she’s too beautiful to know how to read a map.
Leaves rustle and dead branches snap under my feet as I plod toward her.
She calls out, “Juliet, Juliet, wherefore art thou?”
I chuckle and tease her right back. “Hold on, Romeo, I’m on my way!”
“But Juliet, I’m not sure how much longer I—” She lets out a scream that makes me run as panic rushes through me.
I find her in a small clearing and see a wolf has her in his sights. Alisha’s eyes are wide with fear, and she’s frozen in place as the wolf stares at her. Her flashlight is on the ground and illuminates the area enough that the animal is visible. She whimpers, “Juliet?”
My wolf prickles at my skin to be let out, but I really don’t want to shift in front of Alisha. I’m not about to let some wolf hurt her, either. I speak softly. “Hold still. I’ve got this.” I gaze at the magnificent male between us as he walks slowly around Alisha. His coat is dark and has the shine of a strong male, it beautiful when the thick muscle makes his fur shimmer as it ripples with his movement. He appears to be checking her out as a potential mate and if this weren’t dangerous for my friend I might be jealous. Alisha whimpers as he completes his circle, and I bet she thinks he’s deciding which body part to eat first.
“He’s not going to hurt you,” I say as my momentary attraction makes way to annoyance.
Now she squeezes her eyes shut in terror, and I’ve had it. The wolf knows she’s afraid, and he’s toying with her. I stomp over and get in his face. “That’s enough!”
Alisha lets out a yelp when he pushes past me to stick his nose into her fleece-covered stomach and sniff. Jerk. He’s so caught up in his mating lust he doesn’t care that she’s having a minor stroke from fear. He couldn’t be more or a typical horny male if he tried, but I know how to get back at him. I say, “He likes you. Pet him.”
“Wh-What?”
The wolf is still sniffing around her as if he’s confused. “Go on,” I say.
Alisha lifts her hand, and it hovers over his head. “Nice wolfie,” she says in a shaky voice. My friend doesn’t actually touch him, though, and that’s probably good, considering he’s got to be pissed that she’s treating him like a dog. I can’t help my grin when he snarls and turns to me.
But now he might have switched to laughter because his gaze makes me tremble. He really is incredible, and so sexy. Damn it. My wolf is practically crooking her finger at him with the scent of my arousal, and when he shoves his snout into my crotch to take a deep breath, my knees buckle. No! I refuse to be sucked into another game. Just like all the others, I’d be good for a few quick rounds of fun, and then when I get attached to the guy, a true mate would come along to steal him from me. I grit my teeth and speak through them. “Seriously?”
The wolf backs away and growls at me. Alisha lets out a small squeak when his sharp teeth are revealed, but she doesn’t have a reason to be scared. He just let me know he’s interested and intends to act on it. I let out a huff of irritation, because that’s not happening. “Relax. I’m sure I smell good, but—” I stop speaking when the sound of twigs snapping and brush rustling from something moving quickly in the woods draws my attention. Out of nowhere, a wolf flies through the air toward me.
Oh, crap! I don’t want to shift in front of Alisha, but for a split second I think I’ll have to until the dark wolf intervenes. He slams into the side of the one trying to attack me and quickly manages to tower over it and latch his jaw onto its neck in a show of power. I notice the wolf on the ground is female, and she’s stopped moving and submits. She glares at me as if somehow I’m her problem, and when the male wolf releases her, she runs away.
The dark wolf lets out a low growl and swings his head toward me. I gaze at him as he crouches, and my chest is tight with a rush of desire for him. He protected me, and god help me, it was really hot. I say, “Thanks. We’re going to go now.”
He tips his head at me, and while this event is just another day in the werewolf world, it’s different for Alisha, so I turn to deal with her. The flashlight Alisha dropped is hard in my fingers as I retrieve it to hand to her. I grip her arm lightly to tug her along as I begin to walk. I pretend what happened wasn’t a big deal. “How did you end up all the way out here?”
She glances over her shoulder and back at me with her brow knit in confusion. “Um. You know me and directions.” She lets out a nervous laugh and moves quickly now that we’re out of sight of the wolf. She stumbles and catches herself before she says, “Perhaps I wasn’t the one that should have been searching for roasting sticks in the woods.”
“You think?” I grab her hand and squeeze her fingers as I offer support. “Are you okay?”
She looks back again as she hisses, “What the hell was that? You just told the wolf we were leaving, and he let us.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t think we’re his type. Not enough fur.”
Alisha hits my arm. “What is wrong with you? I almost get eaten by a wolf, another one tries to kill you, and you’re joking about it?”
“He wasn’t going to eat us,” I say.
“Oh my God, Juliet! He growled, and did you see the size of his teeth?”
The last thing I need is for Alisha to get the idea she should report the wolf to the authorities. “How many beers did you have?”
“Oh no, you don’t. I know what I saw. What about the other one that came at you?” She shudders. “If wolfie hadn’t been there, we’d both be dead.”
I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve acted the way the female did. I think she was jealous. “It never would have happened if the other wolfie hadn’t been sniffing us.”
“How do you know so much about wolves?”
“They’re a recent hobby of mine.”
She frowns at me but seems to accept my explanation. “Make light of this if you want, but the girls will think like I do.”
I stop walking and grab her arm. “You can tell them a good story, but this stays between you and me. That wolf had no intention of hurting us, and if we tell Chelsea, she’ll want to report it. He was looking out for us, but nobody would believe that. If we start a wolf hunt, who knows what the authorities would do to him?”
“Oh.” Alisha’s quiet for a moment as she considers my words. “I didn’t think about that.” She takes a deep breath, and I know I’ve got her. She’s the one in our group to usually come up with a good story to get us out of trouble. “Okay. I’ll give the ditzy-Alisha exaggerated version so the girls think I’m making it up for shock value.”
I let out a deep breath. “Thanks.”
Alisha bumps me with her shoulder as we walk. “Look at you being all animal lover and stuff. I had no idea.”
“Yeah.” You really don’t have any idea. I wonder what she’d think if I told her we just met a couple of werewolves and that we’ll likely see the dark one again because he wants to mate with me. His growl replays in my head like sexy words, and I realize I might not be strong enough to resist him the next time.
4
“I swear on my grandmother’s grave, Juliet whispered in his ear, and he took off running,” says Alisha.
Chelsea mumbles to me, “I
bet her grandmother is still alive.”
Alisha says, “I heard that. Tell them, Juliet.”
I shake my head. “I’m not sure what really happened. I’ve had a lot to drink tonight. I just know that the big dog that looked like a wolf didn’t hurt us.”
“Fine,” says Alisha. “Be humble. But I was there and know what really happened.”
Jayden raises her beer. “To the wolf whisperer!”
When the other girls raise their drinks, I reluctantly join in to play along, but I wink at Alisha to let her know she was great. The real truth is I haven’t had much to drink at all, even though that was the plan. After one strong cocktail, I switched to soda and barely sipped my sweet after-dinner drink before I went in search of Alisha. I am drunk in a different way, though. The encounter with the wolf left me a bundle of raw sexual energy, and my wolf wants me to shift and find him.
But I can’t. If there’s a scenting ceremony happening, then it’s likely he’s not from here and has to adhere to alphas’ rules, which probably entail a curfew to keep everyone out of trouble. My best bet is to make sure me and my friends stay far away from the ceremony.
The fire is almost out, and the girls are drunk, so I stand and say, “I’m tired. Anyone else ready for bed?”
My friends get up and gather things before they go into the RV to get ready for sleep. I stay outside to push the embers around and cover them with dirt. When I’m sure the fire can’t reignite, I gaze out at the woods and sigh. A long howl sounds in the distance, and it echoes the longing in my heart. The familiar loneliness of being without a mate hurts. Even though I’ve accepted I’m meant to be alone, there’s no way to ignore the attraction I had to the wolf tonight. My animal side won’t let me. I kick at the fire one more time, and ash floats up before I go inside the RV.
We drew straws earlier for sleeping arrangements, and Alisha and I ended up with the pull-out double bed in the main living space. When everyone is settled, I stare at the ceiling as the girls’ breathing begins to slow. I think Chelsea and Jayden are asleep when Alisha whispers to me, “When I’m done with my run tomorrow morning, you’re going hiking with me.”
