The White Wolf of Wishing Moon Bay

by Raines, Harmony

  “She might. Thanks, Sophie. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

  “No problem at all. Glad I could help.”

  Logan turned away from Sophie and went to the kitchen where Ivan was busy keeping up with orders from the restaurant. “How are things?”

  “Busy. It’s hectic when we’re so shorthanded.”

  “I can get out there and serve.” Logan went to the sink and turned on the hot water.

  “What? Why are you here? You should be out there searching for your mate.”

  “I think Sophie has something to do with Penny’s disappearance,” he told Ivan, hoping the sound of the running water would smother the sound of his voice.

  “What!” Ivan’s eyes flashed as he turned to his brother. “Why would you say that?”

  “She did a spell to locate Milo and said he was out of town. I gave her my hair.” He tapped his head. “Why would she lie?”

  Ivan sighed. “So you’re playing along with it?”

  “Exactly. I want to watch her every move. I believe Penny and Milo are still in town and that Sophie will lead us to them.”

  “So, I do get to join in on all the fun.”

  “You do.”

  “Great, now get these out to table six, they have been getting impatient.”

  “Yes, chef.” Logan saluted Ivan and headed out of the kitchen and into the restaurant. He needed to keep calm and carry on if he was going to fool Sophie. She was a witch, but he had no idea how strong her powers were.

  Or what she wants, his wolf reminded him. I don’t think she’d go to all this trouble just because she thinks she’s in love with us and wanted to get rid of the competition.

  You’re right, I think it goes much deeper than that. Much, much deeper.

  The evening wore on and Logan was proud of himself for getting through it without verbally biting someone’s head off. His temper was frayed, and his nerves were on edge, but this was Valerie’s hotel and he had to behave.

  The twins and Rift have returned, his wolf snapped in his head.

  “I hope you enjoyed your meal.” He picked up the plates from table eleven and headed back into the kitchen.

  “Logan.” Aiden looked worried.

  “What did you find?” His heart went cold as he placed the dirty dishes down on the counter and opened the dishwasher.

  “We picked up Penny’s scent. We were told she and Milo went to the diner for ice cream. We followed the scent out to the parking lot. Her car had been parked there.”

  “Is there more?”

  “There is.” Aiden looked at Caleb.

  “There was another scent, too.”

  “Who was it?” Logan’s gaze bored through the wall between the kitchen and reception area. He already knew whose scent it was, this would only confirm his suspicions.

  “We didn’t know, but Rift identified it,” Aiden said.

  All eyes turned to Rift. “The warlock.”

  “The warlock who put a mouse in my soup?” Ivan spat.

  “The same.” Rift held out his hands. “I have no idea what it means.”

  “Sophie and the warlock might be working together,” Ivan suggested.

  “But why? None of this makes any sense. I can understand Sophie having this misguided idea that we might be together if Penny and Milo were out of the way. But how does a warlock fit into this?” Logan wanted to smash his fist into the wall, but Ivan would kill him stone-cold dead if he damaged the kitchen and spoiled his food. “Unless...”

  “Unless what?” Rift asked.

  Logan turned back to his brothers. “The warlock left without paying his bill and I asked Sophie to charge it to his card. She didn’t. I did it this afternoon.”

  “You think the warlock did it for money?” Ivan folded his arms across his chest. “Money and passion. The root of most crimes.” He grabbed a bag of garbage and took it outside while the others fell silent.

  If Sophie has an accomplice, she might not lead us to Penny until it’s too late, his wolf said.

  What if we’ve got it wrong and the warlock is calling the shots? Logan replied.

  But why? That was the question he could not answer. He’d never met the warlock before so why would the man steal Logan’s mate?

  Ivan came back into the kitchen, his face pale. “I just found this in the garbage dumpster.” He held up Milo’s backpack, the one he was wearing the first night Logan met them in the street. “I think the rest of their stuff is in there, too.”

  Logan’s relief was unexpected. “She didn’t leave me.” And short-lived.

  “Of course she didn’t, you idiot.” Ivan passed the backpack to Logan. “I think it’s time we had a chat with our receptionist.”

  But when they entered the reception area, Sophie was gone.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven – Penny

  “No car.” Penny shone the flashlight around the immediate area outside of the cabin. “I’m going to look for tracks.” She turned around to face Milo and Jeremy. “Why don’t you two stay here while I go and check.”

  “Sure.” Jeremy put his hand on Milo’s shoulder. “I’ll take care of him.”

  Penny adjusted the angle of the flashlight and shone it at Jeremy’s face. “You’d better not be in on this.”

  “I’m not, honestly. I was brought here at the same time as you. Only you got to travel in the back seat.”

  “What do you mean?” Sophie asked.

  “It was all a little hazy at first but it’s coming back to me. I was in the trunk of the car.”

  “You couldn’t have been. We drove up here in my car and you were not in the trunk when we left the hotel.”

  “No, you stopped off on the way and picked me up. She made me get in the trunk.”

  “Who made you get in the trunk?” Surely the old woman couldn’t have forced this guy into the trunk. Unless she had a gun.

  He tapped the side of his head. “There was an old woman at the hotel. She knocked on my door and asked me if I had hot water in my shower. I thought she was making fun of me, that she knew I was inventing all that crap about the hot water not working.” His eyes went out of focus and he looked a little crazy as he ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know what happened, but the next thing I remember is climbing into the trunk of a car. There was someone on the back seat, lying down. I didn’t get a look at who it was, but I recognize the boy’s sneakers.” He pointed at Milo’s feet. “He was curled up next to you.”

  “Did she drug you, too?” Penny’s hands clenched at her sides, she sure would like to wrap them around the old woman’s throat right about now.

  He shook his head. “I don’t see how. I had breakfast in my room. The receptionist brought it up to me, the morning after I...after you took my soup.”

  “You put a mouse in that soup!” This guy sure didn’t like taking responsibility for his actions.

  “And is this my punishment?” He held his arms out. “Getting kidnapped and then tied up in a remote cabin in the woods? Maybe it’s me who should be asking what your involvement is in all this.”

  “We’re in this together. Whoever brought you here brought us here, too.” She sighed. “Look, it’s cold, I’m going to search for tracks. Why don’t you both go back inside?”

  “I don’t want to leave you, Mommy.” Milo reached for her hand and she took it, holding it in both of hers.

  “You need to stay warm.”

  “So do you.” He looked pale in the dim light.

  “Okay, stand there. I’ll check for tracks and then we’ll go look in the shed.” She pointed to the silhouette of a large building situated behind the cabin and shuddered, scared at what they might find in there.

  “We’ll stay right here,” the warlock assured her.

  Penny stepped into the snow that had drifted up against the porch steps. Maybe she should have checked the house for rain boots before she ventured into the snow. Her boots only just skimmed her ankles, and her feet and the bottom of her jeans woul
d be wet in no time. She couldn’t afford to get too cold. The cold killed. She didn’t need any special survival skills to know that.

  Taking short strides, she shuffled forward in the snow that covered the area immediately next to the cabin. About ten feet away from the cabin, she found what she was looking for, indents in the snow made by a car. More recent snow had covered the tracks, but there was no mistaking the uniform tracks that led away from the cabin. Penny followed them, leaving fresh footprints in the snow. They led away from the cabin, following a trail that curved to the left and then headed downhill. Penny kept walking, the snow thinner beneath the trees.

  “How far are you going?” the warlock called out.

  “I just want to see how far we are from town,” she answered, although that wasn’t the only reason, she wanted to look out on the mountainside below.

  Her breath came in short puffs as she reached a point where the trees thinned, and she had a clear view out on the town below. She was no expert, but she figured they were five, maybe ten miles away from town. Too far to walk at night in the cold unless they could find warm clothes and food. Even then it was a risk, especially for a young child. She closed her eyes and blinked back tears. Milo was going to make it out of here alive.

  Shaking off her fears, she opened her eyes and scanned the mountainside below for any signs of a vehicle coming their way. There was no sign of headlights bumping along the trail, heading back to the cabin. They had time.

  Turning her back on the town below, she ran back to the cabin, her feet wet and her legs aching as she climbed the porch steps.

  “What did you see?” Milo slid his hand into hers, the talisman grasped tightly in the other.

  “The town is too far for us to walk in the dark at night. One wrong move on the trail and one of us could end up injured and with no way to call for help, we would be in real trouble.”

  “So whoever brought us here took your phone, too?”

  “I don’t think someone would have gone to the trouble of kidnapping us and locking us up if they were going to leave our phones.” She lifted Milo into her arms. “Okay, let’s go check out the outbuilding back there. Then we have to make a plan.”

  “A plan?” Jeremy asked. “If there’s no transportation in that shed, what plan do we have other than waiting for our kidnapper to come back and whacking them over the head with a baseball bat if there is a baseball bat in the cabin? Does your guy play?”

  “I have no idea, we’ve only just met.” Penny tramped through the snow, which was deeper around the back of the cabin where there were no trees for shelter.

  The warlock followed her, grumbling as he walked. “So what’s the story? You act like a married couple.”

  “We aren’t. We met when I came to town because my car broke down a couple of days ago.” Although it felt like months since her car had kangarooed down the road into Wishing Moon Bay. “He’s a shifter, we’re mates if you’re wondering about the whirlwind attraction.”

  “Ah, that explains it. Lucky, lucky shifters.” They reached the outbuilding, which was a large timber building, it was either a large shed or a small barn.

  “Okay, can you open it?” She glanced at the warlock, who looked right back at her. “I kind of have my hands full.”

  “I’ll try.” Jeremy approached the door and slid back the bolt. “It’s locked.”

  “Can’t you use magic?” Milo asked, his head resting on Penny’s shoulder and his arms wrapped tightly around her neck.

  “Good point, Milo. Why don’t you use magic?” Penny asked. “You could have escaped from the bed and gotten out of the house...” She backed away. “You are in on this, too.”

  “No, I’m not.” The warlock searched around on the ground, kicking up the snow to the side of the barn as he searched for something.

  “Then why not just use your magic?” Penny asked.

  He stood up, his shoulders slumped forward as he turned to face her. “Because I have none. I’m what’s called a scrub.”

  “A scrub?” Her forehead creased as she watched the guy.

  “Magic sometimes skips a generation, or, in my case, skipped me. I have no magic, so the only thing I’m good for is scrubbing floors.” He rolled his eyes. “That’s what my adorable, amazingly talented sister tells me, anyway.”

  “So you have no magic?” Penny was both relieved and disappointed. A magic-user right now would sure be useful, not only to get the barn door open but also to combat the person who had kidnapped them when they returned. If the three of them were still at the cabin. Penny cast a worried glance over her shoulder. Was that an engine she heard in the distance?

  “I have no magic.” He kicked at the snow, his foot coming into contact with something hard. “Ouch.”

  “What are you doing?” Penny moved forward to watch the warlock. Was he still a warlock if he had no magic?

  “I might not be able to unlock this with magic, but I’ve found most locks break if you hit them hard enough.”

  “I get the feeling this isn’t the first time you’ve broken into a barn.”

  “Nope.” The warlock raised the stone with both hands and brought it crashing down onto the lock. “Third time’s the charm,” he said after he repeated the process.

  “Third time’s the charm it is.” Penny helped him open the doors and shone the flashlight around the building.

  “Well, that was a waste of time unless we want to abseil down the mountain with rope.” The barn was practically empty, there was no vehicle, and the shelves around the room were filled with tools and a couple coils of rope.

  “Okay, plan B, back to the house, let’s see what we can find to defend ourselves.” Penny ran out of the barn but stopped dead in her tracks. “I can hear an engine.”

  “Maybe it’s Logan?” Milo whispered hopefully.

  “Maybe, but we can’t take any risks.” She held Milo tightly as she ran for the cabin. “Jeremy, close the doors.”

  “What if we used the rope?” Milo asked as Jeremy shut the barn doors and ran after them.

  “How would the rope help?” Penny’s voice wavered as they reached the porch and ran for the door.

  “We could make the part that goes around your neck big enough for all three of us.” His idea sounded crazy, but so did the idea that a witch was coming for them. A real witch.

  “Would that work?” Penny asked Jeremy as they entered the kitchen and closed the door behind them.

  “I don’t think so.” He shook his head and held out his hand to Milo. “Can I see the pendant you’re wearing?”

  “You’d better not try to take it,” Penny told him.

  “I wouldn’t do that to a child.” Jeremy looked appalled at the idea. “I think they’re ruins for protection. I want to see if we can use it to protect all of us.”

  Milo pulled the pendant out from under his clothes. It hung so far down his chest that when their kidnapper had searched them, she hadn’t seen it. Or maybe it had protected Milo by keeping itself hidden.

  “Logan showed me how to make a ring of protection. I took a photo of it…it’s on my damn phone. I should have taken more notice of it. If I would’ve memorized it, we might stand a chance.”

  “This might do.” Jeremy looked hopeful as he pointed at the talisman. “I can draw it in the snow. Although some of the runes are unfamiliar to me. But if I can replicate it, we can stand in the center and she shouldn’t be able to reach us.” He cocked his head to one side. “The only problem we have is freezing to death. But one problem at a time, right?”

  “One problem at a time.” She nodded and let Milo slip to the floor. “Honey, you go with Jeremy and help him carve out the runes in the snow. You’ll need the flashlight.”

  “What are you going to do?” Jeremy was already backing toward the door.

  “I’m going to get some warm clothes and blankets and some food and water.” She dashed forward, kissing Jeremy on the cheek before ushering them out of the door. “Please take care of my
son.”

  “You are going to join us in the circle, aren’t you?” Jeremy asked.

  “I am. Now go.” She hugged Milo and sent him after Jeremy. With a deep breath, she cleared her mind and focused on her part of the plan.

  Taking the stairs two at a time, she ran to Logan’s bedroom, stripped the blankets off the bed, and then ran back downstairs. Her eyes had gotten used to the dark, although she couldn’t see anything clearly as she opened the kitchen cupboards and rummaged for any food they could eat cold. She also found what she hoped was a couple of bottles of water. Barely stopping to catch her breath, Penny bundled everything up in the blankets and ran outside. Automatically, she paused to shut the door behind her, the engine was getting closer, the sound louder as it strained to get up the steep mountainside.

  “If you wreck my car, you’re going to pay for it!” Penny yelled, although she was unsure if it was her car approaching or another since the snow distorted the sound.

  “It’s stopped!” Milo called, the flashlight weaving all over the place as he tried to fix it on his mom.

  “She’s killed my car.” Penny turned and ran for the others. “At least it buys us more time.”

  “We’re going to need it.” The warlock had completed half the talisman, the runes and symbols covered a large area of the snow, leaving enough room for them in the center. “Be careful not to smudge any of it. If it’s not perfect, it won’t work.”

  “Then you’d better make sure it’s perfect,” she retorted as she dumped her haul on the ground. “What can I do?”

  “Can you draw this shape over here?” He pointed at the snow. “It’s a repeating pattern all the way around the edge of the talisman, calling for protection.”

  “Sure.” She used her fingers to make the shapes in the snow, repeating them as she completed the circle. “What’s next?”

  “Um...” Jeremy raised his eyes and looked in the direction of the trail. “She’s coming.”

  “Then we’d better work fast.” She took hold of the warlock’s trembling hands. “What’s next?”

  “One of these.” He held up the talisman and Milo shone the light on it. “There.”