by Amy Boyles
TWENTY
I did manage a short nap and time to feed and water the animals at Familiar Place before I had to get ready for dinner. Amelia returned from her date in the park with Lane and got ready for her dinner. I heard Lane pick her up as I was applying the finishing touches to my makeup.
The doorbell rang again and I met Cordelia in the hallway. She was dressed in leather pants and a long-sleeved silver shirt. My eyes flared when I saw her.
“Do you have a date?”
She laughed nervously. “No. No. I have a boyfriend. Zach, remember? I don’t have a date.”
“You sure do look dressed for one,” I said.
She scoffed. “No. I’m not dressed for a date. Definitely not.”
“Okay,” I mumbled, “but you look kinda dressed for a date.”
She shot me a look so scathing I hid my smile behind my hand, because I had to be right. We each headed downstairs. Me for a date with Axel and Cordelia not for a date.
Betty opened the door. Axel stood there. He wore a black blazer over a black v-neck tee and black jeans. His hair hung around his massive shoulders and a wonderful spicy scent wafted off him.
My heart thrummed in my throat. “Hi,” I said.
His blue eyes sparkled. “Hi.”
I turned to my family. “Well, we’ll be off. Should be home later, maybe before Cordelia returns from her date.”
She glared at me.
Betty stirred something in the cauldron. She raised the spoon and wagged it at me. “I’ve got my strength and magic back. You’d better be home by curfew, kid. I don’t want to have to look for you.”
I did my best not to roll my eyes and I headed out with Axel. I slid into the seat of his Mustang and twisted my fingers together, as hormones ripped through me. All I wanted to do was knot my fingers into his hair and kiss him.
I licked my lips and bit the inside of my mouth to calm down.
“So what’s the plan?” I said when he slid in next to me.
His gaze raked over me like blazing coals. He glanced away quickly, focusing on the road. He pulled out into the street and I settled into the bucket seat.
Even though all I wanted to do was kiss him.
Really, Pepper. I need to go slow. Take my time.
I mean, I knew Axel was a werewolf, but it’s not like I knew much else about him.
“I was chased here,” Axel said.
Well, it looked like I was about to find out quite a bit.
“I’d been to Magnolia Cove several times when I was young. My parents loved coming here. They’re a mixed couple. Mom’s a witch and Dad’s a werewolf. It’s not a traditional arrangement. Witches and werewolves, for the most part, do not get along. They each stay with their own kind. It’s made it hard for me, trying to figure out where to fit in. I was living up North outside Chicago, working as a private investigator in a witch community. From what I can figure, one of the local wolf packs wanted to increase their territory, so they attacked the witch’s animals.”
He inhaled deeply. “I had the same trouble there as I do here. A lot of folks don’t trust me. Just because of what I am. I was accused of the slaughter and attacked. I had to run, but they followed—all the way here.”
He steered with one hand, rotating the wheel as we wound through the curving streets. “A lot of people remembered my parents and me from when I was little, so they let me stay. Helped me. The witches backed off but I was told never to return there. That wasn’t a problem. I don’t intend to ever go back.”
Pain sliced across his face. To be accused of a crime and hunted like an animal must’ve been horrible—awful. I wanted to fold my arms around Axel and hug him.
“What about your parents?” I said.
“They live in an RV and are traveling the countryside. They’re in the Rockies right now. I talk to them every week, but I didn’t want to involve them in that.”
We pulled up to a restaurant made of stacked stone and dark glass. He killed the engine and turned to me. “I wanted you to know before we walked in here.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He came around and opened my door. I took his hand. It was warm and the electricity between us sent a jolt to my core. I swallowed the knot in my throat, and suddenly feeling very shy, I turned to glance at the restaurant.
“Shall we?” he said.
“We shall.”
We entered to several glances. A couple of people scowled when they saw us, but nothing crazy happened.
I gazed around the dining room until I saw Amelia and Lane. Her eyes locked on mine and I waved. The table right beside theirs was empty.
“Oh,” I said to the hostess as I pointed. “We’ll sit there.”
She grabbed a couple of menus and led us toward Amelia and Lane. Axel placed a hand on my back and whispered in my ear, “Good job.”
In less than a minute we were seated next to them. I flashed a smile at my cousin. “Imagine seeing you here. What a coincidence. Don’t mind us. We won’t bother y’all.”
Amelia smiled. “No bother at all. We were just saying how this is such a small town.”
Lane flashed that thousand-watt smile of his. “We sure were.”
Axel slid into a seat parallel to Lane. “You know, I think I know you from somewhere. Aren’t you originally from Hollyhock Hollow?”
Lane nodded enthusiastically. “I am. Lived there all my life.” He flashed a look to Amelia. “That is, until I started chasing yetis and sometimes dragons.”
Axel popped his menu and turned to Lane. “You know, I’ve heard that dragons are a lot like chickens.”
Lane cleared his throat. “Oh. I wouldn’t know about that.” He shot a grin to Amelia. “I’ve spent so many years taming the beasts that anything I would’ve known about chickens to begin with is now long gone in my memory.”
Axel smiled. “I can imagine. From just looking at the two creatures, they don’t seem to have a lot in common—one breathes fire, the other clucks. But I’ve heard they have other similarities. The way they roost, for instance.”
Lane shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”
Axel propped himself up on one elbow. “I had a good childhood friend from Hollyhock. He said on the outskirts of town there were dozens of long chicken houses. Lots of chicken farmers in Hollyhock.”
Lane dragged his gaze from Amelia’s questioning look and gave Axel a tight smile. “I know a few myself.”
Axel glanced at his menu. “Yep. That’s what I hear. Lots of chicken farmers.”
“You know,” I said, leaning over toward Amelia, “no one wants to say it, but I think Melbalean was killed by that chicken.”
Amelia frowned. “That’s silly. I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
“Oh, I have,” Lane said.
We all turned to him. He stared at his menu as he spoke. “My dad once fed a chicken some feed that was supposed to help them grow larger, but instead it made the chicken really angry. Volatile to the point where it started attacking people.”
I nodded. “I even heard Leona attacked some customers at the festival. Maybe she’s been eating chicken feed.”
We all laughed except Amelia, who cocked her chin toward Lane. “I thought you said your dad was a dragon hunter. Y’all hunted together.”
Lane’s cheeks flushed. “We are. We do. He is. Did I say my dad? I meant my uncle raises chickens.”
Her frown deepened. “You said your uncle hunted dragons with y’all, too.”
“Did I?” Lane said. His gaze skirted from one side of the dining room to the other. “Wow. Is it getting hot in here?” He sipped his water.
Amelia sat back. “Lane, are you a chicken farmer?”
Lane spewed water from his mouth straight onto Amelia’s hair. She shrieked, rising to dab at the moisture.
Lane rose, snatched his napkin and helped blot the water.
“Don’t,” Amelia said. “I’ve got it. It’s okay.”
“I’m so sorry,” he said.
/> One of her strands slid down her arm. Lane took it between his fingers. “Your hair’s coming out.”
Amelia grabbed it. “Let go of it.”
Lane retreated as the water apparently did a reverse spelling on Amelia’s locks. In less than ten seconds, the extensions fell to the floor, leaving her with the original, short pixie cut.
Lane’s face twisted in horror. “Your hair! It’s fake.”
Amelia threw down her napkin. “Better my hair be fake than me. You, Lane Longmire, are a chicken farmer claiming to be a dragon hunter. You’re a bigger liar than I am.”
With that, Amelia huffed from the dining room, leaving the rest of us to watch her go.
I grimaced at Axel. “I’ll be right back.”
I found Amelia outside beneath a weeping willow. She turned when she heard me and knuckled away a tear.
“He’s a liar,” she said.
I shrugged. “People rarely tell the whole truth about themselves,” I said. “We all want folks to see us in a good light.”
“He’s a chicken farmer,” she croaked. “He’s out there chasing chickens, not dragons.”
“Too good to be true, huh?”
She nodded. “And the worst of it is that I screamed at my mother, told her I didn’t want to see her again because she embarrassed me in front of him.” Amelia exhaled a shot of air. “I owe her an apology. Family’s important.” She glanced at me from under her lashes. “I should be grateful for the family I have.”
I rubbed her arm. “I am.” I leaned against the tree. “But did you like him? Enjoy spending time with him?”
Amelia nodded.
“Isn’t that what matters? Not all this other superficial stuff? I mean, y’all are perfect for each other. He farms chickens. You don’t have that much hair—it’s a match made in witchy heaven.”
She gave me a sly smile. “Sweet tea witchy heaven.”
I laughed, thinking of a joke that the three of us had—that we were sweet tea witches, instead of me being a head witch. “What kind of witch are you?” I said.
Amelia rolled her eyes. “It’s so boring. I’m an administrative witch. I like to organize things and put them together. That’s why I work at town hall. I’m really good at categorizing.” She hiccupped a sob. “It’s a horrible witch talent, but I can still do other things.”
I wrapped my arms around her. “Yes, like be my cousin and friend. Listen, why don’t you dry those tears and come in? Who cares about your hair? Amelia, you’re beautiful just the way you are. You shouldn’t have to change for anyone.”
She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes and inhaled a quivering breath. “You’re right. If Lane doesn’t like me with short hair, then he’s not worth it, is he?”
I shook my head. “He most definitely is not.”
Amelia wrapped a hand around my waist. “Thanks for showing up tonight. I needed this.”
I gave her a squeeze. “Good. Because there’s a reason why Axel and I are here.”
She quirked a delicate brow. “Oh? What’s that?”
I narrowed my gaze. “We’re here to see what else Lane’s hiding.”
“What do you mean?”
We climbed the steps. “Let’s go find out.”
We reentered the dining room. Axel had moved to Amelia’s spot, apparently consoling Lane, who at this point I thought to be a loser and a swindler, so I had absolutely no problem grilling him about his relationship with Melbalean.
Axel rose when he saw us. “Ladies.”
Lane started to rise. “Actually, I might need to get back.”
I glared at him. “After what you did to my cousin, you can sit here and answer a few questions.”
Lane squirmed in his chair. “Okay.”
“You lied about the webbed feet,” I said. “That’s not the curse Melbalean had put on your family.”
He sighed. “No, it’s not.” He glanced at Amelia. “Most of my family members don’t live past thirty.”
Amelia frowned. “Your dad’s alive.”
Lane threaded his fingers through his pompadour. “The men do. The women die early.”
Amelia shuddered. “Even the ones who marry in?”
Lane nodded.
Amelia shot me a terrified look. “Glad I know that now.”
Lane threw out his hands. “No, I think it’s over. Now that Melbalean’s dead, I mean. Okay. So I came here to meet you, but I also came to speak with Melbalean, get her to remove the curse.”
I quirked a brow. “You did?”
He nodded.
Axel coughed into his hand. “Lane has a sister who’s about to turn thirty.”
“I do. I came to talk to Melbalean for her. And I did have a chance, but Melbalean wasn’t budging. She said the Longmires deserved their curse.” He dropped his head into his hands. “I was angry, I’ll admit it. But I didn’t kill her. I was going to return, try talking to her again the next day, but as y’all know, she was murdered.”
I stared at Lane, saw the sadness and remorse in his face. My heart pinged for his family—his sister and even for him, for the situation he was put in.
He glanced at Amelia. “I’m so sorry I lied, but you have no idea how hard it is to find someone who wants to date a chicken farmer. Women think I smell like chickens.”
“You don’t,” Amelia said.
“I scrubbed hard,” he said. “Used lots of soap. That Lava stuff works great.”
I grimaced at the thought of a rough green Lava bar. That soap was meant for mechanics and the like. I hated to think what had lived under Lane’s fingernails that he needed that soap.
“Lane, thanks for telling us,” Axel said.
We finished up dinner, actually taking the time to talk about real things, which I think helped Lane and Amelia come to an understanding. Whether or not they were going to continue seeing each other was another subject, one I didn’t know the answer to.
I climbed into Axel’s car and smiled at him. “So you knew that Lane was lying about the whole dragon hunting thing.”
“Yep. And if he was going to tell one lie, would he tell any others?”
I stared out the window as he wove the Mustang down the hill. “I believe him about Melbalean.”
“Me too.”
“So where does that leave us?” I said.
We drove in silence for a few minutes until we reached a large pond. Red lights floated beneath the surface. “It leaves us here,” Axel said.
The surface of the water glowed. “What’s this?”
“Lightning Bug Creek.”
“It’s a pond.”
“Someone made it larger.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course.”
He strolled around and opened my door. I slid from the seat and Axel took my hand. “This is the most romantic place in all of Magnolia Cove.”
I quirked a brow. “Are you trying to be romantic?”
His lips curved into a delicious smile. “After I almost killed you last night, I sure am.”
I laughed, but the serious glint in his eyes cut me short. “Explain this to me.”
“These are magical lightning bugs—they’re more like pixies, really. You bother them and they’ll come to the surface and bite you.”
I cringed. “That’s not good.”
He chuckled. “They live underwater and light the pond at night.”
We found a spot to sit on and I watched in amazement as red lights shot back and forth under the surface of the water. It was like watching shooting stars in a lake. It was awesome.
I rested my head on Axel’s shoulder. “No one said a word to you at the restaurant.”
“They must’ve been too taken with your beauty,” he murmured.
I giggled. “How very sweet.”
He tipped my chin toward his face and kissed me long and deep. My insides soared with delight. Pleasure and warm comfort enveloped me as I sighed into him.
He might be dangerous, but right now Axel was dangerous in a
ll the right ways—ready to protect me at a moment’s notice.
We parted and I rested my head on his shoulder. I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep until light cracked the sky and Axel was gently shaking me awake.
“Oh gosh,” I said, glancing at my watch. “I missed curfew. Betty’s going to kill me.”
I jumped off the ground and brushed dirt from my clothes. Every muscle in my body kinked. I was stiff and sore. “I was so tired from not sleeping very much last night that I paid for it by dozing off.”
Axel raked his hands through his hair. “I was tired, too. Fell asleep myself. I’ll take all the blame.”
“She’ll probably shoot you,” I said over my shoulder.
We reached the car and jumped inside. “It’ll be fine,” he said.
I cracked my knuckles. “She’ll probably throw me out. Great. I’ll have to find a new place to live. Ugh.”
He flashed me a sympathetic smile. “It was my fault. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. I fell asleep, too.”
We wound back through the streets as daylight spilled yellows and pinks across downtown. I noticed a figure lying in front of the statue of Amaryllis Snitch.
“That doesn’t look like Mayor Potion,” I said. “Who is that?”
“Let’s go see,” Axel said.
We slid to a stop and got out. As we neared, my heart thundered in my chest as I started making out silver curls and a jean jumpsuit.
I brought a trembling hand to my mouth. “Oh my gosh.”
Axel broke into a run. He reached the body and turned it over.
There, in the middle of downtown, lay a motionless Betty Craple.
TWENTY-ONE
I reached Betty and bent over. I ran my fingers up to her wrist. “How do I check for a pulse?”
Betty’s other hand reached over and slapped me away. “I’ve got a pulse, kid. Get that hand away from me before you do damage with it.”
I drew my hand back. “I’m not going to do any damage with it. I’m not even sure how I could do damage. I’m just trying to check your pulse.”
Axel pulled Betty to a seated position. “What happened?”
Betty scratched her hair. The silver curled wig shifted forward a bit. “I don’t know. Heck, I was coming out here to do my morning chores when I was knocked out. What the heck’s wrong with this town? When I catch who did this, I’m going to dance naked in front of them.”
