by Amy Boyles
“I’ll handle that part,” I said. “I’ve communicated with him before. I know I can breach the werewolf’s mind and touch Axel.”
Barnaby squeezed my hand. “This is dangerous work. I’m grateful to you for helping.”
I smiled. “I was about to say the same thing myself.”
Within a couple of minutes the forest loomed ahead. The lights from town dimmed until only a few remained in sight while a sea of darkness faced us.
We headed toward the slab of concrete surrounded by tall hedges—the place where once a month Axel was chained and held until his night as a werewolf ended and he returned to normal.
Below, lights flared to life. Barnaby steered the car toward the copse of trees where shouting voices could now be heard.
“Get him! Hit him with that gun!”
Garrick’s men had found the wolf first.
“Hurry,” I said.
We rounded a copse of trees, and I saw them—two men and the werewolf. The creature growled and snarled, sinking back on its haunches as if it was about to propel into an attack.
The car touched earth. Barnaby and I raced from the vehicle. We reached the men just as several figures popped into view.
Garrick and the rest of his team arrived as swirling mist that appeared among the trees. They must’ve been called in as backup.
The men raced toward Axel. Garrick had a different rifle this time, one that I feared might actually take the werewolf’s life. Don’t ask me what made me think that, maybe it was the ring of men with determined looks on their faces.
Or maybe it was the two silver shells I watched Garrick load into the rifle.
Yep, that was it.
I ran into the fray. “Stop!” I held out my hands, placing myself between the men and Axel. “We have a way to return him to normal. Put your weapons down!”
“Get out of there, Pepper,” Garrick said. “He’s wild now. Dangerous.”
I didn’t feel any fear when I turned to face the werewolf. The creature’s dark eyes seemed filled with sadness as he gazed on me.
“Axel,” I said. “I know you’re in there. Talk to me.”
I extended my hand, and once again the creature calmed. The growling and snarling stopped as he looked at me with curiosity. He leaned forward as if to sniff my hand and did.
Hot breath caressed my skin.
“Pepper,” Garrick warned, “he hasn’t hurt anyone yet, but if he touches you, I’ll shoot him.”
“Don’t,” I said.
The beast sniffed me for a moment and then lowered his head. I stroked the coarse fur. The creature quivered. His muscles trembled. He was scared. Whether it was Axel who was terrified or whether it was the creature, I didn’t know. All I was certain of was that you get a group of men together to corner any living thing and that animal will be terrified. I know I would’ve been.
Then a single word flared in my head. The beast projected it there, and I knew it as plain as the nose on my face.
Help, he said.
The word crushed my heart but also made my chest swell. I could communicate with Axel in this form. He knew who and what he was, and he hadn’t hurt anybody.
“Barnaby, are you ready?” I said softly, not wanting to startle the creature.
“Sure am,” he said from behind me.
I heard Barnaby explain to Garrick. “I can return the wolf to his human form.”
Garrick said, “Do it. Let’s end this nightmare.”
“We’re going to turn you back,” I said to the creature. “Hang on.”
I tucked my hand to my side and stepped away, giving Barnaby the room he needed.
The werewolf kept a steady gaze on Barnaby as the wizard held the labradorite. Golden magic zoomed skyward from the stone as Barnaby spoke quietly.
The light flared up and then flew into the werewolf, encompassing him in a cocoon. The beast fought and snarled.
“Watch him, boys,” Garrick said. “Get back.”
We all shuffled back.
I reached out to him. “It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt you.”
But he snarled more.
“What’s going on?” I said to Barnaby.
“We’re forcing transformation. It probably hurts.”
I pressed my fingers to my forehead in worry. “Can you do anything to help?”
Barnaby shook his head. “It’ll be over in a moment.”
The werewolf continued to fight the magic, whirling on the men. He sank back on his haunches and lunged forward. Garrick lifted the shotgun and fired.
I screamed.
The wolf landed on the ground, unconscious. I rushed over to him. The beast finally started to change, morphing back into Axel. The fur fell out, the bones shortened and his face shrank into the one I knew.
When he’d shifted completely, I noticed a small bullet wound in his shoulder.
Garrick strode over. “It’s silver and will hurt him pretty bad if we don’t get it out now.” He turned to his men. “Come on! Let’s get Axel to the doctor. There’s not a minute to waste.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
It was two weeks later and a beautiful Saturday morning. Summer was finally retreating and cool autumn wind blew through Magnolia Cove. The leaves had started turning beautiful shades of amber and gold, and happiness buoyed in my chest as I strolled down Bubbling Cauldron on my way to open Familiar Place.
I unlocked the door with the golden key Uncle Donovan had sent me in the mail in a life that felt far, far away.
As soon as the door swung wide, the kittens meowed, the puppies barked and the birds chirped.
Feed us!
We’re starving!
What took you so long?
I chuckled as I flipped light switches, topped off water bowls and filled food pans.
I had just turned the plastic window sign to OPEN when the bell above the door tinkled.
Axel strolled in, his left arm in a sling. “Morning.” He placed a Styrofoam container on the counter.
I quirked a brow. “What’s that?”
“Sweet tea for my sweet.”
I laughed and stepped inside his single outstretched arm.
He pulled me in for a long kiss and hug. “I’ve missed you.”
“You just saw me yesterday.”
“Like I said, I’ve missed you.”
I giggled. “How’s the arm feel this morning?”
He rotated his shoulder. “Better. Doc says I’ll be free of this sling in another week.”
I clicked my tongue. “Betty offered to heal it for you.”
When Axel shook his head, dark tendrils tumbled into his eyes. He raked them away. “Like I told you, I wanted to remember what happened. I want a reminder.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know why you’re punishing yourself. It wasn’t your fault.”
He slumped back and leaned on the counter. “I know, but I need this.”
I rubbed his good shoulder. “The community’s behind you. No one was hurt.”
“This time.”
A flare of pain swelled in me. “We connected, Axel. I know you don’t remember, but I spoke to the wolf and he responded. You’re not completely lost when you become the beast.”
He sighed.
I smiled. “I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true.” A flicker of movement caught my gaze, and I glanced outside to see Barnaby Battle strolling down Bubbling Cauldron. “What happened with Delilah?”
Axel’s blue eyes fixed on me. “She was sentenced today. After her full confession the judge didn’t go easy on her—life in prison.”
I grimaced. “She was a cold-blooded killer.”
He nodded. “I never would’ve guessed. But anyway, she confessed to having an obsession with killing and enjoying it.”
I pressed a finger to my lips. “And Samuel never told you who sneaked him into the Vault to steal the box?”
Axel shook his head. “Not directly, though if I had to guess, I’d say that Erasmus must’ve
helped him in some way.”
I quirked a brow. “Erasmus? But he’s dedicated to keeping the contents safe.”
“Doesn’t mean the guardian doesn’t prefer a little drama now and then.”
“You’ve got a good point.” Just then Erasmus passed in front of the store. “I guess he resigned from his post?”
“I think he’s taking a sabbatical.”
I clicked my tongue. “Can’t say I blame him.” I folded my arms and smiled at Axel. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
He wrapped me in another hug and kissed my forehead. “And I feel the same about you.” Axel studied me with those gorgeous blue eyes of his, and my heart ballooned. “You ready to get out of here tonight? Go on a real date?”
I exhaled. “So ready. Think we have to worry about Rufus?”
Axel chuckled. “From what you told me, I think Rufus’ll leave you alone for a while. You gave that sorcerer a run for his money.”
I smiled. “I’m finally getting the hang of these powers.”
He brushed a strand of red hair from my eyes. “About time.”
I swatted his chest.
“Ouch!”
“That didn’t hurt. I missed your injured shoulder.”
Axel kissed my lips again and headed toward the door. “See you in a few hours.”
I waved and smiled. “Looking forward to it.”
He blew me a kiss, which was like so seriously romantic. Yes, I was such a cheese ball that I caught it.
Axel disappeared, and I stood in the still silence for a few minutes, ruminating on how much he meant to me and how happy I was that when he’d come to and realized the havoc he’d created in town while loose in his wolf form, that Axel hadn’t brooded about it. He took it with his chin up, relieved that no one had been hurt and thankful that the police had been willing to take him down but hadn’t.
And so the question remained—had it been the silver bullet that changed him back, or the labradorite?
We’d never know, but it didn’t matter. Axel was himself, Rufus was beaten back to whatever hole he’d crawled out of, and the killer had been caught.
Whew. All in a week’s work.
A scraping from the rear of the store caught my attention. It sounded like someone entering the back door, but that was impossible. I was the only person with a key.
Concerned, I stepped into the hall. Sure enough, the doorknob turned as if someone was about to enter.
Then they did. A man stumbled through, a golden key that matched mine in his hand.
He had thinning white hair and oval spectacles resting on his nose. I instantly recognized him.
“Uncle Donovan,” I said, reaching for him.
My supposed-to-be-dead uncle fell to his knees. I wrapped my arms around him, barely processing what was happening.
“Uncle?” I repeated, confused as heck and unsure if this was a ghost or a man I was touching.
Donovan stared ahead for a moment before blinking at me. His eyes seemed to focus, and his head jerked. “Pepper! Thank goodness you’re here.”
“What’s going on?”
Donovan heaved himself off the floor and grabbed my arms. “Pepper. I’m in grave danger. I’m afraid you might be, too. I need your help if we’re both going to survive what’s coming.”
I nearly slapped my forehead. Oh boy, here we go again.
Southern Curses
Sweet Tea Witch Mysteries Book 5
ONE
I stood in the middle of my store, Familiar Place, ruminating on the events that had occurred two weeks earlier. For one, Rufus Mayes had appeared and tied my magic to his. That meant whenever I wielded my power, it was syphoned off to Rufus to use at his disposal.
When my boyfriend, Axel Reign, had tried to break the spell, he discovered that sneaky Rufus had placed a counterspell on it. If Axel attempted to free me, he would shift into his werewolf form.
Well all heck’s bells and shrimp and grits broke loose, and Axel and I found ourselves in a situation where there was no other choice but to work the magic that turned him into a werewolf. Actually I hadn’t wanted Axel to do it, but I was overruled.
By the way, have I mentioned that my name’s Pepper Dunn and I’m a witch?
Yep. You got it. Witch with a capital W. That’s me.
Even though Axel had been forced into his werewolf form, he hadn’t hurt anyone in town, which was a huge blessing straight from the lap of heaven itself, if I do say so. Because let’s face it—people think werewolves are man-eating beasts. Oh, and it doesn’t help that Axel is chained up in the Cobweb Forest every full moon to prevent such a tragedy from occurring.
Anyway, a super cool thing happened—I spoke to the werewolf. Not in words or sign language, but in my mind. See, I can communicate with animals. It’s part of my magic.
After Axel returned to normal, he didn’t remember talking to me when he was a beast, so he had a hard time believing it. But it was true. It had happened.
I thought it was awesome because the implications were serious—in his wolf form, Axel wasn’t simply an animal. He was a thinking, breathing creature. If he could communicate, he could think rationally. To me that meant maybe, just maybe he wasn’t the threat to Magnolia Cove everyone believed.
If only I could prove it.
I was thinking about all this sort of craziness when my ears perked up.
A scraping from the rear of the store caught my attention. It sounded like someone entering the back door, but that was impossible. There was only one key to the shop, and I owned it.
Concerned, I stepped into the hall. Sure enough, the doorknob turned as if someone was about to enter.
Then they did. A man stumbled through. He clutched a golden key that matched mine. A golden key that fit the lock of my store.
He had thinning white hair. Oval spectacles rested on his nose. His face was round and jovial and his ruddy cheeks reminded me not of the red clay that made up the soil in Alabama, but of Santa Claus.
I instantly recognized him from his picture.
“Uncle Donovan?” I said, extending a hand.
My supposed-to-be-dead uncle fell to his knees. I wrapped my arms around him, barely processing what was happening.
“Uncle?” I repeated, confused as heck and unsure if this was a ghost or a man I was touching.
Donovan stared ahead for a moment before blinking at me. His eyes seemed to focus, and his head jerked. “Pepper! Thank goodness you’re here.”
“What’s going on?”
Donovan grabbed my arms. “Pepper. I’m in grave danger. I’m afraid you might be, too. I need your help if we’re both going to survive what’s coming.”
Oh jeez. Was Rufus already back? What could possibly be worse than him?
“Okay, I’m going to try not to have a heart attack about that statement,” I said, pulling Donovan to a standing position. I guided my uncle to the back office and settled him in a chair. “Would you like water?”
He threaded his fingers together as if in prayer and brought his hands to his mouth. “Please, Pepper. There’s no time. I need to explain things.”
Then it hit me. A small wave of anger—I won’t call it a tidal wave like you see folks in Hawaii surfing on, but in the South, in Gulf Shores, what’s also called the Redneck Riviera, we have waves that aren’t nearly as large but will still knock you on your rear end if you’re not paying attention or are just plain stupid.
Yep, that was it. A small wave of anger struck me. I planted a hand on one hip and leaned into it.
“Uncle Donovan, I am going to try to be nice about this because my daddy taught me that it isn’t ladylike to act foolish even when all you’re thinking are silly thoughts. But I will say that for months I have believed you were dead.”
He started to speak. I cut him off with the wave of a hand.
“And it isn’t just me who thinks you’re deceased and six feet under the earth. This entire community believes you’re dead. You should be ashamed
of yourself for leading on the nice folks of Magnolia Cove. There are some of the best people I’ve ever met living in this town, and for you to make them mourn and cry over you—well, that just ain’t right, Uncle Donovan.”
I know ain’t isn’t really a word, but I will just say in my defense that it seemed appropriate at the time.
“Pepper, sit down. There’s a reason I made that choice.” He grabbed my hands. “Please. I wasn’t joking when I said I’m in danger, and you might be, too.”
I’m going to be honest. I’m tired as heck of being in danger all the time. I’m always in fear that Rufus Mayes is going to break into Magnolia Cove and try to steal me away so he can use my powers. So hearing Uncle Donovan explain I’m in danger just didn’t get my motor running. It barely even turned it on.
I did as he asked and sat behind the desk. “Okay. I’ll pause on celebrating the fact that you’re alive and hear what you have to say.”
“Thank you.” His fingers trembled as he laid them flat on the slick wood. “As you know, a few months ago I sent you a key to this shop. It happened right after your birthday.”
I nodded. “Yes, I received it in the mail. Mattie the Cat appeared the same day, saved me from Rufus Mayes and brought me here, to Magnolia Cove.”
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed his forehead. “That’s what I expected Betty would do—make sure you arrived safely. I can’t tell you how thankful I am. And other than Rufus, no one has bothered you?”
I quirked a brow. “No. Why?”
He sniffled. “Because of my mistake, Pepper. I never died. I faked my own death.”
“I figured that.”
He looked at me quizzically.
“It’s obvious. You’re sitting here in the flesh telling me I should be scared for my life. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out you must’ve faked your death. But what I don’t know is, why?”
Donovan cleared his throat. “Water.”
Now he wants water. I rose. “Of course.”
I grabbed a bottle from a small refrigerator I kept in the office and handed it to him. He unscrewed the top and drank deeply, nearly polishing off the whole bottle.
