"Mewr?"
"Star, I'm driving and Silver's clearly sleeping again. I can't play with you."
"Mewr!"
"No."
"Mewr?"
"When we get to the coffee shop, you can play all you want."
"Mewrrrr."
"Star. Don't go waking up—"
"Woof!"
"Ugh. Wolfgang. I'm not going to tolerate you ruining my car. Stay in the back."
"Woof?"
"Silver's asleep, yes. Can you keep Star entertained and not destroy the back seats? They're all leather."
"Woof woof!"
"Thank you." Scarlett sounded tired, but her relief was more prominent.
Wolfgang was the only one who’d refused to follow the 'stay away from Silver' rule. He'd snuck into our house so many times that the structure itself would open its door for him, both in human and wolf form.
Wolfgang was encouraged to stay in his wolf form to speed up his healing process. Thankfully, almost everything had healed nicely, leaving him with only a few tiny scars.
Professor Xin had mentioned that it would be difficult for him to stay far from me due to the mate bond I'd accidentally activated, and it really was a pain when he wasn't around when I woke up. It was tough to explain, but whenever he was far away, there was a burning ache in my heart, though it only made me uncomfortable when I was conscious. As for when I was asleep, I'd often wake up in a screaming mess and it would take Wolfgang shifting into his human form and holding me tightly for my sleepy mind to realize he was alive and well.
The whole post-traumatic-stress-disorder I was currently dealing with was just another reason for my exhaustion. The dreams I had usually revolved around Wolfgang's death, a loud voice in my head that tried to retrieve all my secrets and eat my brains out, watching Yuriel fall from the sky, being unable to find Ryuu in a maze of burning flames, and witnessing Dimitri break up with me.
Yes. Talk about weird as hell.
Wolfgang would write down every nightmare I had, saying it would help me when I went for therapy with Clarissa, but reading through them always left me in a weird state of mind.
Whenever I actually woke up, for the little time I remained conscious, I never could recall the nightmares. Reading about them left me confused and trying to recall exactly why I'd freaked out the night before.
Not to say some of those situations weren't scary, but some were simply unrealistic.
For example, Dimitri breaking up with me. I wouldn't let that happen...I think?
It took him calling me and having a ten-minute conversation which mostly involved him soothing me back to sleep in order for me to believe he wouldn’t break up with me.
These dreams, the craziness of what had happened to bring us here, and my fear of the future were just a few of my concerns. Most importantly, I was concerned with how Year Three was going to go.
Zuri had come by three times this week to check in on me. She’d brought a bunch of gifts and flowers from her teammates and those who found out that I'd been injured during the explosion.
It meant a lot to me, having a friend that cared enough to check in on me. It also reminded me of Nikko and what she'd done.
It was one of the reasons we were heading to my coffee shop.
My mom knew about what had happened, having listened to my slurred-up version and the real, detailed version from Scarlett. All our families were called to a meeting in Shirley's office to witness the footage grabbed before the church went up in flames and chaos.
Apparently, the spot where Wolfgang and I had been standing was truly a safe spot, or we wouldn't have walked out of there alive. I'd been praising Star all week, thankful to have a smart and loyal familiar by my side.
My charm bracelet was on my wrist again, though it was missing two of the charms that had been used in the last couple of weeks. Scarlett had collected them and sent them to the manufacturer to restore their magic.
The first charm had created a barrier to protect me from the impact of the blast, and the second one had restarted Wolfgang's heart, triggering his healing abilities once more with a bit of charge from Star.
None of us were sure what the next steps were, but for now, I just wanted to get better and be around my men again. Having Wolfgang nearby was definitely helping with that, but I yearned to see the others as well.
I wish we could just be back at our home and drink rosé and enjoy some penis wars. Will we get to even do that with Year Three being up in the air?
The thought must have made me whimper in my half-asleep state, because something heavy moved to rest on my shoulder before a constant licking against my cheek began.
"Wolfgang. You're going to wake her."
"Woof?"
"Fine. Maybe that will calm her," Scarlett replied. "We're here. Are you staying in that form?"
"Woof."
"All right," Scarlett replied. A hand stroked my head, and I slowly opened my eyes and looked to my left to see my sister's small smile.
"You all right?" She looked sad for me, as if she wanted to make everything better and take these moments of pain away.
"Yeah." I gave her a timid smile in return. "Just worried about stuff."
"We'll figure this whole hybrid thing out," she whispered. "Shirley hasn't told Mom yet."
"She hasn't?"
"I think she wants more information before dropping the bomb. We don't know if Mom knows that Dad had the gene. This discovery has created a lot of questions and I think Shirley wants to tread carefully. Especially when we don't know where anyone stands in terms of friend or foe."
"Well, with how Nikko turned out," I muttered dryly.
Scarlett didn't answer, but she stroked my head again.
"Woof!" Wolfgang began to pant happily and snuggled his head next to my left ear, moving Scarlett's hand away.
"Selfish," Scarlett sighed, shaking her head. "You're lucky you only have to deal with one mate. Imagine him and the sniffing one."
"I don't even want to know. Dimitri is being nice, but I think Hellsin isn't fond of the distance," I acknowledged, patting Wolfgang's head.
"The distance thing was stupid. I get it, we could have lost you all, but it’s an expectation at S.S.S. Everything is a risk and all families understand that when you enter Supernatural Spy School. Yes, it was nice to have you back home to recover, but distancing you from the others was stupid."
"I'm sure he had good intentions," I said.
"That's what was done when he and his team survived the shithole the school was years ago," Scarlett huffed. "Times change and every team is different. It's obvious that your team thrives by being together and the fact you five are bonded by the ring and are dating only validates the need to be close to one another. I'm sure this one would have gone ballistic if he couldn't be around." She was clearly referring to Wolfgang, who growled.
"Grrr! Woof!"
"Stop woofing at me," Scarlett tapped her hand on his nose. He blinked and whimpered, moving to snuggle his head into my neck.
I snickered. "He doesn't like it when you're upset with him, it seems."
"That's because he doesn't want to get zapped like last time he tried to be feisty with me," Scarlett determined. "Anyway, we're here. Are you sure about going inside? We don't know if Candice knew about Nikko."
"It's fine. I'm sure we won't need to say much since Mom will be the civil one," I concluded.
"If you're feeling unwell, you tell us, all right? Don't need to act all strong and tough in cases like these. I know the meds are a pain in the ass. Mitten said she'll check the doses later today and see if we can switch you to something else. She's working with Professor Xin and Professor Nutella in securing a check-up at one of the Supernatural Spy Organization's hospitals. They're state-of-the-art and confidential. It's not often they accept students who aren't spies, but you've been granted special dispensation."
"All right," I casually replied, but inside I was dreading another test.
I don't
want to keep finding out scary shit...
"I'm sure the results will just tell us what we already know.. We’re already aware of what you are and the traits you currently carry. I'm sure we'll figure this out so you can feel a little more confident when you start Year Three, okay?"
"Thanks, Scarlett," I whispered. "I'm...trying to look at the bright side. It's just hard when the world around me seems chaotic and foggy."
"Mewr!" Star hopped right into my lap, shaking out her fur to sprinkle glitter all over my pink skirt. She sat down and looked proudly up at me, and her cuteness was enough to make me smile.
"Thanks, Star." I stroked her little head, and she purred in happiness.
"Woof!" Wolfgang poked my cheek and I looked over to meet his golden eyes that twinkled with love.
Will protect you.
It was weird to be able to understand what he wanted to tell me with just one look, but I was happy we'd grown close enough to be able to communicate that way.
With everything going on, I wanted to figure out how to unlock the wolf inside me.
Or hellhound. Maybe even a dragon.
* * *
Placing a kiss on his nose, I lowered my forehead to press against his furry one, and I inhaled deeply and took in every bit of his scent. It seemed to do the trick in giving me enough courage to tackle one of many upcoming confrontations.
"Thanks, Wolfgang. I know you will." I whispered to him. He growled quietly, but more in a loving manner.
We made our way out of the car, Star sitting on my left shoulder while Wolfgang walked along my right side.
I fixed my pink skirt and pulled my white spaghetti strap shirt. Making sure my pink leather jacket was on point and taking a quick glance at my white Converse shoes, I mentally nodded to myself.
You can do this, Silver.
My hair was left down in loose curls; Zuri had curled it yesterday evening when she was in one of those spontaneous 'Let's Cheer Silver Up' moods.
I made a mental note to text her later tonight, to let her know the summary of what went down today.
That is if it went horrendously wrong or bittersweet.
The outside of my lovely coffee shop was in one piece, which was good, but I wondered if my mother and Candice would get over this hurdle. They had been friends for years and grew up together.
Never would they expect Nikko to do what she did, let alone for our friendship to go downhill like it had.
Opening the door, I walked in and felt relieved — for all of five seconds.
"Melrose! Stop already! Let me—AH!"
The shattering sound of a coffee jar echoed through the room before flying balls of snow and water went flying to one side of the diner.
"Your daughter ALMOST killed Silver! Don't give me that bullshit right now!"
Scarlett was at my side and Wolfgang sat at my feet, looking at the multiple snowballs, flying coffee packs, and water balls heading to our right.
"I had absolutely no idea! Can you be civil this—AH!" Candice was literally cornered with a dining tray as a shield, trying to protect herself from the onslaught of chaos our mother was currently delivering.
I looked to her, noticing how her blue locks floated with intense magic and her body flowed with an aura of blue, silver, and gold.
Yup. She was pissed off as fuck.
"Mom?" I questioned, trying to grab her attention, though I had a strong hunch it would take more than just my voice to get through to her.
It did catch Candice's attention and she looked a little relieved to see me here.
"Silver! Scarlett! Can you tell your mother to calm down?!"
"Hmm," Scarlett crossed her arms to think about it. "I feel that would be more dangerous than seeing if she kills you or not."
Candice looked grimly back at our Mom. "Melrose! Your children are here. Can you pause the killing attempt?"
She didn't even budge, looking more furious than before.
"Where the fuck is Nikko?! I don't want her anywhere near my child ever again!"
"I don't know, Melrose!" Candice looked annoyed with repeating herself, and she rose up and created a shield to protect herself from the next set of coffee pots that shattered upon impact. "Why don't we talk like civilized adults?!"
"That requires trust, Candice, and I'm struggling to do that right now!" Mother snapped back.
I looked to Scarlett, noticing her sad expression. We both knew why our mother was acting like this. Her way of handling near-death situations involved multiple stages.
It would begin with her being completely professional and quiet, absorbing the situation at a slow pace. Then it led to the confrontation stage, which was currently happening, where she lost all reasoning and went apeshit on anyone connected to the problem.
We had no clue as to where Nikko was hiding and had to leave it to the authorities. It wasn't like we had enough proof to say that she planned all of the mayhem that had occurred, from the plane crash exam to the bombing at the party, but she definitely needed to be taken in for questioning. I hoped whatever voodoo magic they used to get killers to confess their sins could be used on her.
From what I heard, Callister had given a brief summary of what happened and had verified that my team members were all victims in the act of terrorism.
It wasn't something he had to do, but I'd given him a point for actually speaking the truth and not being the jackass he usually was.
Candice spoke but it was in a completely different language. I tilted my head and looked at Scarlett, her lips pouting in impatience.
"They're talking in an ancient witch language. I haven't bothered learning it yet, but this makes me tempted to study it now," she replied.
Mother was yelling in the thick, accented language, the two of them bickering and throwing things back and forth.
I began to wonder how much all of the repairs would cost me and then decided I'd just let Mom deal with it since she was a part of the 'Let's Destroy Silver's Coffee Shop' movement.
Wolfgang began to howl, loud enough to grab everyone's attention. Once the room was completely silent, he sat down and panted happily, looking as though he’d only wanted everyone's attention.
With a sigh, I knelt down and hugged him, giving a kiss to his cheek before I rose up and made my way to my mother's side.
"Hey, Mom," I greeted, even though her ice-glaring eyes looked like they were pissed off at me for interfering.
"Silver..."
"You're ruining my shop, Mom. I know you're upset on my behalf and want to basically kill Candice cause her daughter betrayed our family and tried to kill me and my team multiple times, but I think you can do that with your words and not my coffee pots," I lightly scolded and pointed to the specific turquoise coffee pot floating in the air. "I like that one. Dad gave it to me."
She frowned and followed where I was pointing. With a grumble under her breath, she lowered the pot until it was safely on the back counter where the cash register was.
"Thank you," I smiled at her and then looked over to Candice. She met my eyes and sighed, calling off her magic, which lowered anything that had been floating on her side.
"Melrose. Silver is right. We're going to have to pay for these repairs and it'll take twenty-four hours to fix everything at this point. That's one day worth of sales."
"The shop has been closed for an entire week. We've lost plenty of money already," Mom snapped back. "How can neither you nor your husband know where she is?!"
"We..." Candice looked hesitant to defend herself, glancing away for a long moment. "We've been having issues with Nikko."
"Issues?" Scarlett walked over to us, crossing her arms when she stopped to stand next to Mother. "Regarding what?"
When Candice didn't answer, Mom took a step forward in aggression, but I slid myself in front of her.
"Candice, what issues? We aren't going to judge your parenting skills or anything. Right now, we need answers. I already told you I wouldn't fire anyone until I knew what was
going on. This is your chance to tell me what's wrong."
Candice gave me a sympathetic look, and with slumped shoulders, she sighed. "It's been happening for a while, but Nikko has been really combative with us lately. Verbally...and physical a few times."
She looked to her feet while she continued to explain. "She's been rebellious, and we've been doing our best to handle it in private, but...well, she hasn't been living with us for some time."
"She moved out? When?" I questioned.
"When she was sixteen. She would come home — or give the illusion she was, anyway — but once she'd have dinner, she'd be out and off to wherever she'd been staying. We've tried to see where she's living and if it’s a good environment, but she either teleports there or has a secret path to get there. We figured that since she was still friends with Silver and working here, that wherever she was, she was happy."
With another sigh, she carried on. "We simply wanted her to be happy with the freedom she desperately wanted. We couldn’t baby her forever, and I assumed that seeing Silver independently running her coffee shop while still maintaining her skills and magic would be a good influence on her to do the same. However, I started to worry when she got into S.S.S. I've only seen her three times since. The first time, she still looked to be somewhat happy. Stressed about the curriculum and such, but okay. The second wasn't until summertime and was so brief that I couldn't confront her about the changes I was seeing. The last time was recent, a week and a half ago."
Pausing to gather her thoughts, Candice looked back at me with a solemn expression.
"She looked frustrated, muttering to herself about all the things that had gone wrong and that she was running out of time. She had a job to fulfill and she wasn't going to be the loser. I wasn't following what she was trying to say, but whenever I tried to help her, she'd shut me up. As in, she'd use her succubus powers on me. She hadn’t done that since she was but a child, but she did it on purpose without a hint of regret. It took me a bit to get out of her spell, but I snapped and yelled at her to get out of our house and not come back until she gained some respect. If I’d had a clue what she'd been planning, or that it would involve Silver and her team getting hurt, I would have told someone. I...just thought I'd failed as a mother and figured that was something I'd have to live with."
SSS: Year Three (Supernatural Spy School Book 3) Page 2
