by Rose Pressey
If I had wanted to rent here she would make me change my mind now.
“Yes, possibly,” I said.
See, even though she acted as if she wanted to toss me down the steps, I still couldn’t avoid messing with her.
“Well, don’t,” she said, standing just inches from my face.
After a couple more seconds, she continued on her way. Thank goodness she walked down the stairs without more confrontation. I was already sensing my body getting irritated and that was the last thing I needed right now. Changing into a werewolf wouldn’t help matters. She continued out the front door. She would be sorry that she messed with me. If I had to change to deal with her I would.
Once at the top of the staircase, I rounded the corner, and a noise came from somewhere down the hall. It sounded familiar. I knew what that noise was… it was like someone shifting. Was there another werewolf in the building? I used my senses and sniffed.
I picked up on a scent, so I continued down the hallway. I found myself standing in front of a door. It wasn’t marked as an apartment, so I wondered if it was just some kind of storage closet. I wrapped my hand around the knob and paused. I really wanted to open the door and see what was on the other side. I was almost certain that there was a werewolf in there. What if it wasn’t someone friendly? Maybe they would jump at me before I even had a chance to shift. I didn’t want to fight and mess up my manicure.
After another couple seconds, I decided to be brave and open the door. With one swift yank I opened it. Sure enough, there was a werewolf sitting on the floor of the storage room. Our eyes met and he growled. I jumped back and then realized I was a werewolf too.
“What are you doing in there?” I asked.
He looked at me strangely, as if surprised that I hadn’t screamed.
“I get it, I’m a werewolf too, but why are you hiding in the closet?”
As if I hadn’t hidden in stranger places. There was something strange about this werewolf. It was definitely something about the eyes. I didn’t know exactly where I had seen the werewolf before. Did I know this person? Did they hang out someplace where my family went? He scrambled up off the floor and dashed around me. He looped down the steps. Was he really going outside like that? All furry. I ran to the banister and peered over the side. I spotted his long fluffy tail as he dashed into an apartment. I guessed that must be where he lived.
He certainly was an odd one, but never mind that now. I was here to speak with the manager. At the end of the hall, I reached the door and knocked. The man opened the door right away, looking me up and down. His blue T-shirt didn’t cover all of his stomach. His gray shorts were about two sizes too small.
“What can I do for you?” he asked in a scratchy voice.
Did he have any idea a werewolf had been hiding in the closet? He soaked in my appearance, making me wish I’d never entered this building. I knew right away this guy was a creep, and there was no way I was setting foot in that apartment.
“I have some questions about the guy who lived in the apartment downstairs. Number 102.”
“I thought you wanted to rent an apartment,” he said.
“No, actually, I never said that. I just said I had questions about an apartment, which was true. It’s not a lie.” I attempted a smile.
“What do you want to know about him?” he asked. “I don’t have time to play games. I’m busy.”
I looked over his shoulder at the television playing reality TV. Yeah, it looked like he was really swamped.
“Anyway, the guy moved out, I guess a couple of days ago. He was muscular and good-looking.”
“Oh, yeah, Dave Mitchell. He moved out without warning. I suppose he always was strange. He left the rent though, so I can’t complain.”
“Do you happen to know where he was going? Did he leave a forwarding address?”
“Are you the police?” He eyed me up and down again.
I wasn’t getting into that trap again. “Actually, I’m here to collect a debt.”
The guy smiled. “Right. Sorry, I don’t have a forwarding address for him, but can I give a piece of advice?”
“Sure,” I said, although I wasn’t positive I wanted to know.
“Stay away from the guy.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“I mean he’s dangerous. Whatever debt you have to collect, I would just let it go.”
Wow, he was that scared of him? What had Dave Mitchell done that had left this guy so terrified? Though I guessed if he was in cahoots with that crazy witch, I could understand it.
“Thanks for the warning,” I said.
I turned and walked away. If he didn’t have the forwarding address then there was nothing left for us to discuss.
Luckily, I didn’t run into the werewolf or the not-so-polite woman on the staircase. As soon as I stepped out onto the sidewalk though, I noticed the witch across the street. Without warning, she zapped me with a spell. Though I supposed she wouldn’t send me a notice of action. I thought I would sense the energy first.
I managed to dart away before the spell hit me. I took off running, looking for a place to hide. I dashed into the first building that I found. Once inside the brick building I noticed the broken windows and crumbling walls. I was pretty sure that it was vacant. I wasn’t sure why the front door had been unlocked. I ran through the building, avoiding holes in the floor and praying that I would make it through safely to the other side. Luckily, there was a back exit.
Once I ran out the back door, I stumbled right into a tall man. He had a panicked look on his wrinkled face, as if he had been running from someone too.
“Are you hiding from the witch?” he asked with wide eyes.
“Yes,” I said breathlessly. “Where is she?”
“I think she’s gone now.”
“How can you be sure?” I peered around.
“Oh, I always sense when she’s coming around. I make sure to hide because I don’t want to deal with her. She’s been terrorizing the city for a while now.”
I looked around again, but she was nowhere in sight. Thank goodness.
“Have you dealt with her in the past?” I asked.
“I haven’t directly, but I know people who have and it’s never turned out good for them.”
“What do you mean by that? Are they dead?” I asked.
“They wish they were dead.”
I released a deep breath, thankful for the brief chance to calm down. “Do you know where to find her?”
“Now why would you want to do that? I just told you to stay away from her.” He frowned.
“I have to know where to find her. She’s after me. The only way to make her stop is to find her and bind her with a spell.”
He sighed. “I suppose you’re right about that.”
“Do you know where to find her?” I asked again.
He gave me the address and I took off down the alley.
“Just be careful. Good luck to you,” he called out.
I waved over my shoulder and paused when I came out to the street again. The witch was nowhere in sight, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t hiding. I couldn’t stay back there in the alleyway all night though. I had to get to the location and get rid of the witch once and for all. I had to get back in time for my date with Jack.
When I arrived at the large stone house I was more than a little panicked, not knowing what was in store for me. As soon as I stepped onto the driveway though, some kind of magic zapped me in the back. I fell forward, hitting the ground. Pain seared through my face and shoulders. I tried to crawl, but that only resulted in more pain as my skin scraped against the concrete. I wasn’t sure where I was going. If the witch was inside the house hitting me with spells, then that wouldn’t offer much refuge. People yelled. It sounded as if they were fighting. Where was it coming from?
The next thing I knew someone had grabbed me by the shirt and was dragging me up the steps. They pulled me into the house and shut the door behind us.
I looked up to see a beautiful woman with long black hair standing over me. She wore tight black jeans and a black blouse with black boots.
“You can’t just go running into the middle of a battlefield,” she snapped.
“What do you mean?” I asked as I stared up at her.
I looked and felt pretty pathetic stretched out on the marble floor. She stretched her hand down to me and helped me up.
The woman pointed toward the door. “That witch is out there fighting me and I was letting her have it. I accidentally hit you. I can’t believe you were able to take all that power.”
“The witch you’re fighting with is the one with the glowing green eyes?”
She rolled her eyes. “Sarah, yes, that’s her.”
“Why are you fighting with her?” I asked.
The woman dashed over to the window, pulled the heavy red velvet drape aside and peered out. “I was fighting with her. It looks like she took off.”
“If she’s so powerful then why did she take off?” I asked.
She studied my face. “Who are you?”
“My name’s Rylie Cruz. I’m a werewolf, not a witch.”
“Yeah, I gathered that much.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
“My name’s Natalie Rendon and I am a witch.”
“Nice to meet you, Natalie.” This whole scene was awkward. “So, I guess this other witch doesn’t like you much either.”
Her heels clicked against the floor as she moved back to me. “Oh, you could say that.”
“I have no idea why she doesn’t like me. I mean, I’m a werewolf. It’s not like I have any magic power to fight her.” I pushed the hair out of my eyes.
“No, I think that’s where you’re wrong. Obviously you have some kind of power because when I hit you with the magic it barely knocked you down. Have you been practicing magic?”
I shook my head. “I don’t do magic, although I did do a spell to keep her away from me.”
“No, it’s not that. I’m sensing something else,” she said as she walked around me like she was checking out her purchase. “It’s some kind of vibe that you put off. Something I can’t figure out. You’re good for a fight though.”
Chapter 23
How to Date a Witch Rule #23
Don’t touch her spell books
“So you want to tell me exactly why you’re here?” Natalie folded her arms in front of her chest.
I brushed off my clothing. “Well, I was running away after I thought the witch had nailed me with another spell. Before that I’d been trying to find her. Someone gave me this address.”
“Oh, really?” Natalie asked. “Who gave you the address?”
I shrugged. “Some man. I don’t know who he was or exactly where he came from. I ran into him at a house on Bourbon Street.”
“That’s probably Rick. He knows the witch has been looking for me for a while. You want to tell me why the witch is looking for you?” she asked.
“I have absolutely no idea,” I said.
“Well, that’s not good.”
“No, it’s not, and I know that I have to find out why in order to stop her.”
“Yes, that’s true. You have no idea why she wants you?” She checked the window again.
“I know there are two other witches working with her. I run a dating service and they came to me looking for dates. I think they’re involved with her. Plus, there’s this other hot guy.”
“What are their names?”
“His name is Dave Mitchell. The witches are Laurie and Gracie.”
“I’m not familiar with the witches, but I might recognize them if I saw them.”
“I’m surprised they’re not actually looking for me now. There’s another guy too. I fixed him up with Gracie, and now he’s disappeared. He’s a witch too.”
“What’s his name?” Natalie asked.
“Tim Austin,” I said.
“I’ve heard of him, although I don’t know him. I’ll ask around to see if anyone knows his whereabouts.”
“What have you done to make Sarah not like you?”
“She thinks that I was trying to take over her powers.”
“Were you?” I asked.
“As a matter of fact, yes, someone has to take over. It’s the only way to stop her.” A satisfied smile curved her full lips.
“So you’ve been trying to stop her?”
Natalie stood a little straighter. “Yes, and so far it hasn’t worked, but I’ll keep trying.”
“Do you think you can help me?” I asked.
“Yes, I should be able to help you,” she said.
Was she going to ask me for a gift like the other guy? Maybe she would just give me the wrong information too.
“What should I do?” I asked.
I really was clueless as to what step to take next. I hoped that I could truly count on her.
“You need some sort of protection.” She waved her arm as if demonstrating how she would cast a spell.
“As in a witchcraft?” I asked.
“You got it.” She punctuated the sentence with a point of her finger. “I can give you that, but unfortunately, that’s about all I can do for you.”
“That’s not enough?”
Her expression hardened. Apparently I’d touched a sore spot. “I’m not as powerful as Sarah thinks I am, but I’m working on that. You need something more.”
“What else do I need and how can I find it? I’m desperate,” I said.
“Never admit your desperation,” she said with a wave of her finger.
I wanted to ask if we could wrap this up by this evening because I had a date, but I figured that would be pushing it.
“I know someone who can help you and give you the protection that you need.”
“Who is this person?” I asked.
“A man. He lives in the city over from here. Always brings a shotgun to the door with him. He has a missing tooth.” She pointed at her mouth.
“Hey, I know him,” I said.
Her eyebrow rose. “You do?”
“I’ve been to his place. He gave me the wrong address. I thought Sarah would be at the address, but she wasn’t there.”
“I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for what he did,” Natalie said.
“Well, I hope so, but I have my doubts,” I said.
“Are you willing to go back there? I really think that he could be your only option,” she said.
I sighed. “Yes, I suppose I have no other option but to do that.”
I really didn’t think it would help. Plus, I knew I would have to take him some sort of gift in order to get information.
“You seem hesitant. Is there something else you’re not telling me?” She leaned against the red velvet sofa.
It matched the drapes.
“I guess there is one thing.” I fidgeted with my hands. “I’m worried about how I’m going to get him another gift.”
“What do you mean?” She frowned.
“When I went before I had to take him a gift and it wasn’t easy. He wouldn’t tell me what he needed. He just said figure it out.”
She laughed. “Is he still playing that prank?”
“What do you mean, prank?”
“He does it all the time.”
“Well, he wouldn’t give me the information without the gift.”
“I can guarantee you won’t need a gift this time.”
“Because you’re going to be with me?” I asked.
“No, all you have to do is tell him who you are.”
I walked over to the bookcase and touched the lovely hardbound book. Every shelf was full of equally beautiful tomes. “I doubt he’ll be interested in that.”
“Oh, he will. If he works this right it’ll give him the status that he’s always been looking for.”
“So he’s just going to be using me to get what he wants?”
“Is that such a bad thing? You’ll get what you want and he gets what he wants.�
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“Yeah, I suppose that’s the way it works, right?”
“Come on. I’ll drive.” She grabbed her keys and black Gucci purse.
When we stepped outside, I paused.
“Aren’t you afraid the witch will be around?” I asked.
“She’ll be back, but it’ll be a while. We have a little bit of time.” Natalie unlocked the little red sports car and I opened the door, getting into the passenger side.
She slid behind the wheel and started the engine.
As we pulled out of the driveway, she said, “Tell me more about yourself. You run a dating service?”
“Yes, that’s right, except all paranormal, not just witches. Werewolves, like myself too.”
“If you ever run across a good witch let me know, because I haven’t found a decent one in ages.” She smiled.
“I’ll make sure to keep you in mind,” I said.
After the hour’s drive, we had arrived at Roger’s house again. I couldn’t help but feel nervous as soon as I pulled into the driveway. Sure enough, he appeared on the front porch with the shotgun again.
Natalie rolled down the window. “Don’t point that thing at me.”
He immediately lowered the gun as she moved forward.
“I guess he likes you,” I said.
“He’d better. He owes me.”
I wondered what that was all about.
Natalie pulled up and shoved the car into park, turning off the engine. When she opened the car door, she asked, “Well, are you coming?”
“I’m not sure if I want to.” I stared straight ahead at Roger. “Why don’t you talk to him and I’ll stay here. I don’t think he’ll like that I came back.”
“You’ll be fine.” She motioned for me to follow her.
I opened the door and reluctantly trailed along behind her. I stood back a bit though, in case I needed to run.
“Well, well, look what the black cat dragged in,” he said. “What can I do for you?”
“I think you’ve met my friend,” she said.
He looked at me. “I remember.”
“We need some information from you.”
“I don’t have anything to tell her,” he said. “And where is my gift?”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Oh, don’t start with the gift stuff. You know good and well you don’t need a gift. Now invite us in right now.”
