Chapter 10

I watchedthe werewolf from my bedroom window for a long time. He seemed to know where I was in the house, could probably hear both my footsteps and my heartbeat, and stayed on the porch opposite wherever I was. Like he refused to let me out of his sight or earshot. Well, I had the antidote to his little clematis problem, so that made sense.

“I barely liked the idea of a farm dog and now we have a werewolf?” Sawyer whispered. He refused to speak in a normal voice, lest the beast on the porch overhear him.

Jumping down from the windowsill, he followed me into the bathroom as I got the tub running. “And what’s this malarky about needing an antidote once a day for ten days? Just give him a tonic of willow bark and pumpkin seed mash with a little beet juice and that’ll clear him out in one go.”

“Shhh!” I flicked him lightly in the shoulder. “Of course I know that. But he doesn’t. And there’s an opportunity to be had here that I intend to make good on.”

He leapt to the rim of the tub, ignoring the bath bubbles for once and turning his full attention on me. “Oh?”

As I swept my hair into a bun, I explained in a hushed voice, “We’re getting nowhere with Shari, right? Well, I’ve been thinking of crafting a new spell, one to track down the Big Nasty via its half-heart.”

Sawyer’s whiskers quivered. “And?”

“And demand it take its half-heart back. Or…” I indicated my iron cuffs.

“Are you out of your mind?” he cried, slipping on the rim and sliding tail-first into the bubble bath.

Lurching forward, I grabbed the mewling tomcat and hoisted him free of the pink foam, taking him right to the sink to rinse out his fur. He hiccupped, releasing a flurry of miniscule bubbles. Setting him in the shower stall, I shucked the bulk of the water from his fur and left him to finish grooming himself dry.

“‘Out of my mind’ would be trying to go up against the Big Nasty without the appropriate combat training,” I continued. “Dad never taught us that kind of fighting. But sparring against a shifter with their superhuman strength and speed… That would be the next best thing. When the werewolf shifts back, I’m hoping to convince him to stick around for a bit and help me with that.”

“Why not ask Arthur?”

“You really don’t have any understanding of the dynamics of human interaction, do you?”

He paused licking the water from his paw to give me a sour look. “That’s because in my world, we’re a lot more direct. You want food, you get it. You don’t take an hour deciding between tacos and Chinese and then go get a chicken pot pie. You like a girl? You just tell her—she can smell your pheromone reaction anyway. And nobody goes cursing other people’s stuff. And secrets are something we familiars learn from you.”

“I think you’ve been spending too much time around Ame. You’re starting to sound very judgmental. Now shoo. It’s time for my bath.”

“Guess I’ll do us both a favor and keep an eye on that wolf while you play with your bubbles.”

“Bye, Judgy Boy.”

Leaving moist pawprints in his wake, Sawyer slunk out of the bathroom to let me soak in peace. When he was gone, I retrieved the bar of pine-scented soap I’d hidden in my towel and removed the packaging. Sinking back into the hot water, I lifted the soap to my nose and inhaled deeply.

Surrounded by warmth, enveloped in a familiar scent, it was easy to imagine a version of the lumberjack shifter who still smiled at the sound of my name. This Arthur knew everything—my past, the curse on my family’s grimoire, the fear of discovery I faced every day that curse remained. This Arthur knew it all and chose to cherish whatever time he had with me, no strings attached.

Gliding the soap across my skin, I shivered as the scent washed over me. That scent of forest that had drawn me to it ever since I was a little girl. A place of secrets, of discovery.

Pity I don’t have any Reisling.

When I was finished, I donned the flannel shirt Arthur had left behind. The sleeves were far too long and needed rolling; the red plaid was soft and worn so it was easily done. It didn’t have the same effect as one of his bear hugs, but it was similar enough my drowsy mind didn’t complain. Only a moment passed after I crawled into bed before Sawyer joined me, bedding down in the crook of my arm, his chin on my shoulder.

“If you miss him this much, why don’t you say something to him?” the tabby cat asked.

“I can’t be the woman he wants me to be, so what’s the point?”

“That’s up for him to decide, isn’t it? But he can’t do that if he doesn’t know the whole story.”

Tell him about the Hawthornes, the curse, the rival coven, the threat of hellhound trackers, and suck him into that world? “I won’t risk him like that.”

“Misty.” Sawyer lifted his head off my shoulder. “He’s a shifter, not a brownie. He can handle a lot. And if he says no, then you gave it your best shot.”

I cracked open an eye. “Fine. If the wolf says no, I’ll ask him.”

If he can even stand to look at me.