Spaghetti and Moonlight

M aple trots along the dirt path ahead of me. She leads me through a thick copse of trees. The only things guiding my way are the moonlight up ahead, the witchlight stone in my hand, and my hyper little familiar leading the way.

The last several days have sped by in a whirlwind of party planning. I haven't seen Rook in person since we went to his cottage in the woods. But in our dreams? We've seen each other every night since.

Like usual, Maple acts as my dream guide, weaving between trees and leading me down a path only she knows until we spot Rook. And just like usual, he's in his wolf form. His wolf always takes my breath away. Coming up to my shoulders and thick enough that I can easily climb on top of his back and ride him like a horse.

I giggle at the thought.

Rook's brown eyes snap up, and he runs toward me like an eager dog. I love seeing him greet me this way, like he's as desperate to be by my side as I am to be near him.

I sprint toward my wolf until my arms wrap around his thick neck and my fingers tangle in his soft, silky fur. Like this, Rook always lets me touch him, hug him, and hold him. But once he shifts, he's always more reserved. Lingering in the feel of him for a moment longer, I tighten my hold.

When I finally pull away, he shifts to his normal half-were side. A part of me is a little sad that he figured out how to place dream clothes on his body in the blink of an eye, but not today. Today he's even more handsome than usual.

He's wearing a sexy pair of jeans and a white T-shirt that clings to the muscles in his chest. These dreams usually all start off the same. Maple guides me to my wolf and fades away when we're reunited. We usually spend this time walking around the forest hand in hand, just chatting and getting to know each other.

Lately, we've come up with a game of sorts. We ask each other a random question that launches us into our discussion. The whole thing is so sweet and I don't know if he realizes just how romantic all of this is, but I can easily say that I'm starting to fall for my big stoic, shy wolf.

"If love potions were real, what would you think it's made of?" he asks as soon as we take the familiar path that leads us to a beautiful clearing in the woods.

"Well," I tap my chin with the finger of my free hand. "Definitely rose petals. Roses are universal in the magic of love."

"Okay, but that's a little obvious." He squeezes my hand with a laugh. "We're making a love potion here. What else would you add?"

I chuckle. "Someone's feeling playful. Alright, Mr. Potions Master. I would add apples to our elixir. In fact, magical apples will be the base of my potion. A lot of people don't realize it, but apples are not only tied to love, but they symbolize passion, sensuality, and affection."

Rook guides me deeper into the forest. "Impressive. I did know that. Did you know that there's a reason apples appear in so many fairytales and love stories? People always remember pomegranates, but no one talks about the significance of apples."

My heart skips a beat. Only Rook and I can flirt with storytelling. "I'm aware of its importance in stories, especially in myths like how Dionysus would give apples to Aphrodite to try to woo her." I glance up at Rook and our eyes meet.

"What would you add to our love potion?"

"I would switch things up too. I propose using apples instead of rose water as the base of our spell, incorporating apple juice and sliced apples to our base. To enhance romantic feelings, I'd incorporate a hint of ginger and a few drops of vanilla for added sweetness. And cinnamon is often included in spells for desire and passion, so I would definitely add that. We need to add a little spice to our potion."

Something about the way Rook says that has my heart skipping another beat. Damn, what is it about this wolf? And why do I suddenly find myself wanting to drink love potions with him?

I squeeze his hand. "Oh! What if we added an aphrodisiac, like magical jasmine? This actually sounds really yummy."

"Perfect." He tugs me into the clearing where a blanket is already spread out for us. "If you could share a love potion with anyone, who would it be?"

My face heats. No way am I telling Rook I want to share it with him. I don't want to put any weird expectations on him. "I don't really have a celebrity crush. So maybe Cinder?"

His grin is wide. "Cinder from Fire in His Wake?" Rook makes a tsking sound. "That's a very, very naughty book."

I laugh, really enjoying this playful side of Rook.

"What about you? Who would you share a love potion with?"

"Gods, I would want to share it with someone who already likes me. Someone who shares my love for spellwork. Someone who can make me smile and laugh."

Check. Check. And Check. That could be me he's describing. Gods, I want it to be me. Suddenly, my heart is pounding with excitement. "Alright then," I hedge. "Why don't we do that? This is a dream, after all."

"You mean drink our potion together?" His tail is wagging, and I always find it so damn endearing when that happens. "It does sound awfully delicious."

"Right?"

"Let me think about it. Maybe I can make us dinner sometime and we can make our elixir together."

I offer him a smile. I love that he's willing to entertain the idea. If we ever did make it together, I know we wouldn't be adding all the magical properties to it, but just enjoying it for the beverage it's meant to be.

"Okay. Next question. It's your turn."

"If you could wish for anything, what would it be?"

"I would wish for the moonlight to bless me so that I was no longer cursed."

I'm taken aback by the sudden shift in seriousness.

"As a born wolf shifter, there's this natural pull to the full moon. We are drawn to it. The moon was always something I used to celebrate. But in this form, the moon is something negative to me. I'm tired of hating the moon. I want to celebrate it again."

The longing in his voice breaks my heart.

"That's understandable." I scoot closer to him on the blanket. "Can you tell me how exactly you're cursed? According to what you told me before, the moon doesn't force you to shift. There's nothing painful tied to the moon, so how are you cursed?"

Rook closes his eyes as if in pain. "Look at me, Autumn." He gestures at his body and waves a hand down at his werewolf feet. "I'm a monster."

"No," I snap. "You are not a monster. Don't you dare fucking say that. I've met a monster, and you're nothing like him." My thoughts momentarily stray to Orson torturing my brother. Images pop into my mind against my will.

Rook's hand is suddenly on my back, rubbing soothing circles that bring me back to reality. His claws graze against my skin and I shiver as my nipples pebble. Fuck, what would his claws feel like in bed? I know he files them so they aren't sharp. Just sharp enough to feel good.

"We can talk about that last statement some other time, if you want."

I nod, thankful he isn't making me explain right now.

He offers me a smile that makes me melt.

"You aren't a monster," I say, smoothing back a lock of his brown hair. "I kind of like the way you look."

Kind of is an understatement. There's no kind of about it. I'm wildly attracted to Rook Hawthorne.

He leans into my touch. "What about you? What would you wish for?"

Gods, now that I'm getting to know him, it's even more embarrassing to say out loud, but when I'm being honest with myself, all I want is to be in love with my husband.

Considering my circumstances, it almost sounds immature to say I want to marry for love. Not when I can save my whole coven from losing their magic. So instead, I go with a partial truth. "I wish I could go on those really cheesy, over-the-top romantic dates. I don't think I'll get to experience anything like that with my future betrothed."

A smile tips his lips and his brow does that cute little crinkle. "What kind of over-the-top cheesy?"

"You know, things you would find in a rom-com movie, or in one of the romances we read. Something like sharing spaghetti, Lady-and-the-Tramp style. Or having a picnic next to a waterfall."

"There aren't even any waterfalls that I know of in Heart's Hollow. And I'm pretty sure I've run through every inch of this town as a wolf."

I laugh. "I know. It's stupid. It's the first thing that came to mind, but I still think it would be really romantic."

"Well then, why don't we do it?"

"What?"

"Let's do it. Here in our dreams. Let's go on these over-the-top romantic dates together. We can make a list. You have the ability to come to me in my dreams. So, let's make it happen." Rook snaps his fingers.

A table appears in the middle of the clearing. In the center of the table are a lit candle and one heaping plate of spaghetti. It looks absolutely delicious.

"Oh my gods. How long have you been able to do that?"

He smiles, his brown eyes sparkling. "Do what?"

"Just snap your fingers and make things appear."

"It's something I remembered when learning about dreams between fate—" Rook stops mid-sentence. "It's a shifter thing, but I'm pretty sure you can do it, too. Go on, you try it."

Rubbing my hands together with excitement, I clear my mind. Then pause. "I'm not exactly sure how different it is from summoning a simple item. How do I know I'm not just doing my normal witchy thing?"

Rook laughs. "What if you try something not-so-simple?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't summon a simple item. Try changing something you know you wouldn't be able to do in real life."

I think for a moment, then grin. "Okay. Got it." I close my eyes and concentrate. Then I snap my fingers.

Rook gasps, and I open my eyes. The full moon is larger than normal and glows so brightly, it helps illuminate our entire table in the dark. There are more stars dotted in the sky, but adding to the ambiance are our green and magenta wisps of magic flying around us like fireflies.

"I've never seen the full moon look so beautiful before." Rook's eyes water as he stands, looking around. "You did this for me?"

I nod, standing as well. I hope I didn't just fuck things up. I know Rook said he wanted a reason to celebrate the moon again. "Is this okay? I just thought—"

Rook pulls me into a hug. "Thank you, Autumn. This is beautiful." He clings to me tightly and I hold on to him, realizing that this moment carries a greater significance to Rook than I can truly comprehend. As we separate, our eyes lock together. The moonlight shimmers and dances in his gaze, and somehow I know he sees it in my eyes, too.

Taking a deep breath, Rook clasps my chin in his clawed fingers. He's so fucking careful and there's something so damn hot about the way he's looking at me; like he wants to devour me.

Like he's a wolf and I'm his prey.

Fuck.

My cock grows hard, responding to the lust I see in his gaze.

His fingers tighten their grasp, and he tilts his head, sniffing the air. His eyes dilate. Oh gods. He's smelling my arousal. With a growl, he yanks me to him at the same time I stand on my tip-toes, crashing his lips to mine.

Kissing Rook is captivating. No, it's more than that. It's intoxicating.

His lips press against mine as his hand that was grasping my chin slides behind my head and holds me in place. I moan into the kiss and he takes advantage of my parted lips and slides his tongue against mine.

Maybe it's because we're in a dream, or it's because it's the last thing I was thinking about, but he tastes like our made-up love potion. He tastes like apple cider with a hint of vanilla. We groan at the same time.

A twig snaps in the distance, and it's startling because I know we are supposed to be the only two people here. Rook growls by my side, stepping in front of me, ready to pounce. Maple emerges from the trees.

An image travels through my familiar bond and into my mind. It's a picture of Rook and I sharing our spaghetti, us leaning across the table as we both nibble and suck from the same spaghetti noodle.

Rook laughs. "Did she just tell us to get on with our Lady-and-the-Tramp date?"

Maple yips.

I giggle. "Oh gods, you saw that?" She must be able to send him images in our dreams, too.

"Well, you heard the lady." Rook holds bows at the waist and holds his hand out to me. "Shall we?"

I grin, eyeing Maple. "We better, or she might end up eating our spaghetti before we can."