This necklace meant something to my sweet cherry. Right now wasn’t the best time to ask, but I made a mental note to do it later.
I nodded. “Got it.”
“Excellent,” Lorena sighed while lifting the necklace. Her eyes shimmered expectantly when she turned to me. “And the payment.”
A handful of large bills later, she led us into the back room and cleared a space at a circular table. The thin, purple cloth covering the table invited my touch. Resting my hands on the fabric produced a serene reaction, one that made me want to spill all my secrets.
Charlotte slapped my hands. “There are all kinds of predatory sales traps in here. Don't fall for it.”
The witch seated across from us looked so entertained that it bugged me. “You know so much about my shop.”
“Sasha has told me plenty.”
“But we’re such good friends your wolf sister and I.”
Charlotte shrugged. “Times change. We’re in a hurry, so get on with the locator spell, okay?”
Her persistence and grit inspired me, drawing a low growl to vibrate my throat. When the women inspected, I coughed nervously, pretending like I had something lodged in my throat. Excuses about choking on the salad came to mind.
I groaned internally.
This isn’t dinner with her parents, you idiot, I chastised.It’s just a fucking spell with a money-hungry witch. That’s it. Don’t get so wound up.
But how could Inotget wound up? My son was being held by blood-sucking monsters, the woman of my dreams was sitting right beside me, and for some reason, the three of us could communicate with each other in our wolf forms without being related.
Nothing made sense.
Where was my alpha when I needed my emotions squeezed out of me like the last remaining globs of toothpaste from a tube?
Lorena palmed the silver tooth necklace and closed her eyes. “I’ll need something that belongs to the missing person.”
“He’s a child,” I bit. “And I have his comb in my pocket.”
The little guy rarely brushed his hair, but it was something that collected dust on his nightstand. It served just as well as a sock in my opinion. When I handed it over, the witch frowned and cracked open one eye. “That’s it?”
“Would you prefer a lock of hair?”
“Nah, we don’t do that anymore.”
I sighed. “Then, get on with it.”
“I charge extra for impatience.”
Irritation flared in my chest. “And I willchargeyou to the ground if you don’t—”
Charlotte raised her hands between us. “Something, something the energy in here is too clogged with negativity, or whatever you witches believe in, right?” She shot me a disappointed frown. “At ease, pup.”
My wolf took a backseat. Anyone who was able to make that happen had to be meant for me.
But I tried not to think about it in those terms.
“Right,” Lorena agreed reluctantly while closing her eyes again. “Be patient. This could take some time.”
I rolled my eyes. Charlotte rested her hand over mine, her fingers sliding over my knuckles like they were always meant to be there. Was that how mates were supposed to feel?
The only reason that’s in my head is that she brought it up last night, I thought timidly.
Lorena chanted in Latin while waving the comb loosely over the silver necklace. She paused to suck air between her teeth, her eyebrows locking tightly together. “Oh, that’s interesting.”