“Horrifying,” Etta finished for me. “The woman was pretty freaking scary. Her magic stopped us both in our tracks and, with a gesture, she’d dropped a large werewolf to the ground in an instant. There was no denying her power.” Etta pressed her forehead against the passenger window and stared at the passing houses. “Whatever she did to him, I think she did to me as well.”
Alarm passed through me at her words. “No,” I denied, as I turned left on Broad Street. “You think she took your wolf?”
“Damn it. Hearing you say it makes my chest hurt… makes it hard to breathe,” she said. “But there’s this empty place inside me. It feels like a piece of me is missing and that no matter how hard I try, I can’t find it. It’s the only reason I’m willing to even entertain this wise woman of the lake mumbo jumbo.”
I slowed the truck and pulled into an apartment complex that I saw after a four-way stop. Etta didn’t say I was at the wrong place, so I found a spot to park. I turned to her, working to keep my fear from my eyes. “Try to shift.”
She shook her head. “I tried last night, and I couldn’t. What if I can’t today? That makes it all very real.”
I steadied my voice and softened my tone. “It’s the only way to know for sure. Once we know, then we’ll figure out what to do next.”
“We, huh?”
“I’m here, aren’t I? You’re not alone, Etta.”
“Okay,” she agreed nervously. “I’ll try.”
For Etta and me, shifting was the easiest thing in the world. Not something we had to try and do. It was like breathing. Not a skill we had to learn, but an ability we were born with. “You can do it,” I urged her.
“I can do this,” she repeated. After a few seconds, she blew out a blustery exhale. “I can’t.” She let out a frustrated growl. “I can’t shift.”
I felt like I’d been gut-punched but kept my demeanor calm. “Okay then. We confront her.” If someone took Etta’s wolf, then we needed to go get it back. “Where’s the shop located?”
“Are you out of your mind?” Etta gasped. “Jo Jo, no. If she can do this to me, she can do it to you too. Do you want to lose your coyote? On top of that, in a creepy cold read, she told me that I needed to find the wise woman of the lake before the vernal equinox because failure meant death. We only have a couple of days to make that happen.”
“She told you this?” My tone was incredulous. “It sounds a lot like Sunny’s message, with the extra bonus of death.”
“Exactly,” she pointed out, on the verge of tears. “We’re wasting time trying to track down a dangerous lead that will almost certainly make the situation even worse.”
Her logic was sound, but I pushed back. “You said it takes a little over three hours to get to Grand Lake Grove from Warrensburg. A few minutes more won’t make a difference.” I wanted to make this right for Etta, and this was the only way I could see us getting her wolf back. She’d need it if she was going to have any chance against William. “Besides, the woman might be able to give us more direction on the old lady wise woman. More information now could save us time in the long run.”
“Contingent on the cooperation of a powerful conjuror, or whatever she is,” she scoffed. “It’s a stupid idea.”
Etta let out a yelp when my phone rang. Sunny’s name was displayed on the screen again, and I put her on speaker.
“Don’t tell me,” Etta said, “You got a message saying I’m supposed to dance naked during the full moon to prevent the apocalypse.”
“Only if you want to,” Sunny said with a chuckle.
I raised my brows as an image of Etta’s tan skin bathing in moonlight formed in my head. I couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at the corners of my mouth.
Etta, her lips pursed, narrowed her gaze at me.
Holy cow, I wanted to take her pouty lower lip between my teeth and give her a nibble. No, I told myself. We had far bigger problems than my unrequited lust. I let out a slow breath as Etta gave me a questioning look. “Do you have some new info?” I asked Sunny.
“I’m just calling with a general FYI,” she replied. “I might’ve told Chav and Doc about your trouble with William.”
That was a very specific FYI.
“Noooo,” Etta groaned. “Why would you do that?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Sunny shot back. “She’s my best friend, and he’s your dad. Of course, I’m going to tell them. Anyways, just wanted to give you a heads up.”
“A heads up?” I asked.
“They’re on their way to Grand Lake Grove, Oklahoma,” Sunny replied. “That’s where you’re going, right?”
“Ah, hell no.” Etta shook her head. “I don’t want them getting involved in my mess. They’ve already had enough to deal with because of me.”
