His mom marched forward. “What have I told you about being mean to your little brother? Did I just see you throw a rock at him?”
I grinned and watched her grab the boy by the ear. He was in for it now.
She berated him as she dragged him away from the coffee shop, and I felt my muscles relax. I hoped the boy wasn’t a bully because his mom was, but then I pushed the thought aside. That’s not how karma worked. It wouldn’t try to teach a kid a lesson by tossing him to the wolves. No, I was sure the mom would have consequences and a firm conversation, but the ear would be the worst of it. I had never been a fan of physical consequences with my own son, but then, my son had never bullied other kids.
He wasn’t an angel either. But no one was.
I sighed. It was getting late. And if I started thinking of my son, I’d start thinking about his dad, who was probably still a toad somewhere in my neighborhood. And if I started thinking about toad-man, I’d start thinking about the scary note someone left on my doorstep. It was a nice day, there was no way I was going to obsess about all of that right now, even though my heart was already starting to speed in my chest.
With a sigh and a couple deep breaths, I drained my coffee, relishing the last delicious mouthful. It was time to head home.
As I tossed the cup into the garbage can on the sidewalk, my bladder squeezed, reminding me I was over forty and had been drinking coffee for hours. As much as I wanted to pretend birthing my son hadn’t done major damage to my insides, I’d never again be that woman who could rock a concert all night and not use the porta-potties every couple of hours.Oh, to be young again!
And then I remembered all the dumb things I’d done when I was younger and grinned. Nah, I’d keep my weak bladder and bad back if it meant I could keep my lessons too. Those were hard-earned, and I wasn’t about to give them up so easily.
Even so, this meant I needed a pee break. Pronto. I sighed and weaved through the outdoor mall, heading for the cleanest bathroom. It was a little further from my house, but well worth having a toilet seat cover, paper towels, and a clean toilet.
After using the facilities, I headed down a side street toward my neighborhood. Not only was sitting downtown a great practice for my Karma, the walk to and from had helped me feel like I got a bit of exercise in, especially given how hilly the roads were. As I huffed up the street, going through a stretch lined by woods rather than houses—another perk of small-town living—the afternoon seemed to get oddly dark. I picked up the pace, huffing as I headed up the hill.
The forecast hadn’t called for rain, or I wouldn’t have come today or at least I would’ve brought an umbrella. I eyed the sky with concern. It felt kind of strange to watch the dark clouds rolling in so quickly. Had the weather always changed this fast in Mystic Hollow when I was younger? I wasn’t sure but I thought it had. Still, it made me feel unsettled when the clouds moved over the sun and darkness washed over me. What was more, the storm clouds made the temperature drop so dang fast that goosebumps erupted across my flesh.
I was going to have to ask the ladies about whether these strange storms were normal due to being so close to the ocean, or supernatural. Now that I knew about witches, shifters, and sirens, this storm felt like it belonged in the “weird stuff” category.
When I was about a hundred feet from the end of the wooded part of my walk, a growl made me whirl around. At first, I could see nothing to explain the unsettling noise, but then I saw two red eyes from the shadows.
My heart skipped a beat. It was probably just a rabid beaver, right? Or an angry raccoon? Or a bunny who’s angry at life? I gripped my purse strap and took a step back, breathing hard.
Suddenly, a large black wolf leaped from the shadows. Its lips peeled back, and a roar tore from its lips, seeming to shake the woods around us.
My heart calmed a little, and I sucked in a deep breath to steady my breathing. “How dare you scare someone like that!” I exclaimed, realizing what was happening. This was one of the pack members trying to play a prank and itwasn’tfunny. “You could’ve given me a heart attack, and then how would you feel?”
The wolf gave another little growl, but it was quieter. Uncertain.
I put my hands on my hips. “What would your mother think of you scaring ladies who are just trying to walk home? Huh?”
The wolf lowered his head and looked up at me with guilty, worried eyes. “You should feel bad!” I exclaimed. “What you did wasn’t funny. If I’d thought you were a wild wolf, I might’ve taken off running, tripped, and broken my leg. And humans don’t heal like you lot do.”
He cowered more, tucking his tail between his legs.
“That’s right. You take yourself home right this instant and stop trying to scare people.” As he turned toward the woods, I thought of something else. “Oh, one more thing! You go tell your alpha that you risked exposing your kind for a stupid prank. Go tell him right now, before you even go home.”
The wolf let out a pitiful whine, then slinked into the woods.
Served him right. Little trickster. He had to learn.
I carried on, turning onto the road that led down to the ocean and my neighborhood. I lived in the house my parents had owned, with a large lot and a backyard that faced a white sand beach and the rolling waves of the ocean. At least I wasn’t heading back to the home I’d had with my ex.
Yes, I knew how lucky I was for such a home.
When I turned off the road and down my driveway, I stopped at the mailbox.
There was nothing but a postcard for Mystic Hollow. It had no stamp, no address, and no return address. Only one thing was written on the back.
Tick Tock.
Thunder sounded above me, and a tremble ran through me making my legs shaky. The postcard tumbled from my hand, and I crumbled onto the sidewalk. I knew that handwriting.
The person who knew about my husband, they were here, and they weren’t going away.
