"Andrew Whit?" I asked.
"Yep, one of the two werewolves in Mystic Hollow. That we know of.”
"So, inside that building could be a cold blood monster killer?” I murmured. "It’s kind of unsettling.”
"You might be surprised,” she said, then we headed out of the car.
She started for the walkway. I followed, still trying to wrap my head around the concept of a suburban werewolf. A monster sitting right next door to a bunch of humans, without them ever knowing. I mean, didn’t they get suspicious with all the howling at the moon? But then again, I didn’t suspect the supernatural world existed the whole time I was here when I was younger, so I couldn’t exactly blame them.
"Do you know him well?" I asked as we walked up to the door.
"Sort of. I’ve been to a few parties where he was," Beth shrugged, her keys jangling softly as she tucked them into her purse. "He's always been nice. Not what you'd expect from a werewolf."
"Well, okay then." I watched her hand hover over the doorbell.
"I called him this morning, told him we wanted to talk." She pressed the button, and a distant chime echoed from within. "I’m pretty sure he knows why we're here."
"Do you think he'll help us?"
"I guess we're about to find out." She stepped back and waited.
The door creaked open and a guy with glasses that looked like they belonged in a 1950s ad campaign peered out. He was skinny, the type of skinny that made you think of high school science teachers or guys who owned too many comic books.
"Andrew Whit?" Beth tilted her head slightly as she examined him.
"That's me." He said, with a strong British accent, before he pushed his glasses up his nose with a finger. "You must be Beth. And this is?"
"Emma…" I trailed off as I stared. This was the werewolf? He looked more capable of solving algebra problems than howling at the moon.
"Nice to meet you, Emma." Andrew stepped aside. "Come in."
"Thanks for having us over," Beth said as we walked past him.
"Sure thing." Andrew closed the door behind us. "I figured it was about the unicorn horn case when you called."
"Smart man." Beth shared a look with me.
SEVEN
Emma
The werewolf led us through the cutest darn house I’d ever seen in my life, with wallpaper in all the right places, and splashes of coral colors everywhere. I legitimately wanted to snap pictures of all the kitschy things on the walls and tables, so I could buy some of them for my place.
Thiswas a werewolf house? Man, I needed to stop judging supernaturals so quickly. In my mind, we were going to be walking into a place with concrete walls stained in blood. I wondered how one werewolf could viciously attack someone, and another one could live like this. I guessed I’d soon find out.
We arrived in a sunroom overlooking an extraordinary garden, rich with brilliantly colored flowers, some of which I’d never seen before. This was the kind of place where a person could snuggle up with a good book and let the afternoon sunlight fade away to evening. A place that someone built with love.
"Sit down, please." Andrew gestured to the wicker chairs in his sunroom, his accent making the offer sound even more pleasant. "Tea?"
"Thank you." I settled into one of the chairs. The room was surrounded by windows, and sunlight poured in, warming my skin.
"Your home is charming." Beth looked around.
"Thanks, it's cozy." He smiled, placing the tray on the table and pouring the tea.
"Is that chamomile?" I asked, sniffing the air.
"Spot on," he nodded, handing me a cup.
