The wolf from the graveyard stood at the stairs between Jeff and me. It flicked one glance in my direction, meeting my eyes. Once again, I had the sense I was looking at eyes I’d seen before. A shocking pool of lust landed in my belly. Its salt and pepper fur bristled, as if it felt it too.
“H-hi.” Let it never be said that I’m cool under pressure.
The wolf dipped its head, almost like a greeting, then turned away from me. Planting all fours, it faced Jeff squarely and growled again. When I say I felt that growl down to my roots, it’s not an exaggeration. It was most definitely the kind of warning meant to strike fear.
And it worked. I was terrified.
So was Jeff. He went completely still. The front of his filthy slacks darkened with urine. I couldn’t blame him. I wanted to pee my pants, too. He backed up, which seemed like a terrible idea. With a stumble, he landed on his ass. The wolf descended the stairs with deliberate slowness. Jeff was being stalked.
There was a lot going on. I couldn’t pull many clear thoughts from my brain. I opened my mouth to speak, and a weird kind of squeak came out. I pinched the space between my thumb and forefinger, willing my brain to focus. Somehow, I knew I was safe with the wolf.
But Jeff wasn’t. No matter how angry I was, I couldn’t allow him to be hurt.
“Jeff, you should leave. And you are not invited back here.”
Jeff’s near-delirious eyes lifted to mine. His lip raised in a snarl. Was he actually snarling at me with a giant wolf ready to eat him?
“This will all be gone in the morning.” I waved my hand to encompass the mess that was my husband. “Just go.”
He backed his way to the gate, using it as leverage to stand.
“This ithn’t over, Thimone.”
Once he was on the other side, he ran, his yelps of pain fading with the distance.
“No, this isn’t over, Jeff. But we are.” My throat was almost too tight to swallow. Fresh tears drenched my cheeks.
The wolf turned to face me, whimpering in my direction. The bristles of his fur softened. I don’t know why, but my fingers itched to stroke him. Everything inside me was black and unsettled. Burying myself inthis creature felt like the safest place in the world. The wolf’s eyes turned down, as if my sadness had become his.
“Thank you for not hurting him,” I said. “And, uh, for protecting me.” He held my eyes a moment longer. In a single leap, he was over the gate and headed in the direction Jeff had run. Without asking, I knew he’d make sure Jeff left town.
I didn’t want to walk through the house in case someone was in the lobby, not that I’d ever seen anyone entering or leaving. Instead, I followed the side path to the curved stairs. Gumbo sat at the top, a charcoal gray bow on his neck.
I reached down to scratch under his chin, only then realizing how badly I was shaking.
“We have excellent security at the Magnolia,” Gumbo said, threading his way around my legs.
Once I was inside the house, my knees gave out. I sank to the floor, head against the door for support, as if it might hold me up while I figured things out.
Which might have been true. After what I’d just seen, there was no way I could question magic.
Or my abilities.
After all, I’d managed to hex my ex without even realizing it.
What other damage had I done?
CHAPTER 15
Agood therapist knows how to compartmentalize. Even when they are suffering under the weight of personal struggles, they stuff their own needs into a tiny box in their hearts, lock stray thoughts in a cabinet in their brains, and focus on their patients.
Sure, they might mention feeling out of sorts, but only in a way that conveys humanity. They are meant to have feelings, but not express them. It’s important that therapists have personal boundaries. That they keep their biases in check and provide a safe and judgment-free space for whoever sat on their proverbial couch.
Funny how, only yesterday morning, I’d believed I’d ever been a good therapist.
One day later, sitting across from a fire nymph with post-traumatic stress, I had doubts about, well, pretty much everything. When she’d introduced herself, I’d been unable to hide the sheer exhaustion that had clawed so deep into me no amount of rest would release it.
I’d gone to bed resolved to embrace the magic in the world around me. But by morning, my resolve had faded. I was more out of sorts than ever, and the events of the day before still held me in place.
