“Just don’t.”
I carry the mystery box to the closet and shove it into the corner as instructed. The closet is deeper than it should be. The back wall keeps receding as I move toward it.
I decide not to think about that.
When I come back out, Sadie is watching me with that worried look. It’s rare enough that I always know I’ve fucked up when I see it.
“Look, twerp,” she begins. “There’s something I wanna tell you.”
“Twerp?” I arch an eyebrow. “I’m like a foot taller than you now.”
“I don’t do the touchy feely woo bullshit, so shut up and listen,” she mutters. Once she seems satisfied that I’m not going to interrupt, she continues, “You know I think your little pack of Moon-Moons is completely hopeless on the best of days, and Killian is by far my least favorite idiot out of the bunch. But you guys have changed. Regina’s been good for you, and even if she’scompletelyout of all your leagues to the point where you’re basically playing foosball and she’s playing chess?—“
“Gee, thanks for the pep talk,” I say flatly, even though I can’t say I disagree.
“My point is,” she continues, “You’re not the same clueless morons you were before her. You’ve all grown up. Even Sean. When that coven of douchebags showed up, you stood your ground and protected what’s yours. When Villeneuve offered to let you stay in his mansion, you did it even though you guys all have some kind of paranoid wolf hive mind complex about the guy, and Iknowit’s driving you crazy.”
“You have no fucking idea,” I mutter.
“But you did it anyway,” she reasons.
“It’s the only way we could guarantee Regina is safe, and keep an eye on Killian’s condition,” I say with a shrug.
“Exactly.” Her black lipstick cracks slightly as her lips do something it takes me a few seconds to realize is a smile. Her version of it, anyway. It looks painful. “When one of your own is in trouble, you show up. You put your bullshit aside and rally around whoever needs it. I still think wolves are by far the most annoying variant of shifter there is, squirrels included, but you guys make the whole pack thing look… tolerable.”
I can’t help the smile tugging at my own lips, even though I know she’s probably going to accuse me of being a cheeseball in about three seconds. “Coming from you, that’s high praise.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m just saying, you all have your thing. Killian’s the hardass leader who keeps you in line, Sean’s the one who keeps things light, Rowan’s occasionally in possession of the group braincell, and you… You’re good at the holding things together part. Being there for people.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Too late. I’m already insufferable.”
This time she does smile. Just a little. Just for a second.
“What I’m trying to say is, maybe you can’t fix Killian or make Regina stop worrying, but you can be there for them.” She turns back to her altar, organizing herbs that are already organized. “Both of them. That’s not nothing, Micah.”
I don’t know how to respond to that. Sadie being sincere is almost as unsettling as the possibly haunted ceramic raccoon.
My phone buzzes before I can come up with something appropriately deflecting to say.
SEXY WITCH
Get back here as soon as you can.
NERD
What’s wrong??
SEXY WITCH
Vyse is here.
I stare at the message. Twice.
“What is it?” Sadie asks, apparently picking up on my sudden silence.
