“Like I care,” Levi dismissed. “You know I turn into a wolf every full moon, don’t you?”
Gwen’s magic pulled in on her like a dark storm cloud. It was the sort of thing she probably didn’t even notice she was doing, but the werewolves had a keen scent for magic, and both snarled at the shift in the air.
“Hey, no magic in neutral territory,” Felix muttered, pointing an accusatory finger at Gwen, even as he shuffled a little closer to his packmate.
Gwen shrank in on herself for a moment, and the pull of the mystic loosened. With the threat contained, both boys straightened, poised to continue their verbal sparring.
There was a whole head of height difference between Felix and Levi. Puberty hadn’t really grabbed onto him yet, but I knew after a few more full moons, Levi would be just as bulked up as his friend. Seriously, Levi looked like he’d been training to be a Marvel superhero. Freaking wolves.
“We’ll see whose magic is more developed at the summer games,” Faith chided.
The boys laughed, and I couldn’t help the annoyance bubbling up in me. Camp games were for the campers, but Dagmar wasn’t the only staff member who kept the rivalries hot.
“Witches haven’t won in three years,” Levi said with a waggle of his eyebrows. “Not since we moved the games to twilight.”
“Why twilight?” Gwen asked.
“So the vampires can participate,” I said. “The young ones are still quite sensitive to the daylight. They grow out of it.”
“So old vampires can walk around in the sunlight?” Gwen asked. When I nodded, she continued, “Add it to the list of things I really wish I didn’t know. Even daytime isn’t safe.” Her eyes drifted to her part-vampire friend.
“All of you can see better in the dark than us, unfair,” I called back to the wolves. “But if winning with an advantage is how you get your rocks off, then congrats.”
“The young vamps will be roasted alive if we don’t,” Levi retorted. “That’s kind of unfair, too, don’t you think?”
Faith smirked at Gwen, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what they had planned. But there was a glint of hope that thisyear would be the downfall of the other camps with Gwen and Faith teaming up.
Still, I found myself playing the intermediary, saying, “Guys, it’s just meant to be a fun game.”
All four of them burst into laughter.
We all knew I was full of shit. The end-of-summer games was the most intense competition in Maple Hollow, even worse than the annual pumpkin carving contest, and that was saying something.
A nostalgic smile pulled on my lips. I could see why Iris wanted me to stay. The summer camps were one of the few things that united our community. Even though we competed with each other, experiencing them was something we all shared. Only locals would ever know about it. There would never be any shorthand with outsiders. I looked forward to being just a face in the crowd, but I liked having the security of coming back home, of talking about the camp with everyone and having a community that spoke my language too.
I eyed Gwen, who was trading insults with the wolf boys like the true witch she was. She’d never known these kinds of roots. It made me a little sad for her. But right then, she looked like she fit in just as well as every other witch in camp. I wanted that for her, and it scared me. Maybe she would want to stay in Maple Hollow at the end of the year. Maybe she and I weren’t meant to end up in the same place for long enough to see if the sparks between us would ever turn into flames.
18
Gwen
Iwaited until the sky had turned gray and the wolf boys had swum away to ask Sabine how long she had left on her shift.
She looked at her waterproof watch. “Forty-five minutes.” A distant roll of thunder sounded overhead. “Unless that storm gets any closer.”
Faith, who was halfway lifting herself onto the dock, lowered herself back down. “You know . . .,” Faith hedged in an incredibly conspicuous way. “I think I’ll swim back now. You two have fun.”
She flashed me a shit-eating grin, gave me a thumbs-up, and started heading back to shore.
“I don’t think we’ll be long after you,” Sabine called as she frowned up at the clouds. “I’ll need to pack up the life jackets and paddles before the storm blows them into the lake,” she said to herself. “I’ve been asking Dagmar to spell them to stay put, butshe doesn’t think it’s necessary. Of course, we haven’t had such a stormy month at Lake Nevermore in my lifetime.”
“Come on.” I tugged her by the wrist. “I’ll help you.”
Her hand covered mine for a second, holding my skin to hers. “I really wish we weren’t out in the open right now.”
Even though she was wearing sunglasses, I knew the exact glint that would be in her eyes.
“Because of the storm?”
