Page 69 of Hexy Beast

Juniper jerks her chin toward Darius. “So who’s the werewolf?”

Okay, that is a short question with a long-ass answer, but this isn’t the time for it. Later I’ll give her the full rundown, but for now, all I say is, “The alpha of the Aetos pack.”

Juniper’s eyes go wide. “So it’s like Griselda said.”

Griselda is a three-hundred-year-old sprite who seems to have her finger in every pie in Witchingdom and knows everything about everyone. She’s also been stuck in her grunge era for the past century.

The fact that Griselda has been talking about me has the hairs on the back of my neck going all prickly. “What are you talking about?”

Juniper looks around Darius to the Council witches who are trying to defend themselves against Bea’s snark attack without realizing that the whole time she is smack-talking them she’s also controlling the tree roots, calling them upward from the ground so they are slowly winding themselves around the witches’ ankles.

“When you went after Leona,” Juniper says as we watch the roots do their thing, “Griselda said we needed to give you your space because the Fates had plans for you; they always had. She said you’d return as your complete self and with a full heart—and a tail.”

Inside me, my wolf stops pacing and lifts her head before shaking her fur out as if she’s getting ready for a photo shoot.

“Sounds to me like she got into her tequila stash again,” I grumble.

Bea lifts a hand and flicks a static charge of magic at us. “Are you two going to keep whispering, or are we going to take care of these dumbasses?”

“We are not dumbasses,” Kyle protests, his voice breaking on the last word. “We are the Council.”

Bea doubles over with a belly laugh. “You four are losers, pissed off that the world doesn’t think you’re as brilliant as your moms said you were. Breaking news, your moms lied. You’re dumbasses.”

“My mother doesn’t lie,” one of the other Council witches says.

“Chad?” Beatrice takes a closer look at the witch and presses her hand to her chest in shock. “Does your mom know what you’re doing? She would not like it. Not at all.”

“It’s not Chad,” he whines. “It’s Fortis.”

“Yeah, they’ve all given themselves alt names,” I tell my sisters. “Kyle is Formido now.”

“What are you two?” Bea adjusts her eye patch, lifting it enough that she can wink at the roots with her all-seeing eye, letting them know now is the time to tighten. “Dipshit and Dipshittier?”

“Captiosus,” says one, completely clueless that he now has a tree root shackle.

“Bellator,” says the other, who is equally oblivious.

“Wooooo­ooooo­ow,” Bea says, drawing the word out in mock amazement. “You went all in on the junior Latin explorers club, didn’t you?”

“Enough,” Kyle thunders, his cheeks bright red with a mix of anger and humiliation. “You will respect us.”

“That’s not how that works,” Juniper says with a shake of her head. “And if I were you, I wouldn’t try to tell Bea what to do. She doesn’t take it well.”

“Cock-a-doodle-doo,” I say.

Trust me, it’s too long a story to tell you now, but Barkley wasn’t always Barkley, and yeah, Bea is not one to be messed with.

Bea glares at me. “Not the time, Effie.”

See? I told you.

Bea turns to Darius. “So you’re the Aetos alpha?”

He nods.

She gives him her scariest smile. “Hurt my sister, and I’ll end you.”

“Bea,” I gasp. “What did you say a minute ago about this not being the time?”