Page 83 of Bewitching the Wolf

Shit. If it decides to go completely off into left field, I won’t be able to follow these two.

And then, suddenly, I’m being tumbled around so fast that all I can do is hang onto the cape’s lining and fucking pray that this isn’t going to end badly. A second later we land. HARD. It’s the roughest ride by far today, and I can’t stop myself from letting out a few choice expletives as I hit the ground. Even my wolf whines.

And then I hear a sound. A kind of soft chittering, and I realize it’s coming from within the cape itself.

What the hell is going on?

I stagger up and peer out through the cape’s folds.

We are in a simple room, clinical like a hospital, with a linoleum floor and plain whitewashed walls. The lighting is dim, but I can see that there’s a plinth in the center of the room.

A body lies on the bed, in a white hospital gown. Covered in wires. There are drips going into one limp arm. There are more wires attached to the head and chest, connected to monitors that suddenly start to flash and beep loudly.

Meanwhile, the energy within the cape is thrumming, and the strange chittering sound gets louder.

My pulse speeds up, my breath tightens in my throat.

As the cape skims closer, I see that it’s a woman lying there. Her hair is dark, streaked with silver. Her skin is translucent white, her thin cheekbones protruding…

I realize the chittering is some kind of jumbled words, a language I don’t understand. It sounds almost like an incantation. The vibrations get stronger—now the cape is literally jumping and juddering.

My body jumps with it, and my heart lurches as a sudden zap of energy bursts out of the cape and shoots straight into the center of the woman’s chest.

With a whoosh of cold air, the cape is no longer around my shoulders. It’s spread itself over the woman like a blanket, radiating an energy force around her body.

And then something miraculous happens.

The woman’s skin turns from ashen white to pink. She inhales a huge breath that makes her chest heave.

With a sharp gasp, she arcs backward and her eyes spring wide.

Green and luminescent.

And stare straight into mine.

Her body relaxes, her face breaks into a smile and she reaches a thin hand toward me.

“Hello Jax, my darling.”

“Mom,” I croak.

CHAPTER 23

TIPPY

When I leave Vixenville I ride my scooter straight to the sheriff’s house.

Otis will be monitoring screens for feedback from Jax, and I desperately need to know what’s happening. Even if there’s no news yet, just being close to the action will soothe my nerves.

My heart is in my mouth as I knock at the door.

Sally Cane answers. A smile lights up her face, her tusks gleaming white either side of her mouth.

“Tippy! How lovely to see you.” She gives me a big hug. I haven’t seen Sally for months. I visited her a few times in the care home, but she was so sad and monosyllabic, I was at a loss to know how to help. But now she’s back to being the old Sally, the one who used to cook up a feast for every visitor to the sheriff’s house. I came here often as a kid myself, playing with all the other multi-species younglings and being fed cookies and warm milk.

“Hi Sally, it’s so lovely to see you. Is Otis here?”

“Of course, my dear, he’s in his office. Go in and I’ll bring you some fresh gingerbread. It’s the only thing Clem feels like eating right now.”