Page 15 of Protected By the Wolf

“I had a wonderful day yesterday. I very much needed it.”

I was about to comment that her date must have gone very well when she stopped spinning and walked back to the eggs. “I saw you came in late last night.”

Shoot, she noticed! I had arrived back late last night feeling absolutely exhausted because Charli had made me practice for hours over the last two days. She’d also mentioned there was going to be a meeting of witches occurring soon. A lady named Miti was convening some of the biggest covens in the area, and Charli thought this was a great opportunity for me to meet fellow witches . . . if only I could use my magic.

Charli was trying to get me to call forth fire—even if it was just in my hand. But by two o’clock that morning, I wasn’t making any progress. I knew part of the reason was because I was afraid of the outcome, but that wasn’t something I wanted to discuss with Charli. So I left Charli behind and came to stay at Millie’s.

“Last night was great fun,” I told Millie. “I got invited to a last-minute rave in the woods. It was awesome! There was a big open field, with people just jamming and dancing. You should have been there.”

I watched Millie closely to see if she bought my explanation. By the look on my sister’s face, she believed the story I’d just shared. It made me stop and wonder when she—and everyone else—had started believing my outrageous stories. A little voice in the back of my mind said that someday all these lies would all catch up to me, but I had no choice. What was I supposed to tell Millie anyway? Hey, I found out I’m a witch but can’t tell you because that’s too absurd, and now I really can’t tell you because it’s been so long. I didn’t even know who I was anymore. I so wanted to let her know I was far more responsible than I let on, but the thought of her yelling at me that I was crazy petrified me.

My phone rang, startling me out of my thoughts. I reached over to press the end button but froze when a feeling of longing rushed through me. It was a strange reaction because I didn’t recognize the number, but yet my finger wouldn’t move toward the red button. Grabbing the phone, I stood and excused myself before fast-walking to Millie’s room, hoping whoever it was wouldn’t hang up before I got there.

Answering the phone, I brought it up to my ear, noticing that my hands were shaking. His voice was like velvet and exactly how I remembered it. Bruno. A sudden rush of calmness and rightness flowed through me as I realized I had given him my number after all. That put a smile on my face more than anything else in the last few days.

“Millie?”

I cringed at the name. “Hi, Bruno.”

“It’s good to hear your voice again.”

“You too.” Keep breathing. Nice even breaths.

“I’ve been really enjoying the paintings I bought from you.”

“Oh, I’m glad to hear.” What do I say? What do I say? “How have you been?”

“Been thinking about you.” His voice was a deep rumble, and I was glad I was sitting down.

“Oh!”

He chuckled, and I realized I had said that out loud. I face-palmed, feeling relieved when he started talking again. “Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?”

“I’d love to!”

“Excellent. You said you live in Crystal Lake?”

“I do. Are you far?”

“Only an hour away. I’ll pick you up. I know a fantastic restaurant I want to take you to.”

“That sounds like a date.” I was glowing. Literally. I felt it in my chest, and the feeling flowed down through my arms and into my hands. A small waft of smoke suddenly exploded out of my palm, and I yelped.

“Everything okay?”

Concern flowed through the phone, and I could feel a surge of protectiveness coming from Bruno. “I’m fine. More than fine, actually. I’m looking forward to seeing you tonight.”

“Till tonight, then.”

I smiled as I hung up and walked out of Millie’s room in a daze. I was going on a date, and it felt like my very first one.

“What was that all about?” Millie asked as soon as she saw me.

“Oh, just a guy I was interested in. I forgot he had my number, so I was surprised when I heard his voice.”

“How come I haven’t heard you speak about him before? Anyone I know?”

“No. But there is a slight problem.”

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