“Of course not.” He turned the vehicle on and grinned when it rumbled. “But I also don’t have to sit and wait for you. You can just call me when you’re done.”
He took off, and I realized I’d been duped. Rhyson hadn’t asked Duke to guard me at all. Duke had volunteered to drive me just so he could get behind the wheel of the four-wheeler. Despite my annoyance, I couldn’t help but chuckle. It was nice to see the wolves let down their guards a little and have some fun.
After dropping me off at Irene’s, he roared away. He didn’t even wait to see if the witches were home or if it was a drop. Whatever had happened yesterday had really made everyone feel at ease.
The door opened, and Irene ushered me in. “Oh, good, you’re here. Janelle is driving me up the wall.”
I entered the cottage. “You’re going to remember that I’m here, right?”
“Yes, yes. My transformation tends to only happen in the evening, although I’ve had a few issues during the day. Not to worry. Janelle is bunking with me until it’s all over.”
“Until what’s all over?”
She waved her hands dismissively and shut the door. “Have you eaten? Anna practically eats me out of house and home whenever she comes over. I’m starting to think Jax starves her, but I know pregnant wolves need a lot of food.”
“I just had breakfast,” I said awkwardly. “And I’m not as far along as Anna.”
“Okay, we’ll take a snack break in a little bit.”
The door to one of the rooms opened, and I expected it to be Janelle, but a man leaned in the doorway and surveyed me. I could see a bed beyond him. “It’s Jenson, right?”
“And Maya.”
I’d heard that he and some of the other wolves had challenged Rhyson’s wolves and lost. “Nice to meet you.” What was Jax’s second doing here?
He glanced at Irene and frowned. “I don’t like this.”
Ah. He was here because he was concerned about Irene. The rumpled bed behind him should have been a dead giveaway. “And I told you that I was in no danger.”
“You said her mate might be here to help her if she goes feral, but he is not.”
“Whoa.” I put up my hands. “First of all, I don’t have a mate. And secondly, my wolf isn’t feral. She knows they’re trying to help us here. I’m not going to hurt anyone.”
He didn’t even look at me as he crossed his arms and stared at Irene. She sighed. “Fine, you can stay, but you can’t interrupt. This is delicate magic.”
“I told you that I wanted to be more involved with what you do. I did not mean that you needed to be more involved in what I do…”
“I’m not trying to be involved,” she interrupted. “I’m trying to make you understand what I’m missing, and trying to make you understand what you’re missing.”
“If I cared about that…”
“Hey,” Janelle shouted from the other room. “We’ve got a finite amount of time and plenty to do. So stow that argument for another time. You two have it so often that I could recite both sides.”
Face turning red, Irene ushered me into another room. Jenson followed behind her. I couldn’t help but be interested in their argument. I’d never really known another couple before. Social relationships were strange to me, and I was fascinated to know what they were arguing about, but Janelle was right. We didn’t have much time.
“Did you get ahold of Lunessa?” Janelle asked.
“I’ve called and left several messages and cast a signs spell. I could cast a spell to draw her here, but I don’t think it would be powerful enough. I’ll see if I can get Anna to call again, but she’s pissed at this point.”
“The witch that dropped us off? You think she can help?” I asked.
Janelle nodded. “She’s sitting on a world of knowledge, and I’m hoping that one of her books might talk about wolf bond magic. I’ve exhausted all my resources, but I’ve got a few spells I want to try to see if I can find any remnants of your bonds. Irene’s a more powerful witch, so I’m going to use her magic to power us and my magic to guide us.”
Awkwardly, I sat on the floor where she pointed. “I’m not familiar with witch magic, so I really have no idea what you said. You’re guiding us where?”
“Into you.”
“Ah…I’m sorry, what? Into me?” Immediately, I wrapped my arms around myself. “I’m going to need a little bit more information. Into me, how?”