Page 99 of Wicche Hunt

“The bastard. Did you know more pregnant women die by violence from their partners than pregnancy-related issues?”

Declan stopped eating. “That can’t be true.”

“Yup,” I said, shaking my head at the injustice of it all.

He closed the pizza box and placed it on the coffee table. “Bastards,” he grumbled.

“Exactly.”

He hit play and we watched the opening scene where the dead body was found. When the title sequence started, I turned to him. “Are we talking about tomorrow night?”

He shook his head. “I just want a nice, quiet evening with you, and I’ll do what I need to do tomorrow so I can continue having nice, quiet evenings with you.” He met my gaze. “Okay?”

Nodding, I took a bite of pizza and settled in to figure out who had killed the poor old lady.

THIRTY-EIGHT

An All-Around Shitty Day

When I woke the following morning, it was still early. I hadn’t had a nightmare, exactly. It was more a bad dream about the full moon tonight, about Declan fighting for his life, about me losing someone I’d just found.

We hadn’t discussed what might happen tonight, but we’d made love with an intensity that we hadn’t had before. Both of us knew it might be our last night together. I had faith in Declan, but I also knew Logan would do anything to win.

After showering and dealing with my hair, I put on work clothes and went downstairs. I had a ton of work to do and all day to do it, but I mostly wanted to crawl back in bed and sleep until the Alpha challenge was over.

Instead, I went down, grabbed a muffin and a cup of tea, and sat on the edge of the deck, the way I used to. “Good morning, Cecil.” A tentacle rose from the water and slapped the surface before sinking back down. “Poppy, I know you’re busy right now, but good morning. Charlie, Herbert, it’s lovely to see you.” I didn’t see his tennis ball, but I called, “Good morning, Wilbur.”

I broke off a bite of muffin. It was dry and tasteless, which I thought had more to do with abject fear than my baking skills.

“And good morning to you, Arwyn.”

I turned to find Uncle Bracken sitting on a far bench, near his RV, drinking from a mug.

“Good morning.”

“Hmm, it doesn’t sound good. Are you all right, dear?”

Standing, I gathered my stuff and went to sit with him. “I can’t eat. Would you like this?” I held out the chocolate raspberry muffin.

He took it. “Thank you. I was just sitting here thinking I was feeling a bit peckish, and you arrive with food. Providence.” He broke off a piece, popped it in his mouth, and hummed, smiling. “Delicious.”

“Is this working out for you?” I asked, gesturing between the water and his motor home.

He nodded. “Very well indeed. The sound of the ocean is quite relaxing. And there’s something about being close to family.” He patted his chest. “I feel more settled.”

“Good.”

He took a sip of his tea. “Now tell me what has you so sad this morning.”

I turned the mug in my hands, warming them. “Full moon tonight.”

“It is,” he said, taking another bite.

“Declan is a very powerful wolf, a born wolf. A Quinn. Other wolves can’t stand having him in their territory. They want to challenge him. Normally, he just moves on, but it’s different now.”

“Of course it is. He wants to stay so he can be with you.”

I nodded, staring out at the waves. “The Alpha challenge is tonight. In order for Declan to stay, he needs to take over the pack. The fight should just be between him and the local Alpha, but they’re all going to attack. It’ll be Declan against a pack of wolves.”

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