Page 39 of Castings & Curses

“Stop messing with me!” She shouted as she slammed out of the pack house.

Damn that wolf!

* * *

How the hellhad everything gone wrong so quickly?

Corwin scowled at the demon-cat who hung over Natalie’s shoulder, smirking at him as she walked away.

Walked away!

Rude!

* * *

The slamof the coven house door brought her coven on the run.

“What’s the matter?” Tempest exclaimed. “What happened?”

Natalie was too busy furiously pacing back and forth to bother answering her. “Damn, mangy wolf,” she muttered. “He’s got a lot of nerve, always treating me like public enemy number one, then getting me all hot and bothered, then asking me out. Rude, rude, rude!”

“Uh, hold on,” Jo said. “The wolf asked you out?”

“Surprising,” Rowan said. “I wasn’t sure he had it in him.”

“Wait,” Annika said. “Which wolf are we talking about anyway? The beta, right? It’s the beta?”

“Of course, it’s the beta. No other wolf looks at Natalie like she’s lunch,” Morana said.

Natalie waved her hand in the air. “Don’t be ridiculous. He hates me.”

“And yet, he got you all hot and bothered,” Jo said.

“Not because he was trying or anything. It was just, you know, a side effect of chivalry.”

“Chivalry?” Morana echoed. “I didn’t know wolveshadany chivalry.”

“I know, right?” Natalie cried. “He’s confusing me and I don’t like it. We had a perfectly fine rapport going where I make him miserable and he hates me. But now I don’t know what’s going on because he helped me up when I had my arms full of Moonbeam and he asked me out on a date just to mess with me and—”

“Hold on,” Jo said. “How do you know he wasn’t serious?”

“Of course, he wasn’t serious! Haven’t you been listening to anything I’ve said or paid attention to any of the many interactions I’ve had with the wolf since we moved here? He hates me!”

“Or maybe he secretly likes you,” Pippa suggested as she walked into the coven house, Hocus Purrcus in her arms.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Natalie snapped. “I think I would know if the wolf liked me or not.”

* * *

“You screwed up again,didn’t you?”

Corwin closed his eyes.

Seriously, of all the people to witness his failure at asking his mate out, it justhadto be his mother.

“Boy, I have no idea how you could be so incompetent with the ladies.”

Andhis father.

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