Page 12 of Midlife Shifter Unexpected

“I thought you said all the witchcraft stuff in your house wasn’t yours and you were getting rid of it,” I pointed out.

“Apparently it’s my family heritage.” Mae looked at me curiously. “But what I don’t understand is how you are turning into a werewolf now.”

“Trina must’ve given me something.” I frowned, moving into my kitchen. “When I drank that tea. She’s a witch like you.” My gaze shifted to the knives in the wooden block. “What are you people doing to me?”

“We’re not going to hurt you. We aren’t your enemies.” Mae spoke as if she was talking to a frightened animal. It wasn’t far from the truth. I could feel the fight or flight impulse just under my skin, ripping me away from the sane person I always thought I was.

“If Trina put a hex on me and then made me drink a potion that turned me into a werewolf, I’d say that’s not exactly someone I would consider a friend.” I raised an eyebrow at her, moving towards the knives. I didn’t think I had anything to fear from Mae, but she was able to shoot lightning out of her hands.

“She didn’t put a hex on you.” Mae said. “It was a tonic in the tea. But I think there’s more to it. She can’t force you to turn into a werewolf. I don’t have all the answers right now.”

“You knew to check on me.” I folded my arms across my chest. Mae couldn’t be the High Priestess of the coven and come out innocent in all this. “You must have known she did something to me.”

“All she told me was that she gave you a tonic.” Mae propped herself on a stool at my counter. She wasn’t going anywhere. “I also stayed here all night watching you.”

She had a point. Still, I was in the dark and needed details. A lot of details. “When am I going to shift again?”

“I have no idea,” Mae said.

“Super not helpful.” I shook my head.

“Probably the best thing for you to do is to come stay at The Estate. There’s more magic in the ground up there and we can create wards to protect you.”

“Protect me?” I exclaimed. “I’m a damn werewolf! I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about all the people I might potentially kill and eat.”

“Well, I’m worried about you.”

“Are you going to chain me up?” I asked. “Because I’m not available to be chained up.”

“No, we’re not going to chain you up,” Mae shook her head.

I still didn’t like it. Mae wasn’t the enemy I knew. I didn’t know what Trina had done to my drink and because of that, the coven didn’t feel safe for me. I didn’t want to go up to The Estate, but staying in my cottage alone was hardly an option either

My phone buzzed with a text. I grabbed it quickly, groaning as I saw that it was from an unknown number.

Hi it’s Matheus didn’t want you waiting for my text. ;-) I’m going to come by with coffee and biscuits too. See you in five.

“You made quite an impression on him,” Mae said as I read the text out loud.

“Oh, my goodness, he can’t come over! I look like a mess.”

“You look fine, just throw a robe on maybe,” Mae said.

I looked down and realized I was wearing a tank top and underwear. “What happened to my clothes?”

“I think you shredded them when you shifted,” Mae said. “I burnt them last night.”

I hated how it sounded like we were committing crimes. “Please, go and find Trina and figure out what you can do to solve this problem,” I begged. “I’ll text you if anything weird happens.”

“I won’t be far away.” Mae said.

Chapter 9

I ran the brush quickly through my hair as I heard the knock at the door. What had I gotten myself into? I had squeezed my curvy butt into a pair of skinny jeans and put on a loose shirt that accented my cleavage and covered my muffin top. My red curls were slow to untangle so I threw them together in a messy bun and tied them in a knot at the top of my head.

“This is crazy,” I said to myself in the mirror. “What happened last night was crazy.”

I guessed this was what midlife got me, crazy nights and talking to myself in the mirror when there was a hot guy standing at my door with coffee and biscuits. I shook my head, blew myself a kiss, and walked to the front door. I guessed my kiss had gotten him started, but he was clearly interested in a physical connection. I’d made that mistake by kissing him before the first date, but the truth was, I didn’t know what I wanted. I probably didn’t want a boyfriend and if I did, I wouldn’t be shopping in the ‘too young’ category. At his age Matheus was only good for a fling, but it was going to be a fun one. I opened the door wide with a smile on my face, hoping my lip gloss wasn’t smeared on my cheek.

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