Page 89 of The Lone Wolf Café
From further up the mountain, I heard a faint chorus of applause as the sun finished rising in the sky. It was now a perfect circle, just barely touching the horizon, and the humans were eagerly pointing and snapping pictures.
“Crap,” I exclaimed, my insides freezing in panic. “The elementals… they’ll be spotted by the humans!”
Rowena laughed, shaking her head as if I were a fool. My nerves calmed when I realized she wasn’t concerned.
“You really thought I bought the story about you being a human,” Rowena teased, a coy smile on her face. “With any other witch, it never would’ve held up.”
“What are you talking about?”
Rowena scrunched her nose. “Humans can’t see elementals, silly. Only other magical beings can.”
My whole body slumped.Oh.
But then I laughed, both at my own stupidity and at the hilarity of the situation. I really was a fool. And I was lucky Rowena was the one that found me. She was right – with any other witch, I would’ve been toast.
Rowena laughed too. She wrapped her arms around me, catching me like a fish in a net, and pulled me close.
“Silly girl.” Rowena kissed my cheek. “My silly little wolf.”
In that moment, I was high on laughter, beautiful mountain sunrises, and the otherworldly rays of light that glimmered off Fritzi’s body as she frolicked across the rockscape. Mavro was no longer chasing her – he’d chosen to settle onto a large, flat stone for a nap. She was just having a good time.
This was heavenly. The entire time I’d been away from Hollenboro, even with the thrill of spending the night in Rowena’s bed, nothing compared to this.
Happiness. Contentment. Peace. I drank the moment in, appreciating every second.
Because the ugly truth, that none of this would ever last, still lurked in the shadows.
And I knew I’d have to face it eventually.
Chapter Nineteen
“Do you want cream and sugar in your coffee?”
I laughed as I sat in my high-backed chair, warming my hands in front of the roaring fireplace. “Of course I do. That’s a silly question.”
A few minutes later, Rowena scooted into the chair next to me, placing a tray with two cups on the end table between us. A coffee mug for me, and a teacup for her. I’d offered to make the coffee myself, but Rowena had insisted she do it. I secretly wondered if she wanted the practice, in case she everdiddecide to serve coffee in her café.
It had been thirty minutes since we’d arrived back in Wisteria Grove. It was still early, so the village was quiet and devoid of any wandering witches. Which made it easy for us to slip into the café and enjoy some time together.
A warm fireplace, a piping hot cup of coffee, and my favorite woman in the world.
I sipped the steaming brown liquid, letting the slightly bitter, nutty flavor run over my taste buds.
This was perfect. Exactly what I needed.
“So, what are your plans for today?” I asked Rowena as she took a long sip of her tea. Earl Grey, as usual. I noticed the bergamot smell didn’t bother me as much anymore.
“Gosh, I’m not sure,” Rowena exhaled and closed her eyes, her teacup steaming in her lap. “I need to go through my bookshelves. Find some to trade in at the general store and Juniper’s shop so I can get new ones. We really need a proper bookstore in this town.”
“I can help you with that,” I replied. “In fact, I’ve been building a collection of my own books since I got here.”
“Oh, what kind?”
“All sorts of witchy books. Mythology, spellcasting… everything I can get my hands on. I’ve learned so much.”
“That’s wonderful.” Rowena smiled. “In fact, maybe we can trade. I’ll see what you have, and you can look through my old stuff, and–”
The front door burst open.
