Page 15 of Bewitched By the Werewolf
“Hey there Ryder. What brings you here?”
He’s only asking because asking after Ginger first thing would seem too eager, but I know it’s coming.
“Hi Luca. I was wondering if you could tell me about anyone new entering town, and if anything seemed off about anyone?”
Luca furrows his brow and plants his hands on his coverall covered hips. He’s younger than me but I still outweigh him and stand taller than him. He’s a good kid though, with a good head on his shoulders, works hard and is respectful and friendly. Probably why Ginger doesn’t like him. She’s a wild one and a bit thick headed. It’s hard to imagine her with someone as down to earth and mild mannered as Luca. But it also wouldn’t be a bad thing. He could be good for her if she only gave him a chance.
“Let’s see there was the elderly shifter couple in their RV, Doreen and Bernard, they’ve been here a few times before. The elf of course, who you know about. Had one guy that was lost but turned right around and headed back towards the interstate.” He rubs at his neck and smears a black smudge of grease across it. Maybe that’s why my sister doesn’t like him. She’s polished and put together while he’s covered in grease stains. She probably avoids him to avoid secondhand stains. Poor kid.
He thinks for a moment then perks up in excitement. “Oh yeah, there was this one girl, human female from what I could tell. Came into town with an airstream trailer. I gave her directions to the lake to park in the campgrounds.”
I frown down at him. “What do you mean you think she was a human? Couldn’t you tell?”
“Not really. She didn’t smell like anything.”
“What do you mean she didn’t smell like anything? Everyone smells like something. Especially humans,” I growl in patient frustration.
“I mean, she had no discernible scent. Couldn’t scent shifter or mere on her and she wasn’t wearing a glamour. Honestly, she didn’t smell at all. Like she hadnoscent. It was kind of weird. I’ve definitely never seen her before though and she even said this was her first time in town.”
So, there’s a female in town that doesn’t smell like anything but isn’t wearing a glamour. She has to be human. We can scent our own immediately. It’s a biological recognition of kin. We don’t even need to see them, just as long as we can smell them, we can identify them. But then Luca should have also been able to scent her as human. They have their own significant scent as well. It doesn’t smell like anything in particular just human, a little tangy and metallic.
“What did she look like?” I ask. If I’m going to hunt down this female I need a description.
“Tall with long red hair, wears a lot of black. Kinda pretty.” He shrugs. I know he has no interest in this mystery female, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to tease him about his obsession with Ginger.
“Finally moved on from pining after Ginger huh? Good for you.”
“What? No. I don’tpine. I don’t even know if this new girl is a shifter. I have absolutely no interest in her whatsoever. Not even my type. Too…intimidating. Like she could easily kick my ass without breaking a sweat.”
“And Ginger isn’t intimidating?” Maybe he could handle my sister if he isn’t intimidated by her like most males are.
“Not in the least. She’s just playing hard to get is all. One day she’ll say yes to me.” He pauses and looks up at me with hopeful eyes. “So…how is your sister? She’s not seeing anyone, is she?”
“No, Ginger is not seeing anyone. She is how she always is, stubborn, smart mouthed, and glued to a computer.”
Luca sighs in relief and runs a hand through his hair, leaving it sticking up from the remnants of grease on his fingers.
“Maybe next time you attempt to ask her out, make sure there’s no grease on you. Anywhere.” I give his dirty coveralls and messy hair a pointed look and he blushes sheepishly.
“Yeah, thanks. I’ll make sure I do that. Anything else I can help you with? I’m glad to be of assistance.”
This boy is a little too eager, but maybe Ginger will like that. “When did this female arrive?”
“Maybe two days ago.”
“And you said she’s got an airstream?”
“Yeah, and a black pickup towing it.”
Alright seems like it might be time to seek out this mystery female.
“I think I saw her in town yesterday at Larken’s shop and Dottie’s. I bet they have more information on who she is.”
Dottie did indeed know more about this mystery female. Her name is Tess and apparently, she’s friends with Georgia’s lawyer nephew Sam, but she’s not a lawyer. They don’t know what her job is only that she’s in town to view the blood moon. She gave me the same strange explanation of her scent as Luca did. She doesn’t smell like anything or anyone in particular and they have no idea if she’s a shifter or not. As it is, she could be a shifter, mere or more likely, a human. But with her scent unknown I won’t know till I see her in person and scent her for myself. It’s not that I don’t believe Dottie or Luca, I just…don’t believe them. How can a person not have a scentat all?
After leaving Dottie’s I head straight for Blue Agate Lake. There’s a campground area along the northern side of the lake where people can set up RV’s, campers, and tents. That’s where I’ll find this Tess and her trailer, and maybe then I can get some answers.
The prickle across my skin tells me this might be the source of my unease. If this female is trouble, I need to get her out of town before too many more shifters show up. Some of them get a little too excited and shift recklessly. Not that she’d be in any danger—from them—but they could be in danger from her seeing them.
