Page 28 of Wolf, Willow, Witch
“Can I steal your wifey, Lincoln?” Amy asked, snapping Tehlor back into the present.
Lincoln smirked. He leaned down, pecking Tehlor on the lips. Her marrow burned. “Sure. See you around,wifey.”
Tehlor hummed, swiping her tongue across her bottom lip, chasing the whiskey on his mouth. “Yeah, all right, hubby. See you in a bit.”
“Aren’t you two ah-dorable,” Amy whined. She took Tehlor by the elbow and guided her down the hall to the coatrack adjacent to the front door. Once they were out of sight, Amy’s expression relaxed, falling into a mock cringe. “Sometimes it gets a little stuffy. Not, like,bad, you know, but kind of suffocating,” she confessed, shoving her arms through a puffy coat. She waited for Tehlor to button her wool jacket before she grabbed her elbow again, steering her toward the door. “I’m glad you’re here, though. So glad.”
Something heavy hit the floor on the second story, booming through the ceiling. It wasn’t loud, but it stole her attention. Like a bowling ball, or a sack of soil, or a body. Tehlor glanced over her shoulder and stumbled onto the porch, pulled by Amy.
“Did you hear that?” Tehlor asked.
“Oh, yeah. It’s just my sister,” she said, dismissively. She batted at the air and reached past Tehlor, grasping the handle. “She’s resting upstairs. Not a big party person, you know?”
“Yeah…” She watched the hallway disappear, cut away by the door swinging shut.Who the hell are you hiding?“Me neither, honestly.”
Chapter nine
Tehlorfoldedherarmsacross her chest, shielding herself from a chilly snap of wind. She felt aggressively naked without Gunnhild, like, ridiculously, alarminglynude. She didn’t go anywhere without that damn rat. Whether she was shopping at the grocery store, fingering through clothes at a boutique, or sipping a cocktail at a dive bar, Gunnhild was always there, perched on her shoulder, snuggled in her pocket, or tucked carefully inside a purse.
Eight years ago, when Tehlor had bound her spirit to Gunnhild’s, offering a year of her predetermined life to Vör, goddess of wisdom, in exchange for an eternal companion, she hadn’t realized just how important that little rodent would become. But Gunnhild wasn’t just a sacrificial tool or a rare pet-store find. They belonged to each other entirely. When Tehlor died, Gunnhild died, too. Soul for soul. Magic for magic. Being separated from her chipped away at Tehlor’s finely crafted church-lady persona, leaving her fidgety and nervous.
Don’t do anything stupid, she thought, mentally beaming the command to her familiar.
Amy sighed. Her breath plumed in the air. She relaxed, tilting her head from side to side.
“We can go through the side door,” Amy said, gesturing loosely toward the fence around the back half of the property. She tipped her pretty face toward the moon, partially hidden by a cloudy night sky. “Do you ever think God gives us the chance to change our past?”
Tehlor’s attention sharpened. “Our God is a forgiving God, isn’t he?”
“New Testament, yeah. Old Testament? Not so much.” Amy slid a sleek, black vape out of her pocket. Her smile thinned. “Don’t tell, okay? Rose doesn’t like us to vices.”
“Your secret’s safe with me.”
“I don’t know, I just… I think this expansion is such a blessing, you know? We’re bringing in new members, hosting a revival, spreading the message…”
“But,” Tehlor prompted.
Amy sucked her vape and blew candy-scented vapor at her feet. “But I’m scared,” she confessed, bewildered. She furrowed her brow and laughed under her breath, and it was the first time Tehlor recognized her asreal. “It’s stupid, right? To be afraid of what comes after this?”
“It’s human,” she said, shrugging. “Put your faith in Rose and Phillip. The Lord speaks through them.”
“I know,” she said, harsh and low, then again, sweeter, “I know.”
Ah,Tehlor quietly pondered, taking in Amy De’voreaux, Haven misfit,you’re the lost little lamb, aren’t you?
“It was nice to meet your husband. Plannin’ to grow the family anytime soon?” Tehlor tested.
Amy stiffened, but her smile didn’t falter. “Children require intent,” she said, sucking on her vape again. “I don’t know if I’ll be the mother Haven needs, but I’d like kids, I think. Motherhood is… It’s daunting. I mean, with Ashleigh…” She paused, granting Tehlor a careful, cautious look.
“I won’t say anything,” she assured, showing her palms in mock-surrender. “What happened?”
“Nothinghappened.” Amy heaved a sigh, shifting her boot back and forth, crunching snow. “But Phillip is our rock. He’s our direct link to God and we should be happy to… to provide for him, for our church, and for the Lord. Ashleigh couldn’t handle the pressure, I guess.”
Tehlor steeled her expression. Dread pooled in her gut. “Provide what?”
“Expansion,” Amy said as if Tehlor should’ve known. She furrowed her brow. “Abundance.”
Jesus Christ.She swallowed and gave a curt nod, forcing a smile. It made sense and it didn’t. She remembered how Phillip had touched her in the foyer, so simply, so easily. Remembered how Rose had commanded the women in the kitchen.Of course.She held out her hand, asking for the vape. Amy passed it to her with a sly grin.You’re cattle, she thought, disgusted.Breeding stock.
