He was talking to Lauren and had already dipped his spoon into the dessert.
“Travis, stop!”
He looked over at me, the spoon inches from his mouth. Had he already taken a bite?
Without thinking, I leaped across the table, scattering plates and cutlery, and batted the spoon from his hand.
Mia gaped at me and someone screamed.
Travis looked disconcerted. “Daphne, what?—?”
“The dessert. It’s got…” I didn’t know exactly what substance was in it. All I knew was that it could kill Travis if he ate it. As I climbed off the table, it came to me. Alycanthrope weakness. Of course.
“Wolfsbane,” I blurted. “The dessert has wolfsbane in it.”
“Wolfsbane!” he exclaimed, taking a step backwards. “That’s poisonous to werewolves.”
At some point, Jada had told the crew to stop filming. “What’s wolfsbane doing in the dessert?” she demanded to the waitstaff, who stood bewildered near the door.
Then the chef came out of the kitchen. A rotund man, he twisted his hands in front of him like he was kneading a ball of dough. “What is the problem here?”
“The problem is,” Jada said through clenched teeth, carefully enunciating each word as if she might shift and do some real harm, “is that Daphne says there’s wolfsbane in the dessert. Why would that substance be in the dessert? One small taste makes our kind very sick. More than that is deadly.”
The chef sputtered in disbelief. “Impossible. I’ve never cooked with wolfsbane in my life. I don’t keep it in my kitchen.”
I appreciated Jada’s belief in me, but a terrifying thought occurred to me. What if I were wrong? What if I’d made a complete fool of myself and?—
No, I wasn’t wrong. I was sure of it.
I went back to my side of the table and grabbed my dessert, since I’d splattered Travis’s all over the floor. It was still artfully plated in a crystal goblet with layers of raspberry sauce between the dollops of sweet ricotta and a sprinkle of lemon zest on top. It really looked delicious. I held it to my nose and sniffed. There was definitely something in this that would make Travis sick. I felt it in my bones.
“Here,” I said to the chef. “Try mine.”
The chef huffed over, examined my dish and then his whole demeanor changed. “Who garnished these desserts?” Then he pulled a spoon from his apron and took a bite. Although I didn’tknow what kind of magical creature he was, I’m guessing he wasn’t a werewolf.
His eyes widened. “It’s wolfsbane all right.” His face went ashen as he turned to Travis. “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Monroe. I…I…don’t know how this could have happened.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Travis
“You can’t be serious!” Daphne glared at Jada, hands on her hips. I was glad not to be on the receiving end of her ire. “Travis could’ve been killed!”
We stood in the kitchen of the Big House as I made Daphne’s sleepy tea. It had been a long night and everyone was on edge. Jada held her planner to her chest like a shield. I had a feeling she was going to need it.
“I know, Daphne,” Jada said, “but he didn’t, and the network needs to see the final charm ceremony before they consider green-lighting it. You can’t have a show like this without a proper ending.”
Daphne did that thing with her eyes that made you think they were lasers. “There is nobutwhen it comes to Travis’s life.”
A thrill shot through me that this feisty human with no supernatural abilities was standing up to my werewolf sister on my behalf. My wolf beamed with pride at how brave our mate was.
Maybe I could broker a deal between the two warring parties.
I waded in cautiously. “What if the ceremony were held here at the ranch, instead of at the resort?” Jada started to protest, but I stopped her. “With some creative editing, the change in venue shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, it would be more publicity for the ranch to be featured at the end.” That shut my sister up.
Daphne, however, wasn’t as easy.
“You heard the sheriff, Travis.” As she turned all of her attention to me, I resisted the urge to step backwards. “They don’t know who tried to poison you. The perpetrator—who is still out there, by the way—used a scent-masking elixir. When they didn’t scare me off when they ransacked my room, they went right for their actual target. You. It could be anyone. I will not...” Her voice caught, and she started over. “I will not stand by while the man I love is in danger. Until we find out who’s responsible, all filming should stop.”
