Page 14 of Lycans & Lattes

Most of the mug had stayed together in three large chunks, but I would have to move the fatigue mat to get to the smaller shards. I paused when I grabbed the mug handle, realizing a piece of paper had been nestled inside.

“What the . . . ?”

I picked up the crumpled piece of paper. It was another note with the same wobbling handwriting as the last.

STAY AWAY FROM WYATT OR THE CAFÉ GETS IT!

I glared at the paper for another thirty seconds, my brain spinning.

Gossip traveled fast in a small town, but I hadn’t even told Harlow that Wyatt and I were going on a date today. Was someone angry that I’d accepted an invitation to the apple orchard? Why were they threatening me like an old-timey mobster instead of just saying it to my face? And how had they gotten behind the counter twice?

I scanned through every Maple Hollow resident dotting the dining area but couldn’t think of a single likely candidate.

As far as I knew, Wyatt didn’t have any exes who lived in town, apart from Jack Corrodus. Wyatt and the swamp monster had dated back in high school, but that was ancient history. Not to mention that Jack and his draconic husband had just celebrated their tenth anniversary last year, so it couldn’t be him.

According to Agnes, Wyatt didn’t have any other potential paramours. She loved rehashing all the town gossip until the well ran dry. So if Agnes didn’t know about a lover, there wasn’t one.

Maybe it was another werewolf threatening me?

I didn’t know every werewolf, but most of the eligible wolves around here preferred to go for the more toxic monsters.

The door opened with a chime, and I snapped up to see Avery waltz in, making a beeline toward me. I gave her a small smile and stashed the note in the back of the utensil drawer and under a bundle of old spoons.

“Hey,” I called. “The usual?”

“You know it.” She pulled out her card, but I held up a hand.

“This one’s on me. A thank-you for making sure I didn’t end up splattered on the pavement the other day.”

Avery shook her head, which made her sparkly black coffin earrings sway. I wished I could pull off half of the clothes she did. Today, she wore a well-tailored, velvet, maroon dress over a pair of spiderweb tights, and she’d accessorized her outfit with platform boots and a leather harness that caged her hips and ribs like an exoskeleton.

“It was the least I could do,” she said, tucking her card into her coffin-shaped purse, which perfectly matched her earrings. “Who else can make my daily filthy chai?”

She emphasized her tease with a wink.

“Coming right up.” I turned and got to work, letting my mind empty as I turned knobs and concocted one of my favorite signature drinks: two shots of espresso, house-made chai concentrate, gingerbread syrup, extra ice, and a sweet-and-salty cold foam float.

“Here you are.” I put the finished drink on the bar with a straw and placed a sample square of the new white chocolate pumpkin bread on the lid.

Avery popped the treat in her mouth as she plunged the straw through the ice. “Fuck me.” She rolled her eyes, savoring her first sip. “Are you sure you’re not a witch? Because if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were slipping me a love potion.”

I giggled at that.

“I do order most of the ingredients from the apothecary,” I mused, cleaning out my tiny espresso cup. “Only the best for you.”

“Please don’t flirt with me while I’m drinking the nectar of the gods. I can’t handle it.” Her nose wrinkled with a smile.

“Sorry, it’s habit.” I wiped down the countertop and glanced at the clock once again.

“Don’t break my heart, Will,” Avery jested, having swallowed a third of her drink in one gulp. “I was actually wondering if you’d like to hang out sometime.” She held up a stiletto-manicured hand. “Only as friends.”

“Yes, please,” I replied, exaggerating my need for real girl time. Harlow was always off with Jordyn and Iris, and though I didn’t have much free time, it would be nice to go blow off some steam at The Bloody Mary with someone.

“Great! I’ll hold you to that.” She gave me a wink and wrote her number on a napkin before heading out the door, her waist-long black hair swishing in tandem with her hips.

There was a quick moment when I wondered if Avery or one of the vampires had left the note. The vampires had been on the side of the “monsters only” Maple Hollow collision last year, but there was no way Avery would be a part of that now. Right?

Looking down at her handwriting, I immediately ruled her out. The curly, romantic numbers looked nothing like the writing on the notes I’d found. I slipped her number in my pocket, then went back to scrubbing the living hell out of the countertop. I had about another half hour before I expected Wyatt to show up⁠—