Page 67 of Big Bad Wolf

Fee gave her a mischievous smile. “Maybe.”

“Oh, I remember! Macy took me to see you for…” She trailed off suddenly embarrassed to admit in front of Rafe that she’d gone to see Fee for a love potion. She’d been in a particularly long dry spell at the time and Macy was tired of listening to Ruby complain. But she hadn’t actually believed it was real. Although she knew of plenty of women in town who did.

Fee grinned. “Yep, that was me. I run an apothecary of sorts, I guess you could say.”

“What…” Ruby paused. It seemed rude to ask, but she was dying to know.

“Phoebe is a dryad. A forest nymph,” Rafe explained, reading her mind. Phoebe smiled at her.

“Right. Of course.” And there it was. A nymph. Of course she was. There were now two werewolves and a forest deity in her living room. Ruby reached back into her memory of Greek and Celtic mythology but all she could remember was that dryads were considered forest spirits, often found in sacred groves. She was dying to ask if Phoebe could make a tree grow in the middle of the living room, but that somehow seemed inappropriate at the moment.

Theo had dropped the flirty charmer act as soon as Phoebe came into the room and now moved closer to her. Ruby didn’t miss how he watched her, the blatant need in his eyes. She glanced at Rafe, eyebrows raised, but he just shook his head in annoyance.

“So, you’re a seer, too?” Phoebe asked.

“Oh … no, I’m just Ruby. Uh, human.”

Phoebe tilted her head, studying Ruby with interest. “Hm … are you sure?”

Sure about what? Being human? Ruby nodded stupidly, her brain refusing to piece together Phoebe’s question. Of course she was human. Lena was the one having visions, not her.

“We have to go,” Rafe practically barked. “We’ll be back by sunset.”

“He makes it sound so cryptic. I start work at six, that’s all,” Ruby said, dropping the subject for now. Helping Lena was the most important thing; that was Ruby’s focus. Or it should be anyway.

Phoebe grinned. “It’s a family trait. These boys have a flair for the dramatic.”

“Hey.” The brothers spoke in unison, causing both women to laugh.

Rafe grumbled and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.” He tugged her toward the door, but she glanced back to see Theo move closer to Phoebe. He ran a single finger up from her wrist to her elbow. Ruby watched the other woman shiver but then move away.

Ruby had a million questions she was sure Rafe would not want to answer. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try.

“You and your brother don’t look much alike.”

The truck bounced over a pothole as Rafe glanced at Ruby from the driver’s seat. He was distracted, hoping Callie’s grandmother would be able to give them some answers.

“He’s the pretty one.” His comment came out embarrassingly bitter.

He could feel Ruby’s gaze on him, but he kept his eyes on the road.

“I think you’re pretty,” she said and he could hear the smile in it. She was teasing him.

He grunted. “We have different mothers. He looks like his.” Rafe did not mention that he looked like his father. He’d never liked those comparisons; no need to bring it up now.

“What’s the deal with him and Phoebe?” She readjusted herself in her seat, and he dared another glance. She faced the road now, one leg tucked up underneath her, her thighs peeking out from her skirt. He wondered how many of those black skirts she owned. His fingers twitched on the steering wheel with the need to slide a hand up one of them.

He cleared his throat. “It’s a long story.”

“Tell me.”

Rafe sighed. He did not pretend to understand the inner workings of either of his brothers, but he could give her the basic facts. “They’ve been friends for years. I suspect he loves her.” He shrugged. “I assumed when we left the pack they would get together. My father never would have allowed it, mating with a nymph. He didn’t tolerate half-breeds.” Rafe swallowed hard. His father’s hateful words felt slimy in his mouth.

“Your father sounds like a real dick.”

A startled laugh puffed from his lips. “Yeah, he was.”

“So, they’re not together?” Ruby moved again, facing him once more.