Page 32 of Bewitching the Wolf

“So, will the mission to go ahead as planned?” Silas asks coolly.

“Of course.” I jut my jaw. “Fait accompli.”

Otis jumps in with practicalities. “In the meantime, we will keep up surveillance of the portal elevators. We have deputies on all levels overseeing them. And we have the bad guys from level ten ready to unleash into the elevator space if any more human spies try to make their way down here. Personally, I think the authorities are licking their wounds, trying to work out what to do since we outsmarted their attempt to take Clem. They may suspect something is going on, but they have no evidence. We are still sending up munitions at the pace they request.”

“Which feels like signing our own death warrant,” Silas, ever the pessimist, grumbles. Trust a raven shifter to take the negative slant.

Otis inclines his head. “I can see how you would view it like that, Silas, but the humans are unlikely to use them on us in the near future. They don’t have a solution yet. They can’t get to Sammy or her youngling—they are safe on level three with the Trojans guarding them. The humans have no magic that will allow them to breathe Earth’s air—yet. We know that much. And there are promising signs that the white magic is quickening. So let’s be cautiously optimistic, shall we? Meeting adjourned.” As everyone gets up to leave, Otis takes me aside. “You gotta roll with this, Jax. This is stronger than you—or your wolf. Get out of your own way, because the magic will bulldoze you, regardless.”

I suddenly have the urge to tell him about the turmoil inside my head. Otis has been my loyal friend since I first came back to the Labyrinth after I was wolfen. In fact, it was Otis who got me out of here the night I was bitten and mauled. I trust him.

“Otis, mate, I, erm…” I blurt, raking a hand through my hair. “After the fuck-up at Bait and Tackle, I’m worried my wolf will… take control if Tippy and I are… alone together.” I feel hot all over and can’t look him in the eye. “You know what I mean.”

Otis’s lips twitch. “Maybe your wolf is not as big an asshole as you think.”

I stare at him incredulously. “Gods man, are you kidding? You witnessed the whole thing. My wolf made me behave like an absolute dick.” I wince at my word choice.

“I hesitate to say it, but maybe your wolf’s intuition is better than yours right now.”

I stare at him, horrified, but he just shrugs, a smile playing around his mouth.

“You know, when I tried to resist Clem, it proved to be a total waste of time. Our chemistry was off the charts. But when I finally gave in to the inevitable, that’s when things really changed. Being with Clem has made me stronger, more able to focus on my work. We’re good together.”

“You are,” I have to admit. “I’ve never seen my sister so happy.”

“Well…” Otis splays his big green hands in a gesture of supplication. “Maybe there’s a good reason that only Tippy can help you.”

“Like what?”

“This chemistry between you—maybe you need to roll with it, let it unfold, stop fighting your wolf the whole time.”

I’m speechless. I grope in my pocket for my vape. But for some reason, I stop. Withdraw my hand.

Otis thumps my arm with a big green hand. “Hmmm, you’ve got a lot stronger since you shifted.”

“Yeah, and that worries me too.”

“Your wolf won’t hurt Tippy. She’s more than a match for both of you.”

I stroke the scratch on my palm with my fingertips.

“Yeah,” I agree ruefully. “You might be right.”

CHAPTER 9

TIPPY

Aunt Felicia is picking me up at 8 am sharp, and I swear I haven’t slept a wink.

I’ve spent the last two days working on potions. Scrabbling through recipe books and mixing weird bubbling concoctions on the stove.

They don’t taste great, probably because they’re even more potent than the quit-smoking elixir I made for Jax. I’m going to have to smother the taste with banana or blueberries or something, but I’m confident they will work.

If Jax complies.

He has no choice, right? I mean, we have three days together, it will be intense.

I’ll make him go running, do a couple of workouts too. From my understanding of his ectomorphic body type, he could strain ligaments, and he needs to balance strength and fluidity. Mind you, he’s bulked out a lot lately.