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“As far as you know.” I rested my forehead against hers. “Maybe you don’t need magic at all.”
“What do you mean?”
I wasn’t exactly sure yet, but an idea was germinating as I thought out loud. “If you had the strength of a werewolf, you could overpower anyone trying to hold you. You could rip the gag off your face and cast your spell.”
She blinked, locking eyes with me. “Are you…talking about biting me?”
“We already broke all the rules with that kiss last night. Why not break a few more?”
My wolf howled inside my soul, aching to claim his mate. Was I thinking clearly, or was it the wolf coloring my thoughts? I couldn’t be sure, but I did know that if she were a werewolf, she’d be faster and stronger and harder for witches to capture and sacrifice.
Maybe it was selfish, but I didn’t give a damn. She’d be alive.
“It’s never been done before. What if…it hurts my magic?”
It was a good question. “We’ve got three weeks before the full moon anyway.” I racked my brain. How could we find out if none of the other witches in her coven had ever been bitten? Then it hit me. “I’ll get General Sloan’s number from Mathias in the morning. Sloan’s been in contact with wolf packs all over the country. If a witch has ever been bitten, he’ll know.”
She considered me for a second. “He’s the one who found Hope, the Elemental Witch, right? Lillian went out to meet her in Arizona.”
I nodded. “She’s the mate of one of the wolves in the Sedona Pack, but I don’t know anything about her being a witch.”
Clouds blew in, covering the blanket of stars overhead. Ruby trembled against my chest as a gust of icy wind stung my cheeks. “Let’s get back in the truck.”
I walked her around to the passenger side and helped her in just as the slush started dropping from the sky. Where was fucking spring? I jogged over to my side and got in, warming my hands in front of the heater vent.
“You’re all wet.” She grabbed her wrap off the seat of the truck and pulled it around her shoulders.
“I’ll dry. Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She rubbed her hands on her skirt. “Do you really think General Sloan will know something?”
“He’s our best bet for information.” I took her hand. It was like ice. I frowned. “I better take you home before you freeze.”
Her teeth chattered as she smiled. “Good idea.” She squeezed my hand. “Sorry this wasn’t a fun date.”
I chuckled as I put the truck in reverse. “Night’s not over yet.”
Ruby gave medirections to her place, and I found a parking spot on the street a few houses down. She pointed to a two-story, dark-gray Victorian with violet trim. It was a block away from the McIntire Historic District in Salem, not too far from the Pickering House, which had been standing since 1660. I didn’t know how old her place was, but it seemed to fit right in with the neighborhood.
I looked over at her and raised my eyebrows. “Lillian must be paying you really well at the Crow’s Nest.”
She laughed, the sound warming me despite my cold, wet clothes. “Not quite.” Her smile softened. “I got my parents’ life insurance when I turned twenty-one, sold the land where our old house was, and then sank everything into this place.”
I thought about it for a minute, taking the small bits of stories she’d told me to weave together a timeline. “After you dropped out of college?”
She nodded slowly. “I’m pretty sure they would’ve wanted me to spend the money on college, and I had planned to get as far away from Salem as I could, but after that night in Boston…”
“You came back home.” And if she hadn’t, I would’ve lost her forever. We never would have met.
“Come inside. I’ll dry your clothes, and you can have some hot tea.”
“I’d like that. Thanks.” It was still cold and drizzling when we got out, but at least the wintry mix hadn’t followed us. We hurried down the janky, cracked sidewalk and up the porch steps to her house.
She opened the door, and we hustled inside. I breathed in the lingering scent of sage and a dash of some kind of spiced potpourri. The lights came on as she closed the door and set the dead bolt.
“Nate!” she called. “Where are you hiding?”
A flurry of little feet skittered down the stairs, and I chuckled as a portly chihuahua raced toward her. She scooped him up, and his tail was wagging so fast it was a blur as he licked her cheek. “I missed you, too.” She adjusted him in her arms so he could see me, and his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth, reminding me of Pinky, the goofy mouse from the oldPinky and the Braincartoons.
