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Minnie and I had met when she visited her mate, Ri, in Silver Springs Penitentiary, and when she served a brief stint in the joint. Ri, who I had been protecting while in prison, was a friend of sorts. But I didn’t try to track him down because I didn’t want to risk getting him locked up for socializing with an escaped inmate while he was on parole.
Minnie looked confused. “Um… should you be out here? There’s a wanted poster with your face on it at the diner. At least there was for like five minutes. Sapphire put it up, but Bob took it down. Something about a negative atmosphere. He likes to keep things positive, which is why I’m currently negotiating with squirrels to keep them from stealing customers’ food.”
This must be Yes Now, Bob’s. I had come here years ago looking for Juniper, and a vampire who liked to pretend she didn’t give a fuck while clearly giving all the fucks had tried to chase me off. I never went back.
“Of course I should be out here. Those posters are just to make me look cool.”
Leaves crackled as Beverly ambled out of the woods. She lifted her head to stare at Minnie.
“This is—”
Before I could finish introducing her, Beverly hissed, bared her teeth, and charged at the other witch.
Chapter 33
Minniescrambledontothenearest table, forcing the squirrel she was arguing with to leap off it and run for a tree.
If Beverly was mad at Minnie, then Minnie must have done something to her. And nobody fucked with my beaver.
I dashed at Minnie. Her eyes widened, clearly not expecting me to join Beverly’s attack.
I grabbed her arm, raising my fist. “What did you do to my beaver?”
At my feet, Beverly groaned and growled as though in an angry rant.
Minnie yanked her arm from my grasp and stomped her foot on the table repeatedly for some reason. “I’m sorry! I know I promised to help you, but there was nothing I could do!”
Beverly growled.
“I didn’t set you up.” Minnie bared her teeth at Beverly. “How was I supposed to know they’d lock you up?”
I nearly threw a punch. “You landed this poor animal in prison?”
Beverly squeaked and stood on her hind legs to reach for Minnie. The witch scrambled backward on the table and nearly tumbled off the other side.
Minnie glanced from me to Beverly, her eyes wide and worried. “It’s not my fault! Ash told them that Beverly was a shifter who had broken into his lab. But he only did that to save me. And it’s not like he thought they’d put you in prison.”
Beverly squealed, and my magic flared around my hands.
Minnie eyed me. “We didn’t think they’d actually convict a beaver! We figured they’d take her to the station, realize she wasn’t a shifter, and set her free! How was anyone to know that some jury would vote to convict a beaver?”
I clenched my jaw, not in rage at Minnie, but at the cops, lawyers, judge, and jurists who had decided to charge a fucking animal. I pulled my magic back into my skin and glanced down at Beverly.
“Is it true that she didn’t tattle on you? It was this Ash guy?”
Beverly looked up at me and blinked. Of course, I shouldn’t have asked. I didn’t speak beaver.
“I’m sorry,” Minnie said softly. She leaned forward so she was half hanging off the table and pressed her nose to Beverly’s. “I wanted to break you out when I heard, but my last prison break ended up with me behind bars. I mean, intentionally. But still. I couldn’t figure out how to actually free someone.”
Beverly dropped back to all fours and stared up at Minnie, but she didn’t try to bite her or yell at her.
“I’ll make it up to you,” Minnie said. “I promise. Anything you want.”
Beverly grunted.
“What did she say?” I asked.
“She said she’ll think about it. Mainly because she needs me to translate.”
