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The officer looked rather annoyed. Peeking over his shoulder, Hazel couldn’t blame him. There were at least fifteen blue-haired ladies with arms crossed and feet tapping.
Hazel shut the door briefly to unlatch the chain then let it swing open wide enough for the officer to walk through. “What’s this about?”
Hazel recognized the kind, but burly, blond-headed officer, John Perkins. Looking decidedly uncomfortable, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, ma’am, Mrs. Johnson says you’re the one who spiked the punch at the party. She says she thinks you got her drunk a few weeks back, as well, and she can’t remember anything about the whole afternoon.”
“Spiked the punch?” Hazel was so confused, all she could do was blink. “I didn’t realize the punchhadbeen spiked. Why would I spike the punch?” She was getting angrier by the second. Hands on hips, she added, “And how does that give you the grounds to arrest me?”
John grimaced. “She thinks you’re trying to steal her book of county fair blue ribbon winning recipes.”
“Mrs. Johnson? My grandmother gave her most of those recipes. I don’t need to steal those.”
“Not Mrs. Johnson. Mrs. Price.”
“You’vegotto be kidding! That woman can’t make good Kool-Aid.”
John’s lips twitched. “Maybe so, but her son’s the sheriff and he’s given me orders to bring you to the jail for holding until we get this straightened out.”
Hazel held up her hands. “Look, even if Ididspike the punch -- which I didn’t -- that’s not against the law. As to the ‘attempted theft,’ what ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?”
“I know, Miss Montgomery, and I’m sure you won’t be in jail past tonight. But Ralph said to bring you in, and if I don’t, he’ll just do it himself.”
Hazel shivered. Ralph Price gave her the creeps. The man was like an octopus with about fifteen extra tentacles. He never met an ass he didn’t like to grope.
And his hair was greasy.
And he smelled funny.
“Will you keep him away from me if I go quietly?”
“I’ll do my best, ma’am.” John, ever the Boy Scout, stood straighter with his hands behind his back.
It would have to do. Looked like she was spending the night in the county jail.
* * *
Though he tried with all his might, Drake absolutelycould notshift back into his human form. He wasn’t sure how she’d done it, but Hazel seemed to have blocked his transforming ability. What was it she’d said?
One’s own true self is freely shown…
Okay. That made sense. His animal self was the part he kept hidden from the world. But why couldn’t he shift back?
He could hear Hazel and John talking, knew she was leaving with him, but couldn’t do anything about it. He wanted to shout at her to let him out, for her to stay where she was, but all he could do was bark. Damn. He really was Lassie!
And that made Hazel really a witch.
Holy shit! Could it be as simple as that?
Hazel was really awitch! Avirginwitch. Who ever heard of a virgin witch? Her power would be completely unpredictable. Sexual energy was the most powerful influence of any paranormal ability. Sex engagedallthe senses, and could elicit a wide range of extreme emotions. Since Hazel hadn’t tapped into her sexual energy, she wouldn’t have the ability to use her power to its fullest advantage. She could do magic, but it might not happen in the way she thought it would.
One’s own true self is freely shown…
She must have been trying to bring out the ability she knew she possessed. His image got caught in the mirror andpoof! He was the one hiding, he was the one who got transformed.
The door to Hazel’s apartment closed and his body began to contort. His fur disappeared, his claws retracted, his fangs shortened to his normal teeth -- he was returning to his human form. Either her spell was wearing off or it was dependent on her being close to him. Whatever.Thank God!
He was naked. His clothes had been ripped to shreds by the fur growing out of them when Hazel’s spell caused him to shift. So he could either go upstairs naked through a group of groping geriatrics, or he could try to make it in his wolf form and possibly cause a couple of coronaries.
He sighed. Why was small town Americasocomplicated? If he lived in New York, Hazel would still be in this apartment and he…
