Page 12 of Magic and Muffins

She disconnected the call and pouted. “Days? That’s bullshit.”

“No,” I said. “It’s scary. Thousands have called. How many people are they going to convert or kill before we can stop them?”

I hoped he’d exaggerated the number, but either way, people were going to die.

“Which is why we need to get in there faster,” Vena said.

“How? You heard him. He’ll call in a few days.”

Vena frowned. “I can’t sit here and do nothing.” She patted Anchor’s arm. “Let’s go scry. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear from them.”

I let out a breath as soon as she was gone.

As Shepard and Cross began talking about moving wolves from one area to another, I slipped from the study.

With nothing else to do, I checked my phone to see the status of my grocery order. It would arrive in an hour, which was perfect. That gave me plenty of time to explore the spacious kitchen and prep for some therapy baking.

I peeked into the kitchen cupboards to find new dishes and cooking accessories. However, stickers still clung to most of them, so I began pulling things out for a wash. I loved everything Cross had selected and was thankful for his understanding of my love of baking. He’d made his kitchen an oasis for me.

Cross and Shepard appeared as I was peeling off a label from a shiny sauce pot.

I saw the concerned look they shared. They knew me well enough to recognize my stress cleaning for what it was.

“If you have things you need to do, do them,” I said. “I’m going to prep the kitchen for baking. The groceries should be here in an hour.”

Both settled at the counter island.

“I can work from here for now,” Shepard said as he pulled out his phone.

“I’m free to sit and watch you,” Cross teased.

I smiled at him. “If you’re so free, start brainstorming marketing ideas.”

Cross frowned in contemplation. “Well, the bakery is supposed to be a place for all races. But with the vampires vilifying the wolves, I wonder if we need to change it.”

“We need more inclusive places now more than ever. While I hate what is happening, I believe not all vampires are bad. Just like the wolves aren’t the monsters that Orphia is painting them to be.”

Shepard tensed when I said monsters. I flashed him a smile to show I didn’t mean I thought of them like that.

“What about the cookie class idea we had?” I asked, finding the cutest ramekins in a drawer. “These are adorable.”

“I thought you might like them,” Cross said. “As for the cookie class, is that the one where women make cookies and wolves smell them to see if they can find a possible mate?”

“Yes, that one.”

“Would any women show up?” Shepard asked.

“Yes.The Other Househas been gaining fans and fueling fantasies for years. Plus, there will always be those who don’t believe Orphia’s propaganda. You have allies, Shepard.”

His disbelieving look made me more determined to create the class.

Our phones dinged at the same time. Cross and Shepard looked at theirs.

“Is it Vena?” I asked.

“Miles,” Cross said. “He verified all the locations in the book and map are in Europe and is asking if there are any known locations in the States.” He glanced at Shepard. “Do you know of any? As soon as I arrived here, I went into hibernation.”

Shepard shook his head. “I don’t know.”

---