Page 14 of Hell and Hexes
Chapter 6
Sylvie
Iheaded down the road from the compound, pulling over to the side to let a shiny huge diesel truck edge by me. The truck slowed and stopped even with my car, the window whirring down to reveal a pretty werewolf with blonde hair and a smattering of freckles across a sun-burned nose.
“Sylvie! It’s so good to see you. Were you up meeting with Dallas or something?”
I barely knew Tink, so her effusive greeting was a bit puzzling. Yes, she was probably just as gossipy as all the others here in Accident, but I got the impression there was something beyond mere curiosity that made her stop her truck to talk to me.
“I was meeting with Bart,” I told her. “He won something in the firehouse raffle.”
Her eyes lit up. “Ooh, the latch-hook rug?”
I shook my head. “Tap dance lessons.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That’s pretty cool too, although everyone wanted that rug.”
I sat for a second, waiting for her to tell me why she’d wanted to talk. It didn’t take long.
“Um, Sylvie?” The werewolf chewed her bottom lip. “Do you think you can fit me into your schedule sometime next week? Make it all discrete-like because I don’t want anybody knowing I’m coming to see you.”
I nodded because no one wanted anyone to know they were seeing me. “I’ve got an opening Tuesday at ten. Does that work?”
She nodded, so I dug into my purse on the passenger seat and pulled out one of my amulets. “Just hold this in your hand when you come, and no one will see you.”
She reached out the window to take it and let out a breath, her shoulders relaxing in relief. “Thanks. I’m hoping you can help me out. I promised Dallas some things before we got mated, and he really wants these things, but I’ve got no idea how to do them. I mean, I read some articles online, but I think they’re leaving out a few things.”
I tried to remain composed, struggling to keep a professional, mildly interested expression on my face. “Sex?”
She glanced around furtively then nodded. “There’s this thing with a lemon zester and hemorrhoid cream, and I don’t want to screw it up. Dallas really wants this, and I promised.”
Ugh. I had no idea whatever the holy heck Tink was trying to do with a lemon zester and hemorrhoid cream, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but I wasn’t about to kink shame anyone.
“We’ll talk,” I promised her.
She grinned. “Awesome. I’ll see you on Tuesday at ten.”
I waved and started to drive off. “Tuesday at ten.”
As I drove down the mountain, I thought about the problem with the werewolves. I thought about the problems the lone wolves were facing. I thought about lemon zester and hemorrhoid cream and wondered how the hell that could possibly be erotic.
And I wondered about Eshu. What was he doing right now? Had he come to deliver messages to Lucien? Would he stop by my house to see me again, or had he forgotten all about me?
* * *
I was wantingnothing more than Glenda’s foul smoothie and a nap, but instead I drove out of Accident past the wards and to a building in a neighboring town that housed the law office where Cassie worked.
My sister was in her office, behind a desk with folders stacked so high I could barely see her. She peeked around a folder-tower, then grabbed a handful and moved them to the floor as I sat across from her.
“How are you feeling? You look tired. You should go home and nap, or better yet, go to my house and nap on the couch.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine. I plan on taking a nap as soon as I’m done here—at my own house and in my own bed.”
She eyed me with concern. “My couch is always open, Sylvie.”
I waved the offer away. “I know, and I appreciate it. I popped by to talk to you about the werewolf situation, not my health. I’m worried about the mental and emotional state of the lone wolves in Accident. They’re not adapting well to being completely severed from the pack and any contact with other werewolves. I think we need to address this. Maybe find a way to allow werewolves to talk and meet with the lone wolves in town? It won’t be the same as hunting with the pack or being permitted on the compound, but at least it will help with the crushing isolation they’re feeling.”
Cassie sighed and leaned back in her chair. “Sylvie, I’m sympathetic. Believe me, I want the same thing, but there are priorities. De-escalating the conflict between Dallas and Clinton comes first. I can’t have a war right now—not in Accident and not on the mountain. I told both werewolves I want them both to meet with me Monday. There’s got to be a way to get the pair of them to back off on this fighting. If I can get them to do that, then maybe in a few months, we can talk to them about easing up on the banishments.”
“This is important,” I told her. “Werewolves are social beings,packbeings, and this isolation isn’t good for either Shelby or Stanley.”
“I don’t want to hit Dallas and Clinton with too many demands, too many changes, all at once,” she warned me. “Let’s see how things go on Monday at the meeting first, then we’ll see how fast we can move on this other issue.”
I was disappointed, but I understood. Hopefully Cassie getting Dallas and Clinton both in a room would get a cease-fire going and work toward some long-term solution to this mess. Hopefully. I shook my head, doubtful that much was going to come of that meeting.
Cassie was an amazing lawyer, but mediation wasn’t her strong point. Actually, it wasmystrong point. Although, I doubted even Nelson Mandela with a fist full of amulets could get those two werewolves to stand down.
And in the meantime, I’d do all I could so that Stanley could at least have a friend to chat with once a week. And maybe, just maybe, if all went well, we could push for something more.
