Page 29 of Wishing for a Werewolf
“It’s cheese.”
“I’ve eaten pizza with cheese. This isn’t cheese, this is—” His mouth opens and closes as he searches for a word.
“Thisis sharp cheddar. It’s my favorite.” I grin, loving that he likes it, too. “Pizza usually uses mozzarella. There are lots of types of cheese.”
“Lots?” His voice is as full of hope as a kid seeing a huge pile of Christmas presents under the tree.
“Hundreds.”
“Clearly, I need to study all of them,” he says. “In order to truly learn what it is to be a man.”
“Clearly.” My lips twitch. I click the remote and hit play on the firstMission Impossiblemovie. The iconic music swells, and I hum along.
We eat side by side as the characters race through their first mission, doing risky heroic shit.
Rune’s eyes remain glued to the screen the entire time, and I grin. I hoped he’d enjoy it, since he’s good at actiony stuff himself. I grew up on these movies, since they were a compromise worked out between Mom and Dad for family movie nights—he loves the action and she loves Tom Cruise.
Sitting side by side, eating good food and watching a fun movie—it’s beenwaytoo long since I did this with another person, let alone a guy. Our “Netflix and chill” night might not be a euphemism for anything else, but it’s still absolutely perfect.
Liar, horny Autumn whispers in my head. You want the euphemism too, admit it.
Shhh, I hiss at her.
Horny Autumn laughs and notices how Rune’s forearmflexes when he moves, how he groans every time he takes a bite of cheesy bread.
Never has my favorite movie seemed so long.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Rune
The next morning, a confused tangle of emotions drives me forward as I race through the forest toward Lukendevener’s castle.
On the one hand, I desperately want to break the wish swap spell so that I can clearly establish myself as the town’s protector. On the other, the spell is the only reason I got to enjoy the previous evening with Autumn. Without it, I’m not sure I’d even be speaking to the enticing witch yet.
Last night was my favorite night on Earth so far. The home-cooked meal, the antics of the mini-goat, and spending time with Autumn all combined into the first time I’ve truly felt at home here.
The movie made it crystal clear how much I have to learn about being a man and living on Earth. From the clothes, to the cars, to the planes and other electronic gadgets, itallowed me a glimpse of exactly how vast and varied this new world is.
Autumn even promised to help me prepare my house so it’s more livable before my niece and nephew visit.
Will any of that happen if we break the spell?
A gap appears in the brilliant orange and gold foliage of the trees, showing the gray stone of the dragon’s castle. The gate in the outer wall stands open, and I hurry into the bailey, the wide courtyard large enough for a dragon to land in their original shape.
Crenellated towers anchor the castle’s front corners, which is dotted with windows and a tall arched door. I bang on the wooden surface for what feels like an hour, unwilling to give up this time. It takes forever for it to finally swing open.
Luke scowls at me. “What?”
“I need your help.”
His expression doesn’t change, but he steps backward and gestures me in.
This castle came from Faerie, inserted into the forest outside Ferndale Falls by magic. It looks far more lived in than my new house. Tapestries cover the walls, a few empty sets of armor stand in alcoves along the hall, and there’s furniture in the rooms we hurry past. Everything’s made for dragons in their fae or weredragon forms.
“I don’t understand. How do you have a castle like this if you’ve been stuck in your dragon form for hundreds of years?” I’ve seen Luke’s true form. The red dragon is as big as a house with his wings tucked tight to his back. When they’re spread, he’s downright massive, possibly even largerthan the human plane from the movie. “You can’t even fit through the front door.”
“This castle has been in my family for over a thousand years. It’s spelled to go into magical stasis when not in use. It was like this when I found it in Dularia.”
