Page 58 of Wishing for a Werewolf
They’re right. Ihaveto figure out how to break the wish swap spell. It’s more important than ever.
It’s the only way I’ll know if what’s happening between me and Rune is real.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Rune
I’m up with the sun the next morning, unable to sleep. My family will arrive today!
I walk through the house one last time, seeing all the new touches that make it livable, from the food waiting in the kitchen to the supplies in the bathrooms and the linen-covered beds. Pride fills my chest. I have made a home for my pack, one where pups can learn what it means to walk the world on two legs.
And I have Autumn to thank for it all.
I skip breakfast, eager to bring everyone back here for their first meal in fae form.
Shadow appears out of thin air as I step outside, standing on my front porch. With nothing like human phones in Faerie, the werepanther’s ability to walk the shadow roads makes him the quickest way to communicate across longdistances.
“Are they coming as planned?” I ask.
“They are.” His wide grin shows far too many teeth. “In fact, they’re about to step through the door.”
“What? No.” I wanted to be there to greet them. I try to shove past him.
He places a hand on my chest.
I’m fast, but there’s no way I’ll get there before they step through the door, and any delay is completely unacceptable. A growl rumbles in my chest, irritation filling me. “Out of the way, cat. I need to get to them. I—”
“Calm yourself, hound. I’ll take you on the shadow roads.”
I stop shoving forward. “You’d do that?” He’s taken me on the secret roads before, but only for more serious reasons, such as when we battled foes in Faerie.
“Of course.” His green eyes glitter with mirth as he grabs my elbow. “Take a deep breath.”
We step forward, and the world disappears, the colors of the trees fading, the birdsong falling silent, the scents of pine and dried leaves dying away. All that’s left is gray nothingness with a faint path barely visible under our feet. How the hell the cat sith find their way through the mist is a mystery.
Shadow shows no such hesitation, pulling me along. We run, and in only a dozen steps, the world snaps back into clarity around me, delighting all my numbed senses. Wind stirs the colorful trees, carrying the scent of water from the nearby falls. Crystal Rock stands before us, the dark stone decorated with crystals that hint at the one buried at its base—the bespelled crystal that holds the door to Faerie.
Magic shivers through the clearing, and the air shimmers in front of the rock. Shadow got me here just in the nick of time.
I meet his gaze and tip my head. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” He steps to the side, fading from sight, his smile the last thing to disappear.
Then my sister steps through the door, a wolf far larger than any found on Earth, with deep-black fur and golden eyes, so like mine. “Rune!”
“Riselda!” I throw my arms around her, breathing in my twin’s familiar scent. My magic rages in my chest, a wild thing clawing at the cage of my ribs. The desire to shift, to be a wolf, is too great. I pull back, barely able to fight it down…
Two small bundles of fur step through the door and hurl themselves at me. “Uncle Rune!” “Uncle Rune!” Astrid and Agnar hit my chest, their paws too big for their small bodies.
I let out an exaggerated “oof” and fall onto my back as if they were strong enough to tip me over. “You got me.”
They stand on my chest, tiny tails wagging so hard their butts wiggle back and forth. Flat little pup faces grin down at me, golden eyes blazing with delight.
“I did it!” Astrid declares. “I knocked you over!”
“No, it was me!” Agnar protests.
“It was both of you.” I put my hands to good use, scratching all around their ears as they lick my chin in little kisses. Goddess, I’ve missed them!
