Page 60 of Wishing for a Werewolf
I shift into my fae form and vault the fence. The goats immediately run over, snuffling at my hands and clothes, looking for treats.
“Hey!” A cry rings across the field, and I look up to see Autumn waving as she trots toward me, Babybelle at her side. She comes to a halt a few feet away, her cheeks flushed pink from the run. My fire wears none of her usual jewelry, and her shirt and jeans are plain work clothes. Yet she looks as lovely as ever. “I heard the goats giving warning cries.”
“My niece and nephew got excited by the scent of the animals.”
Autumn lifts an eyebrow. “Excited? That doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s not going to be a problem.” I frown. “I gave my word.”
“Yeah, well, I know how rotten little ones can be.” She gestures toward the mini-goat, who goes bounding toward the fence, letting out a series of bleats. Autumn runs after her, yelling as she passes me, “See what I mean?”
I dash past her and vault the fence, spinning and crouching, ready to snatch my niece and nephew away from the goat.
Shock freezes me in place, my arms outstretched. The pups aren’t threatening Babybelle. “What are you doing?”
Astrid and Agnar have stuck their short muzzlesthrough the holes in the fence so they can lick the mini-goat. Babybelle’s bouncing up and down, bleating and trying to butt her head against them with affection.
“Yes, you can play together if Rune says it’s okay.” Autumn throws me a questioning glance.
“Wait, the goat can talk?” Astrid asks.
Agnar protests, “But I can’t understand her!”
“The goat isn’t fae,” Riselda says. “It’s like at home in Alarria. We can talk to the unicorns, since they’re fae, but we can’t talk to the deer, because they’re animals.”
“But the woman talked to her!”
“I did,” Autumn agrees. “That’s because Babybelle is no longer a normal animal. I’m a witch, and she’s my familiar.”
Astrid says, “Ohhh,” at the same time Agnar admits, “I don’t know what that means.” He glances at his sister. “What does it mean?”
She shrugs.
Babybelle hops and bleats some more.
“She says to tell you she’s the most special animal in all the world, because she’s the only one who’s bonded to me.” Autumn smiles at her familiar, the expression so fond I’m transfixed by it.
I want her to look at me with eyes so full of love.
“I’m Riselda, Rune’s sister.” She steps closer to Autumn and waves at her werewolf form. “I’d change into a woman, but my brother tells me humans don’t like nudity.”
“Except when they do,” I growl, thinking of the people on the television show wearing something called bikinis, which had been so small, they might as well have been naked. “It’s very confusing.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Autumn says.
“I’m going to make them their first cooked breakfast,” I say. “Would you like to come over?”
Autumn’s smile dies, and the worry I first saw yesterday evening flickers through her eyes. “Sorry, I can’t. I have to make extra batches of soap this week so that I can take time off for all the fall festival activities we have coming up.”
“I told you I’d help with that.” I frown. “We’re doing them together.”
“That will be great, but it doesn’t change the fact that the maze will be open for multiple hours each day, and I have to fulfill my duty to the family business first.” Her eyes move past me to the others. “It was nice to meet you all. I’m sure I’ll see you soon.”
She picks up a protesting Babybelle, the little goat kicking, trying to get back to the pups.
As my fire walks away, I leap the fence and catch up to her, a moth pulled to her flame. “We’re in this together. Tell me what you need.” I want to wipe her worry away.
“Most of the things for the pumpkin carving contest should be good to go, since the town does the same thing every year. But here’s what you can check on.” She gives me a list of things to confirm, then says, “I also have something I’d like to add to the event.”
