Chapter 6 #3
“I'm still working on it, but I'm off to a good start. Let's walk to the back, where I have a witchy room.”
Harry wasn't joking because there was a good-sized room, and one wall was covered with different kinds of jars containing herbs. On that counter, there was every kind of magical device that you could think of.
“Let’s talk about flashing,” Harry suggested. “Tell me what you think about when you flash.”
“I just think that I want to move,” Lottie admitted.
“You need to think about where you want to go. Start by thinking about going back to my kitchen now that we’re in my living room. Close your eyes and think of nothing else.”
In a flash, she was in the other room. Now she closed her eyes, and she thought about going back to where she was, and in a second, there she was again.
“That’s good.” Harry approved.
They worked on that for about an hour, and she improved the distance she could go and worried less about the obstacles between where she was and where she wanted to go.
The next thing Harry wanted to work on was spells.
She explained a little bit about how to cast a spell, and that it didn't really need to be perfect; it was more important to be clear.
By the time they finished lessons, it was time for supper.
Harry grabbed her hand and flashed them away.
They ended up at someone’s home, but it had a food bar inside.
Tugging her hand, Harry pulled her to the bar, and they stood in line behind a she-wolf waiting for the meal to begin.
The lady in front of them began to move, and Harry and she followed, each loading a plate.
When they were done, they followed the woman to where she was sitting.
“Ariel, this is Lottie. Lottie, Ariel.”
She choked on the food she was eating. Was this the white wolf? Then she remembered that Harry had said she’d introduce her to the white wolf.
“Nice to meet you.” She choked out.
“It’s good to meet you, too.” Ariel gave her a long, hard look.
“What do you think?” Harry asked.
Ariel smiled. “She’ll be in the family soon.”
What did she mean? Lottie decided to ignore it.
She was hungry and wanted to eat. Maybe she’d ask Harry later.
The food was great, and she finished her plate, then went back to get dessert.
When she came back to the table, Harry and Ariel were deep into a conversation.
They both looked up as she sat. Later, she would find out everything from Harry.
“Have you had all you can eat?” Harry asked.
“Definitely. Thank you for the meal, Ariel.” Before she heard the reply, Harry grabbed her and whisked her away.
They were back at Flo’s house, and she could scent supper. Had Harry planned this so that she could have two suppers? Harry was often hungry, so she wouldn't be surprised.
“I'm going to my room, and I will see you next time you come round,” Lottie said.
She wasn't hungry enough to eat anymore, and she didn't want to sit at the table and watch everyone eat.
Heading up to her room, once she arrived, she got ready for bed.
Since she wasn't tired, she pulled out her computer and did what work she could until she felt tired enough so that she could sleep.
At that point, she went to bed, and she fell asleep.
It was morning, and she could smell something amazing cooking.
She dressed and hurried downstairs to see what it was.
There was white sausage gravy, which she loved, eggs, biscuits, and several different pastries.
This was a breakfast to brag on. Everyone was at the table, even the girls, so she sat down and began fixing her plate.
“I heard you caught a murderer,” Carlos observed.
“It was mostly Harry. I was just there to back her up.” Lottie observed.
“Harry said you would make a good partner for anyone working for law enforcement,” Flo mentioned.
“That's sweet of her to say, but I've never done that before yesterday and have no training.” Lottie declared.
“I hope you're not looking for another job,” Darren said.
“I'm not, and Harry didn't offer me one.” She replied.
Was that what this was about? They were afraid that she was leaving. She'd not even considered that, at least not while the girls still needed her. Harry had really gotten things stirred up. She hoped she would see her soon so that she could talk to her about exactly what she was up to.
“What will we do today?” Adele asked.
She was done eating and looking forward to whatever the day would bring.
“Why don't you go ahead and start on your schoolwork, and when I'm done eating, we will decide what we're going to do next.”
Ellis finished soon after, and Lottie wasn't sure why she'd been eating so slowly. She left to join her sister and get started on her schoolwork.
“I thought about taking you and the girls to Branson,” Darren mentioned.
“Today? You've not mentioned it.”
“I saw an ad on my phone last night, and it looked like a lot of fun. They've been working hard and so have you. Maybe you deserve a break and a little bit of fun?”
Why did she feel like she was being led into something she might have to escape from? Since he had become a wolf, things weren't the same between them. There was a draw that she couldn't escape, and she thought he felt it too. What would she do if she had to spend time with him in close quarters?
“All right. I’m sure the girls will love it. Will anyone else come?” Lottie asked.
“Flo and I will come. There will also be a guard, and I will ask Harry if she can come,” Carlos offered.
He walked off to get ready and probably make a few calls.
Lottie also went to her room to change into something a little better for walking around outside.
She also changed into her most comfortable tennis shoes.
Once she was ready, she headed back downstairs to where Flo was already waiting.
Adele came out next, and then Ellis was a few minutes behind.
Darren joins them next, and finally, Carlos was there.
“Harry said she would join us and bring the guard that Tyne is providing. We will meet them at the place that offers paintball in Branson.” Carlos explained. “We all need to go so they won't have to wait for us.”
They headed out to the SUV waiting outside.
The girls rode in the back seat, which had a TV of its own, and they had it on immediately.
That would keep them busy on what might otherwise be a boring trip.
Lottie and Darren shared the middle seat, but they each sat by their window.
Carlos and Flo were in the front seats. Carlos was driving, and he had probably been to Branson and even this place several times.
Lottie didn't usually make these kinds of trips without any planning.
From what she had heard, this was not something that Darren did either.
Maybe he was becoming more spontaneous than he had been before.
That might even be something that was good for him after all he had been through.
There was no doubt that the girls were very excited, and she was sure they would have a lot of fun.
The trip was nice, and the view from the window is beautiful.
Leaves were changing, and many colors were already evident, even though it was early.
In a couple of weeks, the colors would probably be brilliant.
They passed the lake, which she had not seen yet.
In the summer, it would be a perfect place to take the kids for boating or fishing.
She could see a lot of rocks on the shore, so swimming might not be the best thing to do here.
She knew Flo had a boat and that they would probably go fishing next summer.
They hadn't gone far before they began to see signs for Branson.
It was interesting that Carlos and Flo lived between two tourist attractions.
There were lots of things to see and do, and she was sure that come summer, the girls would get to do a lot of them.
Lottie didn't think that she'd still be here in the summer because things should be settled down by then.
The thought made her feel sad that she wouldn't be here, but happy that they would be living the kind of life that they wanted without anyone after them.
“Hey, what are you thinking about?” Darren asked.
“This place that you live in is a beautiful area. There will be many places you can take the girls and activities they will enjoy. I'm sure you'll be able to take them alone by the time summer rolls around. We are at least halfway to having that guy dealt with.”
“They'll still need you. Is it that you want to leave us?”
“Of course, not, but all things end in time,” Lottie mentioned.
“Don't worry about that now. Take the time to enjoy this trip and get everything out of it that you can.”
He was probably right, and that was what she needed to do: not worry about the future, because the future was hard to see.