Chapter Eleven
T he next morning, Rowena was quiet on the walk to the café.
To be fair, so was I. On the outside I was calm and relaxed, as we walked side by side in our usual companionable silence. But on the inside, I was burning up with questions.
Why isn’t Rowena part of the coven? Why are the other witches so cautious around her?
Who was she talking to last night?
I lifted my gaze from the ground, where I’d been watching the autumn leaves crunch under my feet, and peered over at Rowena.
She looked so stoic and peaceful, with her thick bangs hovering above her eyelashes and her big, dark eyes placidly taking in the scenery.
It was still dark outside, which made the normally fiery fall trees look like black, looming specters high above our heads.
But they were just as beautiful as they were in the daytime, in their own eerie way.
Rowena was an evasive, quiet witch, but she’d been incredibly kind to me since I first stumbled into her café.
Hell, she’d been more than kind – she offered me a much-needed job while promising my safety like her life depended on it.
And in some ways, it might. I imagined she would be in deep trouble if the rest of Wisteria Grove found out she was harboring a werewolf.
I thought back to my panic attack the day before.
How she didn’t scold me or get suspicious.
Instead, she comforted me. She taught me to breathe through it.
I could still feel her hug – the way she wrapped her arms around me, hooking her chin over my shoulder, pressing her fingers against my long red hair.
I remembered the scent of her lavender perfume washing over me.
I could even smell a hint of it now as we walked, every time our shoulders brushed or a stray breeze swept across both of us.
I liked her. I was strangely, foolishly, inexplicably attracted to her.
She was beautiful, caring, and mysterious – three traits that were irresistible to werewolves.
But this was more than just my kind’s curious and hormonal ways.
There was something deeper to our budding friendship, something I struggled to describe.
It was as if those big brown eyes could stare straight into my soul.
As if she knew me better than I knew myself.
I just couldn’t explain why.
“Did you have a good time at the coven meeting last night?”
I startled. Rowena hadn’t said a word the entire time we’d been walking, and we were almost to the café. Whether it was a simple attempt at conversation or something more, I couldn’t tell. I looked over at her, and her brown eyes flickered with curiosity.
I don’t understand. Why aren’t you part of the coven?
Did you not want to join?
Or would they not let you?
“Oh, uh, it was fine.” My reply tumbled awkwardly out of my mouth. “More than fine, actually. It was nice. I enjoyed getting to chat with the other witches. The food was really good, too.”
“Did Juniper have anything important to bring up?” Rowena asked.
My jaw tensed. I dreaded mentioning the upcoming werewolf frenzy. Rowena was likely already aware of it, or would be told soon by one of the other witches. But the thought of bringing up anything werewolf-related made me nauseous.
“Uh… yeah. About the full moon coinciding with Halloween…”
I paused. Because as soon as I mentioned the full moon, every muscle in Rowena’s body tightened. It was like she was made of stone. I knew the news made her just as uncomfortable as it made me, but for different reasons.
Her fear was being attacked or injured during the frenzy. My fear was being discovered. Of the witches learning one of the beings they hated most was living among them.
“Juniper decided to cancel the festivities.” I hurried to spit out the rest of my sentence. Like I wanted it off my tongue as soon as possible. “She said it’s safest for everyone.”
Rowena nodded slowly, though the rest of her body was still rigid. “I agree with Juniper’s judgment. It’s unfortunate, but we must keep everyone safe.”
“Well, on a lighter note… how do the witches in this town usually celebrate Halloween? It sounds like there’s a bunch of events.”
Rowena chuckled, a small smile returning to her face.
“Yes. Here in Wisteria Grove, we celebrate both the modern holiday of Halloween, and the ancient witch tradition of Samhain. We carve lots of pumpkins, and the kids go trick-or-treating. We also set up a huge altar in the center of town to memorialize our ancestors. Then, we make a big bonfire in the field behind the town hall, and we have food. Lots and lots of food.”
“Then the kids get a sugar high off all the candy and go crazy?” I asked with a smirk, remembering all the years of celebrating Halloween on my home island.
Rowena chuckled. It made me happy to see her face soften. “Yes. But most of the young ones are off to bed before the bonfire starts.”
We passed through the wire gate into Rowena’s garden, and I watched as she admired the plump blueberry bushes and overflowing beds of dandelion greens. Once we made it to the back door of the café, Rowena dug out her jingling mess of keys and unlocked the door with a hard mechanical click.
“So, I was thinking…” Rowena mentioned as we both stepped into the kitchen. Rowena hung up her cloak, but I kept mine on. After my panic attack the day before, I wasn’t taking any chances with my ears and tail poking out.
“Yes?”
Rowena paused, her mouth tilting to the side. She pointed to the door that led to Mount Katahdin. “Here, let me just show you.”
I pulled my cloak tighter around myself as I followed Rowena through the door.
The top of the mountain was calm today, with no high winds or snowfall.
But the temperature was still low enough to make me shiver.
I hated the way it bit through my cloak, seeping into my bones and making my skin prickle with goosebumps.
It made me ache to shift into my wolf form so I could insulate myself with my thick fur.
Up ahead, Rowena strode peacefully through the snow, leaving boot-shaped tracks in her wake. Like before, she wasn’t wearing her cloak, but the cold didn’t seem to bother her at all.
She drew her lips pack and hissed air through her teeth in a sharp whistle.
“Fritzi! Come here, girl!” she cooed like she was talking to a pet. In the distance, I spotted a crystalline, fox-like figure bounding through the thick snow in long strides.
“Hi Fritzi!” I greeted as she approached. I was happy to see the little elemental again. I gave her a small wave, and to my surprise, she lifted one of her icicle-like legs and waved her paw back at me.
“You’re such a good girl,” Rowena cooed, patting her on the head. “Can you go fetch the goods I brought in here yesterday?”
Fritzi nodded eagerly, sunlight glinting off her translucent face, and she took off through the snow, back the way she came.
A few minutes later – which felt like an eternity because of how cold it was – Fritzi re-appeared with a burlap bag in her mouth. Rowena thanked her heartily, giving her a few extra pats on the head. Fritzi loved it so much that she plopped to the ground and rolled over onto her stomach.
“Aw, you want belly rubs?” I chuckled. Even my wolf form enjoyed the occasional belly scratch. It was a difficult spot for us canine creatures to reach on our own.
Fritzi’s back leg twitched as I rubbed her stomach, and I giggled at the involuntary movement. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth, and I knew if she had visible eyes, they’d be closed with glee at that moment.
“Okay, Fritzi,” Rowena lovingly scolded. “I know how much you love pets, but we need to get going.”
Fritzi’s leg stopped twitching, as she let out a sound halfway between a whimper and a growl.
“Don’t sass me,” Rowena huffed. “Or you won’t get your treat.”
With that threat, Fritzi immediately shot to her feet, lovingly trotting next to us as we returned to the door leading back to the kitchen.
It was strange, having a random door in the middle of the snowy mountain. There wasn’t even a cave or anything else behind it. I wondered if particularly brave mountaineers ever came up here and saw the door. Then it occurred to me that it was probably warded so only witches could see it.
“So, what’s in the bag?” I asked as we reached the door. Rowena slipped the bag over her shoulder, tossed Fritzi her ice-bone treat, and opened the door leading back to the warm, cozy kitchen.
“Here, let me show you my idea,” Rowena strode in front of me, setting the bag down on the counter.
I hovered in the doorway, eager to step back into the warmth but also wanting to say goodbye to Fritzi.
I craned my head over my shoulder, and I saw Fritzi plopped in a pile of snow, happily chowing down on her treat.
Part of me felt weird leaving her out here. But I reminded myself she was an ice elemental, not a dog, and the snowy mountain top was where she felt most at home. She likely wouldn’t be happy cooped up in a warm kitchen.
“You coming?”
I turned my head back to the kitchen, and Rowena was standing by the counter. The bag was empty, and tubs of colored frosting and sprinkles were stacked in a neat row.
“You’re letting all the cold in,” Rowena scolded with a slight smirk.
I sighed. “Bye, Fritzi.” I gave the elemental a little wave and shut the door.
“You know she’s fine out there, right?”
“Yeah, I know. Ice elemental and all.”
“But seriously. I once tried to shelter her in the kitchen during a snowstorm. She threw a fit the second I coaxed her in here.”
“I mean, she is literally made of ice.”
Rowena chuckled, grabbing one of the tubs off the counter. “Speaking of ice… or ice-ing , that is…”
“That’s a terrible pun.”
Rowena’s cute little black eyebrows knitted together, and I giggled.
“Let me guess…” I continued. “You want me to make more… festive cookies?”
“Well, yes. Hence why the sprinkles are purple, black, and green.”