Page 8 of Bad Witch

How the heck did I get myself into these kinds of situations? I didn’t want him to think I was a liar, though it wasn’t a hurtful lie. But Matilda W always said when we lied, the mother heard us, and she wept from the disappointment. I didn’t want to make the mother weep. And it wasn’t a total lie. I mean, okay, it was, but I needed a car anyway and it wasn’t like I could afford a good one. I’d just get one now, a blue one that needed some work, and take it in. That should nullify my white lie. I smiled, pleased with myself. Crisis avoided.

Walking to the window, I looked out at the parking lot in time to see Fender stride toward his bike, his limp barely noticeable. I’d asked about the bike, and he’d told me he’d made some adjustments to accommodate his injury. He swung onto the big machine, and the engine roared to life a moment later. My belly did another silly swoop as he rode off. What would it be like to ride a bike like that? It looked like fun. I’d seen a few of his brothers with females pressed tight to their backs as they rode down the street. That looked even more exciting.

I chewed my lip. Fender was kind, or at least he came across that way, and I liked the way he said my name, the way he occasionally called me babe in that rough voice of his, but I knew better than to blindly trust. I’d already made that mistake with another male and had been told in no uncertain terms what he thought of me.

Matildas didn’t mate or marry or have children. They did, however, on occasion after thorough vetting, take a lover. Not that Matilda W went into too much detail, but I could admit the idea intrigued me. The only thing she’d said was to choose wisely, and that there was a hidden section in our coven’s grimoire that would show itself to me when and if I needed it. So far it hadn’t showed me anything.

The problem was, reading people wasn’t something I was good at. Living the way I had, I still had so much to learn. Magnolia had been helping. She didn’t know my past, but I had shared that I’d had an isolated upbringing to explain my shortcomings, and that seemed to have worked. She’d also been extremely kind, going as far as inviting me to spend time with her at her home. We’d had a few movie nights, which I’d enjoyed immensely.

But because of my inability to read people, there’d been a humiliating mix-up that had ended in a wolf shifter from the Silver Claw pack telling me to “stay the fuck away from him” in front of several people here at the clinic, followed by another unkind comment. Mags had stepped in, cursed at him, then had rushed me away. For that and so many other reasons, I liked her immensely and appreciated her friendship more than she knew.

I’d mistaken the wolf shifter’s attentions for something more, and it had ended in disaster. I never wanted to experience anything like that ever again. So as lovely as I thought Fender was, I wouldn’t make that mistake again. Just because he smiled at me, was kind to me, it didn’t mean he was interested in me in a romantic sense. I was his healer, nothing more. Besides, I’d have to investigate his background before I could even consider taking him as a lover. He also might not be interested in me. Raiden certainly hadn’t been.

I rubbed my aching and bruised wrist as I checked the time. My shift was almost over. Good, because I needed to go buy a car, then grab some butter so I could make some peach pies. Matilda W always said breaking a promise was like telling an outright lie. When I’d forget to clean my room or do the dishes when it was my turn, she’d say, Do you want to make the mother cry, Tempest?

I never wanted to make the mother cry. Ever.

It was still early afternoon. Excellent. I should be able to get both chores done before my visit with Mr. Richards.

Chapter

Three

Fender

* * *

I stepped back, deeper into the shadows as Tempest walked out of the clinic, smiling and waving goodbye to several of her coworkers. The female smiled a lot. Even when she shouldn’t, like when I’d scented her fear. The fear didn’t come as often now, but when I first came to her at the clinic, the room had been bitter from it. I didn’t like that. The animal in me seriously hadn’t fucking liked it. I’d done everything I could to put her at ease. I’d kept my voice low, avoided making eye contact, and sat lower in my seat so as not to overwhelm her with my size. It had been working. I’d barely caught scent of fear at all today.

The sound of her voice carried over to me. She was humming as she walked. I shook my head, my lips curling up. It was like sunshine surrounded her, even on a cloudy day like today. Even with the city taken low by the virus, she found a reason to smile.

The female was like no one I’d ever encountered. She was also naive to a dangerous degree, awkward, and just plain odd at times. I was as emotionally stunted as most hounds, but the shit she said and did, it was like she’d been plonked on the face of the earth fully grown and fucking clueless.

For that reason, I’d decided to watch out for her. There was also a possessiveness, a protectiveness toward her that the beast refused to let me ignore. Since my tangle with the Vysan and the loss of my lower leg, she’d become the only person I really spoke to about it. I’d been confused by the foreign feelings that had developed since it happened. I was angry, really fucking angry, but that wasn’t all I felt. Hounds had limited emotions. Lucifer created us to feel only lust, anger, and loyalty, but recently there were other things. Things I couldn’t put a name to had surfaced, and I was struggling to get my head around it all.

In simple terms, losing my leg had fucked me up. This shit was hard, harder than I thought it would be, and Tempest had helped me, was the only one who seemed to be able to help me. I was just another one of her patients, though, so despite this extreme urge to protect her, I was trying really hard not to get it twisted. This thing drawing me to her was just a heightened sense of loyalty, nothing more.

Okay, fine, I liked how sweet and goofy she was. I really liked the way she smelled and that she was built. Tempest was all softness, sweet curved belly, big tits, and round ass. She also had this thick chestnut hair I was desperate to touch. Hounds were tactile, and I was desperate to know how those strands felt sliding between my fingers. Her wide green eyes managed to broadcast just how innocent she was, and the female blushed easily. She had these dimples in her cheeks and she suited the hell out of them. Sure, I thought the female was stunning, and she made my dick hard every time I was around her, and yeah, I wanted to fuck her, badly, but that was a me problem.

Admittedly, having her ask about my “sex life” today, while she blushed, then got close enough to use her “touch therapy” on me, hadn’t helped the situation, not when I was fascinated by the sparkly shit she put on her face or how that lipstick made her full lips even fuller, and in turn got me wondering how those lips would taste during a make-out session—but it was fine. I had my shit under control.

I was only watching her, following her, because she needed protection. That’s all.

She strode down the street, stopping by the bus stop, because despite what she said, the female did not own a car. Why she said she did, I wasn’t sure, but now I wanted to see what she’d do, because she’d tried really hard to convince me of it.

Again, the female was fucking odd. But intriguing.

The beast sat up straight, pushing to the surface when I was with her. The animal in me wanted to get closer, to bury my nose in her brown hair and breathe her deeper into my lungs. I wanted to lick her and taste her smooth-looking skin. The beast wanted to know how all that softness would feel and taste and smell up close and personal.

The streets were empty because of the virus, and hardly anyone was using public transport right now. The services had been cut in half. When the bus finally rolled up, Temp got in, smiling and greeting the bus driver as well as the only other passenger.

Shaking my head, I strode to my bike, swung on and started the engine. The female was like Bambi dropped into a lion’s den. I couldn’t trust her to take care of herself. If I didn’t watch out for her, she was going to get herself hurt or worse.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I checked the screen.

War: Got a job for you

I looked up at the bus as it pulled away. Shit. Surely, she couldn’t get into too much trouble between here and her place. I wanted to follow her, but War was my alpha. I’d text or call her with some made-up bullshit and make sure she was okay in a few, that would have to do.