The Vegan and the Wolf by Julie Steimle (red white and royal blue hardcover txt) 📕

Huffing, Silvia said a little too sharply, “The only one of Howie’s friends from Middleton Village that I know who was intending to become a cop was Jessica Mason, his best friend’s girlfriend.”

Audry recalled the lady cop—the cadet—talking with Matthew, but decided not to mention that. “He was an Italian guy. I won’t tell you his name. I don’t want you to bother him.”

But Silvia stared as if she knew exactly whom Audry was talking about and she had no desire to mess with the guy at all. But Silvia said to clarify, “Average height. Blue eyes. Brown hair. Has a friend with platinum blonde hair and weird eyes?”

Spot on. Silvia knew him. Audry cringed. And the blonde was someone she could never forget.

Silvia nodded. “I see…. And did he say anything to you in the dream?”

How did she know? Audry winced and closed her eyes as she said, “He said, ‘Rick told us to keep his vegan safe.’“

Silvia laughed, but not mockingly. She looked surprised. Yet she said, “Those are his New York friends. You were bound to bump into them sooner or later, especially if Howie is around. I met the one you are talking about once. But once was enough.”

What a strange thing to say. Frankly, Audry didn’t mind Matthew. He was rather nice. Just… a little unnerving, because he also gave the impression that he could read her thoughts.

“So do you have an interpretation, Little Miss I-can-interpret-dreams?” Tricia bitingly asked, arms crossed in a tight fold.

Outright ignoring her, Silvia said to Audry. “Is there anything else you are not telling me about the dream? The details could be important.”

Audry shook her head, deciding to leave about the part about the witches in go-go boots. “No. I woke up soon after. The dream replayed a lot during the night with slightly different variations.”

Nodding to herself, Silvia thought over things. She then said, heading to the door again. “I can tell you one thing, and take heart from this—Harlin is not going to win. Three groups are watching out for you, so you will be ok. I think you can name them yourself.”

And she went out. Silvia’s eyes tracked Audry’s roommates, though, giving Audry the impression that those three were hindering her from doing and saying what she really had come to the apartment for. Thing was, Silvia’s words actually did help calm her down.

“What do you think she meant by that?” Laura muttered, frowning. 

Reflecting a moment, Audry replied, “I think she means what she said. I have three groups actively watching out for my safety. Her, for some crazy reason. My family. And now the police.”

“But why were they carrying swords?” Wendy murmured, mostly annoyed as she really didn’t believe in anything that wasn’t scientifically proven—softie or not. She was a Chemistry major after all.

Audry shrugged, thinking on it. She had a lot to think about. The part of the dream that had disturbed her the most was the part where Harlin had been hiding under her bed and was about to murder and rape her.

“But, why was that guy in your dream saying Rick told them to keep his vegan safe? This is that Howard Deacon the Third we’re talking about, right?” Tricia asked, irritated by the entire thing. “When did you become that rich boy’s vegan? As if he owned you….”

Audry blushed. That had been troubling her also. It was why she had been so distracted. Rick Deacon, after all, was an irritating, yet good-looking rich boy who had teased her about her veganism. He deserved to be swatted. And yet Audry remembered the last time she had encountered him at the lodge. He had ordered his staff to take care of her car and help her with her equipment as a thanks for rescuing the wolf. It had been surreal. Were there in fact four groups watching out for her? After all, if Harlin did try to mess with Rick, and if Rick found out Harlin was her ex, he might actually send someone to protect her—if he truly were a consummate gentleman as some people claimed.

After finishing breakfast and getting dressed, Audry prepared to go to work. She had a part time job waitressing in a cafe not far from Central Park, one that fit with her schedule. She also earned money for school in other ways online, selling nature-oriented tee shirts and post cards—as her parents paid only for part of her tuition, and her scholarship only paid for a small portion of it. And she wanted to graduate debt free. Student loans were killer and made people slaves to debt.

While going out to her car, Silvia approached her.

Audry stepped back automatically.

“Whoa,” Silvia said, raising her hands defensively. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk.”

Groaning, Audry kept walking. “I have to get to work.”

“I’ll ride with you then,” Silvia said. “I need to go to Columbus Circle anyway.”

Audry cringed. “Why are you bothering me? What do you want from me?”

Gazing at her more plaintively, Silvia’s expression softened. “It is just the tiniest of favors.”

Audry doubted any favor Silvia asked for was tiny. Everything that woman did had weight and felt sharp-edged. She hurried on to her car.

“Just hear me out,” Silvia said, following. “There is something you can get for me that nobody else can. Something that I really need.”

Pausing at her car door, Audry gazed hard at her. “I won’t do anything illegal.”

“Ok.” Silvia nodded. “I am not asking anything illegal. I just need one hair from Howie’s head.”

Audry stared at her over the top of her car. Silvia was standing like she was expecting to be let in the passenger side. She apparently was serious about riding with her.

“What?” Audry frowned. “For voodoo or something?”

Silvia snorted, though her eyes revealed a strong respect for Audry’s way of adding things up. “You don’t believe in that kind of thing. So what does it matter? It is just a hair.”

Audry rolled her eyes, unlocking her car door. She didn’t unlock the passenger side.

“I know it sounds ridiculously stupid to you, but I really don’t need it for me. And it won’t be used in any voodoo stuff,” Silvia said, now sounding a mite desperate. She tugged on the car door handle on her side begging to be let in. “I don’t do voodoo anyway.”

“How refreshing,” Audry said then climbed into her car. She pulled the door closed then tugged on her seat belt, hooking it in. Immediately she began to check her mirrors then start her car.

Silvia rapped on the glass. “Please. I am not trying to cause Howie trouble. Please let me in and let me explain my reason.”

Audry paused. It occurred to her that she actually was reluctant because of Rick. Regardless of how stupid and nonsensical the idea of witchcraft was, it chilled her to think someone who did believe in that sort of thing was seeking what seemed like ‘potion items’. But Audry rolled down the window to talk to her.

“Look, I don’t even care if you just intend to do a DNA test on that hair,” Audry said. “I am not going to seek out Rick Deacon just to pluck a hair off his head for you.”

Painfully, Silvia chuckled and nodded. “Yeah… Yeah. I know. I am not asking that.”

“Then what are you asking?” Audry peered hard at her.

“If you let me in and drive me to Columbus Circle, I can explain on the way. I don’t want you to be late for your work.” Silvia’s gaze was in earnest.

Cringing, and against her better inclinations, Audry unlocked the passenger side door.

Grateful, Silvia climbed in.

They pulled smoothly out of the parking lot and into the road.

“Ok, here’s the thing,” Silvia explained as they went along. “I know you don’t exactly like or trust me. I’m fine with that. But I am in a pickle. I can’t explain the details. But to make a long story short, my coven is really angry with me for going to NYU instead of at the university in Boston they wanted me to attend. Remember the story I told you about Michael Tom’s mother? I know they murdered her and made it look like an accident. And they did it all because she wanted to leave the coven. That may happen to me if I don’t appease them.”

Audry felt a creepy crawly sensation all over her shoulders and back. But it wasn’t so much what Silvia was doing to her as what Silvia was in the middle of and could not escape. In fact, the more Audry listened, the more she felt like Silvia was actually like a trapped animal desperately seeking to chew its own leg off to get out. Such animals were dangerous, of course. But what was Silvia really asking her to do? Was it a good idea to play along, even if it was superstitious nonsense?

“The thing is, a hair from someone in the Deacon family has been coveted by the coven for ages—especially Howie’s hair. He’s special. Unique,” Silvia said. “All I need for you to do is whenever you ever bump into Howie again—be it tomorrow or in two years—just get one or a few hairs from Howie’s head and tape it to a piece of paper. Then if you could put it in this envelope,” Silvia pulled out a stamped and addressed envelope from her purse, “and mail it, I would be forever grateful.”

Glancing at her, Audry turned a corner and continued on, that nasty dread remaining as she also peeked at the envelope.

“It’s all I ask,” Silvia said.

Frowning, Audry drew in a breath as she thought over it. As another thought occurred to her, Audry asked, “Why is the hair from a Deacon so important to those people?”

Painfully chuckling, Silvia shook her head. “It’s complicated. But I can reassure you that it isn’t for voodoo or some weird mind control or DNA thing. You could say it is an ‘ingredient’ for certain, um, spells.”

“Their hair?” Audry almost took her eyes off the road too long. “Why that family though? Is it just ‘rich man’s hair’—like ‘dead man’s toes’?”

Silvia laughed, shaking her head, definitely amused. “Similar reason—but it isn’t because they are rich. They actually have unique DNA, if you want a better explanation.”

Audry slowed to a stop at a light. She looked to Silvia. “Unique DNA? Isn’t he just a guy? That’s what he always says.”

Laughing more, Silvia shook her head. “He wishes. No. Howie will never be just a guy. I mean, if you have spent time with him in close quarters as you claim to have, then you must know about his allergies.”

Audry nodded.

Someone honked their horn to urge her on.

She started forward again, trying not to get distracted from the road. But she said, “Yeah. He can’t eat honey.”

“He’s allergic to garlic, honey, and sliver,” Silvia said.

“And some kind of purple flower, I heard,” Audry added, thinking about the convention two years back.

Chuckling, Silvia nodded. “Ah. Aconite. Also known as monkshood… or wolf’s bane.”

“What?” Audry almost slammed on the brakes. She swerved a little then kept on track.

Shrugging, though with a wry peek to Audry’s face, Silvia nodded, hardly rattled by Audry’s distracted driving—most likely expecting it. “Yep.”

“You’re kidding me!” Audry was getting severely creepy chills again. And though she didn’t believe in all that werewolf nonsense that had been rumored about the Deacons on the internet, this one fact was a mindbender.

“Nope.” And Silvia continued to chuckle.

“Is that all the werewolf rumors come from?” Audry asked.

Raising her eyebrows, Silvia silently regarded Audry for a moment then shook her head. “Not really.”

“Then what?” Audry asked with irritation. “That he is allergic to silver? Or that they focus on wolf preservation?”

Silvia shook her head more forcefully. “No.”

“Then what?” Audry insisted this time.

Sighing like she was weary or knew Audry would not believe her, Silvia remained silent for a while, possibly weighing her words. She finally said, “It is a town rumor,