Charmed Wolf by Aimee Easterling (best ereader for pdf TXT) 📕

Natalie was beside me then, leaning in close as she spat out her own additions to the interrogation. “There are caves underneath Whelan territory. I know this because I considered the geology before telling Tara where to build the factory. You know this because you’re using them to hide Kale and Hazel. Now tell us where those caves lead and how to get my children back to the surface before Tara grows angry enough to rip you apart.”

Vaguely, I noted that Rune had wandered away from us. He’d hopped off the end of the porch and knelt down beside a bed of purple flowers. Kale would have known what they were, but I didn’t.

I was pretty sure Rune didn’t either. Seriously? We found the fae Rune had been hunting this entire time and his reaction was smelling flowers?

Then Rune rose and met my eyes over Lenny’s trembling shoulder. “He’s not fae.”

I let my knife slide away from Lenny’s skin, but I didn’t release my grip on his shirt. Yesterday, I would have trusted Rune implicitly. Today, I trusted no one. “Who is then?”

The front door opened, releasing such an overwhelming haze of sweet lemon I might as well have pulled a cake out of the oven. The same plump woman I’d seen on Lenny’s phone waddled forward.

“He’s not fae. I am.”

Chapter 34

“Sweetie?” Lenny cocked his head. “What’s fae?”

“Why don’t you go inside, dear,” his wife responded rather than answering his question. “You know you love the Sunday crossword. Those puzzles are much more fun than this one is.”

Her voice was as soft as her jowls. Still, Lenny nodded as easily as if he was a werewolf slapped with an alpha order. “Good idea. Call me if you need anything.” The words trailed behind as he wandered away, into his house, as if there hadn’t been a dagger at his throat moments before.

I held my breath until the door closed behind him. Then I led with my words rather than my weapon this time. “Natalie told me you babysat her children. Was that just a ruse so you could place them in harm’s way?”

And, yes, I was speaking to give Rune time to creep up behind Lenny’s spouse. Despite not being my Consort, he knew more about fae than I did. Plus, his blade was longer. If I kept our enemy’s attention riveted on me....

The effort worked...and it didn’t. “The children will be fine as long as I’m here,” Lenny’s wife noted. She turned as she spoke, glance sliding off Rune and his sword. “Why don’t you put that down, dear, and take a seat? I have a story to tell you. Maybe you’ll remember who I am by the time I’m done.”

Before I knew what was happening, Natalie and I found ourselves side by side on the porch swing. A plump orange cat hopped up to snuggle between us, its purr lulling us both into lassitude.

Rune, on the other hand, wasn’t impacted. The porch was draped with enough vines to shield us from public view, which allowed him to stand like a sentinel, sword extended but tip not quite touching the fae.

“Your arm must be tired,” Lenny’s wife continued, and my own arms suddenly felt as heavy as anchors.

Rune merely growled. And this time, the fae was the one bowing her head.

“You’re right. I’m barely strong enough to hold onto this form. But perhaps if I explain....”

Rune’s nostrils flared, but he didn’t dig the tip of his sword into her skin the way I’d done with Lenny. Instead he nodded and waited while Lenny’s wife recounted a literal faery tale.

“Once upon a time,” she started, “my older sister and I lived on our parents’ farm. As children, we weren’t close. She was beautiful and I was plain. She was ambitious and I was happy tending to our parents’ orchards. But when the Queen requested my sister’s presence at Court, she couldn’t go without a handmaiden. So she brought me along.”

Now Rune nodded, although his sword stayed up. “I do remember you. Not then. Later. You cleaned the chamberpots.”

“My sister’s doing. Did you ever hear about that, dear?”

Rune’s sword wavered. “My”—he cleared his throat—“the Queen had a lot to say about your sister. She considered her a daughter...then was furious when that supposed ally left.”

Rune was softening toward the fae, and that spelled trouble. Unfortunately, I was unable to hop off the porch swing and push myself between them. Instead, I tried to clench my fist around my closest dagger...and instead found my fingers reaching out to stroke that cat.

“Did you hear how my sister left?” Lenny’s wife asked, her voice smooth as whipped frosting.

This time, Rune shook his head. “Not much. I only knew your sister was the Queen’s favorite one day. The next, she was gone.”

At that, the fae’s face twisted. And for the first time, I thought I might be catching a glimpse of the real being beneath the glamour.

“All of that happened later,” she said, eyes distant. “At first, after we moved to Court, I thought we’d grown closer. My sister came to me in tears one night. Told me she needed just a little of my magic. At home, she was the most beautiful girl in our village. At Court, she was a hag.”

“She wasn’t a hag,” Rune countered. “I saw the portraits. The Queen has an entire room full of them. They’re draped with curtains. Like a mausoleum. Or a shrine.”

There was pain his voice, memories of a past I barely knew about. No wonder Rune was being dragged into this story. It was the story of his own life...only turned on its head.

Once again, I tried to reach for a weapon. Once again, I found soft cat fur underneath my hand.

“No, she wasn’t a hag,” Lenny’s wife agreed. “But my sister was used to being the prettiest girl in any room and she finally needed something I could give her. So I filled a thimble with my blood and