Read Online Werewolves & Wisteria by A. L. Tyler - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: A. L. Tyler
Ads: Link
not sure what to do. I looked to Charlie. “What do you mean? Witches don’t make friends with other witches?”
“They do,” he said. “But that’s not a witch. That’s a necromancer.”
“A what?” I asked.
Vince must have heard the commotion. “What’s going on?”
“She works spells that use life-force, and she probably thinks she hit the mother lode here!” In the blink of an eye, he wasn’t a cat anymore. He stood before me, a head taller than both myself and Martha, glowering. “She’s a special breed of vampire, Annie, and they’re very fond of demons, werewolves, and youth.”
I was still staring at him in shock. If he was human, then Gates was a cat somewhere—and someone might have seen.
“She was in the shower,” he mumbled. “I checked first.”
My eyebrows didn’t lower. Gates was a now a wet cat somewhere.
Vince had widened his stance, but he didn’t seem to know what to do any more than I did.
Martha laughed melodically as she strode into the apartment and dropped her bag. She crossed her arms as she looked Charlie over, and then her red lips spread into another smile.
“Kendra didn’t judge people so quickly or so harshly,” she said. “And we were friends. Good friends, though our heyday was a little before you came along.”
“She never talked about you,” Charlie said gravely. A bright purple ball of flame was glowing in his hand, and I had no idea what he was planning to do with it.
“Well, she wrote me letters, and she talked about you all the time,” Martha winked, pulling a chair from the kitchen table and sitting down. “I know things about you that she would only tell a friend, Charlie. I know about the birthmark on your junk, and the scar next to it.” She leaned forward. “I know about the workbench.”
Charlie frowned. He took two steps back, and resumed being a cat.
Martha stared him down. “Are you going to tell them I’m legit, or do I need to go into details?”
“She’s legit,” Charlie said begrudgingly.
I didn’t realize that I had been holding my breath, but I finally breathed again.
Vince looked at Charlie curiously. “How’d you get a scar on your—?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Charlie said shortly.
“—right.”
Martha stood back up, looking around the apartment, and then shouldered her bag again. “Well, Annie promised me a room, Charlie, so how about you and me catch up while the kids do their homework?”
He didn’t budge. “I don’t trust you.”
“So tell me what you want. Kendra and I were like sisters. For a time, we were closer than I was with my actual sister.” She took off her ruby bracelet and offered it to him. “You want my talisman as collateral? Take it. I’m here to help, not to start something.”
His eyes shifted to the bracelet and back.
“Hair,” he said definitively. “And blood.”
“Done.” Martha smiled.
Vince raised a hand to his mouth as he turned and went back into the bedroom, and I followed him, closing the door behind me.
“That’s disgusting,” he muttered before turning to face me. “Does he do that a lot? The hair and blood thing?”
I remembered the first time I had seen Charlie consume one of my own samples of blood, and cringed. “Yeah. He does. I’m sorry.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I kind of have to be…” Truthfully, I just didn’t like thinking about it. Now that I was, I was reminded of the other things I needed to discuss with Charlie, and it killed my mood. I changed the subject. “How were your classes?”
Vince’s expression changed, and he gestured for me to follow him down into his apartment. He had the university’s online schedule website open in his browser, and I saw a list of my own classes printed out next to the mouse.
“So, I tried to match up what I could, but your other astronomy class has a twenty person waitlist. I can’t get into your noon lit class without dropping a math class, and it’s a
“They do,” he said. “But that’s not a witch. That’s a necromancer.”
“A what?” I asked.
Vince must have heard the commotion. “What’s going on?”
“She works spells that use life-force, and she probably thinks she hit the mother lode here!” In the blink of an eye, he wasn’t a cat anymore. He stood before me, a head taller than both myself and Martha, glowering. “She’s a special breed of vampire, Annie, and they’re very fond of demons, werewolves, and youth.”
I was still staring at him in shock. If he was human, then Gates was a cat somewhere—and someone might have seen.
“She was in the shower,” he mumbled. “I checked first.”
My eyebrows didn’t lower. Gates was a now a wet cat somewhere.
Vince had widened his stance, but he didn’t seem to know what to do any more than I did.
Martha laughed melodically as she strode into the apartment and dropped her bag. She crossed her arms as she looked Charlie over, and then her red lips spread into another smile.
“Kendra didn’t judge people so quickly or so harshly,” she said. “And we were friends. Good friends, though our heyday was a little before you came along.”
“She never talked about you,” Charlie said gravely. A bright purple ball of flame was glowing in his hand, and I had no idea what he was planning to do with it.
“Well, she wrote me letters, and she talked about you all the time,” Martha winked, pulling a chair from the kitchen table and sitting down. “I know things about you that she would only tell a friend, Charlie. I know about the birthmark on your junk, and the scar next to it.” She leaned forward. “I know about the workbench.”
Charlie frowned. He took two steps back, and resumed being a cat.
Martha stared him down. “Are you going to tell them I’m legit, or do I need to go into details?”
“She’s legit,” Charlie said begrudgingly.
I didn’t realize that I had been holding my breath, but I finally breathed again.
Vince looked at Charlie curiously. “How’d you get a scar on your—?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Charlie said shortly.
“—right.”
Martha stood back up, looking around the apartment, and then shouldered her bag again. “Well, Annie promised me a room, Charlie, so how about you and me catch up while the kids do their homework?”
He didn’t budge. “I don’t trust you.”
“So tell me what you want. Kendra and I were like sisters. For a time, we were closer than I was with my actual sister.” She took off her ruby bracelet and offered it to him. “You want my talisman as collateral? Take it. I’m here to help, not to start something.”
His eyes shifted to the bracelet and back.
“Hair,” he said definitively. “And blood.”
“Done.” Martha smiled.
Vince raised a hand to his mouth as he turned and went back into the bedroom, and I followed him, closing the door behind me.
“That’s disgusting,” he muttered before turning to face me. “Does he do that a lot? The hair and blood thing?”
I remembered the first time I had seen Charlie consume one of my own samples of blood, and cringed. “Yeah. He does. I’m sorry.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I kind of have to be…” Truthfully, I just didn’t like thinking about it. Now that I was, I was reminded of the other things I needed to discuss with Charlie, and it killed my mood. I changed the subject. “How were your classes?”
Vince’s expression changed, and he gestured for me to follow him down into his apartment. He had the university’s online schedule website open in his browser, and I saw a list of my own classes printed out next to the mouse.
“So, I tried to match up what I could, but your other astronomy class has a twenty person waitlist. I can’t get into your noon lit class without dropping a math class, and it’s a
Similar Books
