Check Mated: A Cozy Queerwolf Story, page 13
Traitor.
"You’ve turned her against me," I huffed, standing to check Luna’s dinner bowl. "And after I snuck her extra treats."
"Speaking of treats..."
Rylee’s voice shifted to that innocent tone that always meant trouble.
I turned, suspicious.
Just in time to catch the small box she tossed my way. Inside, nestled in tissue paper, was a single chocolate-covered strawberry.
I gasped. "You didn’t."
Her grin was wicked.
"I did." She leaned back, arms crossed, radiating smug satisfaction.
"Figured it was time to face my fears."
I narrowed my eyes. "Your fears of me feeding these to other wolves?"
"My fears of you trying to seduce the entire pack with cocoa-flavored fruit. I thought I better get you one first.”
I plucked the strawberry from its wrapping, making a slow, deliberate show of examining it.
"Well, since you went to all this trouble..."
I took a bite, letting out a deliberate, exaggerated moan.
"Oh my god, it’s perfect."
Her eyes flashed gold.
"You're perfect."
Smooth talker.
I held up the remaining half, offering it to her.
"Want a taste?"
She stood, closing the space between us in two strides.
But instead of taking the strawberry, she kissed me—Deep and thorough, until I forgot about everything else. By the time we broke apart, I was breathless, flushed, grinning.
Luna made a loud, dramatic gagging noise from her pen.
I snorted. "Everyone’s a critic."
Rylee’s chuckle was warm, but before I could tease her further, she hooked an arm around my waist, pulling me flush against her.
"Mmm," she murmured against my lips, her tongue flicking out just enough to taste me. "I think chocolate-covered strawberries might be my new favorite flavor on you."
She kissed me again, lazier this time, like she had all night. "You are my everything," she whispered.
And as the sun set over our little clinic, casting golden light across the chess board, our tiny wolf patient, and my beautiful mate,
I knew she was right.
This was everything.
This was home.
Though…
I couldn’t help but add, "I still think we should get matching ‘P for Pack’ jackets."
Her groan was lost in my laughter as she kissed me again.
And somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled at the rising moon.
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GUILDED MOON
Three Packs
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I PUT A SPELL ON YOU
A sign blinked into view, Kaz's Catastrophic Concoctions, and I pulled the brake cord. At least the universe hadn't decided to completely abandon me today.
The bus was already moving before my heels had even touched the pavement and I frowned, once more wishing for the power to exact some sort of petty revenge on the metal machine. I snorted a chuckle, privately wondering if my repressed anger was why the universe had decided to not give me any actual power. Maybe it was afraid of how I would use it.
Stepping up to the door of the shop, I noticed the outline of a black cat etched into the glass of the window. It was a sign that all potions and wines within would be Familiar brewed and certified. That worked perfectly for me. The idea of Familiar made wine, a brew that was more potent than the normal stuff, was exactly what I needed to get through the rest of the day. With that comforting knowledge in my brain, I pushed my way inside.
Like most potion shops, the inside smelled like an aged hippy, causing my nose to wrinkle up. Dim lighting and the absence of the pleasant background music you find in other stores finished the feel. I glanced at the rows and rows of shelves, but quickly decided I didn't want to waste time poking around at potions I couldn't afford or even use.
"Hello?" I called, walking up the counter. There was no bell, but there was an open, shadowy door leading somewhere... I rolled my eyes, assuming it was supposed to be cultivating the mysterious nature of the shop. I leaned over the counter, raising my voice a little. "Anyone here?"
I heard something that sounded distinctly like a hiss from behind the door, but there was no other movement. I rolled my eyes, time ticking away. It would be possible to go to the poor hamster's funeral without the powder I was here for, but I had really wanted that wine. I leaned over one last time, sucking in a breath to yell, when a sensation rushed over me, knocking the oxygen from my lungs. I coughed, pulling back from the counter as a woman walked through the backdoor.
"Can I help you?" She asked, arching a single, well sculpted eyebrow at me.
I struggled to breathe as though some invisible force had grabbed me by the throat. Looking towards her, my eyes darted this way and that until they finally met up with hers. The choking force vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and I braced myself against the counter, gasping for air. I continued to stare at her, feeling the power falling around her in waves. A Familiar. And a powerful one.
She shifted, one hip jutting out as a ledge for one of her hands that signaled she couldn't care less that I had been choking to death in front of her. "Need something? I am a little busy and..."
"Ghost Shroud Powder." I croaked out, rubbing at my still raw throat. "and some Witch Wine."
She smirked, turning to grab a few bottles from a glass display behind the counter. "Bad day?" Her hands worked quickly, mixing and casting spells over a flask meant for me.
My eyes followed the faint hourglass curve of her back as she stretched to reach the highest shelf before settling down to work. Had she really not felt anything? What was that? Distracted, I answered her, "Yeah. You could say that."
She turned back, and I noticed for the first time that her eyes weren't just dark; they were black. Inky wells that didn't even reflect my face back at me as she forcefully set down a small vial in one hand and my wine in the other. "$40.00"
I scowled, still not breaking eye contact. "For 2oz of powder and a tiny bottle of wine?"
She still hadn't released her fists from around my purchase and retracted them slowly back across the counter towards her. "Genuine Familiar made products. Look, I dunno what ghost you are looking for, but this shit will light them up brighter than a Speaker's visions."
"I am a Speaker." I cocked my chin into the air, trying to match her fuck all attitude. I don't know what it was, but I felt a very real urge to match her sass for sass. "It's for a funeral."
"Oh, well then, I'm sure the grieving family will understand paying a bit more to see grandma back in HD. Charge em extra little Witch. Or get your own Familiar to make you some. Either way, pay and leave or just leave. I don't care, but I have other things to do. "
My chest felt tight as my fingers marched across the counter nervously. I had no choice. I didn't have a Familiar to make the powder and with such short notice I couldn't hope to come across another shop on my way to the gig. "Fine." I reached down, pulling my wallet from my purse and praying that moths didn't fly out of its empty cash pocket. "Do you take card?"
"10% discount for cash." She pointed lazily at a sign telling me as much.
Familiar Love
A Spellbinding Lesbian Insta-Love
by Harmony Fuller
Available now on Amazon
Fuller, Harmony, Check Mated: A Cozy Queerwolf Story
