The Witch and the Wolf: Part Three Read Online Free Page B

while to get to the point of love. She wasn’t one to get all lovey-dovey when she had a crush. She had good reason not to trust these feelings.
    Witches didn’t do claiming. It was even strange for were-creatures. Only wolves found their mates this way. She wanted to trust it. She really did. The thought of leaving Cross alone for life was unbearable. How could she trust the mystical process though? Yes, magic was mystical to the creatures who didn’t use it, but she could explain it if asked. The claim? Not so much. It just was. End of story. She wished that was enough for her, but it wasn’t. If she was going to commit to life, she wanted it to be real and she still wasn’t sure about anything when it came to Cross.
    He still hadn’t said anything.
    “Oh, so now you’re the strong silent type,” she joked. They were getting close to Sophia’s house. It was very easy to tell which one it was. It looked like all the other houses except for its placement. It was sitting at the edge of the cliff that separated the beach and the grassy plain. The front sat on grass and the back on sandy beach. No doubt she had the best view in the place. Gavin and Sophia were sitting at the back so they would have a view of the ocean while they ate.
    The table had an umbrella to block some of the sun and it was sitting on a deep brown deck. The deck looked like it was made of driftwood but that had to be a magical effect. There were beachy colored dishes and cups set on the table with colorful striped placemats under them. It was the perfect summer BBQ setting.
    “Nervous about the dinner I guess,” Cross said. He put his hand out to help Rory walk on the sand. She couldn’t miss the way he was looking at her as she walked up the sand. The dress was hot. She had seen it in a magazine and could never afford it in the human realm. Her Mom didn’t let her cast for superficial reasons so she couldn’t even conjure one up for herself. Being away from home had its perks.
    “You made it.” Sophia smiled as they came to the table. Cross took out a chair for Rory and pushed her into the table. He was such a freaking gentleman. Always ready for a fight , but also a sweetheart? He was making her life so difficult.
    “I’ll go get the food,” Gavin said , standing up and going inside.
    “We don’t get non-fae guests very often,” Sophia deadpanned.
    “You don’t say,” Cross said. “This place has such a great view! I would think you would have to have a spell to keep guests away.”
    “The view is pretty , isn’t it?” Sophia stared off into the distance behind Cross. “When you see it all the time, you don’t appreciate it anymore.”
    “Why don’t you change it up sometime then?” Rory suggested. “You could have a winter wonderland for a while and then change back to beach when you’re sick of the cold.”
    Sophia’s brow wrinkled and she frowned. “We never thought of that. We really do need some new blood here. That’s the kind of creative thinking that we’ve lost being here for so long.”
    “Who knew prison wouldn’t be stimulating?” Cross mused. Rory shot him a look. He wasn’t nervous about this dinner. He didn’t want to be here. She could see the veins in his neck standing up he was so tense. She still wasn’t getting any danger vibes from Sophia. What was his problem? It was just food. Besides getting to have one meal with her sister, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Lost Tribe hadn’t been seen or heard from for hundreds of years. They were going to have some great information to bring back.
    “You’re right.” Gavin had returned with a plate of burgers and hotdogs. It was a BBQ, but she didn’t see a grill and the food smelled more like magic than charcoal. Her stomach turned. The only food they were going to be able to get here was magicked. If it was that unappetizing to her, she could only imagine how badly Cross wanted to hurl at that moment. She was going to try to choke