Haven

  WYSIWYG… What you see is what you get. “So I’m for sure going to see that.”

  “Yep.” She nodded to the cookie in his hand. “If you eat more, you’ll see the complete vision.”

  “Do you know what it is?” Or why it scared the shit out of me?

  She threaded her needle with red thread. “I do. I’ve had this vision for more than a decade now. Will be glad to have it gone. Once you eat the cookie, I’ll no longer be burdened with it.”

  “What are you sewing?”

  She grinned. “A magic spell. Stop stalling. Eat the cookie so I can get some sleep at night.”

  Something in him rebelled at witnessing a vision that kept someone from sleeping. “Whatever,” he mumbled as he raised the cookie to his lips. With a deep breath, he popped the entire thing in his mouth at once and chewed the dry, bitter-tasting thing and gulped it down.

  Immediately, he regretted not eating it in small chunks. Gripping the arms of the chair, he felt the world tilt, and he closed his eyes. He again found himself on the ground, staring at the night sky. He trembled and shouted for help; at least he thought he shouted. At the edges of his vision, leafy vines fluttered in the breeze. Grapevines. There was no sound whatsoever, like someone had hit the mute button on the TV. Then a huge black wolf’s head filled his field of vision, blocking all view of the stars. Drool dripped in slow motion from the sides of its jowls as it narrowed its golden eyes on him.

  In the vision, Rain shouted something, but there was no sound.

  There was no pain in the vision, either, only his intense panic and a spray of blood. Crimson filled his eyes and coated the teeth of the black wolf as it raised its head and stared down at him with a hunk of flesh in its mouth.

  His flesh. The wolf had ripped out his throat. He reached up to feel his neck, but the weight on his chest was too much and something had pinned his arms to his sides.

  With one more attempt to get a full breath of air, he watched his view of the beast’s bloody fangs dim at the edges and then fade to black. Rain knew without a doubt that he was dead, surrounded only by black, silent hollowness.

  And then screaming. Lots of it. But it wasn’t his. The screaming was Freddie’s.

  “Come out of it, Rain. Pull out.” A harsh slap followed. “Snap out of it.”

  “He’ll be fine,” he heard Mrs. Goff say.

  “I can’t believe you let him do this!” Freddie shouted. “How could you give him that much at once?”

  “He put the whole cookie in his mouth. I didn’t force him.”

  “I’m okay,” he said, still not willing to open his eyes until the weight lifted from his chest. “I’m good. Stop.” He cracked open his eyes to find Freddie sitting on top of his chest on Mrs. Goff’s floor, arm raised to slap him again.

  “Oh, thank God,” Freddie said, slumping down on top of him.

  The residual panic dissipated, and his head cleared.

  “What did you see?” Freddie’s mouth was right at his ear.

  “Nothing I can make sense of.” Which was partially true. “I thought you didn’t want to watch.”

  “I didn’t. I only came in when you started screaming.” She sat up, palms propped on his chest.

  He attempted a smile. “I only heard you screaming.”

  “Because you stopped!” She flipped her hair behind her shoulder and out of his face. “God. You just lay there limp. I thought you were dead.”

  In the vision, he had been.

  She got up, and his entire body felt cold where she’d been draped over him. He sat and shook his head to clear it. He didn’t remember getting out of the chair. It was like the vision had taken over his body.

  Freddie flopped back in the chair she’d been in earlier and gave the plate of cookies a burn-in-hell look, then shifted that same look to Mrs. Goff, who chuckled.

  Earlier, he’d wanted Freddie to stay; now he wished she’d remained on the porch so that he could talk to Mrs. Goff in private. Until he found out exactly how accurate visions were, he didn’t want to tell Freddie what he’d seen. She was already promising to find ways to get him out of New Wurzburg.

  He stood, still a little dizzy, and then sat in his chair and watched Mrs. Goff plunge her needle in and out of the leather for a while.

  “Most of the younger generation turn their backs on the old ways,” she said, needle moving as if on its own. “A spell, cast and then sewn together, is far more powerful than non-woven magic.” She tied a knot and cut the ends. “Gotta ground the magic in something tangible that touches the skin. That’s what went wrong with Gerald. They changed him without a belt.”

  “What belt?” Rain asked.

  “Oh, a wolf belt. A bite from a Watcher will turn the wearer. The bite has to be superficial, though, just enough to get saliva directly in the bloodstream. A fatal bite doesn’t work because it’s a long process and the candidate dies before the transformation takes effect.”

  “Why didn’t they use a belt on Gerald?” he asked.

  “They thought a spoken spell was enough, but it wasn’t.” Mrs. Goff shook her head and made some more stitches in the strap of leather.

  “Well, good thing they’re not going to change Rain, then, isn’t it?” Freddie said.

  Mrs. Goff pushed the cookies toward her. “Would you like a cookie, dear?”

  “Hell no. For all I know, you plant images you want to make happen.”

  Rain knew that wasn’t right. That would mean the Weaver wanted him to die a horrible death, which made no sense. “How accurate are the visions?” he asked.

  “Certain. What you see will happen exactly as you see it.”

  “So, nothing can change it?”

  She continued her rhythmic in and out with the needle through the leather. “The future is not like a fortune that can be changed with one wave of a butterfly wing. It’s a glimpse of what really will happen. No Ghost of Christmas Future’s gonna show you things that won’t happen if you take a different course.”

  Well, shit. That meant a wolf was going to rip out his throat. His hand instinctually crept to cover his neck.

  “You okay?” Freddie asked.

  “Yeah.” But he wasn’t. If this was 100 percent going to happen, he needed to find a way to make it work to Freddie’s benefit.

  “But,” the old woman said with a smile, “like all things, what is witnessed is up for interpretation. Nobody sees the same event the same way.”

  Yeah, well, seeing a chunk of his trachea in that wolf’s mouth wasn’t up for interpretation.

  “I told you not to eat that cookie,” Freddie said.

  “You certainly did.” But Rain was grateful he had. On the streets, it seemed like he had nothing to live for. Now, for the first time in his life, he had something to die for.

  Thirty-Two

  “We have a visitor,” Mrs. Goff said, setting her sewing on the table next to her rocking chair.

  Freddie rose from her seat and peeked out the front window. “It’s Petra.” She shook her head. “Freak’s driving a hearse. Figures.”

  Rain joined Freddie at the window.

  “She comes here every Monday and Wednesday evening to continue her education as a Sealer,” Mrs. Goff said with a smile. “She’s not a fan of the newfangled spells. She’s seen the failed results. Sealers use the most elemental magic, woven into the thread that seals the lips and binds the power.” With effort, she pushed to her feet, and the rocking chair stayed in motion behind her for several seconds. “She’s quite good for someone so young.”

  Freddie opened the door, and Petra swept in with a flurry of energy and flowing black material. “No fingerprints on Gerald’s body,” she said, slightly out of breath. “No evidence at all, other than the wolfsbane in his mouth, which was a rare European hybrid and not what we use around here. Lots of prints on the outside of the barrel, all from Haven workers. Nothing useful inside, either.” She took several deep breaths. “His body was wrapped in common Glad fifty-five-gallon garbag
e bags that can be bought anywhere, and there was latex residue on the duct tape. The killer wore gloves.”

  “Hello, we’re fine. Thanks for asking. How are you? Glad you dropped by for a friendly social call,” Freddie said, closing the door.

  “Oh, hey. Sorry. This is one of the only places my parents let me go alone, and I have to make it back by my normal time or they’ll know something’s up, so I just got right to it,” Petra said. “I knew you’d both be here, so…”

  “It’s fine, sugar,” Mrs. Goff said. “Did you begin Sealing the poor boy?”

  Petra leaned against the closed door. “Yes. And I overheard Charles Ericksen talking to my mom. Turns out there was a retrieval order on Gerald. They planned to bring him in and euthanize him, so he’d have been on my table sooner or later anyway.”

  “Yeah, we were told to begin the search tonight if he hadn’t shown back up,” Freddie said.

  “Who ordered that?” Rain asked.

  “Uncle Ulrich.” Freddie tied her hair in a knot on the back of her head.

  Hot prickles burned across Rain’s skin, and his fists balled. “Why would your uncle condone the murder of one of your own?”

  “For the protection of everyone,” she said. “Gerald was a huge risk, wandering around in his wolf skin all the time. If some pissed-off rancher or a hunter popped him, the news about what we are would get out. It’s why we always have to hunt in packs. No Watcher bodies can be left behind to be found.”

  “They also have to be brought back and sealed,” Petra added.

  Mrs. Goff returned to her rocker and resumed sewing. Her pleasant expression was more appropriate for a conversation about the weather than the murder of a werewolf.

  Petra smoothed the front of her skirt in jerky movements. She reminded Rain of a mouse—all action and twitch. But then, after watching her stand up for herself when Gerald’s body had been found, he knew this little mouse had fangs. “When a Watcher is killed in wolf form, it reverts to its true human form when the heart stops beating. Gerald could have become a human homicide case with national attention if he’d been shot eating somebody’s livestock. Our community can’t bear that.”

  Rain shuddered at the image that brought up. A dead human slumped over a half-eaten animal carcass would certainly make the news.

  “But you won’t do something like that when you become a Watcher, Rain,” Petra said with a smile. “You’re too smart.”

  “You’re right,” Freddie said. “He’s way too smart. Too smart to become a Watcher in the first place. It’s not going to happen.”

  “Listen to me, Freddie,” Rain started.

  “No. You listen to me. Look what happened to Gerald. To my dad. No more murders.” Her voice broke. “I can’t take any more. As soon as I can get him to answer my calls and texts, I’m going to meet with Grant again. If they turn you into a Watcher, I’m stepping down. I’m not going to be Alpha.”

  Petra stood motionless, mouth gaping open. Mrs. Goff, pleasant look still on her face, continued to rock and sew.

  Petra said, “If you do that, Friederike, you know you’ll be kenneled for the rest of your life. Or killed.”

  Freddie flailed an arm in Rain’s direction, her body out of control like her emotions.

  “Better that than his being forced into the pack or being killed.”

  “Probably not,” Petra said. “With Kurt at the head of the pack, it will fall into chaos, and if he steps aside for Thomas, we’re all screwed.”

  “What if I want to become part of the pack? What if I choose to do this?” Rain asked.

  Freddie threw both arms up in the air. “You have no idea what you’re choosing. There are no do-overs. You’re in for life or you’re dead. It’s not like joining some club. It’s a permanent choice, Rain.”

  Yeah, like joining a gang, which he’d avoided his entire life so far. The payoff had never been worth the danger until now. And after seeing the vision, he knew the danger was much greater than Freddie could imagine. But, even if the black wolf slaughtered him soon, it would have been worth it. To have had Freddie for real, if even for a few hours, was better than playing it safe. He’d do all of this again. For her. He took her face in his hands. “What if I choose you? No do-overs.”

  Her eyes grew huge. “Oh my God.” She took a step back. “I should have left you alone. I should never have… You don’t understand. No.” She turned and left, closing the door behind her.

  For what felt like forever, there was no sound but the pounding in Rain’s ears and the squeaking boards under Mrs. Goff’s rocking chair as she continued to sew.

  “A little too much there, Romeo,” Petra said.

  Mrs. Goff folded her sewing project and placed it in a wicker basket next to her rocking chair. “She will never condone you becoming a Watcher. That doesn’t mean she wouldn’t accept it.”

  The image of the black wolf ran through his memory. It didn’t really matter anyway. His time was limited. He needed to be sure he used it to convince Freddie to take her place as Alpha.

  “Thanks for your help,” he said, standing.

  “Would you like some cookies for the road?” Mrs. Goff rose from her chair with a grunt.

  “No, thanks.” The last thing he wanted was to see that vision again.

  “I’ll just pack some up,” she said as if she hadn’t heard him, then headed to her kitchen with the plate of cookies and her sewing basket.

  When he opened his mouth to object, Petra raised a hand to shut him up, and he slumped back down into his chair.

  For a moment, they sat in silence while Mrs. Goff clanged and banged around in the kitchen.

  “The thing you saw in my future memory,” he whispered. “Was it my being killed by a black wolf?”

  She didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. Her sudden interest in her lap was all the answer he needed.

  “I’m not afraid of dying,” Rain said. “I’m afraid of dying for nothing.”

  Looking up, Petra met his eyes directly, and it struck him again how large and nonhuman they looked. “You’ll make a difference. It’s not for nothing.”

  “How long do I have before the thing I saw in the vision happens?”

  “Impossible to say. It’s not obvious from what I saw. Could be tonight. Could be years from now. Who knows?”

  “All righty, kiddo,” Mrs. Goff said. “Care package for the road.” She held out a brown lunch bag, but Rain couldn’t bring himself to accept it. “Lemme help.” She grabbed his backpack and unzipped it, shoving the paper bag in the main compartment. “Okay. Scoot on off. That girl on the porch is sick of waiting for you and so’s her cousin.”

  Cousin? A wolf howl wailed from the highway as Rain stepped out on the porch and closed the door behind him. Freddie wiped her eyes with her sleeve and shoved her phone in her back pocket. “He doesn’t have his phone with him, which means he’s probably in his wolf form. He’s looking for us.”

  “Merrick?”

  “Yeah.”

  Another howl wavered over the fields between Mrs. Goff’s house and the main highway.

  “Look away,” Freddie said.

  “What?”

  She put her hands on her hips. “Turn around and face the house.”

  He grinned. “You’re gonna howl.”

  “Turn around.”

  “Come on. Let me watch.”

  “No way.”

  “You can’t be for real. I’ve seen you completely naked. Multiple times, including in your bed and in that barn.” He gestured to the old, dilapidated building behind Mrs. Goff’s house. “Why are you shy in front of me now?”

  “Our bodies are natural,” she said, leaning against the porch post. “Sex is natural. Watchers are…” She stared out over the fields as Merrick howled again. “Unnatural. Our wolf forms shouldn’t exist.”

  He stepped closer. “But your wolf form does exist. I like you, Freddie. All of you. What I’ve seen and what I haven’t.”

  “You’re romanticiz
ing a monster.”

  “And you’re vilifying it.”

  Chest heaving as she sucked in deep breaths, she studied him, and for a moment, he thought she would give in. He was wrong. “Please turn around. Merrick’s freaking out.”

  And so was Rain. The entire Watcher/Weaver system was messed up. He turned away from her and faced the front door, placing his hands on the frame. “I won’t watch.”

  Her answer to Merrick was eerie. It started low and increased in pitch and volume. It took all his willpower not to turn around and see if she answered in her human form or her wolf. Merrick answered her howl with a series of barks and yips.

  “Okay. We’re meeting him halfway to where this road meets the highway.” She headed straight for the motorcycle. “Let’s go.”

  When they reached Merrick, he was shuffling from foot to foot in human form, completely naked on the dirt road leading to Mrs. Goff’s house. When he spoke, he gestured like crazy with his hands like Moth used to do. “After y’all left the winery with Gerald’s body, Thomas and Kurt disappeared for an hour or so and didn’t tell me where they’d been. They’re up to something. I don’t know what, but it’s bad. They’re upset but won’t tell me what’s bugging them.” He shrugged. “I mean, they always include me in stuff, especially if they’re going on runabouts. This is different. I’m really worried. Thought I should tell you, Freddie.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “Back at Haven.”

  “Well, they know you’re on a runabout. The whole pack heard you looking for me.”

  “Yeah. I told them I wanted to thank Rain, and I knew y’all were together.” He met Rain’s eyes. “It was pretty cool of you to stand up for us. I mean, after what we did to you, nobody expected it. Even Grant was going on about it.” He ran his hands through his hair, his mannerisms still nervous, but he seemed oblivious that he was in the middle of nowhere stark naked. He didn’t even have his weird necklace on. “And that Petra girl. Holy shit. How cool was that? She scared the pelt right off Uncle Ulrich.”

  “Yeah, the freak came through,” Freddie said. “So, thanks for letting us know about Thomas and Kurt. Keep us posted if anything else happens.”