Page 11 of Shared by the Werebears (Hidden Hollow #5)

“I’ll need a vial of moonflower sap…a pinch of powdered Werebear claw, willingly donated…

as well as a few strands of hair from the ones who are cursed.

Other than the hair, of course, I can get all of that right here, in Hidden Hollow.

But there’s one more ingredient I can’t get—something that only the cursed one can get. ”

“What’s that?” Ronan asked, raising his eyebrows skeptically.

“Well, if the stag your friend killed really was one of Madam Locasta’s special, blessed beasts, then a bitter berry bush should have sprung up in the place where its blood was spilled,” Goody A explained.

“I’ll need berries from that bush to add to the potion to use as a magical activator.

That allows the potion to grab onto your particular curse and wash it out of your system when you drink it,” she added.

“So you want us to go back to the place where we were cursed to find some special berries that might or might not be there? Yeah, right,” Ronan snorted.

“Ronan is right—what if the, uh, demi-goddess woman is there and she just decides to blast us to dust this time?” Finn asked, frowning.

“Look, do you wish to be free of your curse or not?” Goody Albright asked, looking irritated.

“Of course we do!” Ronan growled. “We’re just not eager to go back for a second helping of punishment!”

Goody A sighed and shrugged her shoulders, which made the ostrich feathers on her dressing gown flutter.

“Well, it’s up to you. I can’t brew the potion without the berries.”

“Maybe we ought to go get them, Ronan,” Finn said. “I mean, what have we got to lose? I’m really afraid the next time I Shift, I won’t be able to get back out of my Fur Form,” he added. “What can be worse than getting stuck as a Beast permanently like Thorne did?”

“Death would be worse,” Ronan snapped. It was clear he didn’t trust either Goody A or myself. He glared at us. “How do we know you’re not just tricking us?”

Goody A began to look angry.

“Now why would I try to trick you? I don’t even know you two! It’s the middle of the night and I’m trying to be helpful.”

“Maybe you’re just acting helpful so we’ll trust you and trust the Succubus too,” Ronan accused her. “That way she can get us alone and fucking drain us.”

I drew myself up and started to say something but Goody A beat me to it.

“I’ll have you know that Goldie is only half- Succubus and she’s very careful when she chooses a partner not to drain him,” she snapped.

“She’s an upstanding member of his community and she has been for years.

I would trust her with my life and I won’t hear you saying nasty, untrue things about her! ”

Ronan looked taken aback and Finn looked embarrassed .

“We’re sorry, Goody Albright,” he said. “It’s just that Werebears are solitary creatures. We’re not very trusting of magic users.”

To my surprise, Ronan apologized too. He inclined his head to Goody Albright and said,

“If I have offended, then I am sorry.” He turned to me. “But you did admit to doing a lust spell to draw us in.”

“I was trying to draw one or two willing males who wouldn’t mind helping me feed my craving,” I pointed out. “I didn’t know the magical lust tea I drank would draw the two of you specifically .”

“So you admit you want to feed on us!” Ronan exclaimed triumphantly.

“I admit that I wanted to have sex with you—both of you,” I added, nodding at Finn as well—who went adorably beet red.

“Not to drain you—just to recharge my batteries, so to speak. But now I may have changed my mind. If I wanted to sleep with a prickly, rude, ignorant man I could have just gone to the Human World to find one!”

This insult clearly stung—no magical Creature wants to be compared with a human.

“You’d better watch your mouth, Succubus,” Ronan growled at me.

Finn put a hand on his arm.

“Come on, Ronan—she’s right. You’re being an ass.

Goldie might have called us here to, uh, help feed her cravings…

” He turned red again as he talked, but kept going.

“But she listened to our problem and now she’s trying to help us.

You can’t distrust everyone or we’ll never get anywhere in breaking the curse. ”

“Well…all right.” Ronan looked at me. “I’m sorry. I’ve just heard a lot of bad stories about Succubusses. Or Succubi. Or whatever.”

“As Goodie A pointed out I’m only half- Succubus.

I can and do control myself,” I said firmly.

“I’ve never drained a partner to the point of death in my life.

Having sex with someone like me is like giving blood—you only give a pint to help the person in need—not every drop of blood in your body.

And of course, the more people who give blood, the less they each have to give to the friend they’re helping. ”

“Meaning you want us to, uh, share you?” Finn’s eyebrows shot up and his cheeks went red all over again.

Ronan frowned.

“We don’t do that. We’ve never done that.”

“Well…” I shrugged. “There’s a first time for everything, boys.”

Goody A cleared her throat.

“I do believe we are getting off the subject here. If the three of you are going to go on this quest, I recommend you start at once.’

I frowned.

“What—like tonight?”

“Yes, tonight,” she said firmly. “When setting of on a magical venture, it’s best to follow through as soon as you make the intention.

If you wait around too long, Madam Locasta may catch wind of your intent.

Not because anyone would say anything,” she added quickly.

“But because that’s just how magic works.

Intentions become actions which lead to consequences. ”

“So it’s better to get ahead of the consequences before they happen?” Finn asked.

“Exactly.” She nodded.

“But what about the Diner? What about my regulars?” I asked. I hated to leave all the bachelors of Hidden Hollow high and dry in breakfast, lunch, and dinner departments. Some of them really just can’t cook.”

“They can come to The Red Lion,” Goody A said firmly. “Put a sign on the door and I’ll let the staff know that we’ll be having extra people in the dining room for a day or two—however long it takes you.”

“All right.” I nodded. “But I’ll need to pack. I have to see if I still have that tent I used to own…”

“No need for any of that,” Goody A said. “I have an instant tent that comes with everything you need. Food, water, clothes—you name it, the tent has it.” She winked. “And it’s big enough for three.”

Finn went red again at her words and Ronan glared but neither said anything, which I considered a good sign .

“All right—we’ll do it,” I said.

“You don’t really have to come with us, if you don’t want to,” Finn said.

“Finn’s right—this is our curse to break,” Ronan growled.

“Which Goldie is now involved in,” Goody A said sternly. “She’s part of the solution—I’ll need her to help me brew the curse-breaking potion. So she also needs to be involved in gathering the magical ingredient—the bitter berries—the potion hinges on.”

I thought Ronan was going to protest again, but in the end he only nodded. Finn looked relieved.

“I’m glad you’re coming with us,” he murmured, giving me a shy smile. “I’ve never met anyone like you before.”

“I have,” Ronan growled, but he didn’t say anything else and I decided not to push it.

“Very good—we have a consensus.” Goodie A called for one of her brownies again. “Go get my everything tent,” she told her. “It’s on the shelf in my office. It looks like a miniature tent and fits in the palm of your hand.”

“Yes, Goodie A.”

The brownie hurried away and came back a moment later holding a perfect miniature tent in one hand. I looked at it in awe when she handed it to me. It was the kind of tent that has a round dome and plenty of room inside and it was small enough to fit into my pocket.

“This has everything we need in it?” I asked.

Goody A nodded.

“Everything. When you’re ready to camp for the night, just set it down on the ground—mind you have enough room for it to expand—and chant this cantrip.”

She handed me a slip of paper and I opened it and saw that it had a few lines of script. I started to read them but Goody Albright stopped me.

No, no! Don’t say the words until you’re ready to expand the tent! And in the morning, say the counter-cantrip to miniaturize it again. All right?”

“All right.” I nodded and slipped the tiny tent into the pocket of my jacket. I looked at the two Weres. “Let’s go, boys. Time’s wasting.”

“Good luck!” Goody A gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You’re going to be fine—just be careful once you get into the Blighted Forest,” she murmured.

As the three of us left the Red Lion Inn, I hoped she was right.

I didn’t want to have a run-in with a demi-goddess.

Also, I was still starving sexually. I wondered if I could get Ronan to relax enough to help me out a little.

I could already tell that Finn wouldn’t mind but as hungry as I was, I didn’t want to risk draining him. I really needed them both.

I just hoped that they would be willing to help me out a little bit…or maybe a lot.