Page 14 of Wishing for a Werewolf (Ferndale Falls Forever #2)

Rune

The next morning, a confused tangle of emotions drives me forward as I race through the forest toward Lukendevener’s castle.

On the one hand, I desperately want to break the wish swap spell so that I can clearly establish myself as the town’s protector. On the other, the spell is the only reason I got to enjoy the previous evening with Autumn. Without it, I’m not sure I’d even be speaking to the enticing witch yet.

Last night was my favorite night on Earth so far. The home-cooked meal, the antics of the mini-goat, and spending time with Autumn all combined into the first time I’ve truly felt at home here.

The movie made it crystal clear how much I have to learn about being a man and living on Earth. From the clothes, to the cars, to the planes and other electronic gadgets, it allowed me a glimpse of exactly how vast and varied this new world is.

Autumn even promised to help me prepare my house so it’s more livable before my niece and nephew visit.

Will any of that happen if we break the spell?

A gap appears in the brilliant orange and gold foliage of the trees, showing the gray stone of the dragon’s castle. The gate in the outer wall stands open, and I hurry into the bailey, the wide courtyard large enough for a dragon to land in their original shape.

Crenellated towers anchor the castle’s front corners, which is dotted with windows and a tall arched door. I bang on the wooden surface for what feels like an hour, unwilling to give up this time. It takes forever for it to finally swing open.

Luke scowls at me. “What?”

“I need your help.”

His expression doesn’t change, but he steps backward and gestures me in.

This castle came from Faerie, inserted into the forest outside Ferndale Falls by magic.

It looks far more lived in than my new house.

Tapestries cover the walls, a few empty sets of armor stand in alcoves along the hall, and there’s furniture in the rooms we hurry past. Everything’s made for dragons in their fae or weredragon forms.

“I don’t understand. How do you have a castle like this if you’ve been stuck in your dragon form for hundreds of years?

” I’ve seen Luke’s true form. The red dragon is as big as a house with his wings tucked tight to his back.

When they’re spread, he’s downright massive, possibly even larger than the human plane from the movie.

“You can’t even fit through the front door. ”

“This castle has been in my family for over a thousand years. It’s spelled to go into magical stasis when not in use. It was like this when I found it in Dularia.”

I grunt, never having visited the dragon home realm.

Luke opens the door onto a large room with hallways branching off each side.

Ornate arched windows let in golden light, each one framed by trees.

Their twisting trunks coil up and over to make dripping displays of purple flowers that sweeten the air with their heavy floral scent.

Wooden tables stand waiting, each topped with several open books and stacks of parchment.

It’s missing the bookcases I expect in a library, but then, I haven’t exactly been in many.

Luke leans a hip against one of the tables, his wings rustling in agitation as he crosses his arms and stares at me, one eyebrow raised. “Well?”

“I need to break a spell Autumn cast. It was her first use of magic, and she’s not sure how she did it.”

The dragon makes a go-on gesture.

“It turns out she’s got some kind of wishing magic, only it’s not working right. It’s given her wishes to me, and mine to her.” I recount the incident at Wishing Well, and how people are now asking her for protection and me for soap. Then I explain about the swapped fall festivities.

“And you’re certain you’re under a spell? I’ve never heard of wishes being swapped.”

“Of course I’m certain. What else could it be?” I grumble. “I’m trying to start a new business, and the last thing I need is everyone thinking Autumn should protect the town instead of me.”

He reaches into a spot in front of his abdomen, his hand disappearing into the magical “pocket” each dragon has for storing items. Luke roots around for several moments before pulling out a red crystal.

He murmurs an activation spell and waves the crystal over me, and it flashes with a pulse of red light.

“Well, you’re correct. You’re under some type of spell, but I can’t tell what kind.

” His lips twist as he stares into the distance.

Then his attention snaps back to me. “I don’t recall ever reading about wish swaps.

I’ll have to search. Is there any other information that will help me look? You mentioned three wishes.”

Goddess, I can’t tell him about my third wish! The worry wrenches a growl from me, and I shake my head. I like Luke, but there’s no reason to admit I long for a fated mate unless I have to. “It’s not important.”

“All right. I’ll look.” He drops his arms and pushes off the table to stand upright. “But I can’t promise anything. It’s not my area of research, so I doubt I have much material on wish magic.”

“It’s fine. I can wait.”

“You don’t understand.” He frowns and jabs a finger toward one of the hallways, then the other. “I have miles of shelves to search. I’ll contact you when I find something.”

Ah, the missing bookcases. “Don’t you have a record system of where things are?”

“No.” He scowls, his eyes narrowing.

I tamp down impatience and irritation. The fact that it’s going to take a while means Luke’s doing me an even larger favor than I imagined. Getting upset about the delay would be counterproductive.

Yet I hate the thought of disappointing Autumn. If we don’t have an answer by tomorrow, we’ll be stuck working together for the town’s fall festival.

“Thank you for helping. If you find something by morning, I’d like to know right away,” I say.

“As for payment, I’ve just begun to work for Severin and should be able to pay sometime next month.

” It took every bit of gold the cu sith had saved up over the years to purchase the mansion.

I’ve already earmarked what’s left over for readying the house for the rest of my pack.

“What use have I of gold?” He waves off the idea of monetary payment like a man shooing away an annoying fly.

The dragon’s eyes narrow as he shoots me an assessing gaze.

“What if we barter instead? Whether I find much or not, I can say that wish magic is an understudied field. I want full access to everything you find out about this spell you’re caught up in, and I want to speak to Autumn as well. ”

“Deal.” I’m sure she’ll agree. I should have guessed what he’d ask for. All the human myths are both correct and incorrect—dragons do indeed like to hoard, but what they hoard is knowledge, not gold.

“Then let me get to work.” And with that, he stalks off, down a hallway, leaving me to make my own way out of the castle.

Once I’m in the forest again, I run toward town.

My heart twinges. I miss my family, my pack.

It’s only a handful of days before they’re here with me, and nothing’s ready for their visit, yet still I wish they’d appear from between the trees, yipping with joy.

I’d shift into a wolf, and we’d run as a pack. We’d—

No. That’s our old life, the one we need to move past. Being forced to remain wolves for most of our lives limited the cu sith, and I refuse to allow the next generation to grow up similarly hampered.

I will make us a home on Earth, and the pups will learn to live in their fae forms as easily as they ever do as wolves. This I vow.

Ferndale Falls appears ahead, and I race around Town Hall to find Severin sitting on the second-story window ledge outside Hannah’s mayoral office.

He’s cast a partial invisibility spell to hide himself from regular humans, but as a fae, I can see him clearly.

His shadows curl around the ledge and cling to the wall, holding him securely in place.

As soon as he spots me, they extend, dropping him toward the ground in a controlled fall.

“Still worried about Hannah’s safety?” I ask.

“No. I simply like watching her work when I get the chance.”

“I’m glad I found you. If you have time, I’d like to finalize the job we talked about yesterday.”

“I thought you were consulting with Lukendevener this morning?” Severin starts walking toward the green.

I fall into step beside him. “I did. He doesn’t know anything yet. He’s going to research it.”

“In his library?” Severin asks. When I nod, he snorts. “Good luck hearing from him anytime soon. That place is a maze.”

The second we step onto the grass, the tulips come racing toward us, their little root feet a blur.

They surround Severin, their leaves stretching toward him like toddlers begging to be picked up.

He crouches down, reaching out to run his fingers gently over their flower heads. “Let’s see how you’re all doing today.”

I fight down a grin. Watching him with the tulips, you’d never know he spent most of his life as a warrior king in the service of the Dark God.

Shadow fae, like their elf ancestors, can do a wide range of magics, but they always have an affinity for one type.

For Severin, it’s plant magic, and the rich green growth of Earth lets him enjoy it for the first time.

“Not too bad. I can tell you actually slept last night. Keep it up.” He stands.

A chipmunk darts out from under a bush to cross the grass, and the tulips race over to give chase. I wonder if they look like a group of cats to the small animal, because that’s what the protection spell makes the flowers look like for non-magical humans.

Severin’s lips thin as he watches them go.

“You’re worried about them,” I say.