Page 15 of Wishing for a Werewolf (Ferndale Falls Forever #2)

“I’ve kept things as warm as possible around Ferndale Falls, but even I can’t halt the march of seasons indefinitely.

Winter is coming.” He gestures toward where the tulips surround a tree, the chipmunk clinging to the trunk several feet up, chittering at them in complaint.

“They’re imbued with magic, but I’m not sure it’s enough to survive the cold of winter. ”

“Don’t humans build special buildings for that?”

“Greenhouses.” He nods. “I’ve constructed one at the palace. If need be, I’ll take the tulips there. Yet I know they’ll miss being here in town in the center of everything.”

“This is their home.”

A note of longing must slip into my voice, because the sharp-eyed shadow fae turns his head to look at me. “It’s yours, too.”

“Maybe.”

“It is.” He claps me on the back. “And I’ll prove it. Once Autumn gets here, we can set up her security business, and she seems determined to hire you.”

I scowl, having forgotten the limitations of the wish swap. “I don’t have a way to get ahold of her.”

“I do.” He pulls out one of the human phones and pecks at the screen, scowling the whole while.

A flicker of motion in front of the library captures my attention. Autumn steps out of the door, looking beautiful in a deep-red dress decorated with golden leaves, as if she just walked out of a fall forest. She shrugs on a denim jacket as she hurries over to us. “Rune! Is everything alright?”

“Better than all right.” I gesture to Severin. “If you have a moment, we can complete one of the wishes.”

She breaks into a smile. “Let’s go.”

We cross through the town green and head down Main Street. “Most of the buildings downtown have apartments on their second floors,” Severin says. “But not the flower shop. Since it’s narrower, there wasn’t enough space for a bedroom, so the single room has been turned into an office.”

The siding of Oopsy Daisy glows the fresh green of spring growth, the trim the warm yellow of buttercups. Flowers and lush plants fill the windows, and Autumn waves at the wood nymph tending to them. She waves back, her long willowy arm as graceful as a tree branch swayed by a gentle breeze.

The upstairs office has bright white walls and a dark wood floor and desk. It’s simple, with one closet, a kitchen nook, and a small bathroom, but it’s not as if I need anything elaborate. I don’t plan to spend much time inside.

Severin already has paperwork waiting. It’s in English so that it can be registered in the human data systems, making my life here on Earth more official. The fae king works a translation spell so I can check everything over.

I grunt. “It says I’ll be working for you, not the town.”

“You and Autumn, you mean.” He frowns.

“Yep, and me!” she chirps, her tone falsely bright.

“The humans already have a person meant to uphold their laws. A police officer.” Severin flicks his fingers in dismissal. “The person in the position isn’t magical. They won’t be able to see the real threat of any fae who gives them trouble, let alone counter it safely.”

I keep reading. “This gives me a fair bit of autonomy in how I deal with things.”

“Long have the cu sith been the most loyal guards of Faerie. Also, Varyn checked all of your credentials before I hired you to protect Hannah that time. I know you’ve acted as pack protector for several years. And Autumn trusts you. That’s good enough for me.”

“Town Protector.” I run my finger over the words. “I like that.”

“I thought you might. Now sign.”

Autumn signs first, and then me.

When we’re done, Severin gives Autumn one of the human phones. “You’ll need to carry this with you at all times. I’ll distribute your number to all the fae living in Ferndale Falls. If anyone has a problem, they’ll call.”

“My associate is going to be the one on call.” She hands the phone to me.

I scowl down at the human language covering the screen. “I can’t read this.”

Severin flicks his fingers, and the words become legible. “I’ve put a permanent translation spell on it for you.”

He steps out into the hall, and the last thing he does before he leaves is to paint a sign on the office door’s glass pane: a silhouette of a howling wolf head circled by the words Wild Wolf Security.

“We did it! We got you your wish to have your own security business.” Autumn beams up at me.

A swirl of magic surrounds us, racing through me and easing a pressure I hadn’t realized I carried.

“Did you feel that?” Autumn’s wide green eyes find mine. “I think that was the first piece of the wish swap spell releasing us now that it’s satisfied.”

I nod. “I felt it too.”

“This is amazing. I think it means we really are under a spell, like you said.”

“About that…” I frown. “I saw Lukendevener this morning. He didn’t know anything about wish swaps and will have to do research that might take some time, but he was able to confirm that there’s a spell on me.”

“Sorry. I really didn’t mean to.” Her lips pull into a little grimace. “And I’m sorry I doubted you when you told me what happened. I can be a little impetuous sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” I cock an eyebrow.

“Did you make a joke? I’m so proud of you!” Her green eyes glitter with mischief as she grins at me. Then her phone chimes. “I’ve got to run. I’m meeting the girls for lunch.”

I follow her out onto the street, a feeling of pride filling me as I glance around downtown. With my new business established, Ferndale Falls is indeed now home, and I will make a place for my pack here.

Autumn’s laugh rings through the air as she races across the green to meet Skye on the steps of the library. The sound pulls me toward her and the bright flag of her flame hair.

My fire.

Mine.