Green - a werewolf story

41. Witches

Letitia was not sympathetic to her plight when they came by her shop.

"What do you mean you've lost it?" she asked after they'd embraced and she'd made sure that Vanessa was still in one piece.

"It must have fallen out of my pocket when we were running through the forest like you told us to."

"Hey, don't put this on me. I was trying to save your lives and," she said, looking from Vanessa to Green, "it looks like I succeeded. Hi, I'm Letitia."

"Pleased to meet you," Green said, reaching out to shake her hand. "I'm Aiden."

"I'm beyond grateful," Vanessa said, who didn't think they had time for introductions as they were in the middle of a crisis. "But do you think you could find the necklace for me?"

Letitia wasn't listening. She had kept her grip on Green's hand and was holding it palm up to look at the lines there. Vanessa found herself irrationally jealous. Partly of Green who was suddenly getting her best friend's attention, but mostly of Letitia who had absolutely no business touching his hand.

"I'm not as good at palmistry as my mother, but now that I'm suddenly getting visions I've been practicing," Letitia was saying. "There's a break on your life line here which suggests some kind of transformation or close brush with the death."

She ran her finger over Green's palm and Vanessa gritted her teeth.

"Your love line and head line are both long which is good and the space in between them suggests... did you just growl?"

That last part was directed to Vanessa who had, in fact, done exactly that.

"Stop touching him!" she snapped.

Both Letitia and Green stared at her. Then Green smiled while Letitia tilted her head as if considering whether Vanessa was sane enough to be reasoned with. She didn't, however, let go of Green's hand.

"You do know that I'm engaged to be married," Letitia said.

"Yes," Vanessa muttered.

"To a woman who I am completely in love with."

"I'm well aware."

"I'm glad to hear that, because you sounded jealous," Letitia said and turned back to study Green's hand. "This line over here tells me you're going to... oh, for crying out loud!"

Vanessa snarled at her, having pulled Green's hand out of Letitia's and stepped in between them. Letitia looked from Vanessa's elongated teeth to Green's smug expression and took a careful step back.

"I suggest you get yourself under control or have me smack you with a stinging charm," Letitia said in a dignified tone. "Handsome though he is, I have no interest in your mate."

The threat of a stinging charm made Vanessa pause long enough to take a deep breath and get herself in control over the more animalistic part of herself that wanted nothing more than to tear into the person that had touched what it considered theirs.

She didn't completely manage it until Green wrapped his arms around her and kissed cheek. Her fury turned to first pleasure and then embarrassment.

"See! This is what happens when I don't have the necklace to help me keep my wolf under control!" she complained.

"Mm. I think you might need to practice control without the help of magic. That was never the point of the spell anyway. It was supposed to hide you when you needed to appear human, not be a crutch for your lack of self-control."

Vanessa felt as if Letitia had slapped her. "That's not fair."

"Maybe not, but it's true."

"Do you have any idea what it's like to have this whole other set of instincts and emotions trapped beneath your skin?"