Brushing away Piper’s hands, I turned and faced the witch. “I want to do this. How much?”
Without answering, the shopkeeper climbed down from her stool and hobbled into a back room, one veiled from sight by a long, dark curtain. At the sound of rustling, I met Piper’s gaze and fiddled with the hem of my jacket. This was the right thing to do. Even now, I could barely contain my excitement. The thought of strutting out of here on four legs, only to run to Mathis’s house was intoxicating.
A couple loud pops echoed in the back room before red smoke wafted from beneath the curtain.
“Oh, this is bad,” Piper muttered. “So, so bad.”
“Lighten up. Worse-case scenario, I’m a vegetable.”
“Magical lobotomy,” she grumbled. “And when you’re slathering on the floor, don’t get mad when I say I told you so.”
“I’ll be too busy slathering on the floor to care.”
Piper scoffed under her breath.
A few more tense moments passed before the witch hobbled back out with a small plate in hand. “Here we are, dear.”
I blinked. Two chocolates sat atop a gold-lined plate next to a small cue card. “Here what is?”
“The chocolate. It’s the spell. I thought it appropriate.” She chuckled and thrust the platter at me.
I stepped back. “We haven’t discussed price yet.”
“Not interested in your money. These sorts of spells need a great deal more than that.”
“Like?”
“You’ll owe me a favor. Collectible when I deem fit.”
“What sort of favor?”
She leaned forward and gave a secretive wink. “Now, where would the fun be in that? You wish to become a werewolf. This spell will grant you that. And in exchange…”
“I’ll owe you,” I mumbled.
Excitement brightened the witch’s face.
With a slow nod, I reached toward the plate and was about to snatch up the first chocolate when the witch batted away my hand. “Mind the card first, dear.”
“What?”
“The card!” She plucked a piece of paper from the plate and thrust it at me.
Sighing, I took it from her and studied the folded parchment. For crying out loud, she’d covered it in damned hearts. I officially hated this holiday. But rather than focus on the stupid red blobs, I read aloud the words scrawled on the card.
Eat one chocolate this very night,
Then another at morning’s first light.
In two days’ time, should you succeed,
Your dream will come true—a new life to lead.
But should you fail, prepare for doom,
And spend your nights howling at the moon.
I pondered the last couple of lines, then continued onward. “Side effects include drowsiness, excessive hair growth, mood swings, selective memory loss, kidney failure, and muscle pain. Jesus.”
“What’s all that mean?” Piper mused.
Two nights? “I thought this would be permanent.” I dropped the card down onto the plate and eyed the witch. “You said—”
“I said I had a spell that can help you, but you must become mates with your true love within the two nights.”
“No one said anything about mates.”
The witch eyed me and shook her head. “Those are the rules, dear.”
“What happens if she fails?” Piper whispered.
Her mouth split into a wide grin. “You say you wish to be a wolf? If in two days’ time you have not secured your mate, you will remain a wolf forever.”
“As in…”
“As in a true wolf. No shifting, no human life, no friends, no lovers. Eventually, you’ll become a beast in both body and mind.”
Holy crap on a cracker. That was one hell of a risk. Perhaps too steep? What if he denied me?
“I told you there would be consequences,” Piper hissed. She whirled on her heel and stormed across the store.
“Have you no faith in this man of yours?” the witch needled.
I did. Of course I did. But this wasn’t all about him. This was about changing my lot in life. About making Sloe and the others eat their words. At least if I failed, I wouldn’t remember this. One upside.
Piper growled under her breath and stalked back toward us. “This is so stupid. I want it on record that I think this is a horrible idea.”
“I think we got that already,” I grumbled before turning back to the witch. “The favor?”
“A problem for the future.”
“What if I fail and become a wolf? I won’t be able to do you a favor.”
“If you fail, we’ll call us squared. I won’t require anything from you. But if you succeed…” A wicked grin crossed her face. “Are you ready then, dear?”
“Juniper…” Piper murmured. “This doesn’t feel right.”
Screw not feeling right. I hadn’t felt right my entire life. The way I saw it, this was the only chance I had at ever feeling right. So what if there were risks? As long as those burdens fell on me and only me, I accepted them.
I eyed the witch. “Promise me this spell won’t affect anyone else. Only me.”
“The cost is all yours, dear. As for everything else, only you can say. But you’ll finally become a true werewolf. And isn’t that what you wanted? Just remember. Two days. You must become mates by sunset February sixteen. Otherwise…”
“I become a real wolf, permanently.”
“Do you accept these terms?”
I drummed my fingers against the counter and contemplated my choices. My life right now sucked balls. This was a real chance for me to change who I was. Yes, there was a risk. And if it all went wrong, I’d never see my friends or family again.
Of course, it wasn’t as though I’d remember them. But they would remember me.
If I did this, I’d need to keep everything to myself. The last thing I wanted was to upset my family. And if I failed, I’d have enough time to prepare and say my goodbyes. I’d lie. Tell them I was leaving to attend college, to find my own life. Convince them to let me go.
Clearly, I’d made my decision. So, with a deep breath, I straightened to my full height. “All right. You have a deal.”
The witch’s mouth spread unnaturally wide. “Do follow the instructions, my dear. One tonight, one at first morning’s light. Try not to forget. The consequences could be…disastrous.”
Lovely. I eyed the witch a second longer before finally reaching for the chocolates. Now or never, right?
Resigned, I lifted the first square and studied it. Looked innocuous enough. “When will it start to take effect?”
“Not right this second. This sort of thing requires a little bit of time. You’ll notice an increase in your senses, and then your body will tell you when it’s time to shift.”
All right. If all went well, perhaps I’d have this entire deal squared away tonight. I shot a glance at Piper and shrugged. “Bottom’s up.” Before she could utter another word, I tossed the chocolate into my mouth and chewed.
Mm. Smooth.
Tasted like the Caramilk bars I used to love as a child. I forced myself to chew a couple more times before swallowing.