Lessons in Love

Chapter 75: We Meet a Witch

POV: Delta Rick Wallis

The SUV pulled up, music blaring. I stood up and smoothed my shirt out. I felt nervous. The idea of a witch made me nervous. They were weird and wielded their powers for profit more than anything else these days. It’s why curses were so easy to come by that even George had been able to afford one. The women got out of the vehicle. The older lady had to be Riley’s aunt. She had the same kind brown eyes that Riley had.

The other woman had to be the witch. She was wearing some lacey, layered, floral catastrophe of a skirt that reminded me of all my grandmother’s tablecloths all at once. She had shrewd green eyes that made me think of a cat. Her long chestnut brown hair was flowing down her back and over her shoulders, being held off her face by two small braids that started at her temples. Ben was right. She looked like a hippy.

“Good afternoon,” I forced a pleasant smile to my lips. “Welcome to Sapphire Lake.” I extended my hand to Riley’s aunt first. “You must be Cindy, I’m Delta Rick Wallis. This is Beta Ben Westlake.” She shook my hand, and then Ben’s.

The witch stared at me intently as I extended my hand to her next. “I guess that makes you Lulu.” I said pleasantly.

She took a step closer to me but didn’t take my hand. “You have lovely eyes, Delta Rick Wallis. They’re sad but truly lovely.”

“Thank you?” I said, my smile getting harder to maintain. I looked over my shoulder at Ben, who was grinning at me with amusement. He led the women inside to give them a tour while I started on the bags. I opened the trunk and cursed. There were boxes, bags, and weird smells enough to cast a thousand spells, I imagined. I begrudgingly started unloading. As I brought a load in, Ben, Lulu, and Cindy whisked things away in various directions. Three trips later, I brought the last two suitcases in, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand. Ben grabbed them and headed for the stairs.

“Cindy is great with herbs. You should talk to her about her teas.” Lulu said as she emerged from the kitchen.

“I’m not much of a tea drinker.” I smiled politely.

“You should be. You aren’t sleeping well.” She said plainly.

“I sleep just fine.” I managed to say without growling.

“I didn’t use magic to figure it out.” She sounded irritated. “You’re a high-ranking wolf, which means you’re stronger than most. You were winded from unloading the luggage. Your smile when you greeted us was strained and uncomfortable, and you’ve got dark smudges forming under your eyes. You need sleep.” She said directly.

“Who needs sleep?” Cindy asked, rejoining us in the living room with Ben in tow.

“The Delta does.”

“No one.” We had both spoken at the same time.

“Oh, I have just the thing.” Cindy said and rooted through one of the boxes still in the living room. “What’s giving you trouble? Stress, nightmares, overthinking?”

All of the above, I thought. I didn’t dare look at Ben. I could practically feel the smirk on his face. “You’re very kind, but really, I’m fine.” I smiled politely.

Cindy looked at Lulu, who put her hands on her hips and shook her head. “Here,” Cindy said, handing me three boxes. “Try all three.” She gave me a wink.

“Thank you,” I said, taking the boxes. The minute Cindy turned her back, I glared at the witch.

Lulu raised her chin in smug satisfaction. “I could read your aura for you and narrow that down.” A wicked little grin crept across her face.

“I think I’ll just drink the teas.” I was barely able to keep the growl out of my voice. Ben shot me a disapproving look, and I cleared my throat.

“What time will Riley be home?” Cindy asked.

“Riley is staying with me in the packhouse, but she finishes school and training around 4:30.” Ben said.

Lulu made a derisive snorting sort of noise. “A bit premature, no?”

“Not at all,” I forced a smile to my lips, hoping Lulu would find the anger in my ‘sad eyes’. “She is his mate after all. They’re a power bond.”

“A power bond?” Lulu seemed surprised. “Those are very rare. Rarer than Blessed Unions and Celestial Bonds.” She added in an effort to remind me who the expert was. “What makes you think power bond?”

Ben explained what we’d learned, how their bond had been reacting, and Cindy had piped up with a few extra tidbits that seemed to surprise Ben. “They even felt each other masturbating.” Cindy said with a laugh. Ben’s face went beet red. It was my turn to smirk at him. Ben glared at me, and my smirk turned into a laugh.

Lulu c****d her head and stared at me, like she was examining my laughter. I felt like I was under a microscope, and my laughter quieted. When I made eye contact, she seemed almost disappointed before returning her piercing eyes to Ben.

“I don’t want to make you anxious, but there is a lot of crossover between what you’re describing and what a curse can do.” Lulu said gently.

“We’re sure.” Ben said firmly.

“How?” She asked.

Ben raked his hand through his hair. “My back,” he said quietly. “I have nerve damage after being attacked with silver. When Riley touches my back, it’s like it’s healed. It’s not like that with anyone else, just with her. The person who purchased the curse wouldn’t know to include that. He wouldn’t have wanted me to get stronger, either. And I’m definitely stronger since Riley and I have met.”

“What about the curse stone?” She asked.

Ben dug into his pocket and pulled out the velvet bag Isobel had given me. He held it out to Lulu. “I don’t believe the curse is on the matehood. I think it’s directly attached to me. When we were given the stone, we were told it was intended to hurt me. We don’t know anymore about it than that.”

Lulu took the bag from him and poured the stone into her hand. Her eyes started to glow a little, casting a green light on the palm of her hand. A shiver ran down my back at the sight of her. She closed her eyes for a moment and put the stone back in the bag. “Where should we meet at 4:30?” She asked. “If Riley is already at the gym, we could …”

“No,” Ben said firmly. “I don’t want to do anything at the schools. We can use the great hall if you need space.”

“The gym is soundproof.” I said quietly. “The great hall isn’t as private.” I added.

“I don’t care.” Ben said, his eyes showing the abject fear he felt.

“Okay,” I said gently, understanding that he wanted me there in case it was bad news. “I’ll make sure the furniture is out of the way. Once you ladies are settled in, you can drive up to the packhouse. I’ll show you the space.”

“I’m settled.” Lulu piped up eagerly. “I’ll walk back with you now, if that’s alright?”

I shrugged. “Of course.” I tried my hardest to smile and make it look genuine.

Cindy walked us out, and the three of us made our way back to the packhouse. Lulu walked down the path, looking around and sniffing the air. “It’s beautiful here.” She said, sounding awestruck and coming to a full stop on the path. She moved toward a small crop of trees and rested her hand against the bark. She closed her eyes for a moment. Ben and I looked at each other, finding her behavior odd. She stood silently for a solid thirty seconds before she opened her eyes and looked at us.

“The land here is healthy, despite some scars. You take good care of your home.” She smiled genuinely at us.

“Thank you,” Ben said a little stiffly. I knew he appreciated the compliment, but I also knew how anxious he was about the curse.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to see this place in the summer or during the harvest.” She mused as she rejoined us on the path. “I imagine it is truly something to see.”

“It is, but spring is my favorite.” I said, unable to keep a smile off my face. “There isn’t anything that compares to the smell of the fields when the apple blossoms are in bloom.”

Lulu c****d her head at me, examining me again. I looked to Ben for help, but he was staring at his watch.

“I have to take a call in a few minutes. Field Haven. Can you two deal with the hall?” He asked, seemingly oblivious to my discomfort.

“Of course,” Lulu smiled as the three of us continued up the path. Ben took the stairs two at a time once we got inside. I led Lulu to the hall and opened the doors. She walked into the space. She stood in the center of the room and twirled around, sending her skirt out wide around her.

“I bet you have beautiful parties in here.” She mused.

“Actually, we use this space for pack meetings.” I said with shrug. “We haven’t had much time for parties this past year.” I admitted.

“That’s too bad,” she said seriously. “You all seem like you could use something to lift your spirits.” Her shrewd eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at me, and I felt like her comment was specifically directed at me.

I cleared my throat and looked away. “We should get started.” I said, scratching at my beard.