Wolf Magic

Halloween night.

Halloween night.

ONE YEAR AND TWO MONTHS before

Tiffany

I’d been counting down the days to this night since we found Sherie’s spell book all those years ago. Day one thousand and ninety-five had finally arrived! My twenty-first birthday, and the night I’d looked forward to for so long.

Tonight, Halloween night, my friends and I would cast a spell that would save us from the devastation and loneliness that had followed our mothers around their whole lives.

“So, are we going to do this, or not?” Ruby asked, then stared at Bella and me individually. “Because there’s no going back after this.”

Her grin made me clap my hands together with glee.

I never want to go back after this. I want my soul mate more than anything.

Growing up fatherless, the only children to three heartbroken witches, had been hard on us all. So, years ago, when Ruby found an ancient spell book her mother had buried under the stairs, beneath blankets and within a huge chest filled with clothes and other books, we’d read it.

Of course, we had. What teenage girls wouldn’t have? Ruby had led the charge, and I’d been right behind her, wanting to know why a book had been so well hidden.

Inside its pages we’d found an incantation that would guarantee we would avoid the heartbreak of our mothers before us. I’d been the first one to say, “Hell yes! This is for us!”

I hadn’t wanted to wait. At eighteen, I was already working, had one terrible fail of a romantic night, and was ready for the man of my dreams to love me and build a future together.

But Bella had done some research and realized that the spell was complicated and required a lot of power to achieve, which was why all three of us would need to do it. Together.

When we were old enough, and powerful enough, to pull it off.

The wind moved through the trees around us, rustling the leaves. I shivered at the feeling of perfect premonition that slid over me.

This was it! We were finally here! About to do what we’d planned for so long.

Bella’s shack was the perfect location for secret nights like this one. No one would be able to see us, and as long as we all kept our mouths shut, nobody would know that on this Halloween night, our joint twenty-first birthday, we conducted a spell to call our true love to us.

I nodded at Ruby fiercely. It was time to start the spell.

Fear flashed in Bella’s eyes.

Ruby sighed. “Come on, Bella. You know we can’t do this without you.”

She meant that quite literally, unfortunately. Bella was the strongest of us. The best at spells.

Damn it, Bella. Don’t give up on us now.

Ruby pouted. “Come on, Bella. Please.”

I bit my lip and tried not to worry. We’d been talking about this spell for years, planning every part of this night.

I opened my mouth to beg her not to chicken out, but she spoke first.

“Okay, Ruby. I’m in. Let’s do this.”

Ruby grabbed our hands and I reached for Bella’s free hand, forming a triangle of magic. Three witches born on the same day, the most powerful day of the year for our kind: All Hallows’ Eve.

These girls were my family. My best friends. The closest I’d ever get to having sisters.

I gripped their hands tighter and stared down at the ancient book that lay on the ground between us, the spell book Ruby had found years ago.

Excitement skittered through me, and I pushed it down. It was time to focus on getting the spell right, not get overly excited about the outcome.

We began to chant in an ancient language that no-one used anymore.

I concentrated hard on my lines, reading from the book. Each section of the spell called to the magic that rippled in our veins, to Fate, and most of all, to the unconditional love that we all craved.

The spell began to hurt in a way I hadn’t expected, and I frowned hard, focusing on the magic we were creating, and not the headache pounding in my temples.

My legs began to shake. I locked my knees, not willing to give in when we were so close. Maybe Bella was right, and this spell was too big for us to handle.

I clenched my hands into fists, willing strength into myself. The pain began to lift. I smiled and forged forward, reading faster, loving the swirl of magic floating around us, bonding us even more than we were before.

After this night, we were guaranteed to never end up like our mothers, abandoned and alone. I would pay anything for that.

The ancient book floated in the air between us, glowing and powerful. I watched the book with a growing sense of dread.

We began to speak louder, the words building naturally as the spell came to a crescendo. White light burst between our clenched fingers.

Power surged through us. I gripped Ruby and Bella’s hands harder. We were almost there.

We chanted the last few words. The white magic shot into the air above our heads, exploding into bright fireworks, sparkling against the dark night sky.

We were blown back and apart, our joined hands separating as we flew through the air backwards. I landed on my a*s on the grass, my magic gone.

I shook my head, pushing my hands into the ground to hold myself up.

Whoa. That was so much more intense than I expected.

“Is that it?” Ruby asked from about ten feet away.

The spell book that had been hovering in the air, landed in the dirt with a heavy thump.

I jumped up, happiness flowing through me. We’d done it! Now we just had to wait for our soul mates to find us.

When they did, I’d have a husband. And kids! And a home filled with laughter and fun.

Tears gathered in my eyes, and I blinked them back. I couldn’t believe it. We’d really finished the spell. My life-long wish was about to come true.

Ruby rose from her spot on the ground and Bella got to her feet, too.

I closed my eyes and tilted back my head, breathing in the cool night air. This was the start of the rest of my life. I just had to have a little bit of patience, which was going to be the hard part. I wanted my soul mate, now!

“So... back to the house for a celebratory drink?” Ruby asked, dusting off her hands.

Absolutely!

“Sounds like a plan,” I said, flicking my hair over my shoulder.

We turned and trekked back to the cabin.

Once inside the little house, we turned on the lights and Ruby used her magic to mix up cocktails the color of the sunset—red, yellow, and a splash of purple.

“Perfect,” Ruby said as she picked up her glass that had been resting on the counter.

Bella and I plucked up our drinks as well, and clinked them with Ruby’s.

“Happy birthday,” we said together, grinning as a group.

The best part of my birthday was spending it with these two girls.

We all took a sip of our first legal drink and grimaced at the amount of liquor Ruby had magicked up. I gasped, my nose burning.

“Wow, that’s strong,” I said, blinking rapidly. Then I took another sip just for good measure.

Bella inhaled sharply, then waved her hand over the table in front of us, conjuring up savory and sweet snacks. Chips, chocolate cake, cookies, and crackers with cheese littered the surface in front of us.

“Oh, perfect. Thanks, Belle,” Ruby said, grabbing a handful of chips and stuffing them in her mouth.

I took another sip of my drink. The alcohol warmed my belly and gave me a nice relaxing feeling.

This was it. The beginning of the rest of our lives.

“What’s up, Bell-Bell?” Ruby asked.

I glanced between them. Was something wrong? What had I missed?

“Do you think it worked?” Bella asked quietly.

Ruby shrugged. “I don’t know. I hope so.”

“So do I!” I said, my tone exasperated. “We’ve only been planning this forever.”

The other two sat down with me, around our little birthday feast.

We chatted and ate, drank and laughed, celebrating the fact we had our whole lives ahead of us.

“What do you think your guy will look like?” I asked Ruby, because Bella was sitting there looking like she needed to fall asleep.

Ruby laughed. “I don’t care, as long as he’s nice.”

“Nice? Pah.” I said, rolling my eyes. “I want my guy to be hot. With blue eyes, and massive muscles. A ripped six-pack...”

We talked all night and fell asleep sometime before dawn. I was the last to pass out because I was the most excited by far.

Ruby was still a little lost with what she wanted out of life.

Bella was at college and had her sights set on a career.

I’d already been working full time for three years and was done with being single. I wanted my man. I wanted a baby.

For me, the time until I found my soul mate couldn’t pass quickly enough.

Surely because of that, I’d be the first one to find my man...