A Werewolf, A Vampire, and A Fae Walk Into A Bar (Book 1 of The Last Witch Series) novel Chapter 42

Once in the bathroom, he returns to wolf form and creeps to the door, listening to whatever sounds are coming from the bedroom. He’s probably trying to hear movements and smell feelings or some shit, because the dialogue is plenty audible from where I’m standing even with my bullshit human hearing. Mostly because of AJ.

“I don’t care, Alex!” my friend yells. “There’s nothing you could say that would make me give two shits about our past, because what you’re doing is wrong. Now get this goddamn blindfold off of me!”

“How can you trust these guys and not me, AJ?” Alex sounds serious.

“How can I… you pretended to have brain damage for ten years!” AJ makes a really good point.

“I wasn’t pretending, I was… look, you don’t understand, and you’re not--”

“Alex, stop.” Another voice enters the conversation, this one a woman’s. She sounds familiar, but I can’t place her.

“We don’t have time to debate these issues,” the woman continues. “I’ve come for the child, and I’m not going to waste time trying to convince you.”

“You sound familiar,” AJ says, mirroring my own thoughts. The voice has a nostalgic quality. Like a high school teacher or someone I once knew long ago. Chances are pretty strong that’s who it is. AJ and I definitely called Ms. Day a witch all the time; maybe the reason she got so mad is because we were right.

The voice ignores AJ entirely and speaks directly to Rune. “Fae, you’re running out of options. I’ve got plenty of spells left to try, and sooner or later you’ll lose consciousness and any mystique you’ve created will vanish.”

Jesus. I can’t tell what’s going on, but it appears Rune doesn’t have the upper hand. Whatever he did to help hide Rain seems to have put him in a bind. Zev’s hackles are up, and his left paw is raised, like a hunting dog ready to strike. But where the hell is Darius?

I hear Rune clear his throat before speaking. “Like you said, Witch, we’re not debating anything. Please, continue with your spells.” His voice is extremely strained, even if he’s still putting up a verbal fight. I can only imagine what’s been done to make such a strong man suffer so much. I wish I could do something to help him, but I know I’m way out of my depth.

“Very well,” the voice says with a trace of disappointment. God, she sounds more familiar with every word. Who is she?

I hear the clinking of some glass, maybe a spoon hitting the edges of a cup as it stirs. “Would you like to drink this one on your own, Fae? Or shall I pour it in your eye like the last?”

Before Rune can respond--or not respond, depending on how he prefers his torturing--Alex speaks up.

“Hey, we might have a problem.”

“What?” the mystery woman asks sharply.

“I, um… I just looked at AJ’s phone.” Alex fumbles his words, sounding pretty nervous, just like the guy I remember from high school. “She… she sent a text to Bernie before I took it away, I guess.”

After a second of silence, I hear a loud slap.

“Ow! Goddammit, that hurt!” Alex screams, obviously on the receiving end of a smack across the face.

“Did it?” the woman asks. “Because if that hurts, you’re not going to enjoy being ripped apart by a werewolf at all.”

“You certainly won’t.”

Darius has joined the mix, probably appearing out of nowhere in his annoying way, which I swear I will never reprimand him for again if he can get us out of this mess.

His arrival seems to put a temporary halt on conversation as fighting ensues.

I hear crash after crash and loud growls from Zev, who sped out of the bathroom without me even noticing.

“Hold on, Rune!” Darius says. I don’t know what he’s asking the fae to hold on to, but the fear in the vampire’s voice is tangible and makes my own fear that much stronger.