Chapter Thirty

That weekend was dinner with Mr. Sheridan and Vanessa, but this time we were eating at a restaurant owned by one of Mr. Sheridan’s friends. The closer we got to the next full moon and the longer I went without finding the werewolf murderer, the harder it was to act like everything was fine. And since my boyfriend was a werewolf, there was a chance he could be the next victim.

Vaughn and I hit traffic on our way to Laguna Beach.

“Remember when we had that tide pool assignment?” I asked. From sunup to sundown, we’d scrambled over the rocks, searching for gooseneck clams, sea stars, sea urchins that looked like underwater flowers. The seagulls begged for scraps in their loud, demanding calls.

He thought about it. “Near the end of seventh grade. You got sunburned.”

I nodded. “I’d forgotten my sunscreen. And you hiked to the store to get me some aloe vera lotion while we waited for Skyler’s dad to come pick us up.”

“That was no big deal,” he said gruffly.

“It was to me,” I replied. “That’s when I knew I liked you.”

“I was so…I don’t even know how to describe it. Awkward? Oblivious? I liked you then, too,” he said.

“You’re joking,” I said.

He kept his eyes on the road. “Nope. I had it bad for you. Almost as bad as I have it for you now.”

What would it have been like to have dated Vaughn back then? Simpler, for sure.

I sighed.

“Everything okay?” Vaughn asked.

“I miss the sun,” I said.

“I know,” he replied. “But we still have the stars.”

My boyfriend was romantic, something I hadn’t known when we were just friends. I put my hand on his knee, and he put his hand over mine, for just a second, before returning it to the steering wheel.

Our parents were already at the restaurant when we arrived.

Vaughn and I sat next to each other, and he slung his arm across my chair. He trailed his fingers across my arm, and goose bumps prickled all over my skin.

“Are you feeling better, Vanessa?” I asked.

“Yes, much better,” she said smoothly. “It must have been a touch of the flu. And I thought you were going to call me ‘Mother,’” she said.

“I’m not quite ready for that,” I admitted.

She frowned but didn’t respond.

We ordered tiny appetizers, and Vanessa ordered a glass of red wine, her go-to drink. After realizing there was no way the appetizers would be enough to quench Vaughn’s appetite, we waved the server back and tripled our order.

“We have something to tell you,” Vanessa said. Please don’t let it be that they’re getting married. It was awkward enough that they were dating.

Mr. Sheridan cleared his throat. “We wanted to tell you Vanessa is moving in with me.” He reached for Vanessa’s hand, but she was watching me.

“We’ll be one big happy family,” Vanessa said. “Once Tansy moves in, too.”

“One big dysfunctional family,” Vaughn said. “Since your daughter and I are dating.”

“I am not leaving Granny’s, Vanessa,” I said. I kept my voice even and firm. “You’ve never even had custody of me. Besides, I’m a senior in high school. I’ll be in college next year.”

“More reason to spend time together now,” she said. She sounded sincere.

“I don’t mind spending time with you,” I admitted. “But I’m not moving into my boyfriend’s house with my long-lost mother. That would be too weird.”

“We’ll see,” she said. I excused myself to go to the bathroom, and when I got back, Chef Paretti was at the table, chatting with Vaughn and his dad.

I didn’t know why, but I stood just out of everyone’s sight line and watched. Vanessa took something out of her purse and poured it into her glass.

I took a step forward, and when she looked up, she noticed me and gave me a bright smile. I slid back into my seat. Vaughn put his arm on the back of my chair but didn’t interrupt his conversation with his dad and Chef Paretti. They were talking about the best recipe for sweet breads, which meant they wouldn’t be done for a while, and I decided to use the opportunity to have a little side chat with Vanessa.

“You understand that it’s hard for me to trust you, right?” I asked her.

She studied my face. “I do. But I want a relationship with you. And I have stories I can share.”

“What kind of stories?”

“Am I right that you’d like to know about your father?” she asked. She smiled. “Now’s not the time, but I won’t let you down.”

I shook my head. “Not good enough.”

“For every hour you spend with me, I’ll tell you one thing about him. Starting with his name,” Vanessa said. “And where to find him.”

“You will?” She’d already told me something. My father was alive.

I don’t know why my curiosity about my father made her so happy, but she was practically glowing. “I’ll tell you everything.”

I nodded my agreement just as Vaughn and his dad finished up with the chef.

“You don’t know who your father is?” Mr. Sheridan asked.

My mother said, “It’s just too painful to talk about.” She could be telling the truth. Why didn’t I know?

I bit back a comment and then wished I hadn’t when Mr. Sheridan wrapped a consoling arm around her.

My mother let out a sob, and Mr. Sheridan whispered something in her ear that seemed to cheer her up. Vaughn laced his fingers with mine, causing shivers to climb up my arms.

Vanessa smiled and pointed at our joined hands. “I love to see you two getting along. You’ll make great siblings.” She gave Mr. Sheridan a shy smile. “Someday.”

Siblings? Omigod, ew.

“Tansy’s my girlfriend,” Vaughn reminded her.

“Of course,” she replied airily.

“We’re together, Vanessa,” I said.

“Puppy love,” Vanessa said. “So adorable.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “What do you know about love?”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just…high school romances rarely last. You even said that you’d be off at college next year. Unless the two of you plan on going to the same university?”

“Tansy and I are staying together,” he said. “Even if we go to different colleges. Even if you two get married.”

“How will you date with us all living in the same house?” Vanessa’s voice was sugary sweet, but her eyes flashed.

“We won’t be living together,” I said. “I’m staying at Granny’s.”

“We’ll see,” she replied. It sounded like a threat. There was no way I’d let my mother break up Vaughn and me.

Vanessa had a strange expression on her face. I’d never seen her look like that before, although my experiences with her were limited. Her lips were turned up, and her eyes sparkled. She looked happy.

“Next weekend, we are going to see the band that was playing the night we met,” Vanessa replied.

“What’s their name?” Vaughn asked casually.

“You wouldn’t know them,” Vanessa replied. “Unless you’re into country music?”

I gripped Vaughn’s knee under the table, but he didn’t even flinch. The Drainers. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

Vaughn was probably thinking the same thing, but he remained calm. “Not really my thing.”

Mr. Sheridan had been silent almost the entire time, but he perked up. “Vaughn is quite musically inclined,” he said proudly. “He plays several instruments.”

“The band is Thirsty Thieves,” Vanessa replied.

Vaughn and I exchanged a glance. She was wrong. We had heard of them.

“We’ll have to catch a show sometime,” I said. I still didn’t trust my mother, so I’d do what it took to protect Vaughn and his dad. Even if it meant going line-dancing with our parents.

“That’s a great idea,” Mr. Sheridan said, but my mother frowned until he turned to her. “I’m so pleased that we’re all getting along so well.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. That was wishful thinking if I’d ever heard it. Mr. Sheridan was usually much better at gauging people. Vaughn was suspicious, and Vanessa was pissed off, although she was trying not to show it.

I took my Thermos out of my purse and took a swig. My mother’s eyes narrowed. “You’re taking Granny’s tonic.”

It didn’t seem weird that she called her own mother Granny. Everyone called my grandmother “Granny” or “Granny Mariotti.”

“How do you know about Granny’s tonic?” I asked. “You’re not a witch. How did you find out?”

“You’re the queen of the California vampires,” she replied. “I’m not the only one watching you.”

I shuddered, suddenly rethinking the whole mother-daughter bonding thing.

Vanessa smirked. “She didn’t tell you.”

Was she lying to me? “I don’t believe you.”

Her eyes gleamed. “Ask your grandmother.”

My mother went off to reapply her predator-red lipstick, and Mr. Sheridan went with her.

“She’s using him to get to you,” Vaughn said.

I didn’t want to believe it. I wanted a normal mom. But Vanessa seemed human, even if she wasn’t a particularly nice one.

“I know,” I said. “I’m sorry.” Tears welled. I couldn’t stand that my own mother had played me.

He wrapped an arm around me, and I buried my face in his chest, both for comfort and because I didn’t want my mom to see me cry. I needed for her to believe I was still falling for her act long enough to figure out why she was doing it.

“We can’t choose our parents,” Vaughn said. “But we’re not responsible for their mistakes, either.”

“Do you think she’s human again?” I asked. “Even if she does have ulterior motives?” I winced at the hope in my voice. I hated that even a tiny bit was there. But it wasn’t even about Vanessa, not really. If killing Jure had made her human again, it meant there was hope for me. Even if it meant Travis had to be staked.

“I don’t know,” Vaughn said. “But human or not, she’s a terrible person. Though I can’t kill her if she’s human.”

I studied his face. “But you could if she’s a vamp?”

He nodded but didn’t meet my eyes.

“People make mistakes,” I said. I was certainly proof of that.

“She only cares about power. She’s been trying to get close to you, then she’ll go for a power grab.”

“I don’t know how dating your dad would accomplish that,” I told him.

“She’s shown you who she is, Tansy,” he said. “Believe it.”

Our parents finally came back, holding hands.

“Thanks for dinner,” I said. “Vaughn and I have to get going.”

They didn’t protest, but I felt my mother’s eyes on me as we left.

Vaughn took my hand, and instead of heading toward the valet, he asked, “Want to take a walk?”

“Sure,” I said. The restaurant had an ocean view, so we walked down to Main Beach.

The crowds had thinned out, and we found a quiet spot to watch the waves crashing to the shore.

I snuggled into Vaughn, grateful for a moment of quiet, but my pulse accelerated when he laid his soft lips on my neck.

Then my pulse leaped for a different reason. Another hellcat appeared in the distance. It wasn’t the same one that had stalked me to the diner, but it raised its head and sniffed the air with the same air of a predator.

“Vaughn,” I said. He didn’t stop kissing my neck. “Vaughn,” I said again in a whisper. “There’s a hellcat tracking us.”

His lips stilled, but he didn’t move. “Where?” he said against my neck.

“To your left,” I said.

The feline had picked up our scent and was stalking closer. Vaughn tilted his head a fraction and studied the animal.

“Damn,” he muttered. “That thing’s huge. Bigger than a tiger.”

“They’re fast, too,” I said.

“We’ll get up slowly,” he said. “Head back to the restaurant. We should be able to make it to the street.”

I scooped up a handful of sand and closed my fist.

Vaughn helped me up. I glanced at the animal out of the corner of my eye, but it hadn’t moved yet.

He put his hand on my lower back, and we started moving. “What’s happening?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

“The hellcat is getting closer,” he said, then, “Jesus, it’s fast. Run!”

Before I could do anything, the animal was on me. It jumped on my chest and knocked me to the ground. For a moment I was frozen, unable to move, unable to breathe.

Then I threw the sand in its face, and it yelped. While it tried to shake the sand out, I ran. “Vaughn!”

“I’m here!” he shouted.

I stumbled a couple of times, but then Vaughn was there to help me. The big cat was on our heels, but we were almost at the restaurant when I felt my ankle give underneath me. Snap! I screamed from the pain. I wasn’t going to be able to stop myself from going down, but before I hit the ground, Vaughn scooped me up and then continued running.

“Almost there,” he said.

“You’re not even breathing hard.” Guess a muscled-up werewolf boyfriend did come in handy sometimes.

I peered over his shoulder and saw the hellcat gaining on us.

“Stay!” I shouted, then tried it in Latin, German, and French. It didn’t work. There had to be a way to stop it, too. I only needed to find out how.

Its muzzle was an inch away, so I took my long fingernail and flicked it. The animal yelped, and I flicked it again. I flashed my fangs and said, “No! Leave. I command you.”

The hellcat retreated, but I wasn’t sure if was because I’d commanded it or because we’d reached Main Street, where there were more people.

Vaughn continued to carry me.

“Let’s follow it,” I said.

“What? We were just running from it!”

“And now we aren’t. We need to know who’s behind this—”

“You’re hurt,” he argued. “We should get you home.”

“It’s just a tiny sprain,” I said. “I’m fine.” Pain was radiating up my ankle, throbbing like the beat of a drum, but I had to find out who was sending hellcats after me. I whispered a little healing spell and hoped it would be enough.

“There it is,” I screamed right into Vaughn’s ear. Down the street, a white minivan pulled over, the side door slid open, and the hellcat bounded inside it.

“Hurry,” I said. “They’ll get away!”

“Tansy—” he started to protest, but I cut him off.

“This is just going to keep happening again and again until we either stop it or I’m dead. I can’t do this alone, Vaughn, please.”

He glanced down at me and nodded.

Fortunately, the hellcat van was stuck at a red light on PCH.

By the time Vaughn eased me into the passenger seat and jogged around to the driver’s side, the van was just turning right.

I kept an eye on it. “They’re taking the toll road. Hang back a little, so it’s not obvious we’re following them.”

Vaughn tailed them like a pro. Eventually, we ended up on the same road as The Last Stop.

We passed the Christmas tree farm where we bought our tree every year. Granny called it our winter solstice evergreen. The streetlights were spaced farther and farther apart until they were completely gone.

“Which way?” Vaughn asked.

“Turn left,” I ordered.

We followed the minivan to Wildcat Canyon Road. It was only a few miles from the city, but it was like a different world here. The one-lane road was lined in ancient oak trees.

We passed horses grazing in their pastures and a yard full of chickens and turkeys before the van finally slowed down. Then it turned into a driveway with an unmarked mailbox at the front, but we couldn’t see the building from the main road.

“What should we do?” I asked.

Vaughn drove by slowly. “I think there’s a turnout up ahead.”

We parked and hiked back to where the van had gone, then hid behind the overgrown bushes that lined the driveway. The house was an older-looking ranch with chipped and peeling paint.

Yeah. This wasn’t creepy at all.

A few moments later, a shadowy figure got out of the van. They didn’t move when someone with a hoodie hanging over their face came out of the house, letting the front door bang closed.

I jumped and managed to stifle a scream, but the hooded figure stopped and seemed to stare right at our hiding spot. My pulse accelerated, but the mystery person finally got into the van, and they tore out of there like the devil was chasing them.

“Who do you think that was?”

“It could be your mom,” Vaughn replied. “She could have seen us go to the beach, so she knew where to find you.”

“Maybe. But I don’t think so.” The hooded figure was stockier and taller than my mother. They were gone now, but I wondered what the other person was waiting for. Why didn’t they go in the house? I glanced away for a minute, and when I looked back, the human was gone and an enormous four-legged wolf stood in its place. A werewolf.

“That’s definitely not my mother,” I said, then shot Vaughn a look. “The werewolves are the ones trying to kill me.”

Vaughn sucked in a breath. “You don’t know that for sure.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” I said. “But they could be involved somehow.”

“So could your mom.”

Okay. He had a point. The only way to settle this was to stop guessing and find some hard evidence. “Let’s go check out the house,” I suggested.

The front door was locked, so we went around to the fenced backyard. When Vaughn rattled the gate, a chorus of snarls and hisses started. He stepped back quickly. “That’s a dead end. Literally.”

“What now?” I asked.

“Maybe there’s an open window somewhere.”

“Good idea.” It wasn’t like the neighbors would see us. There wasn’t another house for a couple of miles, just trees and brush.

We went around to the front, and I checked under the mat for a key, but no such luck. At least there weren’t any security cameras that I could see. But I did see lines of salt along every window and doorway.

“What’s the salt for?” Vaughn asked.

“Keeps the demons out,” I said. “It’s the fastest and easiest way to protect a house.”

“Demons,” he said. “We have to worry about demons now, too?”

“Not if we get inside,” I said, still checking for any possible entrance. I was almost ready to give up when I spotted an open window near the front door. It was too small for Vaughn to get through, even before he’d beefed up, so he boosted me up and over.

I landed with a thump, but fortunately, my butt took the brunt of the fall, keeping my sore ankle from any further injury. I hurried to stand and unlocked the door, and Vaughn stepped inside. The other windows were covered with aluminum foil or old blankets, so it was hard to see. He turned on his phone’s flashlight.

The first room was bare, except for a beat-up leather sofa with the stuffing coming out and a folding table.

A room at the back of the house led to a crude addition that had been built by an amateur carpenter. The floor was filthy, sticky, and smelling strongly of blood and urine. I tried not to gag as we kept moving forward, into a large space with gray concrete floors and walls that used to be white but now were a dingy beige.

“God, it stinks in here,” Vaughn whispered. “What do they feed them?”

We doubled back down the hall and checked what was probably a bedroom. The last door was locked.

I frowned. “There has to be a key around here somewhere.”

We went searching for something to unlock the door. I knew Vaughn was capable of using his enhanced strength to break down the door, but instead, I slid my credit card into the gap between the frame and the door and prayed it would work. The doorknob turned, but the door still didn’t open.

But when we finally got in the room, it was anticlimactic. There was nothing inside except a long table with a row of plants under grow lights.

I used my phone’s camera and snapped a couple of quick pics, but I was baffled. I wasn’t an expert, but the plants had tiny purple flowers and almost looked like something you’d find at any home and garden center. Almost. There was something unusual about them, but I didn’t have time to figure it out right now. I’d have to study the photos later.

We tiptoed into another room where a dozen adorable kittens played. These cuddly kittens turned into hellcats? Then low growls filled the air.

It was coming from two enormous black hellcats, who were the size of small horses. They had something cornered—a black kitten with a white star on its nose. There was a vicious-looking bite mark on its flank, and blood dripped from its nose. The hellcat’s eyes glowed an emerald green when it looked at me.

The other animals circled the kitten. Their lips were curled into snarls. One of them lunged at the smaller animal, teeth snapping, but I grabbed the bigger one by the tail and yanked.

I used all my strength, but the cat barely budged. It turned and looked at me, its expression telling me it was trying to decide if I’d make a better dinner than the kitten. Glowing green eyes, fangs slathered with drool. There was something not quite right about the sounds they made.

I scooped up the smaller animal and tucked it into my hoodie. It shivered and then burrowed into my warmth. I thought it would smell bad, considering the condition of the room we were in, but it smelled like nutmeg and, strangely, roasted marshmallows.

“Tansy, we need to get out of here, now!” Vaughn shouted. The two hellcats weren’t alone. More cats advanced, cutting off our exit.

“Let’s make a run for it,” I said. The cats’ ears pricked, almost like they understood me.

But I wasn’t going to wait around to see if I was right. I ran as fast as I could with my injured leg. Vaughn was so close behind me that I could feel his hot breath on the back of my neck. Which was a good thing, because my ankle reminded me it was weak, and I almost fell. He lifted me without breaking his stride, but then he suddenly stopped short.

There was a large hellcat blocking the exit—the same animal from the diner. Blackberry. I recognized it from its torn left ear. Our only chance was to get through Blackberry, or I had no doubt we’d be torn apart by the pack of animals chasing us.

Blackberry didn’t stay in front of the door long. Instead, it came running straight for me, but instead of attacking, it jumped over Vaughn, landing between us and the other animals, and hissed at any cat who tried to advance.

The kitten in my arms started to whimper as we reached the front door. I realized why the salt was everywhere. To prevent the hellcats from leaving. “Vaughn, the salt,” I said. “Get rid of it.”

He kicked at the lines of salt until a gap formed. The kitten stopped crying, and we exited the house.

We didn’t wait to see if the hellcats followed us. Vaughn picked up speed as I clung to him.

“What the hell just happened?” he asked.

He didn’t stop until we reached the car. Once we were safe, he set me down gently in the passenger seat. I still had the kitten held tight against me.

The hellcats’ growls sounded closer. Blackberry must not have been able to hold them all off. “Get in!” I said. Vaughn threw himself into driver’s seat and slammed his door closed.

“Is she coming with us?” he asked as he started the car.

“We can’t leave her here,” I said.

“Will Granny let you have a hellcat as a pet?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” I said. A witch with a black cat? Stereotypical or what?

“I guess we will,” Vaughn said with a grin. The animals in the backyard were now slamming their bodies against the fence as we drove by, snapping and snarling at us. I didn’t breathe again until we were safely back on the road. We both let out a long sigh.

“What should we call her?” Vaughn asked.

“Hecate,” I said. I stroked the kitten’s fur, and she gave a little rumble of contentment.

“Like the goddess?”

“Yeah,” I said. “The name just sounds right for her.”

“You know, if Granny won’t let you keep her, I’ll take Hecate,” Vaughn offered.

“You will?” I smiled at him.

“I’d do anything for you, Tansy.”

My whole body flooded with the knowledge that he was the one for me. That we were meant for each other, no matter what.

I leaned over and kissed his cheek softly.

I held Hecate in my lap while Vaughn drove us through the twisty canyon road. When we reached our neighborhood, he parked the car, and we both exhaled noisily.

“That was a successful recon,” I said. “We found out where they’re keeping the hellcats. We can research who owns the house. We can get some answers, finally. But I have a new question.”

Vaughn raised a brow. “And that is?”

“What kind of plants need to be behind a locked door?”