Enola sprinkled dry basil into a small piece of cigarette paper and rolled it like a joint. Ruby handed her a lighter and a small metal can.

“Light it, then let it burn out in this,” she instructed.

Ruby lit a candle and sat it next to Enola.

“Have you talked to your mate?”

Enola rolled her eyes. She lit the basil cigarette and tossed it in the can.

“Well?” Ruby probed.

“No, ma’am, I have not.”

Ruby spilled three drops of candle wax in the can, and Enola added a teaspoon of sea salt.

“You can’t avoid him forever,” Ruby muttered.

Enola was well aware that she wouldn’t be able to avoid him forever. Hell, it had only been three days since she’d thrown him out of her grandmother’s house, and she was wrecked. The mating bond must’ve been mad powerful because Enola was missing him like crazy.

She did everything she could to stay busy in order to keep her mind off Gideon, and there was certainly plenty to do. After telling her family about being attacked by witches and vampires, Enola and Margo’s Voodoo education had been accelerated. Apparently, they were at war.

Enola peeked into the can to see if the cigarette had burned out. Since it had, she dumped the contents of the can into a small herb grinder, and ground them into a powder.

“He was really hurt when you threw him out,” Ruby said, handing Enola a large metal bowl.

“I feel like he tricked me, Ruby,” Enola admitted.

Ruby shook her head and placed four candles on the table. Enola looked around her grandmother’s workshop for the last ingredient.

“What are you looking for?” Ruby asked.

“Pen and paper.”

“Oh, damn, I almost forgot. You’re getting good at this, Nola,” Ruby praised.

“Well, thank you.”

Enola grabbed the grinder and emptied the ingredients into the bowl. She scribbled the name of the priest on a sheet of paper, lit it on fire, and tossed it into the bowl. While the paper burned, Enola closed her eyes and whispered a quick chant.

Within seconds, she was walking slowly down a wet, dark corridor. Wide awake in a dream, she could hear birds chirping in the distance. Enola continued through a thick fog until she reached a door. She reached for the knob, but hesitated. Enola didn’t know what was behind the door, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to find out.

She took a deep breath and turned the knob. When she opened the door, she was immediately blinded by white light. Enola gasped. Her eyes flew open and landed on Ruby’s smiling face.

“Welcome back,” she beamed.

“Got him!” Enola proclaimed.

 

‘Gran, I found the priest,’ Enola announced telepathically, knowing that her grandmother was in her head.

‘I knew if anyone could, it would be you.’

Enola smiled. The vampire/witch, disguised as a priest, had been hidden for years, cloaked by witches’ magic. Up until now, no one had been able to penetrate the cloaking spell. She was proud, but she suddenly wished that she could share the news with Gideon.

“Come on, superstar. I’ma make you some stuffed catfish.”

Enola clapped with excitement. The only person that made catfish nearly as good as her grandmother’s was her aunt. Enola followed Ruby out of the workshop and closed the door behind her. Enola lightly bumped into Ruby when her steps slowed.

“Your man is here,” she said softly.

“How do you know that?” Enola asked.

“I can feel him. He’s nervous, and he is really missing you.”

Enola smiled inwardly. If she were to be honest, she was happy that he was there. She couldn’t wait to see him. She wanted to feel his lips on her, and to be covered by his warm, hard body

“Uhhh, I can feel you too,” Ruby announced. “And you need a cold shower.”

“Trust me, that ain’t what I need,” Enola muttered under her breath.

Enola followed Ruby into the parlor, excited to see Gideon. When their eyes locked, her heart skipped a beat. But when he quickly looked away, her heart broke a little. Enola may have not been able to mask her feelings from Ruby, or her thoughts from her grandmother, but she certainly wasn’t about to allow Gideon to see her sweat.

Ignoring Gideon, Enola nodded a greeting at Gabriel and crossed the room to sit next to her grandmother. Since Gideon wasn’t alone, it was a safe bet that he wasn’t there because he missed her.

“This is my granddaughter, Nola,” Marie announced to a large, black man with striking green eyes. “This is Alvin Boone. He sits on the wolves’ counsel with your mate.”

The shade was real.

Enola cut her eyes at her grandmother, donning a sugary smile. What else could she do? Wasn’t like she could cuss the woman out. Still smiling, Enola’s turned to Gideon and Gabriel’s companion.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Boone.”

“Please, just Boone. It’s a great honor to meet you, Nola.”

Enola was taken aback by the giant’s euphonious British accent.

“Boone, forgive me, but I thought all of the Louisiana wolves originated either in Louisiana or France.”

“Ahhh, but the bayou is my birthplace. As a pup, I was taken to England,” he explained.

“Taken?”

“Yes, I—”

“It’s a long story, and now is not the time for history lessons,” Gideon rudely interrupted.

Boone smiled and Gabriel actually laughed out loud. Enola looked at Gideon. His irritation was evident. With his muscular arms folded, he was glowering at Boone.

“Oh, Gideon, stop it,” Ruby scoffed. “Haven’t you already pissed on that tree?”

Enola’s eyes flew to Ruby. “Excuse me?” She hopped up from the antique settee and walked over to her aunt. “Did you just refer to me as territory?”

“I know that you’re angry because I can feel it, but I suggest you go and sit your ass down,” Ruby warned.

“Yeah, Ruby, I’m angry. Don’t take a psychic to figure that out.”

Ruby stood and stepped a bit too close to Enola. “Don’t get mad at me because you anchored yourself to an animal,” she hissed.

Enola inhaled a deep breath to steel her growing anger. “Look, lady, you’re my aunt and I won’t disrespect you, but I’m a grown ass woman, and you ain’t about to keep disrespecting me. You need to get the hell outta my face.”

“Ladies?” Marie called out, calmly.

Neither Enola nor Ruby were backing down.

“Nola, baby, do your gran a favor. Take a step back,” Marie requested.

Without taking her eyes off of Ruby, Enola stepped away from her aunt. She truly didn’t understand why Ruby had all of a sudden started taking jabs at her.

“Nola, baby, you gotta excuse your Aunt Ruby’s delivery, but she’s actually right. Gideon is an animal, and they do mark their territory, hence the bite. And they tend to have a bit of a…jealous streak. Your aunt is not tryin’ to hurt you. She’s channeling your man.”

Enola turned to Marie, who seemed to be struggling to suppress laughter.

“Channeling Gideon?”

Marie nodded. Enola turned to Gideon, who was still standing with his arms crossed. Not bothering to ask him what the hell was wrong with him, she turned to Ruby and asked, “Who is he so mad at?”

“You,” Ruby said in a tone that was less hostile. 

Enola walked over to Gideon and looked up at him. “Why is he mad at me, Ruby?” Enola asked, still staring up at Gideon.

“For not accepting him for who and what he is.”

In Ruby’s tone, there was a hint of sympathy. Gideon heard it too, and Enola could tell that he wasn’t happy.

“I don’t need you to speak for me, woman,” he hissed at Ruby.

Gideon grabbed Enola by the arm and pulled her out of the room. He led her through the house, and out the back door. He hustled her several feet across the lawn without saying a word. Once they reached the fishing creek, Gideon stopped suddenly and turned Enola to face him. She searched for the anger in his eyes, but she didn’t see any. Stress, frustration, and even a hint of sadness, she saw.

“Nola, I didn’t bring you out here to give you no ultimatums. Ultimatums imply a choice. I don’t have a choice. Not being with you, my mate, not only hurts the man, but it makes me a lesser wolf. I know that’s not your problem, but missing you is torturous. You don’t get it, and I don’t expect you to, but we have a bond that can only be broken by death.”

“Gideon—”

“Wait, Nola. Please, let me finish. I know that I should’ve explained the mating bond a lot better, but I swear I wasn’t trying to trick you. That being said, I know that you are the only option for me. But you are not a wolf, and I won’t try to take away your right to choose.”

Gideon ran his finger softly down Enola’s cheek and lifted her chin. He leaned, just enough to reach her lips. Enola closed her eyes and inhaled a shaky breath as she cherished his scent and touch. After a sweet and tender kiss, he whispered, “I’ll wait forever.”

When Gideon stepped out of her reach and turned to walk away, Enola was certain that a little bit of her soul died with each step. She hadn’t even known him that long, but watching him walk away felt like a dagger piercing through her heart. He was right, she didn’t understand the mating thing, but she was willing to try.

“Gideon, wait!”

Before she knew it, Enola was sprinting across the plush lawn. Gideon turned around, looking genuinely surprised. He had to have been even more surprised when she tripped on the bottom of her sundress and face planted in moist grass.

“Oh, shit!” Gideon cursed as he rushed over to help. He dropped to his knees and pulled Enola’s face out of the grass. “Are you all right?”

Gideon wiped dirt and wet grass from her face and examined her to make sure she wasn’t injured. His concern was visibly obvious, but once he determined that Enola was okay, the corners of his lips began to curl involuntarily. Enola narrowed her eyes in warning, but apparently, he was no longer able to maintain his seriousness. Gideon fought the impulse, but he lost, so he allowed his laughter to break through. As he held her close, Enola could feel the rumble in his chest as he laughed at her.

Enola pushed his shoulder, but he didn’t budge. “Get off me!” she squealed.

Enola tried to wiggle out of his hold, but Gideon simply refused to let go. She was able to raise her head enough to see the laughter in his sparkling eyes.

“Gideoooon! Splat!” he mocked through roaring laughter.

Before Enola could stop herself, the giggle that escaped her pursed lips turned into a fit of laughter. Gideon fell back in the grass, pulling Enola with him. For a few stress-free minutes, they were lying on their backs, and laughing towards the stars at Enola’s clumsiness.