Free Legend of Witchtrot Road by E.J. Stevens Page B

solution that demonstrated respect for the old ways while working to change pack law. He may have been born with the Alpha wolf spirit, but it didn’t guarantee that others would fol ow his leadership. Cal couldn’t risk turning some of the more conservative pack members against him. If that happened, he could lose the pack…and his life.
    So I ended up babysitting The Brat. Oh, joy.
    “I don’t want to go to a library,” Gabriel said.
    Gabriel sat in the driver’s seat of his SUV with his arms crossed over his chest. He was sulking again. No surprises there. His parents probably spoiled him after his sister Meredith died. Gabriel acted like a bratty little kid most of the time. He had sulked the entire way to the library and now that we were parked on the road out front, he was grumbling about smel y library books. The Brat never stopped complaining. Ever.
    “Library books do not smel like old cheese and feet,” I said stubbornly.
    Okay, actual y some of the older books did smel like ripe cheese, I had made the same observation to Emma more than once, but I needed to salvage what I could of the day. I had to find information on the history of Witchtrot Road before the J-team tried something again. Plus, a trip to the library seemed the most likely way to get Gabriel to quit bel yaching. If he didn’t stop whining, I was going to rat him out to the librarians myself. His sensitive werewolf nose would just have to deal. It wasn’t like I was complaining about smel ing ghosts.
    “Can’t we go visit Emma instead?” Gabriel asked.
    “No way, she’s at work,” I said. “Why would you want to go visit Emma? You hardly even know her.”
    “Her golden hair is like gossamer strands of corn silk,” Gabriel said.
    “Wow, that’s real y poetic,” I said.
    “Thank you,” Gabriel said. “I’ve been practicing for when I propose to her.”
    “What?” I asked. I was draining the last of my latte and nearly choked. “Propose?”
    Maybe the word meant something different where Gabe was from?
    “Of course,” Gabriel said. “When I ask Emma to be my mate.”
    It was a good thing I had cast my coffee cup aside. I stil gagged a little. Gabriel and Emma? No way. It just wasn’t happening. Emma would never date a spoiled rich kid who drove a gas guzzling, planet kil ing Hummer.
    “Have you bothered to see if she even likes you first?” I asked.
    “I wil make her like me,” Gabriel said.
    I couldn’t believe this guy. Was he for real? He was total y crushing on the wrong girl. No one ever made Emma do anything. Gabriel might be a werewolf, but Emma would eat him for breakfast. Wel , you know, if she wasn’t a vegan and everything.
    “Um, yeah, good luck with that,” I muttered. “Let’s go inside.”
    I real y needed to get out of Gabriel’s SUV and into the library where I hopeful y wouldn’t have to hear him speak.
    His smug voice was making me queasy. Ugh. There was no way this spoiled brat was going to date my BFF.
    I climbed out of the Hummer, trying not to fal to my death, and raced up the library steps. Gabriel continued to complain about going to a library . He made it sound like the lamest most boring place ever. I hoped he protested like that in front of Emma. She adored libraries and thought that research was exciting. I waited impatiently as Gabriel trudged up the stone steps, hands thrust sul enly in his jacket pockets.
    When he final y reached the top, I shook my head and opened the door for him. Babies first. Gabriel didn’t even acknowledge me standing there holding the door. In fact, he acted like people always did this for him. Maybe they did. It total y wouldn’t surprise me to find out that Gabriel had servants at home waiting on him hand and foot. It would explain a lot.
    Katie was working at the front information desk. Cool.
    She had been the one to tel me about the curse of Witchrot Road and the events that gave the road its name. Maybe she could help me locate books about the