Free Howl (Witches & Warlocks Book 4) by R. M. Webb Page B

never said I liked bathroom sex!”
    We stay on the phone for a little longer, Noah teasing me and joking with me until he’s sure I’m in a good mood again. “Hey,” he says, interrupting our goodbyes as he has a thought. “Did you ever consider asking Daya about your parents? Asking her about the books?”
    I laugh to myself a little, a wry smile twisting my lips. “No. Honestly. I never did.”
    “Well, why don’t you figure out how to request a meeting with her grand majesty? I’ll come if you’d like.”
    “Her grand majesty?” I ask, laughing even harder.
    “Ya, or whatever they call her now that she’s the witch queen. Did you find a list of titles in your books? Did they even have titles after the Splintering?”
    “Nope, never found anything on that topic. But maybe we should look the next time we go.”
    “We?”
    “Ya, I’m hoping you’ll come with me. Two heads are better than one…” I’m really hoping he’s not offended by my sudden change of heart, that he won’t hold a grudge and tell me no simply because I didn’t ask for his help the first time.
    Of course, he proves all my fears to be unfounded. “You know I will. How about we go tomorrow? After the gym?”
    “You’re the best, you know?”
    “Oh, I know.” I can just see the silly little smirk he’s sure to be making. “Why don’t you figure out how to contact Daya and see if we can get an audience or whatever with her tomorrow while we’re there?”
    We finish our plans and say our goodbyes and I hang up feeling absolutely so relieved to have told him. And for him to have taken it so well. Time and again, he continues to prove just how awesome he is and how lucky I am. I finish the day with a smile on my face and a meeting with Daya scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
    Pj’s on, hair up, ready for a good night’s sleep, I’m brushing my teeth when I hear the worst noise ever coming from downstairs. I spit and rinse quickly, ears pricked, magic gathering and take the stairs two at a time, pausing at the bottom just in case someone’s made it through my wards and is ready to, I don't know, eat me or something.
    I recognize the sound now. It’s Twinks. Yowling and hissing and making the worst scared cat noises I think I’ve ever heard. I creep around the corner and find him still in the window, his fur all puffed up. Back arched. Tail poofed. Staring outside, terrified by whatever it is he sees.
     

Chapter Ten
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    I immediately check my wards. Don’t bother with big magic in case whatever it is that has Twinks doing his best puffball imitation is able to sniff out my magic. Just do a tiny little check to see if any of the boundaries have been breached by anything and they all seem to be intact. Regardless, it’s one hell of a long night as I lay awake, listening to the silence, wondering what’s out there waiting for me in the dark.
    I must have eventually fallen asleep because right now, Twinks is doing his best to wake me up. Snuggled up at my shoulder, kneading into my cheek with his little paws. I open my eyes to find his little kitten face all serene, the absolute personification of pleasure. His purr box is going a million miles an hour, sounding very much like a muscle car and not at all like a kitten.
    When I try to roll over, his eyes shoot open and he bolts off the bed, scratching my shoulder a little as he goes. And that about settles it. I’m awake now. For better or for worse.
    Coffee is a must. I stagger out of my room and immediately about-face and grab my slippers because the hardwood floors are too cold for my bare feet. Twinks is back, tail in the air, bouncing down the stairs beside me. He stops at the bottom and hisses, arching his back and hopping a few feet to the side.
    “Yes, my friend, you’re very ferocious,” I say as I pass, resisting the urge to check my wards, to wander around outside and prove to myself that there’s no reason to be afraid. He’s just a