Wolfsbane: Aspect of the Wolf Read Online Free PDF Page A

wastebasket.
    He remained staring at her. “Will you still come over tonight?"
    She gave him a smile she hoped wasn't brittle. “Sure. I'll see you at eight. I love Thai."
    "Are you sure you don't need—"
    "I'll be fine. I'll see you later.” She kept her smile in place until he'd gone.
* * * *
    Daniel left Mystikal Excursions, feeling about as low as one of Chester Creek's demons. All he'd wanted was to make the town safe, to help undo some of the damage the warlock had accomplished while masquerading as a reputable business owner. He hadn't known Emilie when he drafted the petition asking the Mayor to ban her business from taking over the premises of Creek's Magick Shop. He had figured, if the petition succeeded, Mystikal Excursions and its young proprietress would just disappear, to be replaced by a normal business, like a bookstore or a flower shop. Something safe.
    She'd been at the town meeting when he addressed the mayor, but she hadn't gotten up to speak. He'd thought at the time that the overwhelming positive response to his presentation had scared her into silence. A lesser woman might have given up and left quietly, but she'd hung on. The Mayor had agreed to allow her business to open, under the condition that it caused absolutely no trouble. Daniel wondered how long it would be before the seed of intolerance that he'd planted began to grow out of control, and what he could do to stop it.

CHAPTER 5
    Despite the broken window and the odd brown stain that had appeared in the center of the floor in the back room, the day hadn't been a total loss. Late in the afternoon, a bus from the County Seat disgorged a hungry group of senior citizens on a shopping tour. Emilie never dreamed she'd see her shop so full. For three hours they came and went in between trips to the ice cream parlor, the quilt shop and the bakery on the corner. No one seemed bothered by the taped up hole in the front window or the growing chill seeping in from the back room. Amazingly, the nether realm remained quiet all afternoon.
    By 6:00, wreathless and down to her last besom, Emilie felt a little less hopeless than she had when Daniel had been there. She bid the last of the souvenir hunters farewell and closed the shop, exhausted.
    Tomorrow she'd begin filling the mail orders for stock and supplies she needed, and work on a flier to mail out to more than two dozen new customers.
    Not a bad day after all, she decided as she locked up. Now for my next challenge—finding something to wear that goes with Thai food and werewolves.
    As she climbed into her car and headed home, she tried not to think of Daniel. Her focus had to be on his brother's condition. But once she'd cured Vance Garrison, would Daniel still want to see Mystikal Excursions closed down? She'd always thought Charlotte's views on trusting men to be a little extreme, but perhaps in this case her cousin had a point. This wasn't about forging a friendship with Daniel Garrison. It was only about helping someone who needed help, then moving on, all the while taking care to protect herself and her business.
* * * *
    "I'll be glad when I don't have to lie to Bethany any more,” Vance said, setting the table in the dining room for three. “She thinks I'm crunching numbers with you on the Peterson portfolio tonight."
    "Good excuse. I could actually use some help with that. Red or white?” Daniel asked.
    "What?"
    "What kind of wine?” Daniel looked up, kneeling next to the sideboard, where a wooden latticework held a few bottles of decent vintage in the lower cabinet.
    "I didn't know this was a date.” Vance adjusted his glasses and smirked. In the light from the modest chandelier hanging over the dining table, Daniel could see the faint swelling on the side of his brother's face from the recent blow.
    He felt a pang of guilt. What might he have to do next time to stop Vance from running loose? How difficult would it be to hide the next injury he incurred while in wolf form?
    "It's a