Werewolves & Wisteria by A. L. Tyler Page B

counter.
    “Absolutely not,” he said. “I’m not sending a werewolf out into the wild to do whatever his mood dictates. Someone will get hurt.”
    We all fell silent, and I looked from Charlie, sitting still and determined on the counter, to Martha, carelessly leaning over on it. When she stood up, a small spark in her eye, I thought she was going to start the argument afresh.
    “You’re absolutely right,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry I even mentioned it. It’s a terrible idea.”
    I looked at Vince. He was already looking at me, and at least we agreed that what we had just witnessed was odd. Charlie shifted uncomfortably.
    “I want your story right now,” he said. “You’re after something here. What is it?”
    Martha leaned back against the far wall, waving one hand dismissively. “I was just looking for Kendra, to see if she was all right. That’s it.”
    “How did you meet?”
    “College,” Martha said without hesitation. “In northern Colorado. She was on the fifth floor in Jenner East, and I was third floor. We had a math class together.”
    “Kendra hated math,” Charlie said.
    “Yes,” Martha nodded. “It was the semester before she changed to music studies, and I’m sure that professor had a lot to do with the decision. Did she ever tell you about Dr. Ward?”
    “Yes,” Charlie conceded.
    “And his hair piece?”
    “Yes.”
    “And when he tried to kiss her after class?”
    “Yes,” Charlie said in frustration. “When did you last see her?”
    “In person?” Martha’s eyebrows shot up for a moment. “God, it would have been before the wedding. Her brother’s wedding, I mean, when she moved out here to start the greenhouse. I’ve never been a fan of living close to the major congregation sites because they tend to draw warlocks. I told her so, but she said there was strength in numbers and she wanted to be a part of her nieces’ and nephews’ lives. We met up in a cafe in New York. She was on her way back from Italy and I was on my way to Egypt. I stayed three extra days just to see her. I told her she was going to do great with plants. She has the right energy for it.”
    Charlie narrowed his eyes and flicked his tail. “You’re not telling us the whole truth.”
    “None of us ever does,” she said simply. “I doubt that any of us in this room can say we’ve been entirely honest in the last week, unless all of you go around openly advertising to everyone you meet how you spend your evenings in certain company or certain times of the month. I’m a friend of Kendra. I’m sure she had a reason for not telling you. I’d be willing to wager that it’s because society doesn’t look kindly on people like me. But then, I might be wrong.”
    Charlie studied her, and gave me a long look before he left. He still didn’t trust her.
    When he had gone, Martha flashed me another dazzling smile. “Has anyone ever taught you a resurrection spell? It’s not exactly what it sounds like, because the thing can’t be completely dead when you try, but I bet you’d be great at it. Kendra always was. I saw her bring back plants I was sure were goners. Very useful in her line of work. Would you like to learn?”
    Vince hung around for the spell lesson, which I eagerly accepted after seeing the damage at the greenhouse, but it proved a lot harder than I thought it would. I had resurrected some roses once on the Other Side, and I knew I was capable, but I had trouble channeling my intentions—that was how Martha described it. Just being able to put a name to the problem made it seem that much more manageable.
    We went to bed around ten, and Martha said goodnight before she slipped behind the tapestry in the kitchen. I went back to my bedroom. It still felt a little odd when Vince followed me in.
    I tried to pick my words carefully. “Would it be weird if I asked Charlie to move your stairs to the living room?”
    “It might be insulting,” he said loftily. “But not weird. Why? I