"Are you insane?" Jemi hissed, yanking Victor's hand and pulling him away from Oliver after telling the boy to wait for a moment.
"We do have plans, don't we?" Victor replied lightly, answering Jemi's fury with that infuriating smile of his.
"Plans? Since when?" Jemi's voice rose before she quickly lowered it, remembering Oliver was still watching them. "I don't remember ever making plans with you!"
"You invited me to Mrs. Wassel's house, remember? And I agreed. We're going there on Sunday."
Oh. My. God.
Victor was really testing Jemi's patience. He had clearly forbidden her from doing anything that might get her burned alive by witch hunters—but now? Holy moly.
"That doesn't mean it has to be at the exact same time as Oliver's basketball game!" Jemi snapped under her breath, careful not to let Oliver hear.
Victor grinned, clearly enjoying how worked up she was. It was as if he were deliberately giving her two options—yes or no—and Jemi had to admit it: that husky was terrifyingly good at playing with her emotions.
He was using her curiosity as a weapon. How sneaky.
"Fine!" Jemi burst out. "If you suddenly decide you can only go during Oliver's game, then forget it. I'll go into Mrs. Wassel's house alone, and I'll still go out with Oliver on Sunday afternoon. And you—Husky! Don't mess this up!"
Without waiting for Victor's answer, Jemi walked back toward Oliver, who immediately smiled when he saw her return. The warmth on his face made all of her anger evaporate in an instant.
"So?" Oliver asked. "Have you decided?"
Jemi nodded, offering him her best smile. "I'll come. And afterward, we can go to Franky Jones."
Oliver's smile widened, as if that answer was exactly what he'd been hoping for. Once again—Oliver smiled because of her answer.
"Thanks, Jemi. See you Sunday," he said, then shot a sharp look at Victor, who—yet again—was standing right behind her. "You can come too if you've got time, dude!"
On the way home, Jemi stayed silent, eyes closed, refusing to answer any of Victor's questions. Her arms were tightly crossed over her chest, and every so often she let out a rough sigh. Victor should have realized by now that he'd crossed a line.
"I have a bad feeling about Oliver," Victor said again.
Jemi rolled her eyes. "You've said that so many times, Vic. And I don't want to hear it."
And yes—she still couldn't stop herself from replying, even with her eyes closed.
"What if I can prove it?"
Jemi glanced at Victor's expression. Hm… he looked serious. Even though his eyes stayed on the road, she could see the firmness in his gaze. Unease crept into her chest. Lately, Victor's instincts had never been wrong.
What if he was right this time?
But Jemi hadn't noticed anything strange about Oliver—aside from his ridiculously unreal good looks.
Damn it. Why was she getting anxious?
"Maybe… if you can prove it, and it actually makes sense to me, I'll consider it," Jemi finally gave in.
This time, Victor didn't grin. He only glanced at her briefly—coldly—and Jemi knew he meant what he was about to say.
"If I'm right, you have to stay away from him."
"But—"
"No more negotiations," Victor cut her off sharply.
"Wait!" Jemi tried to interrupt. "But if you're wrong—if all your assumptions turn out to be wrong—you have to promise you won't stop me from getting close to Oliver. Deal?"
Silence fell. Victor's grip on the steering wheel tightened.
"Vic?" Jemi prompted.
Victor let out a long breath. "We'll see, Jemi."
The car turned onto the last block leading to Jemi's house. The autumn air had grown sharper, slipping through the half-open window Jemi had left ajar.
From a distance, Jemi could see Mrs. Wassel's house—its door now sealed with wooden planks nailed haphazardly across it. Maybe to keep thieves out, or to prevent some other crime from happening.
Well, Jemi wasn't going to count her plan among criminal acts. She had a solid reason. She needed to investigate the suspicion surrounding Mrs. Wassel being accused as a witch.
"Mrs. Wassel didn't have children, right?" Victor asked after parking the car in front of Jemi's house.
"I've never seen anyone else there besides her," Jemi replied, her eyes still fixed on the house across the street. "I don't think she had any kids. But if I remember correctly, she once had a husband. I'm not sure."
"I was just imagining how furious her family would be if they knew what happened to her."
Jemi didn't answer right away. She started imagining the same thing happening to her own family. She knew she would go insane—and seek revenge on anyone involved. Even if it was someone close to her.
"Perfect timing!" Edd Brown stood at the door, neatly dressed. "Both of you, come inside. We're having a family meeting in five minutes."
Jemi and Victor exchanged a glance.
"Dad, are you going somewhere?" Jemi asked as she stepped forward.
"Come in first. Mr. and Mrs. Wolves are already inside," Edd said.
Victor looked at Jemi in surprise. He hadn't expected his parents to be here either.
When they entered the house, four pairs of eyes turned toward them with smiles. Edd had taken his seat in his favorite armchair. Agatha had just come out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly baked cookies.
On the other side of the room stood Victor's parents, dignified and imposing—the Alpha werewolf of Sylvarin, Silas Wolves, and his wife, Lui Wolves.
"You're here," Victor greeted his parents.
Lui pulled Victor into a tight hug, while Silas gave his only son a firm pat on the shoulder. As the Alpha of the Sylvarin pack, Silas Wolves always carried an intimidating presence that was hard to penetrate.
"Jemi, you're becoming more beautiful than your mother," Silas said, turning to her.
A little awkward, Jemi smiled and quickly sat down beside Victor. "Is that so, Mr. Wolves? Victor says I'm the ugliest woman he's ever met."
Victor chuckled, remembering that comment from years ago—back when they'd argued over a Halloween party theme.
"I think you should get your eyes checked, son," Silas said seriously to Victor.
Lui laughed softly, amused by the generational clash as the atmosphere eased. Meanwhile, Agatha stepped forward, immediately starting the impromptu meeting that made Jemi's heart race.
"Jemi, Victor…"
The meeting began.
"We'll be investigating the strange incidents that have been happening at the harbor, as well as the case involving Mrs. Wassel. For now, we'll be following the trail tracked by the werewolf pack."
Jemi shot a quick look at Victor, silently signaling the golden opportunity they'd just been given to sneak into the house across the street.
"And you two," Agatha added firmly, "will stay here and continue living your lives as usual."
Normal? In the middle of all this madness? You've got to be kidding. Jemi's rebellious spirit immediately flared.
"But, Mom—"
"No more bargaining, Jemi. The decision is final," Agatha cut her off. "Victor, I'm trusting you to keep an eye on Jemi. You'll do that, won't you, dear?"
Victor nodded. "Of course, Mom. You can trust me."
"Good boy!" Lui hugged her son affectionately, as if he were still five years old. "Take good care of Jemi, all right? We'll be back once everything is settled."
Jemi felt wronged. Why did it sound like she was the troublemaker who needed supervision?
But there was no arguing with the adults' decision. As soon as the meeting ended, the Brown couple and the Wolves couple left—after a string of warnings, all of them aimed squarely at Jemi.
Reluctantly, she could only nod obediently and promise not to cause trouble—hopefully.
"We should've gone with them!" Jemi protested as soon as the door closed.
Victor raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "Don't you have a date with Oliver on Sunday?"
Oh, right. Jemi had almost forgotten.
Well then… living a normal life didn't sound so bad after all. Her annoyance vanished instantly as she prepared herself for the romance about to begin.
"Since you brought him up, I need you to promise me something," Jemi said, following Victor into the kitchen. "You're not going to ruin my plans, right?"
Silence. Victor didn't seem eager to answer.
"Vic!"
Victor turned, looked at her for a moment, then let out a long sigh. "We'll see."
Jemi snorted. "Hey! Why are you being so wishy-washy? Earlier you reminded me—now it's like you're forbidding me!"
"I said, we'll see." Victor stepped closer, his face only inches from hers. "But one thing's for sure—I'll go with you to the house across the street."
Jemi's expression brightened instantly. Her eyes widened with excitement. "Seriously?"
Victor nodded.
"Okay!" Jemi exclaimed. "Then we're going to Mrs. Wassel's house tonight."