Chapter Thirty-Four

“Okay. Now let’s try removing your scent altogether.” My father tossed that out, and I had to think. What removes a smell from the air, other than air fresheners or candles?

“I know this will sound stupid…” Ronnie started, but I scoffed.

“I’m picturing a scented candle in my mind to protect me from my shitty mate. Something that shouldn’t work, and it’s just ridiculous. I don’t think we can get any worse.”

He pointed at me and smiled. “True. I was just thinking, a vacuum. It sucks everything in.” I debated the idea.

“It doesn’t have to be a perfect idea. Just something you can focus on while your power does the thing you need.” My dad stood and walked over to me. “It’s more about an outlet for your power to flow through. Your power will flow the way you intend it, but you need something to start it.”

I closed my eyes again and pictured a vacuum in my clearing. I angled the hose up, plugged the vacuum into an outlet that appeared on the pot, and clicked it on. The noise was deafening in my mind, like it would be in real life, and Nix and Megan huddled down, covering their ears.

“Okay,” I focused on the noise of the vacuum and ignored everything else.

After a few moments, Ronnie’s voice sounded next to me. “I smell nothing.” My eyes popped open and found him right in front of my face. “Your scent is completely gone.” My eyes snapped to my dad, who stood and came over. He leaned down and scented me right at my cheek, and then he nodded.

“No scent. Good.” He pulled back, and I focused on him, and he smiled. “There you are.”

“What?” I was confused.

“You lost focus and your scent came back. But now we know we can shift your scent and completely cloak it. Now we can focus on keeping it up while doing other things.”

“Why are you so happy?” I asked when he wouldn’t stop smiling.

“You pick things up quickly. I took weeks to learn how to cloak myself. And you did it in minutes.” He clapped me on my shoulder. “I want to focus on changing your scent at first, though.”

“Why?”

“Well, wolves all have a scent, and if you go around without having one, it would be suspicious. But cloaking is good for a lot of things.”

“Spying being the first and best use of it,” Ronnie tossed out.

“Spying? It’s 2024. Why would I need to spy?”

“I don’t know.” He grinned. “But I have a feeling you need all the tricks you can come up with.”

“So,” my father redirected. “Bring back the candle to change your scent.” I relit the candle and gave a small thumbs up. My father leaned in to smell my cheek and pulled back. “It’s almost like you have three scents: citrus and berries, vanilla and cinnamon, and peaches. Your mother smelled a little of peaches.” His smile was a little sad. He shook himself and moved back to the desk. “Okay, so while the candle is going, I want you to focus on something else. Ronnie will stay next to you and note any times your scent changes.”

“What do you want me to focus on?”

My father tossed me a book that looked aged, and I caught it. “Pick something you want to learn.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

“What is this?”

“That is my book of shadows.” My dad leaned in. “Something that is usually passed down from witch to witch, but our family’s book was lost when my grandmother’s house was burned down during the attack. I started my own and filled it with everything she taught me.” His face was sad. “I wish I could give you hers…” I got up, ran out of the room, with my father calling after me, “Amy!”

I ran to my room, punched in the code to my safe, grabbed the book that was hidden there, and ran back. I was out of breath from excitement, but I knew he needed to see this.

“Why do you have a rock?” Ronnie’s confused voice watched as I slammed the book on my father’s desk, but I ignored him.

“How did you get this?” My father’s voice shook with an emotion I couldn’t put my finger on, but he looked up at me with tears in his eyes.

“I was told to go to the cabin. I was told where to find it,” I whispered back.

My father took a deep breath and wrapped his hands around the book. There was a snap in the air, and a tear fell from my father’s eye.

“Don’t cry, my boy. Everything is how it needs to be.” We both jolted and whirled to face the new person in the room.