Shifting the Night Away by Terra Wolf, Artemis Wolffe, Wednesday Raven, Rachael Slate, Lucy Auburn, Jami Brumfield, Lyn Brittan, Claire Ryann, Cynthia Fox Read Free Book Online Page B

would dance a jig on his hind legs just to please her.
    "What did you guys find?"   It was Charles to the rescue.   He made sure to stand directly behind them so they wouldn’t get a close look at his face.
    "A wolf," they whispered in unison.
    "It seems friendly," Mia added.   "I wonder if he’ll let us pet him."   She took a step forward, but Charles yanked her back.
    "Miss, it’s a wild animal," he said.   "Better to observe from afar."   He knew Peter would kick him for that, but he wasn’t sure he’d want to meet her with Jonesy in tow.
    Peter decided to use the distraction to make his escape.   He gave himself a good shake and traipsed off around the trees, slinking along the shrubs until he found a small stone bridge with a dark underpass to hide in.   He knew Charles would make his way to him, scooping up the clothes he’d shed in the process.
    "Oh no, he’s leaving," Mia groaned.
    "I’m sure he’ll be back," Charles said nonchalantly while he returned to the bench and pretended to play on his cell phone.   "Something must be keeping him here."
    "Should we call someone?"
    "So they can kill him?"   Charles called out.   "You know that’s what they’ll do."
    "He’s right," Jonesy said.   "I remember when they had a bear caught up a tree in that New Jersey park.   They tried to tranquilize him, but his head bent forward and he suffocated from his own body weight."
    "That’s terrible," she said.   "Maybe I’ll come out and leave food this week."
    "And take him for a walk," Jonesy teased.
    She looped her arm through his as they walked away.   "This is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in a long time," she said while a smile beamed across her face.
    Charles waited for them to get further away before he got up and walked past the thicket.   He doubled back and cut through the trees quickly finding Peter’s clothing and then Peter himself.
    "What did she say about me?" he asked as he quickly dressed.
    "Something about having you neutered and prancing you around the dog park."
    "God forbid."
    Charles laughed and said, "It was more like ‘this is the most exciting thing’ yadda yadda yadda.   She’s going to come back and leave you food, though."
    "Aww so sweet."
    "Don’t ‘aww so sweet’ you big mush.   Use your head.   People are still playing in the park.   We’re normally here closer to midnight.   You’re taking a big risk."
    "That’s what I have you for, big guy," Peter said as he patted Charles on the back.
    "I know.   I’m here for you … pain in my ass."

    Chapter Three

    Mia floated through the next school day unable to forget about the events of the previous night.   She searched the local news for stories about wolf sightings, but found nothing.   Had he really escaped from the zoo?   Maybe he came from a wealthy billionaire’s private collection on Long Island or some pharmaceutical lab in New Jersey.  
    "Do you know wolves are one of the world’s smartest mammals?" she asked, interrupting composition time.
    "You told us already.   Wolves and more wolves," the children groaned.   "Will this be on the placement exams?"
    "No," Mia said with a shrug.   "Sometimes you guys are the only people I talk to all day."
    "Miss C, you need a boyfriend," said Clara from the front row.   Then you would have someone to talk to."
    "Thanks for the advice."
    "Why don’t you have one yet?" asked Thomas in the back.   "You’re a nice lady."
    "Thank you, Thomas."
    "You can talk to me about wolves if you keep getting older and older and older all by yourself."
    "Okay, back to your compositions."
    "But—"
    "Who wants an F grade?"
    They all fell quiet for a few moments before Thomas released a quiet howl, sending the class into a fit of laughter.   Mia giggled as well before sharing her own howl.   The students joined in for a few moments before the door flew open and a stern glare from Mrs. Campbell meant they were interrupting her class next door.   You could