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you just said?”
    “You heard me.”
    She stepped forward until her toes practically touched his and tilted her head back to glare up at him. “No. No, I really think I didn’t.”
    She heard the snarl welling in his chest, but it was too late to back off now. She braced herself for his explosion, but it never happened. Instead, Graham stepped forward quickly and placed his hand on Rafe’s chest to hold him back.
    “Come on,” the Lupine said as he nodded to his wife, who gently urged Tess back into her seat. “This isn’t going to get anything done. Tess, please stay here for five more minutes while Rafe and I go see if we can round up the members of the Council. If we can, we’ll talk this over real fast and give you an answer to bring back to the Witches’ Council; if not, you’ll get to go home, and we’ll contact you tomorrow with our answer.”
    Tess pursed her lips. “I liked Missy’s idea better.”
    “So did I,” Missy said with a shrug, “but as compromises go, this one could be worse. Besides, now that I’m awake, I want a midnight snack. You can keep me company while I bug the staff at the club and wait for them to send something over for me. I really would like to get to know you better.”
    Tess looked at Missy’s kind and friendly face, then at Rafe’s harsh, set one. She sighed. “Fine. But if you aren’t back in fifteen minutes, I’m out of here, like it or not.”
    “Deal.” Graham was already dragging Rafe toward the door. “In the meantime, make sure my wife doesn’t eat anything with chocolate in it. She’s breast-feeding, and it gives the baby hives.”

 
    Four
    “So,” Missy said as she settled onto a bar stool at the island in the massive kitchen. A huge roast beef sandwich and an enormous glass of milk sat in front of her, recently delivered by a frighteningly efficient waiter from the club next door. “You said you have to be at work in the morning. What do you do?”
    “I own a shop on West Ninth Street.” Tess eyed the sandwich in amazement as Missy raised it to her mouth for the first bite. She couldn’t believe this petite little woman actually intended to eat something larger than her own head. Although Missy Winters wasn’t model-thin, she was by no means a heavy woman. By rights, any woman who called this gargantuan meal a midnight snack ought to weigh approximately seven billion pounds. “It’s an herb-and-tea shop. The East Village Apothecary.”
    Missy chewed, swallowed, and blotted her lips daintily with a napkin. “How fabulous.” She drained a third of the milk in one thirsty gulp. “How long have you been in business?”
    Tess watched her bite off another slab of cow. “About seven years. But the shop’s been around since the 1970s. I bought out the previous owners.”
    “How old were you when you did that? Nine?”
    Tess laughed and made a face. “Twenty-two. Don’t let the Shirley Temple hair fool you. I’m older than I look.”
    “You must be, since you look about sixteen.”
    “Gee, thanks.”
    “Don’t mention it.” Missy finished the first half of her sandwich and grinned. “Sure you don’t want some? Speak now or forever hold your peace.”
    “No, thanks.” Tess shook her head and watched with wide eyes as Missy shrugged and bit into the second side of beef. “I mean, I really don’t mean to be rude, but … how the heck do you eat like that and not outweigh your husband?”
    Missy choked down a swallow of milk and laughed. “Don’t do that while I’m drinking. You almost made me snort milk.” She quickly cleared her throat. “And believe me, if I’d tried to do this six months ago, I probably would weigh more than Graham. But this is one of the best fringe benefits of having baby werewolves. I burn calories like a raging metabolic inferno.”
    Tess felt her eyebrows arch. “When did you have the baby? Last year?”
    “Last month. Two weeks ago, to be precise. Well, two weeks and five days.” Missy beamed with a