Page 37 of Wolves Always Bite

SoGagehad decided to be proactive.

He’dhandpicked each member of the team because he believed that together we’d be able to kill him if needed.Storiesabout supes were often wrong, but they occasionally got a few details right.Inthis case, it was true that demons made deals.Itwas integral in balancing their magic, but they also negotiated when they saw something they wanted.Theywould do anything and offer anything to make it happen.Eachteam member made a promise toGagethat we’d stop him, in exchange for something only he could offer.Noneof us ever talked about it, but we all knew the score.Andnow we watched and waited and hoped we’d never have to kill the man who’d seen inside of us, known what we wished for most in this world, and given it to us…He’dsaved each of us, for a price.

Wewere his.

Bythe timeGagehad found me,I’dbeen living as a lone wolf for decades and my humanity had only been a faint memory.Butthe thing with demons was they sensed a person’s greatest hope.Andapparently, even in my feral condition,Istill had a sliver of hope.I’dhoped to find a place to belong.AndGagehad given me that.He’dgiven me a family.Butin return he expected me to be able to kill him if he succumbed to the chaos in his head.Andwasn’t that a mind-fuck?

Therewere daysIdidn’t thinkIcould do it.

“Adrian?”Jeremycalling my name jerked me back to the here and now.

WhywasIthinking about all that right now?Inthe middle of this weird little town?

Maybeit was becauseJeremywas beginning to feel like family too.Andjust like howIwasn’t sure ifI’dever be able to killGageif he changed into a nearly omnipotent nightmare,Iwasn’t sure ifI’dbe able to leaveJeremybehind either.Eventhough both of those things would be the right thing to do.

Butenough of all that melancholic bullshit.

Ilifted my face to the sunlight and breathed in deep.Thesun was still shockingly high in the sky, considering all the things that had happened today, but that was summer for you.

“Youhungry?”

Jeremyrubbed his stomach. “Starved.”

“Iwonder what kinds of restaurants they have here.”

“Oh,Iknow.”Jeremy’sface lit up, then his smile promptly fell. “Nevermind.”

“What?”

“MyfriendAshmakes pizza at one of the restaurants in town.Hispizzas are amazing, but if we go there and he sees me…”

“Youdon’t have to hide from him.”

“Yeah,IthinkIdo…Yousee,Idon’t think he’ll be as relaxed about me staying with a stranger in a motel as you might think.Infact,Ithink he’ll be pissedIdidn’t tell himIwas in town.Hisplace is small, but he’d also expect me to stay with him…”Jeremywinced. “Ornot.He’sgot a new boyfriend who just moved into his one-bedroom apartment.”

“Sohe’d understand?”

“Maybe…”Jeremy’svoice conveyed his skepticism.

“Let’sgo to a different restaurant for supper while you decide whether or not you want to call him.”

“Oh,Idefinitely want to call him.I’vebeen thinking about it all day.ButI’mnot sure what to say.”

“We’llfigure it out,”Isaid.

WhenHaydenand a couple of his employees exited his shop,Irealized we’d been standing out there for a while now.Haydenlifted one eyebrow when he saw us.Helocked up, then made his way toward us.

“What?” he asked gruffly.Apparently, he wasn’t much of a small talker.

“Whereis a good place to eat?”

“Mostpeople either go to theFlyingRowanCaféor theWillowLakeInn.”

Giventhe wayJeremytensed when the wolf mentioned the café,Ibet that’s where his friend worked.Itlooked like we were going to theWillowLakeInntoday whether we wanted to or not.

“Whereis the inn?”Iasked.

“Ican drive you there,”Haydenoffered.Hesounded grumpy about offering, but it was as if he couldn’t stop himself.Hewas giving off alpha vibes, like he was compelled to take care of people in his territory, but something was off.Ijust couldn’t figure out what.