Page 33 of On the Road

Alone with my thoughts, my old friend guilt tried to knot my insides. Maybe I should have told Tom more about my reasons for leaving, but if I had, he’d have loaded the shotgun he kept behind the bar and baited my brother into buying a drink. Or worse, he’d have left the relative safety of the hotel, gone after Syros, and gotten himself burned to ash. Tom was family, just like the rest of the SOS Hotel staff. I’d killed my previous family—or tried to—but I’d protect my new, chosen one at all costs.

And if keeping them safe meant hiding out in the woods while solving a werewolf murder, then it was a small price to pay.

Zee reappeared and approached, his smile growing. He’d changed out of the camo vest into a dark oversized shirt over tight pants. It was about as casual as he got, and he still looked amazing.

“Hm,” he purred, sidling up next to me. “You look good in the sun, Kitten.” His knuckles skimmed down my cheek, and when his thumb brushed my lip, I tilted my head back and welcomed the soft, quick kiss.

“As dragon, during the rare times I wasn’t afraid, I used to bask in the sun by the sea,” I told him, opening my eyes and gladly losing myself in his glittery gaze. “Not much beats the feeling of sun on your scales.”

Zee gazed down at me, his expression suddenly serious. “Dayam, you’re beautiful.”

A blush warmed my face. “You really think so?”

“I know it.” His hand rested gently over my heart. “Inside and out, you’re the most beautiful thing I ever saw, and I’ve seen Daddy Spice naked.”

Snorting a laugh, I stepped back. “That’s a close second, though, right?”

“Oh, fuck yeah.” Zee nodded across the street. “The nurse took Zander in. She lives right over there.” He pointed to a single-story dwelling with a cute little porch and windows flanking either side of the front door.

We crossed the quiet street and started up the path.

“We should get a pupper,” Zee said.

“You’re kidding, right? We have a thousand gremlins and a pixie. Where the heck are we going to keep a puppy?”

“Adam, Little Jimmy is not a pet. They did a whole fucking media campaign about it.” He climbed the porch steps. “Had a song and everything, because folks keep capturing pixies and gettin’ themselves unalived. They smile so sweet then tear out your tongue, dance in your gore till day is sprung. And we can’t get a cat because cats hate you.”

I shrugged. “That’s a cat problem, not my problem.” I liked cats, they just didn’t like me.

“Dogs are loyal, and friendly, and they get away with biting people’s balls.”

Kinda like Zee.

“Not gonna happen.” I had to put my foot down somewhere, right?

“Meh, you’ll come around.” Zee knocked on the door and Zander’s chipper voice beckoned from inside, so in we went.

Zander, who had obviously made himself at home, was draped in a blanket on the couch with an array of snacks surrounding him. “They fixed my arm,” he said, raising his plaster-cast arm. “But I’m not allowed to lick it, else I have to wear a cone of shame. Can you believe that? Mia threatened to cone me. But she also gave me a lot of drugs, so I can’t complain!”

He looked well, especially since the last time I’d seen him he’d been in a bad state. “You’re doing okay, huh?” I sat in one of two armchairs opposite his couch. “We were pretty worried for a while.”

“Yeah, I’m alright. Thanks to you guys.” He flicked his floppy hair out of his eyes. “I don’t know what I’d have done if you weren’t there.”

“It’s what we do,” Zee smirked. “Being heroes an’ all. Speaking of heroes, your vet nurse, Mia, says you gotta take more drugs right about now.”

“Ah, Mia . . . she’s the best. She’s letting me stay here while I get fixed up after she heard about what happened to my place. The fire . . . Ugh. Bunch of dickless pricks. They really do not like pink.”

“Yeah, well. I uh . . . I think the pack saved what they could from the remains but there’s not much left.”

He flapped a hand. “They’re just possessions. The important thing is I’m okay.”

That was a positive way of looking at events. “We’re not certain it was the pack who burned your cabin. We think it was something else.”

“That thing? The big horrible angry monster thing? What was that?”

“Maybe a loup-garou. At least, that’s what Victor thinks.”

Zander’s eyes widened. “A loup-garou?” he whispered in awe. “Wow.”