Page 2 of These Endless Nights

The only other outdoor animal at the moment was also the one I knew the least about. A few weeks ago, Officer Lake of the LCPD had shown up at my house with a mule in tow, asking if I could care for it until we found where it belonged. Apparently, it had been wandering the streets of Lowery's Crossing, stealing from trash cans and generally being a nuisance. She'd finally caught him outside a local restaurant, gorging on a trash bag full of breakfast food.

The only thing I had even close to a stable was my carport, so I'd frantically retrofitted it into a safe space for him. He'd promptly broken out and helped himself to the chicken feed, and thus had begun a three-week back-and-forth of trial and error as I tried to contain him.

My current attempt had been working for the last three days, and I sighed with relief when I spotted Hash Brown tucked under the port, fast asleep. So far, no one in town had claimed him, and it was looking like I was now the dubiously proud owner of a mule.

Spring had finally truly broken through the chokehold winter held on Lowery's Crossing, but it was still far too cold to linger outside long. Once I made sure Hash Brown was secure, I retreated back to the porch, lingering despite the chill. Rom sat down directly beside me, ears perked and eyes sweeping the property.

My cabin sat square in the middle of my land, leaving me with a clear view of everything around me, while security cameras at all four corners of the house made sure we were safe. I'd mounted trail cameras around the edges of my land for added protection in a failed attempt to ease my paranoia. So far, all I'd picked up were dozens of deer and, once, a stray cougar.

The land and cabin, along with the over the top security, had wiped out my savings and maxed out my credit cards, but I didn't regret a single penny. It was a sanctuary for me just as much as it was for the animals under my care. I sometimes missed the convenience of living in town, but it would be a long time before I'd ever feel safe living there again, if I ever did.

Beside me, Romulus suddenly stood up, ears pricked high. His tail stopped moving, and his eyes locked on the southeastern corner of the property.

"Rom? Another cougar?" I whispered, straining to see anything in the darkness. Along with the security cameras, motion lights perched on posts around the edges of the land, but they were mostly on the northern end, toward the town. To the south, there were only thick trees that faded out further away as the mountains rose in the distance. I'd seen no need to put lights there, where only animals would approach.

I deeply regretted that decision as a low growl rumbled up in Rom's chest and his hackles rose. Whatever was out there, he didn't like it one bit.

"Settle, Rom." I put my hand on his back, still peering out into the darkness. The last thing I needed was my dog to run out and get hurt.

Something rustled in the underbrush, almost too quiet for me to hear this far away, drawing my attention slightly left of where I'd been looking, and my heart stuttered when I saw golden eyes peering at me from the distant tree line.

"It's just a cougar," I breathed to the dog. I didn't blink, afraid the eyes would disappear if I did. Something about them was strangely compelling, and I could have sworn the eyes seemed to glow for a moment.

Romulus barked, the sharp sound startling me enough to finally break my gaze and I blinked, heart racing as I glanced down at him.

"We're okay. It's probably hurt. It wouldn't make so much noise otherwise," I assured him, stroking his head. I could count on one hand the times I'd heard Rom actually bark and still have fingers left over.

When I searched the dark tree line again, the eyes were gone, likely scared away by Romulus. A fully grown, healthy cougar might not hesitate to take on a dog, even one the size of Rom, but an injured one would probably hide instead.

We lingered on the back porch a little longer, but the eyes never reappeared and finally, Rom settled back down, though he didn't stop staring at where the animal had been. At least he wasn't growling anymore.

"Come on, let's go make some breakfast." I rubbed the spot behind his ear that he liked, and finally, he broke his stare and looked up at me, the tension in his body melting into a relaxed grin.

Sunrise was still hours away, but after that adrenaline rush, sleep was no longer even a hopeful possibility. I'd regret it this afternoon, when the lack of sleep caught up to me, but it was a crash I was used to, at least.

Turning my thoughts back to the day ahead of me, I still paused at the back door and did one last sweep of the area, searching deep in the darkness for a hint of golden eyes. I didn't see anything, but for a moment my skin crawled with that uncanny feeling of being watched. Then it was gone, and I followed Romulus inside to get ready for another day.

Chapter 2

Quinn

"Quinn, are you sure we can't just ban her? Please?"

I winced, glancing over at my coworker and lone employee. Lain Harris stood at the table beside mine, locked in a stare-down with an ancient toy poodle.

"Did he bite you again?"

Silly question. I couldn't think of a single appointment where Piddles hadn't bitten one of us.

"He tried, but I'm finally faster than him. I swear, this dog must have made some sort of pact with a demon. He's old enough to vote, and he still fights like he was a gladiator in a past life."

I held back my laughter, but just barely. "Just do the best you can. It doesn't have to be perfect."

"Tell that to Mrs. Sharper," he grumbled, but it was good-natured, and we both knew it. Piddles was a regular at my salon, Groomer Has It, coming in every six weeks for a showdown with one of us. Since my appointments for today were full, he'd ended up with Lain.

"If she complains again, I'll… I'll talk to her." The very thought made me queasy, but it was overdue and I knew it. No matter how many times I explained to Mrs. Sharper that it wasn't worth stressing her ancient dog out over two stray hairs, she never agreed. I don't know if I actually had it in me to ban anyone from my shop, but if I did, it would be her.

Lain didn't so much as raise an eyebrow, which I deeply appreciated. He just got back to work, sweet-talking the poodle while occasionally muttering a curse word under his breath.