Istill didn’t know what to make of the situation as Deirdre showed me the garden and the two lots where they envisioned a wolf habitat for their “family friend.” She seemed perfectly pleasant, which just made it more difficult to understand how she ended up with such an asshole for a husband, but it wasn’t my place to ask. Or to judge, for that matter. I was perpetually single, though I at least tried to blame that on my work, serious debt, and general standoffishness. At least, that’s what the last three boyfriends had used as their reasons for breaking things off.
I took a few measurements of the lots and tried to sketch something in my mind, to envision what might be possible there, but paused to take a deep breath. “I’m not trying to talk myself out of a job, Mrs. Evershaw, but –“
“Call me Deirdre,” she said, making a face. “I haven’t taken his name. He’d love it too much.”
Which was an interesting tidbit to share with a complete stranger. But apparently they didn’t have normal social boundaries in their family. “Of course. Deirdre. I’m not trying to turn down the job by any means, but perhaps the wolf would be better off at a sanctuary. Among other wolves, with a pack... They’re social creatures.”
“Oh, we’re aware.” Deirdre smiled tightly and started to braid her long, dark hair out of the way. “He wasn’t well-socialized, though, and seems to prefer people to other animals. We’d like to keep him close to make sure he’s adjusting well to some recent changes, then we may consider... other options.”
It sounded rather ominous. “I can certainly check with the sanctuary where I’m currently working to see if they have room.”
“That won’t be necessary, but it’s sweet of you to offer,” she said. Deirdre smiled faintly as she looked down and caught sight of my heels sinking into the dirt. “And look at me, making you climb all over the place in those. You look very formal. Is that typical for habitat designers?”
“Typical for architects who get mistaken for men,” I said, and shrugged. I liked her, and that was dangerous. She was a client; I had to maintain some distance. I couldn’t afford to like them too much, not when it still wasn’t clear what they were doing with the wolf. Maybe they meant to fight him in dog fights? Turn him loose somewhere to wreak havoc? Sell him to a circus or sideshow or something? Something wasn’t right with them, with the whole situation, and it would drive me crazy until I figured it out. “I’m used to not being taken seriously, so sometimes it’s best to compensate with clothes.”
She nodded and headed back toward the house. “I know what you’re saying. Luckily I’ve never had to wear a suit, but I can imagine it’s almost as good as armor in most situations. And you certainly look... professional.”
I snorted at her hesitation, since “dowdy” was probably the first word she would have chosen. “Yeah. Thanks.”
Deirdre laughed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“It’s fine,” I said. I tucked an errant lock of hair behind my ear; it never stayed where it was supposed to. “I can’t remember the last time I wore something that wasn’t a suit or cargo pants and polo shirts. Habitat design doesn’t require a diverse wardrobe.”
“Then we’ll invite you for a dinner party,” she said, patting my shoulder. “So you have an excuse to diversify.”
My chest tightened. “I didn’t mean to infer –“
“Next week, maybe,” she said, carrying on as though I hadn’t spoken. “Anyone who calls Miles an asshole to his face deserves a spot at the table.”
“Really, I can’t,” I said, desperate for some professional distance. “You’re clients, and –“
Deirdre smiled brightly. “So you’ll take the job? Wonderful.”
I blinked, since I wasn’t entirely sure Iwantedto take the job, not with so many questions still lingering. But she was so determined I almost felt backed into a corner, like there wasn’t any other option. I cleared my throat and finally nodded. “I’ll at least get the designs made for you. You may need to hire a contractor to deal with the fencing and construction, since I won’t be in a position to do all the manual labor, and...”
“We have plenty of manual labor,” Deirdre said cheerfully. She linked her arm through mine and started dragging me to the back of the house. “We’ll just put Dodge to work. It would be good for him to dig a few ditches.”
And if anyone could have dug the trenches single-handedly, it would have been Mr. Muscles and Tattoos. I cleared my throat and didn’t dare look at her as my whole face caught fire. “I’m sure it would.”
She smiled and looked a bit like a wolf herself, squeezing my arm and winking. “Perhaps Dodge will –“
I never found out what she meant to say. A storm of cursing brewed up, something crashed and splintered, and a massive, hairy beast burst out of the broken wooden doors that covered up the entrance to a storm cellar. I stared, my thoughts clicking rather slowly. It looked like a man, but... It was hairy and deformed, lumbering on legs that seemed to bend the wrong way, with long arms that ended in paws. A snout stood out from a mostly-human face, and ears stood out in tufts. I pointed at it, trying to reason through the impossible. “What the –“
Deirdre cursed just as Dodge burst out of the storm cellar, and she strode in the direction of the monster that loped across the empty lots, right at us. Right atme. Its gold eyes flashed and found me and a chill ran through me to my bones. The lizard part of my brain said to flee, but my legs didn’t want to do anything but freeze. So I stood there, like a fucking moron with no sense of self-preservation, and just stared at it.
The dark-haired woman shouted something and raised her hands, and a strong wind kicked up out of nowhere. I couldn’t look away from the monster, bracing for it to tackle and kill me, but it was like he slammed into an invisible wall a few yards away from me. He snarled and growled, a horrible tormented sound, and lashed out as Dodge sprinted up and jumped on him.
I dragged my gaze over to Deirdre, who still held her hands out like... like maybe she’d made the invisible wall that protected me? Her hair moved in a wind that I didn’t see or feel, and something swirled in the air that charged into static and made the hair on my arms stand up. I wobbled back a step.
What. The.Fuck.
Chapter 6
Dodge
Dodge knew he’d made a mistake a heartbeat after it was too late. He hadn’t checked that the doors fully closed behind him and latched. They knew Silas couldn’t work the latches on the cellar doors with his deformed hands, so they relied on that, in part, to keep him contained down below. But the wily bastard was far more observant than they’d given him credit for. The moment Dodge turned his back to retrieve a cigar, Silas leapt.
He slammed into Dodge and knocked him off balance, breaking the chains meant to slow him down, and burst through the cellar doors like the goddamn Kool-Aid man. Dodge snarled and lunged after him, catching the back of the bastard’s tattered pants but missing the tail that raised like a flag.
