“Yeah,” I replied.
“Well, this isn’t going to turn into a resort overnight,” Elliot commented. “But I suppose we could dig out Mom’s old decorations and do something with them.”
“Noahlovesdecorating,” I told him. “I think if you gave him a box full of stuff and let him do what he wanted, he’ll be your friend forever.”
Elliot gave me a little smile, but there was something almost sad in it. “Dad and I never put them up,” he said softly. “Not when we knew we were going over to Ma and Pop’s every year.”
“El, we don’t?—”
“I think I’d like to have them out again,” he said, talking over me. I didn’t mind, given the situation.
“Okay,” I agreed, smiling at him. “And… thank you.”
“What for?” he seemed genuinely confused.
“Letting me invite my brother and his partner into your house?”
His lips quirked up on the side, but there was something in it that seemed… bitter? “It could be your house, too, you know,” he said softly.
The flush returned to my neck. “I—” I wasn’t sure what to say. I wanted to—but I also wasn’t sure.
“Nevermind,” Elliot said softly. I was afraid I’d upset him, but then he smiled at me again. “I want to meet your family,” he said. “You’ve met mine.”
I almost asked him what he meant, then realized he was talking about Henry and Marshall and Judy and Hart. I took refuge from the seriousness of the conversation by teasing. “Your brother’s a dick, you know that, right?”
Elliot’s laugh was a bark. “He really is, isn’t he? Just a total fucking asshole.”
I grinned right back at him. “Absolutely. He’s lucky he’s pretty.”
Elliot chuckled. “He is now,” he said. “He used to be a toady little asshole.”
It was my turn to snort.
“Ma’ll show you pictures.” He grinned. “You can watch his ears turn bright pink.”
I smiled back, and Elliot settled a little, shifting his legs against mine before stuffing more meat and soaked pita into his mouth, his features settled into contented lines.
Noah and Lulu were going to come for Christmas. Here. With Elliot and me. And also apparently Hart’s family. Noah and I had never had a big family Christmas—and most people, even if they didn’t go home for other holidays, did for Christmas, so we couldn’t even do a friend-based version. Even Hands and Paws was mostly empty, people trying to reunite with family if they could.
It didn’t always end well—lots of people ended up right back at the shelter, a new, depressing chapter added to the stories of their family tragedies.
Speaking of…
“So…” I began, swirling a fry in ketchup. “Smith got a warrant to check Buettner’s ATV for evidence.”
Elliot stilled, a breaded cheese curd partway to his mouth. “He did?”
“Mmhmm,” I answered around a fry.
“And?” His voice was tight, tense.
“Lacy found three different blood types,” I replied. “We’re waiting on the DNA to finish processing, but we’ve identified blood from two different shifters and one badger.”
“Twoshifters?” His voice went up.
“Two,” I confirmed.
“Who’s the other one?”
