Page 9 of Teeth To Rip & Tear

The witching hour approached, and I woke up when something crossed the ward.

Unfortunately, beyond a vague sense of unease, I couldn’t tell what kind of creature had walked onto the property—man, wolf, or worse.

I swung my legs to the side, peeling myself from the bed, though sleep made everything heavier. Darkness clung to every corner of the room, though a thin slice of moonlight shone through the gap in the drapes.

I looked out onto my lawn, past the shed and the treeline leading to the forest and steep inclines. I waited, searching for signs of an intruder, but stillness and shadows greeted me.

My grandmother had told me stories about the Durrach. About the creatures in the dark and the Aos Sí—orFaerie—an entire world separated from ours by a thin membrane of reality. She had told me about the Seelie and Unseelie courts and the Kelpies, Selkies, and Satyrs.

My grandmother had carried a silver glow about her. The dust motes of magic in the air swarmed her as she moved, forming a halo of sparkles.

Wolves looked golden, almost a halo effect in my vision, regardless of their form.

I didn’t recognize the magic in my garden—several different colors smushed together to make a strange brown, red, and yellow. Sallow and sickly.

It crossed the edge of my ward again before darting away.

I didn’t take a breath until it was gone.

My bedroom door creaked open, and Kaleb’s wolfy claws tapped against the hardwood floor. He glanced at the window and then back to me.

“I sensed it, too,” I whispered.

The wolf hopped onto the bottom of my bed and curled up, closing his eyes and feigning sleep.

Though my heartbeat roared in my chest, and I imagined a number of horrors trawling my lawn, I laid back down—eventually lulled to sleep by the steady breathing of a silver wolf.

When I looked out the landing window the following day, I saw Joel’s police cruiser parked at the end of my driveway. His butt was against the passenger side door, and his arms crossed over his chest.

Despite the dim morning light, he wore sunglasses. No doubt to partially hide his face and any emotions that might live there.

“You have a large collection of toy hamsters,” Kaleb said as he stepped out of the bedroom. “They sing songs.”

“I like them.” I narrowed my eyes.

“They are displayed rather prominently in your bedroom.” He replied, glancing over his shoulder. “They have little costumes and name tags.”

“I collect them,” I told him. “They’re called ‘Cheerful Critters’.”

“You have a lot of toys.” Kaleb put his hands in his pockets.

“Your point?” I lifted a brow.

Kaleb bit back a smile. “I don’t have a point. Is your ex-husband outside?” He craned his neck and walked toward the window as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

I spun on my heel, grabbing the wolf by the biceps and pushing us both to the ground before he could walk in front of the window. Pain radiated from my knees as we hit the floor;Kaleb flicked his long silver locks away from his face, eying me the same way I imagined he would study a particularly colorful insect.

Kaleb quirked a brow expectantly.

I sat back, closed my eyes, and took a breath. “I don’t want Joel to see you.”

Kaleb nodded staunchly. “Can I get up now?”

“Um,” I glanced back to the window. “Maybe crawl across the landing? So he doesn’t see you?”

Kaleb shrugged before scooting forward, ducking under the window ledge until he reached the top of the stairs. “How long is your ex-husband going to stay out there?”

I checked the clock on the wall. “Until his shift starts at eight,” I said. “Do you want breakfast?”

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