Page 65 of Teeth To Rip & Tear

“You don’t think he does?” Dean stopped walking. “It’s a hole in reality. It’s the reason monsters come to earth. The borders between our two worlds will crumble, maybe not now, but in a few hundred years. The Gate must be closed.”

“But why is it the Huntsman’s responsibility?” I wondered, looking up at the canopy of the trees. “The Huntsman’s job was to ferry souls to the Tuatha Dé Danann. To the gods and the afterlife. They gave him hounds and everything. What would the Gods say if they found out he wasn’t doing his job?”

Both men considered my words.

“Have you seen the cloak in the display case?” Dean asked, gesturing to the castle.

“The one covered in blood?”

“The very one.” He nodded, staring into the distance as he spoke. “It’s said to belong to Éabha herself. Not much is known of her origins, but the Huntsman married her in exchange for something. No one knows what. It is commonly believed that their marriage allowed the Huntsman to put his castle in the forest without being eaten.”

“By the beasts in the forest?” I sounded skeptical. The Huntsman was a powerful Sídhe. I couldn’t imagine he would be frightened of being eaten.

“Well, yes.” Dean’s cheeks warmed. “It does seem silly when you put it like that.”

As we walked back to the castle in silence, I felt like I had several missing puzzle pieces but no idea of the image onthe box. I’d come in at the end of someone else’s story, and all I wanted to do was go home.

But I couldn’t.

I wasn’t just a Sídhe; I was also Wolfkin.

No matter how much I wanted to return to my life in Locket, TN, I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be able to.

Chapter Fourteen

Kaleb’s room sat on the top floor of the kennels. As I ascended the stairs, repeating Dean’s directions, the bare concrete gave way to paneling and wallpaper. As I walked further into the kennels, it became apparent there was a stark difference in treatment between wolves. The floor went from painted concrete to hardwood, much more fitting with the woodland location. I paused at the windows, looking out over the trees as far as the eye could see.

With the tin of healing salve in my hand, I found Kaleb’s room on its own on the top floor. Polished mahogany and brass.

His room was empty, and my stomach sank as I realized how intrusive my behavior was—letting myself into his room was a significant violation.

Still, I didn’t want to leave just yet.

The bed was much larger than mine, and the mountain of pillows against the headboard was plush and brightly colored. The duvet looked thick and warm compared to my thin blankets.

I stood in the doorway, unable to get my feet to cooperate.

The bathroom door opened. Kaleb froze with a towel around his hips. My eyes flicked to his sculpted stomach and the necklace hanging between his pectoral muscles. Though Kaleb was slight, his muscles were corded.

Something fluttered in my stomach, and I squashed it, looking down at the tin in my hands as I remembered why I’d come in the first place.

“I brought a salve for your hand.” My voice was oddly high-pitched.

Kaleb’s lip twitched with a smile. “Come in.”

It was too late for that, as I stood in the open doorway like the intruder I was. I awkwardly stepped into the room as Kaleb opened one of his drawers and pulled a fitted shirt over his bare chest.

I moved to the only chair in the room, a worn leather armchair with oddly shaped armrests. I sat down, perching on the edge, focusing on the tin in my hands as Kaleb shuffled about getting ready.

When he was dressed, Kaleb stood before me, holding his hand out. The skin on his palm was still raw.

“I thought wolves healed fast,” I told him.

“Another side effect of the Huntsman’s curse,” Kaleb noted, taking the tin and twisting the top off. If the action hurt his blistered hand, he didn’t show it. “Wolves need other wolves to heal.”

“Can I help?” I blurted out. “I’m not just looking for an excuse to hold your hand. But why didn’t you ask one of the other wolves for help?”

Kaleb shook his head, placing the tin on the side of his armoire. “Wolves don’t like weakness.”

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