Page 11 of Real

“Candlewick doesn’t know Buddy’s real name. That means Candlewick didn’t know the person Buddy was modeled after,” I say.

“So what?”

“Buddy is deeply attached to Candlewick. If he’s nothing but an echo of someone Dorian used to love, then that wouldn’t be possible, right?”

Felicity doesn’t say anything for a few moments. “Maybe Candlewick looks like someone from his past.”

“Wouldn’t he call him something else then? And why would Dorian bother to create someone who wanted to run away from him?”

“Grief is complicated.”

“So is magic,” I remind her. “Buddy has a nightly heat. Did you know that? No shifters have heats that often. Maybe the warlock meant to recreate someone for Dorian, but he requested a few changes, and those changes messed up the magic.”

“So… you’re saying Red created an entirely new person by accident?”

“I have no idea. I just don’t think we should give up on Buddy unless we’re absolutely certain he’s not a person.”

She swears under her breath. “I don’t have time for this. I have a case list a mile long—”

“He has to go to court tomorrow. Just give me twenty-four hours. That’s all I’m asking. Will you please help me?”

There’s a long pause before she says, “For the record, I still think we’re going to lose, but fine. I need to do some things here first, but I can come up tomorrow morning.” I hear the clacking of computer keys and the rustle of paper on the other line. “When we talked with Buddy, he didn’t mention a heat.”

“Candlewick warned Steppe about it.”

“Buddy’s heats will be a problem for us. They separate him from human or shifter omegas and make him seem more like a sex doll. Is he comfortable with you? Do you think you could ask him about them? Maybe if we understood them better, we could reframe them for the judge in a way that would help Buddy be more relatable. Also, we need to figure out who Buddy was created to imitate. If we can highlight the differences between Buddy and the person Dorian was grieving, we might be able to convince the judge he’s more than an echo. I’ll get my paralegal on it and have her contact you when she has some information.”

Felicity and I have prepared countless patients for adoption hearings together. Her thorough, analytical side is a force to be reckoned with.

Sometimes taking care of someone is finding the right person to advocate for them. Sometimes it means trying to understand them better. For the next twenty-four hours, I’ll do everything I can to take care of Buddy.

I hope it’s enough. If Buddy has to go back to Dorian, I don’t know what I’ll do.

5

Buddy

I watch a whole episode of the baking show by myself. I can’t hear H’s conversation from my spot on the couch. Maybe the sanctuary is having second thoughts about helping me.

I close my eyes and replay the way he touched my arm and said, “You’re real to me.” The wonderful way his soft body enveloped mine after was so different from Candlewick’s hugs. It reminded me of my longing. It made me want more.

I realize how awful that is. Candlewick is in jail for helping me, and I’m obsessing about an alpha.

H returns to the den and sits next to me. I fiddle with the remote until I figure out how to turn the TV off.

“Is Candlewick okay?” I ask.

“That conversation wasn’t about Candlewick. It was about you. I found you a better lawyer. She’ll be coming by tomorrow to help prepare you for court. When you go to court, you’ll know exactly what to say and do. It will be okay. We’ll convince the judge you’re a person.”

H helps a lot of people at the sanctuary. He’s probably right. The problem is, H is used to helping people, not dolls.

“What if I’m not… a person? Is there anything else we can do for Candlewick?”

H’s eyes soften. “If we’re going to prove your humanity to a judge, I need you to believe it too.”

I swallow hard. H is trying to help me. He’s trying to help Candlewick too, so I have to do what he says.

“Okay.”

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