Page 11 of Secondhand Garagyre

“LittlePaisley,Iwould very much enjoy a home-cooked meal,”Ireply warmly.

Chapter Thirteen

PAISLEY

Laithogisquiet on the drive to my house.I’venever been more thankful thatIdidn’t let my mother brow beat me into buying a car or a small hatchback vehicle, becauseLaithognever would have fit in either one of those vehicles.Asit is, he’s slightly scrunched in my white, four door,F150truck.But, to be honest,Idon’t think the manufacturers have taken into consideration hauling around a massive non-human being when creating the interior of said vehicle.

Heexplained to me, in the midst of one of the sincerest apologiesI’veever received, that since his blood hunger is satiated, that he would be able to maintain a full glamour, the stuff that allows him to be invisible or pass for human should he go into public, as long as he fed regularly.Whichis whyIam not freaking out about having a mythological creature in the front seat of my truck.

Heassured me that no one except me will be able to see him until he can craft an appropriate human glamour.Apparently, his kind needed to ingest blood as well as solid food.Itis the blood, however, that fueled his magick, and nothing else.

Allthis information is delivered to me in a quiet, yet remorseful tone of voice as we walked across the cemetery to my truck.Icould tell that his actions while he is in bloodlust, after he told me that’s what have taken hold of him, were not consciously done and were attributed to his extendedstoneslumber.Inessence, he is starving and lost control of himself.

MaybeIshould be more concerned for my safety, butIdon’t thinkLaithogis giving himself enough credit.Myutterance of his name shouldn’t have amounted to anything, but it is the only thing that allowed him to snap out of bloodlust and regain his sanity.Thatcounted for a lot in my book.

Italso created questions.

Alot of them.

Afterhis hesitant, yet short explanation, he tells me he would tell me the rest of his story once we reached the “safety of my dwelling.”Hisglance around the cemetery is piercing.Sincediscovering that man has watched me for months,Laithogis insistent on getting me somewhere safe.

Whichbrings us to now.

Thelights shine across the cattleguard, and the truck rattles as we cross it, the tires sounding the departure from pavement to dirt road.Thejarring nature of the truck must jostleLaithogout of the place he retreated to because he becomes more alert and looks around in fascination. “Youdo not live within the confines of the village?”

Ilaugh a little beforeIcan stop myself. “No,Idon’t live in town.Ilive about eight miles south of the closest town.I’vealways preferred to live with nature surrounding me instead of the noise other humans make,”Iexplain.

“Womenof this time are permitted to live alone…?” he asks with trepidation.

Thatquestion takes me by surprise.Iknew he is from another time but that tells me just how old he truly is. “Yes, women are allowed to live alone and have been for some time.Wedon’t have to get married either and can have our own professions.Financialindependence from our parents is also something that is a cultural norm these days.Well, in this part of the world it is.Ican’t speak for all countries.”

Apensive look spreads across his face as he absorbs whatI’vejust told him.Iturn left into the driveway, hitting the brakes out of habit since the road has multiple washed places where the county hasn’t made repairs.Itisn’t until the truck comes to gentle stop, andIcut the engine off, that he speaks again. “Iknew you came to speak to your brother by yourself, but it didn’t dawn on me that you have no escort there and back until just now.”

“No, no escort as you say.Icome and go asIplease, by myself, and have for years.I’ma mature adult by my species standards”

Thelook he gives me as his emerald eyes trace my figure from top to bottom and back again make me shiver slightly.Thereis a heat in his gaze that hasn’t been there before. “Yes, little one.Iam aware that you are a woman grown, thisIassure you,” he retorts, his bright green gaze running over my body, lingering in certain places longer than other.

“Oh, um.Well, here we are!”Ichirp out with forced cheeriness, ignoring the heat in his gaze.

Thedeep sound of his chuckle hits my ears asIclamber out of the truck and shut the door behind me.

Chapter Fourteen

LAITHOG

Iam notsure whatIexpect to see when we open the portal to enterPaisley’sdwelling, but the cacophony of noise once she opened the door startles me so much thatIscoop her up and shoot into the air, away from the two tiny beasts making that gods-awful racket.Mywings gust air across the fiends below, inciting them further.

Iignore her shriek of alarm and the sound her keys make as they hit the ground whileIhover over the creatures circling below.

“Whydo you have deformed wolves in your home?!Thosecreatures are misshapen and unnatural!”Iask with mild alarm.

Ihave never seen the likes of these creatures before.They’relong bodied, but sturdy.Infact, they look like small barrels, but with short, stubby legs, large, triangular-shaped ears, freakishly tailless, fluffy posteriors, and a pointed face.Oneof them is light, while the other is dark, and they have yet to shut up.

Howdoes she live with these things?

Asnort catches me by surprise, andIpeer down at the woman in my arms to see one of her hands covering her mouth andtears streaming from her beautiful eyes.Alarmfills me until she bursts out laughing. “Laithog, those are not deformed wolves.Thoseare my dogs!Thebreed is called aCorgi.PembrokeCorgis, to be specific,” she manages to eke out between fits of laughter.

Chagrinfills me.

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