Page 48 of Kin of the Wolf

Only half-dressed, Jasmine slunk low in the rhododendron,though it wasn’t tall enough to completely hide her, not when she was in human form. She did, however, manage to find camouflage formostof her body.

“Hi, Bolin.” I almost added that he was here early, especially given his loathing for morning hours, but with a glance at my phone telling me it was eight a.m, I was again reminded of the approach of the winter solstice. Dawn was not at an impressively early hour.

“Hi.”

The rhododendron shivered, and he started to look toward it.

“Is one of those for me?” I asked to distract him, not because I expected him to share. Besides, my own espresso maker lay scant feet away inside my apartment.

Bolin curled the cups protectively to his chest. “No.” He looked me over, his gaze lingering on my hair, and loosened his grip on one. “Did you spend the night in the woods again?”

“Yeah. The allure of lumpy cave floors and beds of ferns can’t be resisted.” I thought wistfully about the allure of Duncan’s strong arms around me, gentlycuddlingme, as he’d put it. It had been nice. If only mymomhadn’t shown up…

“Is there something wrong with your bed here?” Bolin nodded toward my apartment door.

“There aren’t enough fir needles and fern fronds embedded in the mattress for comfort.”

A giggle came from the rhododendron.

Bolin blinked in surprise and looked at it. “I thought that was Duncan in there.”

“No. He does not, as far as I’ve ever seen, feel compelled to hide his nudity behind leaves, clothes, or any other sight-blocking items.” I thought of my blanket and wondered if it was still in his van.

“Oh, I’ve noticed.” Bolin hesitated, then offered me the coffee cup with a plain lid. He never gave up the drink with whippedcream drizzled with chocolate or caramel sauce. Did I seebothadorning it today?

I lifted a hand. “You keep it. I’ve got my own. Thanks.”

“Okay.” Bolin pulled the cup back to his chest, but he was gazing curiously toward the shaking leaves. Maybe the femininity of that giggle—and the talk of nudity—had piqued his interest. It could also have been intrigue at the bare arm that stuck out briefly as Jasmine maneuvered her hoodie over her head.

Perhaps out of a sense of propriety, Bolin pulled his gaze back to me. “I’ve had to reassess some of my beliefs since coming to work here.”

“Me too.”

He scratched his jaw with one of the lids, not seeming to know if I was kidding or not, and happened to glance down. “Is that… rabbit fur?”

“I believe so, yes.”

“And… blood?”

“Possibly.”

His gaze drifted to the rhododendron again.

“Maybe you could decorate your SUV with those tufts of fur,” I suggested. “That bubble has to be a pain to set up every day. The remains of a predator’s meal might make a better deterrent than plastic owls.”

Bolin’s lip curled. “I doubt it. The birds here are dumb and probably not afraid of predators.”

I refrained from pointing out that the birds might, in fact, be smart enough to recognize the lack of predatory capability in a plastic raptor.

“Anyway,” Bolin said, “I came to tell you that the Donovans in C-4 moved out yesterday and turned their key in to the dropbox instead of showing up in person for their checkout today. Once I went by the apartment, I could see why. I can’t believe people live like that. They left garbage all over the floors, beer cans on everysurface, cat poop in the bathroom, urine-stained mattresses leaning against the wall, a couch with the cushions removed, and moldy and unidentifiable food in the refrigerator.Andthey stole the switch plates.Allof them. Luna, switch plates aren’t worth anything, are they? I’ve heard of copper wiring in walls having some modest financial value, but…”

“No. Switch plates don’t cost much to replace at least.” In my twenty-odd years as a property manager, I’d seen it all, so the description didn’t faze me.

“Why would youtakethem?”

I spread my arms. “Why would you let your cat poop on the floor?”

“I don’t know, but the whole place stinks. I almost passed out when I went in.”

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