Page 18 of Starry with a Chance of Nightshade

I knew he blamed me for my mother’s passing. That if he’d been given the choice between her being dead or me, he’d have picked me in a heartbeat. When I was little, a piece of me thought he’d get the help he needed while he was away. That he’d magikally wake up and realize how much I meant to him and how wrong his actions had been.

That day would never come. I knew that now. Still, it hurt. Being unwanted always did.

ChapterSix

Astria

I clutched my pendant tighter,the need for comfort great. So much so that I began to toy with the ring that shared the chain with the pendant. The ring was one I’d had since I was four. It had a purple gem in the center, that just so happened to match the color of purple I’d selected for my hair, and curious markings all over it. Touching it always made me feel better—no matter what was happening in my life. It was also something I’d kept hidden from my aunt and cousin though I wasn’t sure why. They knew about the pendant and its occupant. They also knew how dangerous said occupant could be when the need arose.

As if on cue, a giant dog came running down the stairs. The rottweiler was easily a hundred and twenty pounds of excited love, all barreling right for me. Slobber flew from its mouth, landing on the wall and the back of a chair. Some managed to land on Emily, who acted as if it were acid.

Stevie squealed with laughter and jerked her legs out of his way.

Krissy put herself over the lit candles in his path to keep him from getting burned, and Emily shrieked.

I rolled my eyes and snapped my fingers. Toirdhealbhach—or Torid, as I’d taken to calling him when I was little—came sliding to a stop on the hardwood and did a partial sit. I patted his head. His nub of a tail hovered off the floor and moved a mile a minute as his tongue hung out the side of his mouth. He drooled directly onto Emily’s bare foot.

She did a full-body shudder.

Torid looked at me and tipped his head. I knew his expressions well. I also knew he’d slobbered on her foot on purpose. He wasn’t her biggest fan. While she was incredibly nice, she was not a dog lover. She preferred cats, but hadn’t been able to get one since Colleen was allergic to them.

Torid glanced at her and farted loudly. It smelled like something had crawled up his hind end and died. I’d talked with him about his eating habits before, but he had a mind of his own. And what he liked eating, after hours, when he roamed the property freely was enough to turn anyone’s stomach.

Stevie laughed so hard that she tipped over.

Krissy chuckled and finished lighting candles. “I’m kind of afraid his fart might catch fire with the candles going.”

Emily groaned. “He’s so gross, Astria.”

“You’re not gross, are you?” I asked, rubbing Torid’s head.

He ate up the attention before turning partially, his gaze going to the candle circle.

What’s this-ss?

His voice echoed in my head, sounding low and drawn out like it did when he was in his true form. A form the women who lived with me knew nothing about. To them, Torid was merely a large, somewhat dopey dog. He was a close friend who had become like family. He was my person. The one thing I could always count on. He just so happened to be far more than a dog. The rottweiler was just one animal form he could take. His options were pretty much limitless, but he really liked this form. We had an agreement. He could roam freely around the house and the property, and even the neighborhood, if he stayed in dog form and didn’t get into any serious mischief.

If he couldn’t stay out of trouble, he’d need to go back into the pendant. It was designed to give him a safe space as well as contain him. The pendant was one of those bigger-on-the-inside kind of things. I had the ability to force him back into the pendant but only used that as a last resort. It felt wrong and I knew when he was forced back in it the action hurt him, unlike when he entered it on his own. He often retreated there himself when he was overly tired or just needed a break from a houseful of women. Though I’d noticed he’d been doing that less and less over the last few months.

He’d taken to sniffing the exterior of the house and scratching at the basement door several times a day, and all hours of the night, demanding he be let down there. Who was I to stop him if he wanted to hang in a dank basement? I had a feeling he was catching and eating mice but didn’t want to ask outright. He’d answer, and then I’d have that image in my head. I knew his eating habits went beyond kibbles and table food, but I didn’t want a rundown.

Nope.

Some things were better unknown.

I’d once made the mistake of inquiring, only to find out he’d eaten parts of a ghoul that had been found not far from the place we’d been calling home at the time. A week or two after I’d had to wrap my then five-year-old mind around it, he’d come trotting into the living room with an entire leg in his mouth. It had been from a demon. Torid had refused to relinquish it, citing the finders-keepers rule. My aunt had not been amused. But it had given her the heads-up that our past had caught up with us again. We moved shortly after that.

Krissy stared over at me. “Can you please take him out to go to the bathroom? He smells like he needs to go—bad.”

I nearly laughed. “That’s pretty much just his smell, but yes. I’ll take him out.”

Torid canted his head, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his expression jovial.

“Outside?” I asked, already knowing he’d be up for it.

He didn’t wait for me. He raced to the back door, and I had to hurry behind him. The door to the backyard was off the kitchen. The floor there was slicker than the rest of the house since it was linoleum rather than hardwood. I slid without meaning to and bumped right into Torid.

“Sorry,” I said, leaning to pat his head.

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