Page 9 of Secret Origins
“This is not a safe house. Too many people already know about it.” Another lapse of judgment on my part by allowing Francesca Drake to stay here with that damn shifter Tenebris. Half of the Daywalkers knew where my home was by now.
As if to prove my point, the front door jerked open and Fenrir waltzed inside my house like he owned the place. He stopped dead in his tracks a few feet from the door, cocking an eyebrow in question in a too-familiar, arrogant display. It was enough to give me heartburn. The boy growled deep in his little chest, sprouting fur that stuck out through the collar of his t-shirt, his tiny fingers curling with vicious looking claws. Fenrir’s arrogant façade cracked for a moment, interest sparkling in his blue eyes before he wiped it off his face. Because I was glued to the chair, I was too slow to react on the intrusion, and when I glanced at the woman expecting fear or panic, I was surprised to see defiance in her jutted chin. She shrugged at me like she was saying, “The boy is a shifter, wo whoever this is asked for it.”
“I see you continue collecting strays.” Fenrir’s long legs ate up the space in three long strides that placed him too close to me for comfort.
“What can I say, I’m a lifeaterian?” It was too early for me to attempt to kick his ass out. “And they can hear you, you know. They are not deaf.”
“A what now?” The way he leaned forward made his rain and forest scent fill my nostrils and scramble my brain. Damn stupid Fae.
“Lifeaterian, like a humanitarian only in this case I collect strays.” He was watching me incredulously, debating if I’d lost my mind. Get in line buddy. “Why are you here, Fenrir?”
“I thought you’d be more inclined to talk this morning.”
“You thought wrong. Now get out.”
He opened his mouth but left it gaping when a rancid, acidic scent hit my face like a punch. My head snapped to the side where the boy was last standing, his old t-shirt and shorts crumpled in a pile on the floor. Very slowly, my eyes traveled to Fenrir’s feet. A young pup the size of a Pomeranian was tilted to the side on three legs, his fourth, hind leg in the air as he peed for all he was worth all over Fenrir’s boot and pants. I tried and miserably failed at keeping a straight face. Fenrir’s deep, pained groan only made me laugh harder, tears trickling down my cheeks that I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to.
“Oh, this made all the shit I’m dealing with when it comes to you worth it.” Gasping, I continued laughing in his face. “Don’t you dare touch him.”
Fenrir paused half crouched towards the pup as his gaze narrowed at me. Without a conscious thought, I was poised to strike at any moment, all my attention centered on his hands. Fae like him could manipulate reality, but their strongest weapons were their hands. With a twirl of a finger or a flick of his wrist, Fenrir could rip the lifeforce out of a mortal without breaking a sweat. Staying locked in a staring match with me, he squatted all the way down on the balls of his feet.
The pup bared his teeth at him.
“Why do you mark me young wolf?” After a long moment, Fenrir turned to the pup. “I am no threat to you.”
I wasn’t sure what surprised me more, the fact that Fenrir was watching the pup affectionately, or that the woman, who was waving a scalpel and protecting her child with her body yesterday, was standing unfazed as she watched one of the most dangerous predators trying to scratch the boy under his chin. In the end, it was neither. It was the little girl.
“You have pretty hair.” The young child inched closer to Fenrir, tentatively reaching her small fingers towards the platinum strands hanging over his shoulders.
“You think so?” Flashing her a grin, he tilted his head so she could touch him. My ovaries exploded and I had to clench my fists so I didn’t punch him. The jerk knew exactly what he was doing, the master manipulator that he was. “Is it okay?” He glanced at the woman, making her blush like a schoolgirl with a crush while she nodded her head a little too enthusiastically.
I glared at Fenrir.
“Take your children in the bedroom.” My harsh words snapped her out of her lustful thoughts and propelled her into action.
With a confused look plastered on her face, she snatched the pup along with the girl and darted down the hallway locking the door of the bedroom behind her. Fenrir was still crouched in front of me, while I was still coiled in preparation to snap his neck. We stayed like that, the tension between us thick enough to suck all the oxygen from the room. He was the first to break our stare.
“I have a proposition for you.”
“I’m not interested.”
“I’ll make sure the human and her children are safe if you work with me.”
My molars groaned from the force with which I grinded my teeth.
“I don’t care what they do from now on.” If the human saying was true, my pants would’ve been on fire at that moment. Fenrir gave me a knowing look that called me a liar as well.
There was seriously something wrong with me. I didn’t care about others … ever. I was perfectly happy being selfish. It kept me alive.
“You are still poking at Roberti’s operations. This house will not be safe for you, little less them soon enough.” He kept pushing, taking advantage of his sales pitch. “I’ll take them into hiding and no one will know where they are. They’ll live without you, but I’ll make sure you are always there when they need you. You have my word.”
“Your word means nothing, which we both know.” He flinched at that, and it made me feel better. It was petty, but I didn’t care.
“Should I ask Zoltan or Leo to come make a promise?” The hurt in his voice shouldn’t have bothered me.
“Ask Leo to come.” I made a decision at that moment that would probably bite me in the ass. “Now, or I don’t want to see you ever again.”
The lukewarm coffee tasted too bitter on my tongue while Fenrir made his calls. Staring at the fridge so I didn’t have to look at him, I sipped the brew while my mind raced. I couldn’t play babysitter to humansandhalf-bloods. The nightmares were getting too frequent, and they grew worse every time I put my head on the pillow. Something was coming for me, and the fewer people around me when it found me the better. Not for me. I had every intention to go down swinging if it came to that. I just didn’t want to add more guilt from innocent lives lost to my conscience.
