Page 76 of Grace of a Wolf 1
I nod and slip her credit card into my pocket. The first time she handed it to me, I'd stared at the plastic rectangle like it mightburn my fingers. Now it feels normal, even as guilt gnaws at me for using a stranger's money.
The automatic doors slide open with a mechanical hiss, cool air-conditioned comfort wrapping around me as I step inside. The cashier barely glances up from her magazine—another blessing of human society. No nostrils flaring to catch my scent, no scowls when they see I don't belong. Even Lyre, with her rainbow hair, wouldn't get a second look.
It's so…anonymous. I love it.
But I need to find a job soon. Lyre's generosity has limits, even if she hasn't mentioned them. Strange how someone who seems so detached can be so thoughtful—letting me use her card, teaching me how to dye my hair, taking me in without asking for anything in return.
If angel shifters existed, she'd probably be one.
There's a giant fast food restaurant taking up a third of the building. Several truckers are already scattered around, and there's a mom with a toddler in the back corner.
So wholesome. So human.
The only thing polluting this pristine bastion of human society is Andrew, five steps behind me. He pulled into the gas station right after us, of course.
My mouth waters as I scan the illuminated menu board. "Two bacon cheeseburgers, large fries, and..." I pause, remembering her aversion to pickles. "And make sure there's no pickles on either."
The hair on my neck rises as I pass Lyre's card over. Andrew's glowering, like he always does, but who knows what's triggered him this time. We haven't exchanged a word since I told him I wasn't going back to Rafe; I'm trying to pretend he doesn't exist. Hopefully he'll get bored and leave once we get to Yellowstone and settle in.
The sensation of being stalked is not pleasant, but I'm getting used to it.
Who am I kidding? It's weird and sucks.
There's only one place I'm free, and I turn take the card and receipt and walk as casually as I can to the bathroom. It's always good to visit one when we stop anyway, but it's also the one place Andrew won't follow me.
The women's bathroom smells vaguely of vomit, urine, and some sort of orange-scented cleaner. Not pleasant, but at least Andrew's eyeballs aren't drilling into the back of my head.
It doesn't take long to do what needs to be done, and I keep the water running for a while as I stand in front of the mirror, toying with my blonde hair. It's going to take forever to get used to, but I think I like it.
Lyre says my skin tone seems to be more cool than neutral and my blonde is a little too warm, but I don't really get it. In theory, I understand her words and the concept of warm and cool undertones. In practice? My skin just looks like skin to me…
Oh, damn. I've been staring at myself in the mirror too long. Our food's probably ready by now.
Sighing, I push open the bathroom door, only to jump back when I nearly collide with a solid chest.
Andrew stands directly in front of the door, arms crossed as he frowns down at me. "I was about to check on you."
Nope. This is the final straw.
"Are you seriously waiting outside the women's bathroom?" I hiss, glancing around to make sure no one's watching.
They aren't. Everyone's involved in their own lives, and nobody cares about what's happening in this tiny little corridor.
His frown remains on his face. "I'm just making sure you're safe."
"In the women's bathroom?"
"You could have been unconscious."
"Jesus, Andrew." Covering my face with my hands in an attempt to keep myself from screaming in frustration, I count my breaths. He remains silent as I breathe in deep. One. Two. Five. Ten times. "You can't follow me into the women's bathroom."
"I wouldn't have stayed—"
Dropping my hands, I snap, "That's not the point!"
His mouth clicks shut, before he finally mutters, "I was just worried."
Somehow, despite him being the one in the wrong, I'm the one who feels guilty. "Just—stay away from me. Go back to Rafe and live your life. Stop following me around."
