Page 10 of The Wolfing Hour

“People, I mean. And also things. Because some of the things demons care about can’t rightly be described as people.” She slowed for a four-way intersection. There was no one else around for miles, so she did a California stop and carried on through.

“He does seem to care about me,” I said. “He helped me find Ronan.”

“That’s right.”

It sounded reasonable enough to believe. But then, I was ready to believe anything, because the alternative was too horrifying to contemplate.

If my presence terrified a monster like Bloody Mary, what kind of monster did that makeme?

Chapter

Three

Chapter Three

“There’s something I’ve been wondering about. Why didn’t you smite the highway demon?”

Ida sat across from me at her kitchen table sipping coffee and picking at a freshly baked strawberry cream cheese Danish. We’d slept for a grand total of six hours and met at seven a.m. for coffee and to discuss the night’s events.

Not that I wanted to discuss them, but this was our habit after a job.

“Got another favor out of him.” I licked strawberry jam off my fingers.

“He tried to take that little girl’s soul,” she said.

“He also posed as Mictlantecuhtli and got some doofus rats to worship him. He got you to pick him up and talk to him. Neither of his plans worked in the end. He’s persuasive, but his follow-through is pathetic.”

“Seems like you keep threatening him, and he keeps ignoring you. A year ago, you wouldn’t have put up with that garbage.”

“A year ago, I wasn’t strong enough to banish him, much less smite him.” I finished the pastry and took my plate to the sink. “The truth is, he’s got just enough demon power to be useful and little enough brain power to be manipulated. Plus, with all the stuff going on with us right now, he might come in handy.”

“You mean Ronan’s father. Alpha Floyd.”

I nodded. “I’ve been tallying favors and making phone calls. I don’t know where the bastard is, but the second he shows up, I have to be ready to take him down.”

“Don’t you meanRonanhas to take him down?” she asked.

“Well, yeah. But I’ll be damned if he’s going to do it alone.” I refilled my mug with Ida’s delicious coffee and sat back down across from her.

“He has to do it alone, Betty. The pack won’t accept him if you help.”

“Only if they know I helped.” I smiled over the rim of my mug.

The eyebrows I’d penciled on her before we sat down to breakfast dipped down.

“I’m not talking about interfering in an alpha challenge, Ida. I’m talking about doing everything I can to keep Ronan safe so he’s alive to challenge Floyd.”

“I guess I can understand that. Just be careful.”

“I will.”

Ida gave me a commiserating smile. “His own father tried to kill him. Makes sense that he’d be worried about the people around him. Let the wolf handle it his way.”

I set the mug on the table and tented my hands around it. “He’s been taking more chances lately. I don’t like it.”

“Chances?”

“He’s gone back to work, for one thing.”