219 Grace: Crash and Restart
219 Grace: Crash and Restart
And I’m still holding the cat by its scruff, which just makes everything really awkward. So I set it down, watching as it immediately stretches and resumes its previous position as if I hadn’t just been interrogating it.
“Ah.” The old Lycan only lets go of me only once my butt meets seat, and takes three steps back as he clasps his hands behind his back. “Miss Harper and the four shifter children she has with her are to be treated with utmost respect. The children have been acknowledged by our High Alpha as his own, and Miss Harper is…” His lips quirk a little, with an almost imperceptible pause. “…not his mate.” 2
Hah.
I narrow my eyes, not buying the act for a second. “I know you aren’t a dog. Spill.”
Which is a lie, because there’s no way I would have entrusted myself into the car of some weirdo who stared at me with, such disdain earlier this morning.
This time, the pause is very obvious before he adds calmly, “He was very clear that you are not his mate, Miss Harper. Please don’t worry.”
I scan the laundromat absently, going still when I see Sadie once again sniffing in the corner and the cat sleeping on the same washer it was before.
“I know you can understand me,” I announce, keeping my voice flat so it doesn’t betray my annoyance. “What the hell are you?”
7
“I have yet to bind myself to the new alpha,” Andrew retorts, completely unfazed by the fact he’s going up against a Lycan as a lowly beta–tier wolf. Even alphas bow their heads before the lowest–ranking Lycan, and this one follows Caine around like a lapdog. “If we’re getting technical, I’m more a part of the Lycan Pack than Blue Mountain, as my only loyalty is to our one and only High Alpha.”
Andrew’s lips keep twitching like he wants to laugh and is desperately trying to hold it back, and it takes everything in me not to glare at him.
Fine. Another five minutes, then I’ll try wracking my brain to figure it out.
Neither seems particularly disturbed by the fact Caeriel was just here.
219 Grace Crash and Restart
“I’m sorry?” I ask, not sure I heard him right.
He clears his throat. “That’s my question.”
But she doesn’t seem out to hurt me.
Sorry, is that my problem…? But I don’t quite have the bravery levels required to say it out loud. The man’s intimidating, with his weathered, scarred face. And, while I have about ninety–seven percent faith Andrew will try to protect me if he comes after me like the crazy one from earlier, I have about ten percent faith he’d win.
Mm, yes, this is going swimmingly. Both men are here to keep me safe and yet they’re at odds. We should be united against the common enemy, but first I have to work on not also being the enemy.
So I say, “Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. I’m sorry, had I known, I would have waited.” With all the math mathed out, I’m pretty sure my best bet is to not get on this guy’s nerves. So I give a slightly confused smile instead.
He snorts. “I have eyes, kid.”
“Um… What exactly did he say?”
I glance at Andrew, who shakes his head at me like I’m supposed to understand what he’s trying to say.
He places his hands on my shoulders, gently manhandling me into a hard–shelled plastic chair. There isn’t even an intimidating squeeze or glare to keep me in line, but my entire body goes stiff anyway.
What the hell, what the hell, what the hell. Caeriel said they were gone giving reports, but now they’re back in the exact same positions they were the last time I looked at them?
Shaking the cat a little and trying not to feel like an animal abuser does little to bring forward movement to my interrogation.
Staring at it isn’t going to help me decode it any faster, though, so I shove my phone i my pocket, resolving to wait for ten minutes to see if some sort of update gets pushed through the app.
Convincing as hell, but we all know better now, don’t we?
219 Grace: Crash and Restart
Fine. Let’s rip the mask of these fake pets and start over.
Creep Meter has maxed, Grace Harper.exe needs to restart, this is getting too fucking weird.
But the contents are… strange.
The way he looks at me is more curious than condescending, though his lip curls a little when he looks me over. Whatever his judgment is, I don’t seem to have a passing score–as expected. But he’s calm and polite, even subservient, with his words.
“I’m sorry?” the Lycan asks, so very courteous even though I know he finds me lacking. It’s weird.
(Fine. It was funnier in my head.)
So I just stare at him blankly instead.
My phone buzzes in my hand, the screen lighting up with a notification. Well, would you look at that. The mission he promised has finally materialized.
I didn’t think I’d miss Caeriel, but now I do. Maybe he’d explain what the fuck this means. It looks like some sort of error in the code instead of a proper mission.
“I’m warning you, if either of you bring trouble to me or the kids…”
Whatever she is, she’s holding onto her secrets hard.
My eyebrows twitch with irritation, but mostly I’m just grateful the creepy reaper vanished. One second he’s all looming/condescension, the next–poof. Supernatural beings must get off on dramatic exits.
The door jingles to accompany an old man’s voice, and Andrew piles into the laundromat behind him, saying, “Grace, it looks like the king sent one of his lackeys to watch over you.”
The dog tilts her head, one ear flopping over in what has to be a calculated move of cuteness. I’m not falling for it.
If you could emoticon in real life, I’d definitely have question marks above my head. Alas, you can’t.
“You’re a Blue Mountain pup,” the Lycan tells Andrew coldly. “You can leave. Miss
**** 219 Grace: Crash and Restart
Harper is under the protection of the Lycan Pack”
“Ugh!” I shove her off, wiping dog slobber from my check. “Gross.” Even worse knowing she isn’t really a dog.
The Lycan’s acting like I just berated him, and he even looks a little pleased by it, with his cold eyes warming just a little, with faint crinkles at the ends.
My back stiffens, but I desperately keep the faint, welcoming smile on my face. “Can I help you?”
The old Lycan turns to frown at Andrew, who squares his shoulders and stares back. They both block the door rudely, though it isn’t like anyone’s queued outside to barge in behind them.
I made the decision to become Caeriel’s bootlicker to survive; may as well do the same with the weird Lycans Caine chooses to keep me… questionably safe.
“Miss Harper, I’m here to help with anything,” he stresses calmly. “Please have a seat. Which machine is yours?”
The golden retriever’s head whips around at the sound of my voice. She abandons her sniffing expedition immediately, her entire demeanor transforming into quintessential dog joy. Her tail wags so hard her butt swings with it. Big brown eyes lock onto mine with what appears to be pure, innocent adoration.
Meanwhile…
Sadie’s response is to crank the excited puppy routine to eleven. Her entire body wiggles with enthusiastic tail–wagging before launching at me, her front paws landing on my shoulders as she tries to lick my face with sloppy devotion.
Once we’re alone, the interrogation begins anew.
No; I’m probably overthinking it. He’s probably offended but trying his best to act.
The old Lycan appears stumped as his mouth opens and closes a few times. Finally, he shoves Andrew aside and snaps at him to know his place as he stomps in my direction.
So helpful.
Whatever. The point is, this new guy isn’t nearly as open–minded as Super Nanny, and I stiffen a little as he looks me over, like he’s judging me in his head. Then he barks, “I
219 Grace: Crash and Restart
was trying to find you so you didn’t have to walk here.”
“Come on. I already know you disappeared to send in a report. What are you? Who are you reporting to?”
Sadie might not be willing to spill her secrets, but there’s always the cat.
I march across the worn linoleum floor toward Sadie, arms crossed over my chest. The golden retriever continues her intense investigation of whatever fascinating smell she’s found.
Just you wait.
“Caine. What did he tell you?”
“Oh…” I say faintly, wondering how everything’s gone so terribly wrong.
“I don’t require anything—”
What the hell.
Eyes on my new prey, I stalk across the laundromat to grab it by its scruff. It’s too heavy to dangle in the air, so I just lift its front half off the washer to ask harshly, “Whatever you are, take your true form and explain it to me.”
“I already found her,” Andrew points out.
But maybe I’ll try to clip its claws first.
And he’s gone.
After checking my phone, where a new mission has not appeared despite Caeriel saying it did, I glance up…
The cat yawns, showing needle–like white teeth, then blinks big blue eyes at me like I’m stupid.
He rolls his shoulders back. “My apologies, Miss Harper. I am here to help you in any capacity you require.”
[ASSIGNED MISSION: 20–L.fnd–dgID.0039]
Sadie lands on all fours, looking supremely pleased with herself. Her tail continues its metronome–like sweep. If dogs could smile, she’d be grinning from ear to floppy ear.
219 Grace: Crash and Restart
Sadie barks from behind me, and I can feel her butt–wagging joy even without looking.
I was impressed by my own bootlicking, but now I realize I should be taking lessons from the master.
The cat just half–dangles there in my grip, purring as it continues to stare at me with innocent blue eyes.
I look at the old man suspiciously; he’s one of the Lycans who came to the camper with Caine, too. He didn’t seem as friendly as Raymond–no. Rodney? Fuck. He’d just corrected me on his name twice, and I’ve already forgotten it.
“Miss Grace Harper, there you are!”
I check my phone again, examining the new mission notification, but it’s as glitched out as it was a few minutes ago.
What’s with these Lycans and their sudden about–faces in how they treat me?
“Fine. Play dumb.” I wipe my hands on my jeans. “But I’m onto you.”
66
ANNOUNCEMENT:
We need to name the cat.
