"The werewolves are not forced to shift under the full moon, though they do enjoy going for a run in the moonlight. And they do not, in general appreciate go fetch jokes."
Faith's eyes grew huge just a heartbeat before she laughed again. Aldric was pleased that he could bring her joy back. It had been a long enough day for her, she deserved to relax slightly, and if that meant he had to poke a little fun at himself and his friends, then so be it.
“And it is also quite difficult for me to find a good dentist," he said, dryly, and Faith giggled.
"I can only imagine. Oh my god. Do you get cavities in your fangs? That has to be the worst! I suppose if you feed off too many people right after Halloween it could be a real problem."
"Indeed. Brushing and flossing is a nightmare."
She laughed again, and reached up to wipe tears from her eyes, which shone with good humor, even in the darkness of the truck. He grinned, his own heart lighter and he slowed the truck as they came through the last of the trees on the drive. Faith looked up and gasped.
"Holy crap, that's the clan house?" Her voice was hushed as she gaped at the building. It was lit up artfully, subtle architectural lighting brushing across the rustic textures and highlighting the details. Outside the guest rooms, the lighting was more subdued, provided primarily by twinkling fairy lights strung along the railings, mostly to provide a bit of guidance and safety to those who were out and about after dark.
"It's beautiful," Faith said. "I wasn't paying any attention when we left. I was just so worried about talking to the police that I didn't even look."
"I am glad you like our home. We don't all live here, obviously. Marc and Jake and I do, and Tamika stays here so often that I tease her about breaking her lease in town. We have some clanmates who stay frequently, since it is easier for them to shift here and run in the woods than it is in the middle of an urban area. We own about six thousand acres of the wilderness here and try to keep it as wild as possible. Our private property butts up against the state park, and sometimes my shifter clanmates will run all the way up to the mountain. They sometimes stay here when they return, to rest from their long run and re-acclimate to their two legs."
"That sounds amazing," Faith said, gazing up at the building.
"I imagine it can be. I do not have the same needs, but I do enjoy the woods when I go out to hunt deer. It is a good place," Aldric said. He reached up and hit a button and one of the garage doors started to glide open. "I need to talk to Marc and Tamika about this dead vampire, and I think we both want to lay eyes on the children. And we also need dinner."
Faith nodded, then added with a grin. "Maybe Marc made garlic bread after all?"
11
Faith sat on the edge of her bed and glanced around the room. It was a nice space, but not as warm as Aldric's room somehow. But, now that she was awake and recovered from her magic use, she couldn't justify kicking him out of his own bed. The guest rooms were lovely, decorated in muted neutrals and slightly bland in the way that nice hotel rooms were, but...
She shivered, and crawled under the comforter. She had availed herself of a long soak in the bath after dinner, but couldn't seem to get warm. Where was Crissy? Was she safe and hiding somewhere? Had she seen those rogue werewolves? Was she less lucky and somehow gotten hurt? Was she lost? Had those asshole rogues caught her? Why? Why would they be after them in the first place?
Faith's breath caught in her throat and she rolled over, trying to push down the panic that was building in her stomach. That just brought up the image of the dead vampire instead of the image of the monster attacks.
Aldric had tried to shield her from the sight, but she saw anyway. It had been horrible. Bloody and nearly unrecognizable from the gouges where claws had raked down his body. What was left of his throat... Faith clamped her lips together and tried to calm her stomach.
She sighed and rolled over again. The lamplight fell gently over the pale green comforter and the curtains that were covered in swirling, looping lines in another green, almost as pale as the bedding, against a soft ivory background. It was nice, but her mind conjured the memory of the dark blue curtains down the hall.
Not even twenty-four hours ago she had been snuggled into her bed at the cabin, listening to Crissy giggle at some dumb book she had picked up at the grocery store in town. She was always doing things like that, then saying that life was too short not to read fun stuff.
Now Faith was curled in a bed in a house full of people straight out of a fantasy movie, eating venison-based pasta sauce and discussing whether it was one group or two separate groups rampaging through their territory and maybe kidnapping women.
The dead guy was definitely not killed by a rogue werewolf, after all.
Aldric had taken Marc aside at one point, to tell him privately about Faith's family. She had agreed that since Marc was the clan's leader and was responsible for the safety of almost three hundred people, including children– not to mention the unaware and innocent humans that could get caught up in something by sheer unknowing accident– that he should have all the facts necessary.
Marc had come back to the dining table and patted her shoulder as he walked past her, and not said a word.
So. Now she was tossing
