Page 107 of Wolf Cursed
Crater laughed and clapped Kai hard on the back. “She’s quick; I like her.”
Kai glared at him.
“Relax, I meant as a friend,” Crater added.
I hid a smile. It was funny, watching a guy like that back down to Kai.
Crater looked at me. “If you’re here to visit your car, there’s not much left of her, I’m afraid.”
“My car? Oh, right. You’re the one who towed it into town for me. Thanks again for that.”
“No thanks needed. I didn’t get much for the scrap metal, but Oscar said he’d pass it along.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Well, I’ll leave you alone to give her the grand tour,” Crater told Kai.
“You sure?” Kai asked. “You could join us. Give her the full experience.”
“Nah. I’m headed out. Hunting trip.” His eyes flicked to me, and I had a feeling his hunting wouldn’t be done in human form. “Just lock up when you’re done.”
“Will do,” Kai told him. “Thanks.”
“Nice to meet you,” Crater called to me. He waved as he walked to the vintage Chevy and got in. I watched him start it up, surprised to see the thing ran.
“Well, I guess we have the place to ourselves,” Kai said as Crater drove off.
I grinned at him. “See? Romantic after all.”
“Obviously.”
“Are you going to show me around or what? I want the full experience.”
I winked, a little shocked at myself. But Kai’s answering grin made it worth it.
“Babe,” he said, leaning in and brushing his lips over mine. “I promise that’s exactly what you’re going to get.”
I shivered, and he leaned away again, grabbing my hand and tugging me along. “Come on. I’ll show you where the magic happens.”
I laughed and let him lead me into a junkyard.
Thirty minutes later, I’d visited “motorcycle mountain, V-8 Valley, and pickup parkway,” as each section was apparently named. We’d even spotted what was left of my car which made me emotional in a way I hadn’t expected. But Kai was there, knowingly taking my hand and squeezing it in silent comfort. It meant a lot more than I knew how to put into words.
“I never knew junkyards were so organized,” I said as we sat inside Crater’s small trailer of an office.
Kai held out a bottle of water he snagged from the fridge.
“It wasn’t always,” he said. “I think I came up with the different names when I was like ten. And then Crater just indulged me.”
I stared at him incredulously. “You mean he just…moved everything around to accommodate?”
“Yeah, basically.”
I shook my head. “Why do I picture him just picking up entire cars and tossing them into their corresponding piles?”
He snorted. “Yeah, the guy’s a beast. But relax, there’s a crane out back. I mean, we’re wolf shifters, not Superman.”
“I was always partial to Spiderman anyway,” I said. “Must be the animal lover in me.”
