Page 65 of Triumph of the Wolf
Seeking a way to lift his curse had been my primary motivator in infiltrating that laboratory.
“You say that like it’s a reason to decline reward money. Luna, if you want to get rich in this world, you can’t turn down money that’s granted to you in a rightful manner.”
“It seems wrong to take money from some wealthy guy, especially when his sister was kidnapped on the grounds of the apartment complex I manage.”
“That’sherfault for being furry, surly, and all over your grounds.”
I shook my head. Maybe he wouldn’t understand. I probably wasn’t articulating myself well.
“I don’t want toget rich,” I decided on as my counter.
“That’s fine, but if you want to retire comfortably and not have to worry about having a roof over your head in your old age, then you can’t turn down money.”
That was… a legitimate argument. Maybe he was right.
“Did I mention that Ivan has seen me naked and suggested we hook up?”
“No.” Duncan frowned at me.
“That means it would be extra weird to take his money. I wouldn’t want him thinking… Well, he seems like an okay guy, but you know.” I shrugged. “Weird.”
Duncan took the exit for downtown Seattle, slowing for a red light before we’d gone far.
“You should take the money,” he said, “and then show him a photo of us together, ideally with me looking sexy and irresistible and you gazing adoringly and lustfully at me.”
“Ew,” came a faint utterance from Bolin.
And here I’d thought he’d been too busy worrying about Jasmine to pay attention to our conversation.
“I don’t have a photo like that,” I told Duncan.
“No? How have we failed to properly document our burgeoning relationship, respect, and passion for each other?”
“It’s a mystery,” I said.
Duncan withdrew his phone, leaned toward me, stuck his arm out, and tapped selfie mode.
I rolled my eyes. He took a photo.
“Perfect.” He glanced at it, tucking his phone away when the light turned. “I’ll text it to you so you can send it along.”
“I’m certain neither adoration nor lust was signaled by my expression.”
“You’re clearly unaware that you ooze those emotions in my direction all the time. Like pheromones.”
That prompted anotherewand also a sigh from the back.
Duncan turned onto a tight street with so many cars parked on either side that the van struggled to make it through. He slowed, and we peered down an alley lined by dumpsters and trash cans, with weeds growing up through cracks in the pavement.
“If this is the address, it looks… underwhelming.” He looked at his phone’s GPS map.
“I just gave you a starting spot. The location the vision suggested didn’t have an address associated with it. Like I said, it didn’t look like anyplace that actually exists in the city. I’m hoping we’re close, though, and Bolin can lead us from here. Or wherever you can find parking.” I waved vaguely.
“Okay.” Duncan drove down a few more packed blocks before parking in front of a fire hydrant, apparently not worried about the ticket police wandering through. “You’re up, kid.”
“Kid?” Bolin protested.
“You sighed and saidewtwice as we discussed romance,” I said. “Kidmay be the right term.”
