Page 81 of Triumph of the Wolf
“That’s a shame,” Duncan said as we walked outside after Lykos, the rest of our group trailing us. “It’s always more romantic to be nude as a couple instead of alone.”
“I’ve not noticed that being nude alone ever bothers you.”
“Oh, I’m notbothered. Certainly not. But I do enjoy the experience more when I’m with you.”
“And your hand is on my boob?” I murmured.
“Naturally.”
Lykos glanced back at us, and I remembered his keen ears would have no trouble catching murmurs. Fortunately, Duncan refrained from flirting or commenting on nudity for the rest of the walk. In the gardens, on the far side of the building from where we’d originally arrived, an arch-shaped glowing portal waited for us. Thank the moon. I was more than ready to leave this place.
EPILOGUE
The endof the week brought an unseasonably warm sunny day, one that made me think of spring. As I finished repairs to the siding on one of the buildings and headed for the leasing office, I looked around, spotting all the perennials that would bloom and thinking wistfully of how much I enjoyed that time of year at Sylvan Serenity.
A few tenants using one of the barbecue grills on the grounds waved to me, the smoky smells of charcoal-cooked hamburgers and kebabs drifting to my nose. My two ghost hunters were with the group, none of their paranormal-sensing equipment in view. I supposed they wouldn’t employ it during the middle of the day, but I hoped its absence meant that they’d retired from that hobby. These past few nights, I hadn’t noticed them lurking in the parking lot. Maybe their encounter with irate business owners with tire irons had convinced them it wasn’t the healthiest of pastimes.
Before I reached the leasing office, a car pulling into one of the staff spots made me pause and raise my eyebrows, waiting to see if the person turned around and left. If not, I would have to shoo him or her off with acerbic comments. Duncan wassupposed to come by later, and I’d left that spot open for him, no longer threatening to tow him for loitering in my parking lot. We’d been through a lot, and I wanted him here.
My hand strayed to my abdomen. It had only been a couple of days since the showdown with Abrams—and my night in the cave with Duncan—so it was too soon for pregnancy tests and doctor visits, but thanks to the magic that I could sense within our kind, I knew. Barring complications, I would once again become a mother. And Duncan would become a father. Hopefully, his resolution with Lykos would make him more comfortable with the idea that he could handle that. I had no doubt that he could. Besides, what kid wouldn’tlovelearning to magnet fish and pull rusty treasures from the bottoms of lakes?
When the driver turned off the car and got out, I lowered my hand in surprise. It was Cameron.
Immediately, I peered through the windshield toward the passenger seat, expecting Chad to be with him. That wasn’t the Toyota my ex-husband had been driving around earlier in the week, but maybe they’d switched rental cars.
Cameron hesitated, then lifted his hand in a tentative greeting.
I returned it in kind and headed over, unsure whether to be wary or hopeful. When last we’d met… he’d seen me turn into a wolf and attack his father. And Duncan, as a great and powerful bipedfuris, had scared him and taken the wolf-lidded case that Chad had tried to get Cameron to run off with. Thatcouldn’thave left Cameron feeling warmly inclined toward wolves. Or… toward me.
Even so, something about his expression and the fact that he was here alone made me hopeful.
“Hi, Mom.” Cameron lingered near the car as I approached.
I stopped a few paces back, as if he were a skittish wild animal that I didn’t want to scare away. “Hi.”
“Is the, uh, scary one around?” Cameron peered at the myriad cars in the lot. Looking for Duncan’s Roadtrek?
“Is that Duncan? Or me in my other… incarnation?” I touched my chest.
“The shaggy beast that was eight feet tall and slavering as he leaped into my path and snatched your purse from me.”
“I just call him Duncan.”
“Killerwould be more apt.”
“I can see if he’s up for that, but he picked Duncan for his name, so I think he’s partial to it.”
More partial than he’d been to Abrams’s choice ofDrakon—dragon—anyway.
Cameron considered me. “You weren’tunscary, but I guess I was more ready for that after what Aussie said. At first, I didn’t believe any of that story, but then I talked to Dad, and I guess… well, he’d always known, it sounded like.”
“Yes.”
“He said Aussie and I probably don’t have any cool powers or anything though.” Cameron looked sad about that, and I thought of Ivan, who’d possibly been driven to acquire his fortune out of a desire for artifacts that could grant him the power that his little sister had, however temporarily.
“Sorry. Being a werewolf comes with a lot of downsides too. You’re better off being normal, I suppose.” I didn’t know if he would agree, so I shrugged. “I always wanted that for you. Normalcy.”
Cameron shrugged back. “Anyway, that’s not what I came about. I wanted to let you know that Dad took off after, you know.” He waved vaguely in the direction of Monroe. “He said he’s not messing with you ever again or taking any job offers in Seattle, and the hell with werewolves too. He’s going to leave the country again.”
