Page 90 of The Howl
Hurt flitted across his features.
“You didn’t mean it, though,” he said.
“Yes, I did. I was that angry.”
His wings wilted a little with defeat.
“Can I come see you some time?”
“How about I come see you? It’ll be safer that way.”
He nodded sadly and turned toward the old couple. I didn’t feel a twinge of sorrow as they led him away. Only relief.
“Still want to be worshipped?” Fenris asked when we were alone.
“Shut up, and get in the car,” I said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
He got into the passenger seat and grinned at me as I buckled. I knew he found the whole thing amusing. I didn’t. It was my life, and Piepen had nearly destroyed it.
I knew the thought wasn’t entirely fair as soon as I had it. Piepen, alone, wasn’t responsible for my out of control spiral. The adults in my life had a fair share of blame with all their meddling, too. Although, without their meddling, I probably wouldn’t have started talking to Fenris and would still be stuck with Piepen.
Glancing at Fenris’s bare chest, I tried to decide which of the two creatures would have been the safer option.
“Where are the rest of your clothes? I’ll drop you off there.”
“My clothes are in the Quills’ garden. But I’d rather you drop me off at the cabin. You can bring the clothes to school tomorrow, or I can swing by afterward to pick them up.”
My fingers tightened on the steering wheel at the idea of him stripping down to almost nothing so close to the Quills’ house.
“Thank you for your help,” I said, trying to control the direction of my thoughts. “I don’t think I could have survived another day with Piepen.”
Fenris chuckled.
“For such a small guy, he had a lot of feeling. My nose was close to bleeding.”
“Brownies live intense little lives. How did you find Marshal and Madeline?”
He grinned.
“I sat in the parking lot and howled until someone came to talk to me.”
“The power of annoyance.”
“I prefer to call it persistence. Did your night go better after I left you?”
“Not really. My mom stayed up until 3 a.m., having an orgy two doors down from mine. I didn't get much sleep. And no doubt, she'll probably be awake by the time I get home and will have some new way to torture me ready. Got any ideas for how to get rid of her?”
“Not really. But you're welcome to hang out at the cabin with me for a while.”
I sighed.
“I'm looking for more of a permanent solution.”
He considered me for a moment.
“I can smell your exhaustion. Just under three hours of sleep isn’t enough. Take a nap at the cabin. Things might look better afterward.”
