Switch rounded a corner, his circle beard a little thicker as it often was late at night. The man grew hair at the speed of a werewolf.
“What are you up to, Switcharoo?”
“Shep and I just finished a few games of pool.” He gloated, eyes shining as he leaned against the wall. “I kicked his ass. Three times. What are you up to?”
“Trouble,” I said, strolling toward him.
“Sounds about right.” He stripped off his shirt and fell into step beside me. “I’m about to let my wolf go out for a run. Nice night, lots of land, and a few rabbits to chase.”
“Did you hear about our visitor?”
“The dickhead with the tent?”
I smiled. “You should chasehimaround for a while. He’s trying to court Blue. I don’t know what he thinks he’ll accomplish by camping out in the woods outside our house.”
“Nietzsche said: There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”
“How did you get to be so smart?”
“I read a lot of books.”
“I don’t remember that in my high school classes.”
Switch swung the shirt around. “News flash—you don’t need school to expand your knowledge. Most Shifters don’t go to human schools—not unless they want to. All you need is a good teacher and a lot of books. Look around, Raven. You’re surrounded by books. You have libraries in this place, and I bet there are more in some of these closed-off rooms.”
“I’m too busy hunting killers to catch up on philosophy.”
“Well, if you ever need a teacher…”
“I know a thing or two about a thing or two.” I approached the stairs that led up to my floor, and Switch lingered by the ones that went down. “I bought Crush a dog today.”
Switch frowned and rested his arm on the stone railing. “Why would you do that?”
“Because he needs a companion and protector. Don’t judge. It’s not like I bought him a Shifter.”
Switch draped his T-shirt over his broad shoulder. “A pet isn’t a good look for him.”
“As Crush would say: I’m all out of fucks to give. He works his ass off every day, then he goes home and sits in his chair all night. Alone. I got a dog that would protect him, but I also wanted to give him something he could love. Something that could love him back.”
“So you got him a dog out of guilt.”
I gripped the railing and sighed. “He probably gave it away by now. He knows how the packs feel about pets—especially dogs. Despite everything that happened after I left home and disappeared, he stayed clean. He didn’t have to. Crush isn’t the type to settle down, so maybe I just want to see him happy.”
Switch rested his arm on the other balustrade. “Heishappy. You’re back in his life. Maybe you can’t see him all the time, but that’s part of growing up and leaving the pack. Or in your case, home. You can’t feel guilty because he chose to live alone. Some people enjoy the life that others pity them for.”
I sat down on the step and removed my boots. “I know he likes his routine, but you know Crush. He’s always been a big teddy bear.”
Switch belted out a laugh. “More like a grizzly.”
“I don’t mean to everyone else, but to me.” I stood with my boots in hand. “I love him. I just want someone else to love him too, even if itisa mangy old dog.” After a quiet beat, I settled my eyes on the large owl and clock tattooed on his left arm. My father told me that ink has a personal meaning for everyone, and sometimes a painful one, so I didn’t go around asking people about it. As far back as I could remember, Switch had that tattoo. Maybe he liked the idea of something wise on his arm. Teaching seemed to be in his blood.
He gave me a pensive look, as if he wanted to tell me things. “I need to find Hunter. I told Shepherd I’d round him up for bed.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You guys just let him wander around by himself?”
“Hell no. Gem took him exploring. God knows where the hell they are, so I’m gonna let my wolf sniff them out. Gem’s a sweet girl, but she’s a little awkward around kids. He might have snuck away from her.”
I didn’t bring up Gem’s business. She’d been robbed of a childhood and had lived as a slave. In many ways, she was childlike herself. I noticed how uncomfortable she became when Hunter was upset. I’d seen her that way once with an infant. Through no fault of her own, she lacked the skills to know how to comfort a child and make them feel safe. Their distress made her panic, and her attempts were ineffectual.
