“He likes water!” Virgil argued before disappearing down the back hall.
“Why do you call him Taz?” I asked.
Archer lowered his head and laughed. “When he shifts, he does it with pizzazz. Haven’t you ever seen the cartoon with the Tasmanian Devil that spins around?”
I shook my head. “I’ve never watched cartoons.”
“Never?”
I crossed the empty floor. “My father put on musicals. I liked singing along with them.”
As I drew closer, I admired the tattoo on Archer’s neck. It wrapped all the way around, and I had a strange desire to trace my fingers along the thorny path. Standing there, I realized how little I knew about him. He had the stature of a man who might have stood at the front of a battlefield centuries ago. A fit body, perfect posture, strong features. Yet his missing limb suggested he’d survived a battle of his own.
We passed through the archway into a recessed area connected to the back hall. The right side had a wall that closed it off from the back hallway, and there was so much room to add more things. To the left were chairs and a small table, and I imagined curling up in them and reading a book. “This is nice. You’ve got so much room. Around every corner is another place to escape.”
He turned right and tapped his finger on a corner door. “This is Tak and Hope’s room. Down there is where Montana, Robyn, and Lucian sleep.”
I peered around the right corner at the long hall. “Together?”
He chuckled. “I’m sure that’s what it probably feels like to Lucian. He’s got that Chitah nose and all. Sometimes I wonder how the hell he can smell anything over the onions he eats.” Archer led me back to the kitchen.
Bear peered at us through the entrance and then disappeared. When we reached the kitchen, he presented me with a pie. “I made this for you.”
I marveled at the intricate detail of leaves and the precise edging of the golden-brown crust.
“It’s apple,” he said proudly.
“A whole pie?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Meanwhile, the voice in my head cheered:A whole pie! Just for me!
Despite his beard, I could see his lips pressed in a tight grin as he offered me the dessert. “I wanted to thank you for helping us that night with Mercy.”
“Milly did all the saving.”
His eyebrows slanted. “Mercy would have died if you hadn’t stopped.”
“I love apple.”
Bear chuckled. “I know. Archer dropped a hint. I’ll put it in a bag for you to take back. Do you have plates and foil?”
I nodded. The heat house kitchenette had all the basics, but I wasn’t certain that I would need any plates. I might devour that pie with nothing but a fork. “Could I trouble you for a few napkins?”
“You bet. I’ll be back in a wink.”
“Take your time,” Archer said. “She’ll pick it up after the tour. This way, my lady.” He escorted me to the staircase.
“I’ve already seen upstairs.”
He leaned against the wall and gave me a panty-dropping smile. “Do you want the official tour or not?”
How could I say no to that?
Once at the top, I thought how odd it seemed with a window on the left and a short hall on the right. “Why did he build it like this?”
“Because a pack needs a lot of rooms. They’re not big, but the separate hallways help with privacy. People aren’t always walking by your door unless they have a room in your hall. We also put as much soundproofing between the rooms as possible.”
