It was a little surprising that he was willing to leave me out here on my own given how clingy he’d been tonight. I guess that showed how much confidence he had in the realm guardian’s capabilities.
Though, from how often Alches came and went, I wasn’t sure that confidence was warranted.
I waited until Connor was inside before glowering at the shadow-hound. “What are you doing here?”
Not that I wasn’t happy Alches was the one who’d jumped out of those shadows. Of all the things that could have been waiting for me, he was the least scary.
You’d think after all this time I would be less likely to go running into danger. That I’d learn that discretion was sometimes the better part of valor.
But no.
Rather than answer me, Alches flopped onto his back. Tentacles unfurled from where they’d been hidden in his jowls, waving in the air as he gave me an upside-down doggie grin.
He wiggled, asking for pets.
I caved like the pushover I was, squatting to rub his belly. “When grandfather said the protector of his realm had adopted me, I thought there would be actual protecting going on.”
Instead, my protector was MIA more often than he was present. He also didn’t seem overly interested in any actual guarding.
Alches huffed, dislodging my hand as he flipped onto his feet to give me a repressive look.
I reached out to scratch behind his ear. “Are you trying to tell me you have your reasons?”
Alches’s eyelids slid closed as a tentacle wrapped around my wrist to give it a gentle squeeze that felt as reassuring as a hug.
Unable to resist, I dropped a kiss on his snout. “Alright, I’ll trust you.”
At least until he gave me reason not to.
It probably helped that he had adopted the form of a canine. I’d always wanted a dog but had never been able to have one with my lifestyle. My apartment had been too small and my hours too odd to be a responsible pet owner.
Unless I’d gotten a cat.
“You’re cute. I’ll give you that.”
Terrifying in an adorable sort of way.
Alches chuffed in agreement.
I laughed, rubbing his head. “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with you.”
He leaned into my touch, his expression saying “Keep me. What else?”
I gave him one last pat and rose.
Alches mouth closed, his expression alert as his ears tilted forward.
“Aileeeeennn,” someone crooned from behind me. “Little baby vampire. Precious infant bloodsucker.”
They were gone by the time I whirled to confront them. A feather drifted down, giving me a clue as to where they went.
I twisted to look up at the bar’s roof, unsurprised to find a quintet of harpies perched on it. They grinned down at me as their sister landed beside them.
“You’re late, baby vampire,” the woman in the middle sang.
“So people keep telling me.”
Alches’s claws clicked over the concrete as we moved closer, stopping a short distance from where they sat.
