“Not when I’m not trying to sense you.”
“Oh. Oops,” Kit said, smirking to himself.
Mabel began snuffling at Kit’s jeans. Quin murmured a few words of warning to her, but she wasn’t only getting a goodsniff of Kit’s crotch. For a reason Kit wasn’t ready to interrogate, he’d gone online and ordered several types of dog treats after meeting Mabel the other night. It had cost a ridiculous amount of money, not only because he’d chosen the high-quality eco-friendly options, but also because he’d paid extra for next-day delivery, something he normally refused to do on principle. Mabel, he reasoned, deserved only the best.
“Sorry,” Quin said, grimacing. “She’s not usually so insistent.”
Kit pulled out the little packet of treats he’d brought. “I think she smells these.”
Quin’s eyes lit up. “You bought those for her?”
“They were on offer,” Kit lied. They had very muchnotbeen on offer.
“That’s lovely of you, Kit.”
Kit didn’t meet Quin’s gaze. The last thing he needed was to have to deal with sappy sentiment like that. Instead, he opened the packet and held a treat in his hand for Mabel. She snapped it up, and Kit couldn’t help but let a smile spread over his face at her obvious delight. Even if it was solely because he was feeding her, it was still nice to be wanted.
“So, how’ve you been?” Quin asked. He would come across to most people as casual, but Kit heard how his heartbeat sped up.
“You should get your cardiovascular fitness checked out,” Kit said, in lieu of an answer.
“My…what?”
“Your heartbeat speeds up at random intervals. Might be something a doctor should look at. If that’s the sort of thing a werewolf can do.” Kit busied himself with feeding Mabel another treat, as opposed to watching Quin’s reaction. He didn’t need to see it. Quin’s sharp inhale and his ever-increasing heartbeat thudded in Kit’s ears, confirming that his comment had landed.
“Oh,” Quin said, flummoxed. “I suppose I’ll have to get the pack doctor to take a look the next time I’m in Wales. Bit easier werewolf to werewolf, y’know?”
Kit nodded like he understood, though he knew nothing of werewolf physiology, and what might set them apart from humans when not wearing their animal skin. “Why did you move so far from home?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
“Fancied a change of scenery,” Quin said.
Kit sensed something more to the story. He, of all people, was aware when someone dodged the truth. “Is it much different?” he asked. He couldn’t quite tell why he wanted to know, or why he wanted to keep Quin talking. He supposed it was better to be on the front foot than the back, however.
“Well, the pack lands are across a massive forested area in North Wales. We own a lot of farmland, too. Raise livestock, that sort of thing.” Quin sounded fond when he spoke of his home.
“Are there any other werewolves around here?”
Quin shook his head. “Just me in the area. We congregate in one place and stick there. What about vampires?”
“There’s the St Andrews vampire nest,” Kit said, not hiding his disdain. “They’re the closest.”
“But you don’t want to live with them?”
“Absolutely not. They have orgies every bloody night. I’m no prude, but that’s a few too many orgies.”
Quin nodded, a wry smile forming on his lips. “One a week at most, I’d say.”
“Oh, don’t pretend that wolf packs aren’t like that,” Kit accused. “I bet you’re all a bunch of horndogs.”
“For the last time, I’m not adog. I’m barely even a wolf.”
“Can you shift into one now?” Kit asked.
“Only throughout the fullest phase of the moon. Three days where we change into our beasts at night and can’t choose otherwise.”
Kit hummed. He was more of an animal than Quin, if you took everything into account. “That’s a bit of a useless power then, isn’t it?” he said, then winced at his lack of tact.
“It’s not a power. It’s a curse,” Quin stated. He didn’t sound annoyed, even though he would have every right to.
