“I didn’t know they’d let barred people do that.”
I shrugged. “You’re a male lycanthrope, and I told them I was getting it for you. They don’t mind that. I just pay them for the vial, they give me a little card, and they put it in a prescription vial for me.” To add the weight of truth to my statement, I rummaged through my purse for one of the vials meant for me, which had my name in tiny print on the sticker declaring it a prescription dose. As the grade wouldn’t hurt anyone, I held it out for him to examine.
Wayne placed my driver’s license on the table and took the vial, one of his brows raising. “They really gave you prescription pixie dust. I’ve never seen something like this before.”
“I even have a little card valid for two weeks for it.” I grinned, as I planned to have at least one dose of my own damned dust before the party was over. “I haven’t had pixie dust since I was infected. They had me on a prescription while I recovered from the attack, but they stopped giving it to me because my virus developed too much. It’s a trial because of my good behavior, I guess. So, thank you for that.”
“Glad to help. This whole mess makes sense, though. You didn’t want anyone to know you’re a lycanthrope because you were attacked.” Something about his tone asked a question, and it occurred to me that ‘attacked’ could have several different meanings.
“I don’t remember much about it beyond I broke several teeth during the scuffle. It seems I bit the lycanthrope, but I don’t remember anything about that. All I know is that my attacker was a wolf. The CDC fixed my teeth at a shrink’s recommendation, as the last thing I needed was depression about my deformed mouth on top of my infection.” Sharing that unpleasant bit of my past would cost me later.
He had ammunition against me, and as soon as he figured out I’d goosed him, he’d likely use it.
“You bit your attacker so hard you broke your teeth?” Wayne laughed. “I fear I didn’t give myself long enough to convince you to leave that apartment, then. I’d given myself a year from the day of your third rejection to convince you to leave.”
“After the third time?” I lifted a brow at that. “Why not the first?”
“Everyone rejects on the first offer. The second they usually warm up to the idea and try to take me for something else, a concession to make it worth their while to move. Most asked for me to pay for the moving company, in case you’re curious. I automatically agreed to pay for the moving companies, as that’s a far cheaper resolution than holding out on them. You’re the only one to reject me three times. At that point, you became a challenge. I enjoy challenges.”
Oh boy. According to his tone, being challenged was the equivalent of successfully flirting with him. “Well, now you know why I rejected your offers to move me somewhere else. I needed a stable apartment.”
“And when you’re unwilling to share space with a pack because you don’t know who attacked you, you can’t afford a roommate, but you can’t afford to live without a roommate.”
“Right.”
“And, to make things more difficult for you, we wolves are affectionate creatures, so you’ve been fighting your virus the entire time you’ve been on your own, thus the generalized ban on pixie dust. Your virus needs the physical contact with others.”
Great. Wayne had me figured out. “Will that change your offer for the apartment?”
“Yes, but in ways beneficial to you.”
I sipped my coffee, swiped my license off the table, and returned it to my purse before waggling my fingers for my vial of pixie dust. “Gimme.”
He chuckled but obeyed, and I was careful to keep a good grip on the vial so my precious hit wouldn’t fall to the floor and break. It made it back into the safety of my purse along with the other vials I’d need to see the job through to its end.
I stood, shouldered the strap of my purse, and picked up my coffee. “I am not in the mood to sit around today. Let’s walk to my rust bucket of a car, and you can tell me about where I’ll park it should I go along with your offer.”
I couldn’t tell if the pixie dust, influencer, or his general inclination to get me to go with his scheme factored the most, but he got up, grabbed his coffee, and knocked the whole thing back while I gaped at his general inability to enjoy his coffee like a sane sentient. “I do tend to evaluate all the vehicles that’ll park in the garage. If it’s unacceptable for life in its pampered spot, I’ll offer you a bribe of an upgrade so I’m not thoroughly offended by its existence.”
“Wayne, I’m offended by its existence.” When I’d first gotten the junker, shame had followed in my wake, but I’d gotten used to being dirt poor. The stares still bothered me sometimes. Acceptance helped.
I could afford what I could afford, and that was that.
“Now I really need to see this vehicle.”
“Do you need to see it bad enough you’d be willing to go on a drive?”
“Are you going to take me to a secondary location?”
I chuckled, as I would be taking him to a secondary location, but he’d be so hopped up on pixie dust and influencer he wouldn’t care. “Absolutely.”
“Just return me by Monday morning.”
“You might have to settle for Wednesday.” Technically, I could return him on Tuesday morning, but Wednesday would do the job even better. “But you have to pretend you don’t like it, and upon your return, you have to complain how you were cruelly stolen.”
“Well, that will catch my secretary’s attention when I tell her I didn’t show up for work because a young woman decided to drag me off for the weekend.”
“Not just a young woman, an unmated lycanthrope female. Then your entire office building will assume you needed the extra days to recover.” I snorted, as nowhere in my plans involved caving to my virus’s demands of accepting any courting attempts.
