When we finally got ourselves together, he looked at me with a soft expression and asked, “You know you can always talk to me, right?”
“I know. And the same goes for you.”
“I’m gonna take a dip in the pool. Want to join?”
Cyrus was one of the main reasons I’d insisted on having a saltwater pool. Krakens could spend time out of water, but he needed a place to swim and replenish his saltwater stores.
“Nah. I’m good.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then.” He tipped his head and started to turn away before he whipped back around. “Oh, and let me know if your suit needs alterations. I’m happy to help.”
That was the thing with krakens. They had exceptionally long lifespans, giving them plenty of time to pursue hobbies. In his seven hundred years, there wasn’t much Cyrus hadn’t tried and mastered.
“Thanks, Cy.”
He waved with one of his tentacles and scuttled out the door.
I’d work for a few hours tomorrow getting the tax paperwork together for my accountant, make sure Chai was good to work the front desk, then attend the wedding later in the evening.
But first, I was going to go home and try on my suit.
Three
Tegan
My bingo arms shook fromoverexertion. Yes, that’s right—bingo arms. You know, the kind all the old bats at bingo night have when they’re waving their dabbers around. Yep. At thirty, I had a set of those bad boys.
“Steady, steady. Just a little bit closer,” I said. I’m sure I looked ridiculous, talking to myself as I struggled to load the largest tier of the wedding cake into the back of my SUV.
After yesterday, I should have known Selene was going to call out sick. I was glad she wasn’t spreading her germs all over the place, but carrying the biggest tier of the cake was proving to be a real challenge.
I was so close to having the cake safely in the back of the SUV that I could almost taste the sweet, sweet flavor of victory—when disaster struck. The muscles in my right arm cramped and I gritted my teeth in agony. It felt as if time slowed. The box slid from my grip and toppled to the ground, sending hunks of red velvet coated in thick, rich cream cheese icing all over the sidewalk.
Splat.
“No, no, no,” I groaned as I rubbed my arm, trying to work out the knot.
I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. The defining cake of my career was splattered all over the ground. Luckily for me, it was the bottom tier, and I had the backup sheet cake—but it was still an embarrassing mistake. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes as my knees hit the pavement. My lip quivered as I piled pieces of cake back into what remained of the box.
As I wiped away a tear, a giant shadow blocked out the sun. A pair of large furred feet, complete with sharp black claws, appeared in my line of sight. I looked up slowly, taking in the wall of dark gray fur standing in front of me. He was solid muscle, strong calves and thighs topped with a stomach that I’m sure had a six-pack his shirt was hiding. My eyes continued upward, over his broad chest and thick neck to his face. His muzzle was long and pointed, the fur deepening to a dark black that matched the color of his canine snout. Briar Glenn was home to a lot of monsters, but he was the first wolven I’d seen around.
Did he just move here?
Is he visiting?
I would have definitely noticed him…
The corners of his muzzle curled up in a kind smile and his ears twitched as he looked down at me. “It looks like you’re having a bad day. Can I give you a hand?” he asked in a deep, rumbling voice.
“That—that would be great,” I sniffled. Any other cake and I would have refused, but this was a two-person job.
His body swayed back and forth slightly, a fluffy mass of gray and black popping out from one side and then the other.
A tail.
He was wagging his tail at me.
My lips twitched, fighting back a smile, because it was just so damn cute.
