Louie whines, her tail thudding against the floor. Even Ezra’s eyes are wide with surprise when I glance at him across the room.
Great. So, no one knows what to do.
Without moving a muscle, Ezra whispers, “Aurora. It belongs to you. It will listen to you.”
Right. Of course. Part of an ancient shadow monster that has the power to destroy its host will listen to the pathetic human it just met.
I don’t care what Ezra says, this thing is terrifying.
But I have to try before it hurts Louie. So, I clear my throat, intending to sound commanding and in control but fail miserably.
“Uh. Hey. Dog-deer-thing? Can you, uh, not? Louie’s my friend. She’s got my back. So, um, maybe chill?”
Jesus fucking Christ. I sound like an idiot.
Ezra chuckles from the corner while Louie snickers from her place on the floor.
At least they’re having fun.
“Real convincing, Aurora,” the hellhound says with an eye roll and a bark of laughter.
But my embarrassment quickly turns to pride when the Cù Fèidh turns around with a high-pitched echoing whine and lays at my feet.
A smug smile tugs at my lips as I glare down at the submissive hellhound.
“You were saying?”
“Whatever,” Louie snarls, rolling onto her belly, then pushing up with a soft huff.
She hesitates, every inch of her posture screaming discomfort, then walks toward me and the monstrous dog waiting at my side.
Leaning down, I run my hands over the Cù Fèidh’s soft, shadowy fur. It feels kind of like petting a cloud—chilly and damp with a charge of electricity.
Behind me, Ezra swears, but I’m too wrapped up in this amazing creature to care about whatever is making him grumpy right now.
“Who’s a good shadow puppy?” I coo in my most embarrassing dog-parent voice.
The beast rolls onto its back and thumps its tail against my bare floor, making my tiny house shake. I tangle my fingers intothe soft fur on its belly because, seriously, only a monster could resist a dog asking for a belly rub.
While I’m still entranced by my additional protector, something wraps around my body, making me freeze. Whatever it is snakes around my waist, slides up my chest, then curls around the back of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.
Ezra’s voice follows, deep and disembodied, echoing through the air the same way it did this morning.
“I can feel your hands on my shadow, little lupine. No one has ever touched me like this before.Aue … hiahia tonu au.So much more.”
Heat blooms across my face, then slowly creeps across the rest of my body. Ezra chuckles, his shadows slipping away with palpable reluctance, just as Louie plops down beside me. She leans forward and sniffs at the shadowed dog. And even though her tail wags, every muscle in her body is tense.
“I suppose it doesn’t hurt to have one more creature protecting you. Things are about to get real fucking dangerous, real fucking fast.”
As much as I want to ask Louie what she means by that, I can’t stop staring at the beast lying at my feet.
It’s obviously still terrifying. But it listens. It obeys. And okay, fine, maybe that’s … kind of cool.
Louie huffs beside me, then slinks away to curl up in front of the fireplace. Only this time, she has her back to me.
Wait. Is the snarky, badass hellhound jealous?
If I was a total bitch, I’d tease her, but I need her more than I need Ezra and the Cù Fèidh. She has to know that.
