“She wasn’t going to hurt me,” I tell him as I reach out to place my hand along his muzzle and he nuzzles into me, softly growling. I giggle as I realize it’s his version of purring. It’s a smaller version of the deep one he had earlier. “You were probably just scared waking up here alone, huh?” I ask, and he rubs up against me.
I spend a few more minutes petting him as he calms down before I slip out of the cage and call Taffy back into the room. She rushes over to me and looks me over in shock. “How did you get away?” she asks warily, still looking over at the Stag as he paws at the ground, small sparks of lightning shoot from his hoof.
“I explained you weren’t trying to hurt me. I think he was just being protective of me when you came in since I helped him,” I shrug. Hell if I knew why. Taffy gives him a cautious look as she leads me back to the Wolf Hawk and we fix his leg in the cast.
When we finish, I pull out my phone and send off a quick text to Moni.
Spitfire:Just letting u know that I’m @ the pet enclosure helping out. Didn’t want u 2 worry.
Bestie:OMG. I just saw the time. Where have u been?
Spitfire:Scroll up Moni. ??
Bestie:Oh! ???? But yay! Way to spend time with babies. They will get you ready for when you have your own litter!
Spitfire:Um. I don’t think that’s how it works for me, but thanks?
Bestie:It is. Just be wary of them heimliching your uterus. It’s a thing.
Rolling my eyes, I reply back with a heart emoji before pocketing my phone.
“So what are the hours here?” I wonder, trying to figure out when I can come and spend time outside the dorm.
Taffy laughs as she grabs up the trash and motions for me to follow. “Rez, you have full access. While I was making the cast, I keyed you into the building so you can come whenever you want. The only thing I ask is that you don’t mess around with the meds. Now, if you need to simply clean them or bandage their wounds, then please feel free to do so. I know I will appreciate the help and so will they.”
I’m an emotional mess as she is giving me a way to feel useful again. It’s not the same being without Lynx, but I feel like I have a purpose now. “Thank you,” I choke out.
“You’re welcome. Now, I need to head out to a meeting, but stay as long as you want. And if you feel up to it, those babies need to be moved to the enclosure and into some paddocks so they have room to move. But don’t feel obligated. I can do it before I go home tonight.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I tell her as she smiles and waves goodbye.
ChapterTwenty-One
BASIC INSTINCT
Knox
Ineed an outlet! Busting through the double doors leading out to the medical building, I start walking with a purpose. The coil of unease in my soul will not settle down for anything. I’m chalking it up to the whole mess of shit, take your pick. The shitstorm with Rez, Lilith’s essence, or how about the fact that my pseudo mother is fucking possessed? I didn’t even know that was a thing!
To make things worse, our fathers are a complete mess. Mayor Abernathy has completely shut down. You could take your pick of bars each night and find him sitting at one, drinking or gambling the night away. Now, he’s either in his office or by Lilith’s side. I didn’t even know they were that close. Dr. Steinbeck has always been glued to Lilith’s side. When I was younger, I thought it was just a crush, but after her possession, it all makes sense that he’s madly in love with her.
Matthew has always been easy to read. Every emotion he feels, shows on his face for the world to see. The worry and concern he feels for Lilith is proudly displayed. He’s working closely with other mages and a few representatives from Hell on trying to cure her. From what I’ve understood, there’s a prophecy about Lilith and he’s trying to track down the information that will lead to better results.
The biggest change has been my father. The totally badass that would rather kill you than ask for forgiveness or say he’s sorry, stays by her side every night. I had tried to stop by her room one night to see how she’s doing and peeked in just to see him holding her hand while she was under sedation and he was crying.Crying.I didn’t stay for fear of punishment, but I’ve never seen that side of him.
So with all of that going on, no wonder I’m all over the place and my animals are not helping, being on edge. My wolf has been pacing inside of me, yet doesn’t want to offer up any assistance as to why. The thought of shifting into my gryphon and flying doesn’t appeal to either one of us either.
Fuck!
Since I already hit the gym early this morning, and it isn’t safe for me to be around a big group of people in this state, the only option I have left is the menagerie. No, not that type; they originally were a safe haven for animals that needed to seek shelter before returning back to the wild. Earth, from the books I’ve read, now use them for personal wealth. The thought of it makes me fucking sick.
Perverted bastards.
What is going on with me? It hasn’t helped just chilling in the dorm room since Zeke has been moping around. I’ve tried to cheer him up, but he’s heartbroken over Rez and I can’t blame him. From what I’ve gathered, they were pretty close from the very start and now it’s like he’s going cold turkey off of a drug. His words, not mine.
I’ve been itching to get close to her since we had our moment on the beach, but of course, Emer had to ruin that shit. Just when I feel like I take a step forward, I find myself slipping back ten feet. Shaking my head in frustration, I focus back on the menagerie that comes into view. Thankfully, Taffy trusted me enough to have keyed me in eons ago. I think the fact I have the ability to communicate with all types of animals helped with that decision.
Flinging open the doors, I find it unattended. The receptionist desk off to the left is unmanned and the computer locked up tight. That’s normal though since it’s usually run during the week by Taffy and volunteers. What’s unusual is the faint voice I hear drifting down the hall.
