Cody’s situation is different. He’s been a werewolf all his life, but self-discovery isn’t the purview of fledgling vampires alone. Werewolves have the same meager lifespan as humans. It’s rare to truly learn one’s nature in so few years.
Hot breath skates over Simon’s fingers. Cody smells him gently, then pushes his massive snout into Simon’s palm. His nose might have been cold to a human, but it’s warm against Simon’s undead skin.
“Crazy, out-of-control werewolf,” Simonmurmurs. “Right.”
Cody nuzzles the inside of Simon’s wrist, pushing back the sweater sleeve. The gesture is intimate and strange. Like Cody is getting to know Simon in an entirely new way.
Simon inhales, another little luxury, and feels drunk on the wilderness.
Then his phone buzzes.
Cody flinches, ears pinned. Repressing his own startled reaction, Simon grabs his cell. “Don’t move. Despite what Kimiko says, phone calls aren’t scary.”
The screen shows a recently added contact—Tobias Atwood. Simon answers. “About time.”
Tobias’s voice is urgent. “Stay wherever you are and close the door. Cody got out, and I need to track him down.” His words echo, audible both directly and over the phone. Tobias is nearby.
“I’m aware,” Simon says, relieved Tobias is all right even as he resents the interruption. “We’re both in Cody’s guest room, and everything’s—”
A curse on the other end, and footsteps slap rapid-fire up the hall.
“—fine,” Simon concludes, as Tobias skids into the doorway.
Cody’s shoulders rise, bristling. Simon hangs up the call.
“My apologies, Mr. Caley,” Tobias pants, eyes darting wildly between vampire and werewolf. A gun gleams in his hand. “I’ll get my employee out of your hair. Cody, get your furry ass over here!”
Simon’s shoulders loosen. Some humans get confused, but Tobias still addresses Cody as a person, not an animal.
Then Simon tenses again at Cody’s snarl.
“Shit,” Tobias mutters. He looks frazzled and exhausted, but his voice turns calm. “Come on, Cody, same protocol as usual. Don’t bother the client.”
Cody moves between them, caging Simon beside the bed. Close enough that Simon would have to squeeze past his shoulder to leave the bedroom.
“We might need a change in protocol,” Simon says, moving slowly. No surprises, just a tentative scritch behind Cody’s ear. A firmer scritch, when Cody’s bristling fur settles.
“Be careful,” Tobias warns.
Simon continues rubbing behind Cody’s ear, fingers lost in the thick pelt. “Has Cody ever hurt a principal? Or anyone?”
“Never,” Tobias answers. “But he always warns me not to let my guard down. If he can’t control the shift, he can’t control himself. That’s what he says, anyway. Fuck.”
“Maybe he doesn’t need to control himself,” Simon muses. “What happened tonight?”
Tobias winces. “I take full responsibility for this incident, Mr. Caley. I fell asleep.”
Of course. Those shadowed eyes. A delayed flight. Mentions of a pregnant wife at home. Simon’s lips twist in amusement. A poisoned vampire, an out-of-control werewolf, and a sleep-deprived human. There isn’t a stable person in the house.
Though Simon feels more stable with Cody edging closer, fur brushing Simon’s jeans. His body heat radiates like a furnace, and Simon is certain of one thing. Cody doesn’t like intruders any more than Simon does.
“No harm done, as long as you stop calling me Mr. Caley.” Simon’s smile deepens as Tobias stares likehe’s gone mad. Maybe he has. “Now, take a deep breath—humans still do that, right?”
All right, that was unfair. Little vampire jokes tend to freak humans out.
Simon stops smiling, because smiling seems to be scary. And the more nervous Tobias gets, the more Cody’s fur bristles. “I’ll take over dog-sitting duties,” Simon continues. “You should sleep, or pace around the house or something. Probably sleep.”
“Mr.—” Tobias catches himself. “I can’t do that. Speaking as a professional, and as Cody’s friend.”
