Ghost (The Halloween Boys #1) (23)
He raised an eyebrow, about to object, when I slid into my car. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Where are you going?”
I gripped the steering wheel, feeling the magnetic pull before I even uttered the words.
“Cat.”
CHAPTER 9
Blythe
RUNNING WITH THE WOLVES
There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.
George Carlin
Crickets chirping and children laughing drew me from my deep slumber. When was the last time I slept so soundly? I sat up with a stretch and my fingers brushed the wooden ceiling. Confusion rattled through me as I took in my surroundings. This wasn’t my bed. The dark gray sheets weren’t mine and . . . Was I elevated? I looked over the edge of the small banister to a wooden ladder. I could see the entire space from up here. It was small, maybe even smaller than my basement living situation, but cozy and warm. A small kitchenette sat on the farthest wall, and a petite loveseat was in the middle of the room. The ceiling of the main area was just two giant skylights, letting in the purple tinted hue of . . . What time was it? Where the hell was I? The last thing I remembered was support group. My panic attack . . . Oh my god. A knock on the door made me jolt, and I quickly climbed down the ladder, fruitlessly trying to fix my hair on my descent. Why, I don’t know. Wolf walked in with a warm smile. “Morning, sunshine.”
“Where—”
He must have sensed my rising panic because his amusement faded quickly into something much more tender. He rested two heavy palms on my shoulders. I didn’t flinch from the contact. “Everything’s alright. You passed out back at the church. We weren’t sure where you lived so we brought you here. It’s about seven-thirty.”
“At night?” I screeched? “Jeez, I slept a long time. I’m sorry—”
“Hey, nothing to apologize for. My home is your home.”
“You live here?” I looked around at the miniature dwelling. Wolf encompassed the space with his massive form. It made sense why the ceilings needed to be so high.
He smiled, and it was dazzling white. I noticed his canines were prominently pronounced. “Not here, in this house specifically, but in the commune, yes.”
“Commune?”
He gently took my elbow. “Come see.” Wolf was a very touch-feely guy from what I could see. But I didn’t mind it. It was comforting, actually. In fact, everything about Wolf seemed comforting, warm, and safe. He helped me down the steep, two cinderblock steps into the grass and gestured in a wide circle. “Welcome to Fenrir Point.” He beamed. It took me a moment to make sense of what I was seeing. There were dozens of tiny houses scattered throughout a large, wooded plot of land, though it didn’t look like any trees had been cleared. All the homes were simply positioned between and next to mighty oaks and bright-red maples. Orange and yellow leaves coated much of the ground. In the center blazed a giant fire, where women sat chatting and bouncing babies on their knees. Several men were knocking away with hammers, building decks and nailing in shutters on various homes. The smokey aroma of wood and coal tickled my nose and reminded me I was starving.
“This is amazing,” I breathed, already feeling the love pulsating from this little community. “Are these all family or friends?”
“Can’t they be both?” He winked. Just then, two children burst forward, screaming. I jumped back as a little red-haired boy launched himself at Wolf. Wolf fell over with a flourish. “Whoa, sneak attack!” he announced before grabbing at the boys’ ribs. The child giggled and fought back.
Then a little girl with bejeweled braids jumped onto his back, hanging on by his thick neck. “I got you this time!” She cackled.
Wolf flipped her upside down and stood, somehow holding each child by their ankles. The kids laughed and wiggled. I couldn’t resist my own giggle that erupted at the sight of it all. “You little wildlings need to mind your manners. We have a guest. This is Blythe.” He grinned, sitting them down softly. They straightened, still echoing with residual hilarity.
“Hi, Blythe. I’m Lem, and this is my brother Leif. We like attacking Wolf.” The little girl grinned a toothy smile.
I laughed. “I can see that. I’m sure he deserves it.” Wolf gave me a mock shocked expression before I continued. “Are you two excited for Halloween?”
“Oh yeah, we are! Gonna get all the candy in all the land!” Leif announced. “Nice to meet you, Blythe,” he yelled, already chasing his sister across the field.
Wolf put a friendly arm around my shoulder. “Come on, B, let’s feed you. We got campfire specials tonight. Hotdogs, burgers, steaks, chicken . . . pretty much any meat you can think of, to be honest.”
My stomach rumbled in gratitude, but I didn’t want to impose. “Oh, I shouldn’t stay. I’ve already taken up enough of your time—”
“Nonsense, any friend of mine or Ames is family here at Fenrir. I’m gonna make you a huge plate, so I hope you’re hungry.” He paused a moment as we walked toward the fire. I actually kind of liked the feeling of his arm wrapped around my shoulder, though I knew it was a brotherly sort of touch. It was nice all the same. “You’re not . . . ,” he whispered, “vegetarian, are you?”