And I said, “So, this is a thing.”
Gordo snorted behind me.
“I don’t think I’m dreaming,” I said.
“You’re not,” Gordo said.
“Okay. You have shiny arms because you’re a wizard.” I didn’t look away from the wolf, who huffed again, like I’d said something funny.
“Witch,” Gordo said. “And I don’t have shiny arms.”
“That’s a lie,” I muttered. “You’re like your own flashlight.”
“This is what you’re focusing on? You find out the Bennetts are werewolves and you think about my shiny arms?”
“Werewolves,” I breathed. “That’s… whoa.”
The wolf shook his head, almost as if he was amused.
“Jesus Christ,” Gordo muttered. “Thomas, get the rest of your mutts over here to do your ass sniffing. I’ll make sure everything is still holding.”
Thomas growled low in his throat. His eyes went red again.
“Yeah, yeah. Your Alpha shit doesn’t work on me. I could fry the hair off your ass in a heartbeat. You dog dick.”
He pushed past us and his tattoos shimmered up and down his arms.
I looked back up at Thomas. “I…” didn’t know what to say.
He looked over his shoulder and rumbled deep in his chest. There was a loud yip and then two smaller wolves bounded over, one slightly bigger than the other. They rubbed themselves all over me, their heads butting against my chest and head. The bigger one was a dark gray with little flecks of black and white on his hind legs. The smaller one had similar coloring, but his white and black splotches started on his face and went back to his shoulders.
Their eyes flashed bright orange as their tongues dragged along my skin.
“Gross,” I said mildly.
They laughed. Not out loud, but they laughed and the familiarity caused me to ache.
“Carter,” I said. “Kelly.” I sounded just stupid with awe.
They laughed at me again and bounded around me, hopping like they were puppies. They nipped at my clothes and fingers and I wasn’t dreaming.
I touched their backs and moonlight filtered through my fingers onto their skin. They were happy. Somehow, I knew they were happy. I could feel it in my head and chest and it was so bright.
I looked back to Thomas and saw a large brown wolf sat at his right side, watching me closely. He wasn’t anywhere near as big as Thomas, but his eyes kept lighting up like Halloween, all fiery and warm. He huffed at me, and I saw the curve of a secret smile.
I said, “
Mark.”
He leaned over and rumbled in the back of his throat, his nose drifting along my face, tongue trailing.
“So licking is something you do,” I told them. “You’re going to be embarrassed later. I’m not going to lick you right now.” I paused, considering. “Or probably at all.”
None of them seemed to care. I didn’t know if they understood me. I didn’t even know if this was real.
Gordo came back, and his tattoos had quieted down. They were still illuminated, but they didn’t seem to shift as before. He was pale, and his eyes looked sunken in their sockets.
He looked up at Thomas and said, “It won’t take. He can’t attach himself to any of you. His tether won’t affix.” Then his voice grew hard. Accusing. “And I think you knew that before.”