each other similarly. But then, animals didn't have things like friends. They had other animals they cohabited with, but they didn't go out drinking together. They formed strong bonds that helped them survive. The concept of a friend was so foreign I'd tried explaining it to a raccoon once, and he'd backed away slowly and never came back.
I nodded and kept my face buried.
"He is." Faust answered his pack brother's question. "I believe Dog and Storri are already great friends."
He sounded jealous. Was that because Dog was paying attention to me? I stiffened. If Faust was resentful toward me, I definitely didn't want to stay near him. I felt safe cocooned against his chest now, but what about when that changed?
I unwound my arms and lifted my face from the crook of his shoulder, swallowing the anxiety moving away from him stirred.
"You want your own seat?" Faust let me slide off awkwardly into the space beside him.
I wasn't in his lap, but with Dog on my other side next to the door, I was still wedged between them. Dog put his front legs on my lap and balanced his muzzle on my shoulder in much the same way I'd done to Faust.
I whispered in Dog's ear, "Is it still safe?"
Faust inhaled sharply but softly.
Dog's warm tongue licked my ear. You are always safe with him.
His confidence acted like a bucket of ice water on my burning anxiety. He was sure I was safe, and unlike a human, Dog had no reason to lie. Animals were honest in general. A few could be sneaky when it came to food, but for the most part, if they were hungry and wanted to eat you, they'd say as much.
The vehicle slowed, but my stomach took an extra half second to catch up. I held onto Dog and breathed slowly. If Faust was mad at me now, he'd be much angrier if I threw up on him.
"Diesel just turned down the driveway to our home," Faust explained. "There, we'll get you something to eat and a change of clothes. We live in an old hotel with our pack, Dog, Diesel, and I. You'll meet the others in a little bit, but you will be safe with them as well."
I nodded sharply so he knew I'd heard him but kept my gaze down. Until I knew his stance on eye contact, I didn't want to risk it.
"You can ask Dog if you don't believe me."
I did, quietly, and Faust let out a breathy laugh.
The rest of the pack is safe too, Dog said. The curly one makes many noises but is harmless.
"The curly one?" I wondered aloud.
Faust laughed again, a little louder. If he was laughing, he wasn't too angry. "Jazz takes some getting used to, but I think you two will have a lot in common."
I didn't see that happening, but I wasn't about to say as much. I carded my fingers through Dog's hair. The stiff bristles brushing my skin let me feel like I could still breathe.
"You know Knox is going to want to interrogate him," Diesel said.
Knox must've been another pack brother or maybe their leader. I drew my shoulders inward and down. It was harder to breathe this way, but I felt better making myself smaller. The vehicle bumped over the uneven road, and I bounced against Faust and Dog like a pinball. Both of them were too rigid to move, which kept me from making too much of an idiot of myself as I flailed about. I'd never been athletic, but I'd noticed my body becoming even weaker with each day in my prison. Confined to a ten foot by ten foot space hadn't left much room for exercise. And I'd lived in fear of shaking the tower. It had always been rickety.
"We're here, Storri. Hotel Royal Paynes." Faust announced our arrival with an excited burble.
Was he that happy to be home? Or happy to show me his home? Why wasn't I more excited? I'd imagined my rescue so many times. Fantasizing the ways I would regain my freedom used to be my favorite evening time ritual, until I couldn't force myself to lie anymore.
I'd given up on ever seeing the outside world long before Faust had come. I'd been sending notes out for years with no sign of whether someone had ever received one and no reason to believe the future would be any different.
"I'll tell the others," Diesel rumbled from the front seat. His door opened, and