I cleared my throat. “Yeah. Yes.” I nibbled on my thumbnail. “I’ve just…never seen that before. Ever.”
He shrugged. “Perfectly normal for a wolf.”
Not where I’m from it’s not. I controlled myself. You’re not at home, things are different here, just go with it.
“So that’s it?” I asked.
“No, there are more things. That’s just one of the easiest.”
The teeth, I thought. I’d noticed his abnormally sharp canines pretty early on. I guessed if he didn’t go around grinning at anyone or they were too stupid to tell the difference…
“Marianne knew you were a wolf,” I said, taking a few steps away from him and then continuing forward toward the town Wolf claimed was ahead of us. “So I was just worried others might be able pick you out too.”
Wolf frowned. “She knew? I never showed her.”
I just shrugged again. “You must have done something, babe, because she knew.”
He didn’t look at all pleased with that information, falling deep into thought as we traveled.
Soon I was able to hear the sounds of a village. The hustle and bustle of a marketplace, people calling out the goodness and benefits of their wares, haggling prices, shouting at the occasional person that they’d touched it, now they had to buy it. Animals brayed, trinkets jingled, and in a few more minutes we emerged from the forest edge to a long line of buildings made of wood with thatched roofs. Many of the buildings had people in front of them with carts piled high with goods. Vendors shouted at passersby in the street, holding out necklaces, live birds with vibrant plumage, or foreign fruit or squash. Far down the street there were more houses, but I suspected those were living quarters, and down here was the business district.
Wolf nestled his chin on my shoulder and inhaled. I started, but didn’t shift away. Act normal, I told myself, though I wasn’t entirely sure what normal was.
“Markets always smell so good,” he said. “All the fresh meats just cut or still clucking or crying, so juicy and tender.”
“Get a hold of yourself before you start drooling on me.” I patted his cheek and he took that as a sign to slip his hands around my waist. My mind skipped back to our kiss in the cave and I had to stamp down the tiny thrill that tried to flutter around. Now was not the time for that sort of thing. And why was I even thinking that anyway?
“So where are the slave traders at?” I gazed around the market. No one seemed to be selling people—at least not outright anyway. If they didn’t want to be seen, they’d have to do it undercover. Was there some kind of code? “Come buy a fresh, young kid!” when kid actually meant a person and not a baby goat?
“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” Wolf whispered, his breath tickling my ear. Excitement gleamed in his eyes. He flipped open his jacket and plucked out a small leather bag. It jingled when he shook it. “I have plenty of money here to get you something nice.”
“I want to find Marianne,” I told him, my voice stern.
He rolled his head around and half-growled, but put the moneybag away. We slowly walked down the street, merchants calling out to us, waving around their wares. More than once I had to smack Wolf on the shoulder to get him to focus. He didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he looked rather pleased that I was touching him. We finally stopped at a large tent, striped in worn orange and yellow. A cart driven by a pair of oxen sat behind it. I spotted a single chain running along the planks in the cart. One man, tall and burly, stood at the entrance to the tent. He looked like he could be the genie inside the magic lamp with his elaborately decorated vest, piercings along his mouth, eyes, and ears, baggy pants with a bit of shine to them, and his arms folded over his chest. He was like a bouncer and a genie all rolled up into one. I turned to Wolf and pretended to adjust his coat.
“Is that them?” I asked quietly.
“It is indeed.”
“So how do we get in there?”
“Easy. We ask.”
Chapter 5
I made a noise of protest, but he’d already slipped from my grasp and sauntered up to the man, who was as least a foot taller than him.