Wolves at the Door - Lidiya Foxglove Page 0,37
standing on a ladder scraping and scraping.
“I really wish I could help you with that,” he said.
“Me too.”
“Are you feeling cross, my angel?”
“No, I just—” I pulled the mask around my neck. “I’m freaking out. It’s Billie’s house but my money is on the line. More importantly, your life is on the line, right? And the whole magical world? And I have no idea what we’re doing. We haven’t found your body. We haven’t found Deveraux’s diaries. There are monster-killing swans in the backyard. We’re not working as a team. And we’re running behind. Oh, and Billie might sacrifice herself for the cause, but I’m not even sure what the cause is! I just have to trust you that it’s a good idea.”
“And do you trust me?” He walked up to the bottom of the ladder. His beautiful eyes were about level with my ass but instead they swiveled up to my sweaty brow and flyaway strands of hair. He smiled, and I could tell the sight of me made him happy. I wasn’t used to anyone looking at me like that. “Do you trust that whatever happens, I would never want to hurt you? That I believe in your strength?”
I swallowed. “I want to, Byron.”
But who are you? I thought.
“You need to learn to work as a team,” he said. “It will serve you well.”
“I’m trying to work as a team! I work well with Jake and Jasper. But I never asked for Billie to buy the house.”
“I didn’t expect her either, but…is she useful? Yes.”
“Is she, though?”
“Have you ever met a faery?” Byron asked.
“I mean…yes. I’ve met a faery.”
“You don’t know what faeries like in a house,” he said.
“Neither does she!”
“But you must admit you’re trying to take control of the house.”
“You’re not winning any points here, buddy,” I grumbled. I turned back to my work, scraping with all my might.
“I’m not trying to win points,” he said. “I’m trying to save this hot ass.” He gave my jeans a little slap. “Teamwork helps for flipping houses and going into battle. And if you trust me—as I pray you do—your battles aren’t over. But you will win them. And then you’ll have what you really want.”
“I don’t really want anything!”
“Oh? Well. I guess I read you wrongly, angel.” He stepped back into the wall as the door creaked open.
Chapter Seventeen
Jasper
My leg was killing me and my face was a grimace of frustration, but I tried my damnedest to hide it when I saw Helena working hard on the walls.
She caught it anyway. “Jasper? You okay?” Her boots thumped down the ladder rungs.
“It’s nothing.” I shook my head. “I’m just pissed off. I was so useless in that fight. Jake’s worried about me, wanting to take it easy, and I don’t have the time or the interest in taking it easy.”
“He has a point,” she said. “You don’t want to hinder the healing process. Have you been sleeping with a poultice? Taking a bone tonic?”
“Yeah. It just takes time. That fucking guy snapped my leg in half, if you remember.”
“I definitely…remember.” She bit her lip. “I could never forget.”
“I don’t want you to feel bad about it,” I said, feeling I’d sent her down the wrong track. “You defended us. We don’t forget that sort of thing. And you saved me today, too. I’m just annoyed that I need any saving.”
“You helped me with my broken ankle before,” she said. “So…we’re even, that’s all.”
She was looking up at me with troubled eyes, like she had something on her mind. Her cheeks were flushed, her shirt sticking to her skin with the sweat of her labors. Her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, blonde strands flying everywhere and specks of dust and paint sticking to her arms and cheeks.
I’d never seen anyone so beautiful as this girl. She wasn’t as magazine perfect as many witches, and I knew why—she never used any illusion to make herself look more perfect. To me, that just made her more perfect. More real.
“Is this job starting to get to you?” I asked.
“Get to me? What? Why would it?”
“Well…” I put my hands in my pockets, although what I really wanted to do was slip my arms around her, feel her warmth, lick the sweat and grime right off her like the beast I was. “I don’t know what we’re doing, exactly, but to me and Jake, this is personal. Werewolves have been treated badly forever. If I have a chance to take back