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“Are you ready, mate?” he asked, holding his arm out, elbow crooked so I could slide mine through it.
“Yup.” I slid my arm through his, preparing to parade myself around like a trophy. I could survive a few hours of showing off. I’d be fine.
“You look nice,” he said softly. “I hope you’re hungry.”
A normal person would say yes, or where are we going, or sure. Not me. Before I could stop myself, with a flattering smile on my face, I responded with, “Thanks. You too.”
My eyes widened, and my cheeks flushed again. Caius’s nostrils flared slightly, his pupils dilating.
“Hungry for a little side action,” Clara muttered, looking away with a wry smile.
I groaned and Clara snorted.
“That’s not what I meant,” I mumbled, having a hard time making eye contact with him. “I meant you look nice too.”
Giving me the thumbs up, she mouthed, “Get you some.”
Could I survive a few hours without making unintended sexual innuendos? I wasn’t sure.
Maybe just kill me now.
The kennels where Caius’s dogs were housed were nicer than the houses in The Crossroads.
It was set up similar to horse stables, but grander and more opulent than one would ever imagine. The rich red tint of the wood gleamed. Ornate carvings of canines with men and women adorned the archway above each den, along with a name encrusted in crystals. Kish. Nanna. Kai. Bau. An.
Plush beds in each stall looked as though they were made of the finest cloth. Fresh, clean hay lay on the ground. There wasn’t even a scent of animals here.
I breathed out in awe. “You keep your dogs here? Their mattresses look more comfortable than mine. Hell, my Tío Amos’s house isn’t this nice, and he took an entire fancy apartment building in the old Clayton neighborhood.”
“Is this a good thing or ...?”
“Sorry,” I began. “Just an old area of The Crossroads, before it became The Crossroads. It was a nice place once upon a time.”
“And where you lived?” he asked.
I raised an eyebrow, catching his use of past tense. “Is not as fancy.”
“I sense a “but” in there.”
“But,” I said, smiling, “I love it. It’s home, and we do just fine.”
“Your Majesty,” a woman said, coming around the corner and doing a quick curtsy. “We weren’t expecting you. The dogs are on a run. Should be back any moment.”
“No problem, Izza. We were heading to the market for lunch, but I wanted to come down and show my mate the kennels, introduce her to the staff here,” he said gesturing to the empty dens around us.
“Oh, gosh, why didn’t you—” Izza’s eyes widened, and she brushed stray hairs out of her face then tried to smooth out her shirt and work pants before she stopped and laughed. “Piss. I’m wrinkled and covered in mud and that’s not going to change.” Taking a deep breath, she smiled warmly and held out a dirty hand. “I’m Izza. Lead handler, head caretaker, and the boss of everything in between.”
“Reagan,” I said, taking her hand in a firm shake and smiling in return.
The dogs howled in the nearby distance, and thundering paws shook pebbles on the ground.
“Kish is in a mood today, so look out for her. She’s bitey,” Izza warned, rolling a sleeve down before buttoning the cuff. “Gild didn’t pay attention to her signals earlier.”
Caius shook his head and huffed. “One day that kid will listen.”
“Well today isn’t the day.” She huffed in return. “The healer had to sew a finger back on before she could do anything else.” Turning to me, she gave additional instructions. “Kish will come to us when she’s ready. Leave her be until then. She’s so territorial right now. Damn double new moons.”
Her final words echoed in my mind.
