“From everything you’ve said to Marlow, it’s the exact opposite."
“Yeah, but… you’re not Marlow.” Wynn tilts his head curiously. It isn't adorable. “Right?”
“Correct,” Iggy confirms.
“Then it’s no problem at all, not for you,” Wynn continues, flashing a bright smile at Iggy. He’s already taken a liking to the little gargoyle, already liking him better than me. So unfair. “Look, uh, I’m really sorry about calling you ugly before. I was just upset at Marlow.”
“I understand,” Iggy replies. “He isn’t always the easiest to deal with.”
“Hey!” I object.
“Totally,” Wynn agrees.
“Hey!”
Great, now they’re both against me. My own gargoyle, betraying me to side with the werewolf. This better not set a precedent where they think they can team up against me. Not that it matters. As soon as this mess is over, we’ll never see each other again.
We get going again, and I stay quiet while the wolf confidently leads us through the forest.
The sooner we get this solved and go our separate ways, the better. Wynn Blackwood just did me the greatest favor in the world. More than anyone else in any dimension, whether man, demon, werewolf, whatever. It might feel like a kick in the nuts right now, but I'm not going to return that kindness by getting his hopes up and making him think he can make an honest demon out of me.
The wolf gave me a chance after catching me in a lie. The least I can do is give him the truth now. I've never put much stock in fairy tales and I'm not about to start now.
9.Strange Bedfellows
Wynn
I push the creaky cabin door open. The musty scent of dust hits me as Marlow and I step inside.
We made it.
Pitch blackness greets us. “Hold on a moment, don’t come in.” I rummage through my bag, searching for the flashlight buried in there somewhere.
A sudden thud reverberates through the cabin, followed by a muffled curse. "Dammit!"
Sounds like he’s corporeal again. Of course the demon stumbled around in the dark and ran smack into something. Not a good idea for someone without night vision. That’s what he gets for not listening. This old, cluttered cabin is an accident waiting to happen.
When I finally retrieve the flashlight and flick it on, the light wobbles as Marlow snatches it from my grasp a second later.
Marlow swings the flashlight around, and the beam sweeps across the cluttered room, illuminating the explosion of trinkets and keepsakes that fill the space. Colorful ceramic bowls, intricate wooden carvings of forest creatures, and woven baskets piled high line the shelves, a mishmash of treasures that give the cramped cabin a surprisingly warm, inviting feel, despite the thick layer of dust coating everything.
The beam sweeps across a preserved deer head on the wall, a hunting trophy. The deer is decorated with oversized sunglassesand a jaunty little hat. Marlow raises an eyebrow at me. "And you said you had good taste."
"I'm not the decorator."
"Well, this is…"
"Cozy?" I venture.
"Cramped," he retorts. "Who needs so many—"
"It used to be worse," I interrupt. "There was so much more stuff."
"Impossible. All the stuff ever invented isalreadycrammed into this room."
"There was triple the amount, easy. But then it... it got destroyed when I... well, a lot of stuff was destroyed." Technically,I'mthe one who destroyed the place. But I had a good reason! Helping out a friend in need. "Anyway, the cabin belonged to my grandma and grandpa. They were the Alphas in their day and weren't overly sentimental people. Their home had one picture and only one picture of every family member on display at a time. I think this place was their escape until they moved away, a chance to indulge in a different side of themselves."
"Does that mean we won't be found here?"
