Page 24

With that last chore settled, I trudged back to my house with Romulus at my heel. The day was catching up to me and I wanted nothing more than to shower and fall into bed, but there were still other issues I needed to deal with before I could sleep, and all of them focused on the creature who stared at me as I approached.

Even after hours spent in his presence, instinctive fear clenched my stomach when I looked at Typhon. While nearly all the parts that made him belonged to animals I'd seen all my life, the way the parts were put together created something so wholly unnatural it made my skin crawl. It took a real effort to breathe through it and keep walking up to the back deck.

At least you're used to hiding your fear.

The whispered reminder curled through my brain, trying to root out memories and expose them to the light, but burying them back down was easy this time. It was hard to focus on my own trauma when a literal monster waited for me.

"How are you doing?" I asked quietly, sitting back down in the patio chair I'd vacated earlier for chores.

Typhon stretched his wings a bit and immediately tucked them back in, hissing in a way that made my heart skip a beat even though I knew it wasn't directed at me.

"We have to figure out some way to set that bone, or it's going to keep healing wrong." His other wounds, the bullet holes and bite marks scattered across his body, would heal with time, probably. The bites hadn't done nearly as much damage as the bullets. I'd found one deep wound in his right shoulder and two more in his back left leg, along with a clean hole through his left wing. I couldn't tell if the bullets were still in him, though.

His right wing was an entirely different story. Whatever had grabbed him, it had held on tight, mangling the wing and cracking straight through the bone. The splintered edge broke through the thin skin of his wings, and now the wound was healing around it. I'd almost thrown up while cleaning it, but managed to keep my stomach under control.

Typhon grunted and shook his head. He tucked his wings back down with another pained hiss that did nothing to temper his defiance.

"I'm serious. I'm not an expert or anything, but I know that if it heals like that, you'll never be able to fly again."

His feline face was hard to read, but that thought clearly gave him pause.

"You probably don't trust anyone, and I can't say that I blame you," I went on, pressing the tiny advantage. "That's probably smart, all things considered. But we have to figure something out. You need more medical attention than I can give you. Dr. Chapman is a good person and a better veterinarian. We might…"

I trailed off, blinking slowly as a sudden realization hit me.

Rom and Typhon both whined in question, side-eyeing each other when they realized how similar they'd sounded for a moment there.

"I'm fine, I'm just a complete idiot."

Like always.

Burying that little voice was easier than usual, now that I was caught up in other thoughts. This was crazy and would likely blow up in my face and I'd lose everything, but my options were pretty limited.

"Okay, I know you don't want me to call Dr. Chapman, and I understand," I said. Rom just stared at me curiously, probably wondering what I was rambling about, but Typhon's intense golden eyes never left my face.

"I admit I don't know anything about her outside of work, so trusting her with this probably isn't the best idea," I went on. "However… I do know someone who I know would help and who can also keep a secret."

Typhon narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. His vaguely feline face made it difficult to parse out his emotions, but from his previous reactions, I could assume he was still hesitating, reluctant to trust anyone but me. I still didn't understand why he'd chosen to trust me at all, but that question would have to wait.

"My co-worker Lain studied to be a veterinarian. I could call him, and I know he'd come over right away."

The creature snorted and shook his head, glancing over his shoulder at the tree line like he was considering running.

"Wait. Let me explain. Please?"

There was a moment of silence, then Typhon sighed and nodded. My relief was short-lived, though. Now I was going to have to explain just why I trusted Lain so much. Even thinking about it had my stomach churning and my heart racing, my mind jerking me back to the past I'd never fully leave behind.

Romulus whined softly, attuned to my emotions in a way I'd never fully understood. He got up and padded over to me, resting his giant head in my lap and blinking his soulful brown eyes up at me.

"Thanks," I whispered, gently stroking his soft head. The weight of him helped ground me in the present, and I managed a few deep, fortifying breaths. My stomach wouldn't settle, but at least my heartbeat slowed down a little.

Typhon shifted as if he were going to stand and come over, too, but I quickly shook my head. The last thing I needed was him moving too much and making his injuries even worse.

"I'm okay," I assured him. He obviously didn't believe me, but stayed where he was for now. "Sorry. Bad memories."

Rom nuzzled into my hand, and I kept petting him until I felt like I could breathe enough to keep going.

"Anyway. About five years ago, someone tried to kill me."