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***
Darkness shrouded the pathway to the gym. Beyond the cement was one aura, a dashing shade of orange and firetruck red with a whitish-blue core. Strangely enough, it was a comforting sight in the leftover night, a force that drew me in from the shadows and down the left corridor to the main gym room.
Classic rock played softly from a boombox in the corner. Trash was gathered in the corners of the rooms and the plank pile from the center was missing. Someone had taken the time to remove the debris. A few more auras sprouted, one of them my dear Izdor who appeared to me as a sort of apple green.
I smiled at the second floor.Who’s with you, Izzy?
That spirited mate of yours, Xavier.
My pupils dilated.Really?
Shock trailed through the syllables of that word as evident as ink in water. Hardly anybody had such a striking aura around here other than our Elderling friends. A wolf shifter like Xavier was unremarkable. How could he draw me in like that?
I shrugged it off.Great.
Xavier appeared in one of the first-floor rooms wearing gloves and a mask. He gestured to the plastic bags near the doorway. “There’s some for you as well.”
“I don’t need a mask.”
“Far be it from me to tell you what we do here on Earth.”
Irritation coated my glare, but I didn’t let the man’s words get to me. Work needed to be done. There was no time for arguments or jabs. He could either accept how I worked, or he could get out.
I lifted a bag of trash and hauled it over my shoulder. “Where’s the child?”
“Sleeping. He doesn’t wake at this hour much.”
“My invitation extended to him.”
He avoided eye contact while adjusting his mask. “As much as I appreciate that, he is a small child. I need to be a decent parent to him.” He said something under his breath that I missed due to the combination of sounds increasing around us.
“Lanthie, can you come up here?” Izdor called. “Sadie should be here soon for the volunteer group. I think we should each take a team.”
“Team?” I repeated. “I thought it would just be a few of the Elderlings plus the…” My eyes narrowed at Xavier. “The wolf.”
“The wolfis more than capable of heading a team.”
I sniffed indignantly. “You’ve just come back from holiday. How can you head anything, after taking so much time off?”
“You don’t even know how long I was gone.”
“You were gone long enough for most people to fail to mention you being part of this pack while you were out.”
He tore off his mask and ripped off his hat. “That’s rude.”
“You’re a rude person. It’s fitting.”
“I’ve been nicer to you than most women.”
I dropped the bag with ease. “Oh, so I should be grateful then that you’re being so kind to the likes of me?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“Your implication was crystal clear, Avi.”
His concentrated anger broke. “What did you just call me?”
We shared a quiet exchange that reminded me of the moments just before I’d woken from my night terror. There had been a sense of familiarity in those voices, perhaps a face that had sparked recognition.
