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“You’re already there every day as it is, and you’re already eating my food,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t have an extra bedroom or anything, but you could crash on the couch or…I don’t know. Make a nest somewhere? You’d be safe there, and I’d be close by.” Most of the time. We’d worry about how he handled me having to go to work at the gym twice a week later.
He turned his head, eying the surface of the lake.
“You can go swimming any time you want,” I added. “But I bet it would be nice to sleep indoors where it’s warm, wouldn’t it? Near me? Surrounded by all my things?”
“Cage?” he asked, clicking his claws together.
“Fuck, no. I’d never put you in a cage, Ghost. You’d be free to come and go as you liked. A house isn’t a cage it’s…” How did I explain it? “It’s like a nest you never have to move or remake. One that’s protected from the elements and other predators. It’s safe, right?”
“Safe?” he repeated.
“Yes, Ghost. I promise. You’ll be safe there. As long as you’re with me, you don’t have to worry about anyone hurting you ever again.”
He thought for a minute, tapping his claw against his lower jaw. “Electricity.”
“You’ll have to learn to leave the generator alone,” I said firmly. “I need electricity to stay warm and see.”
He let out a low growl at that, and ground his teeth together, looking away.
“Listen,” I said, putting a hand on his shoulder, “I promise I will never, ever use electricity to hurt you. Hell, it hurts me too if I touch it. Just maybe…Don’t walk through the walls? That’s where all the wires are. But if you can learn to use the door, and to leave the generator alone, we can stay together. Who knows? Maybe we’ll turn out to be made for each other after all.”
“Let’s try it,” he said in a voice that sounded like he’d copied it from a television commercial.
Axel
Maybe coming back wasa bad idea.I gripped the blanket, pulling it tighter around me as we approached the house and tried not to stare at Honor’s van parked in my driveway. The walk back had taken most of the day. Ghost had tried to convince me going by water was faster, and I believed him, but it might also turn me into a popsicle. As it was, the walk left my feet numb. It was a tad too warm for frostbite, hovering in the mid-forties, but once the sun set, it’d dip down below freezing and I’d be in real danger. I was desperate to get back to the house before sundown and into clothes again.
I wasn’t looking forward to facing Honor and the cat monster he’d brought back with him. Walking all day, you’d think Iwould’ve worked out exactly what to say to my estranged father figure.
Hi, Pop. Long time no see. Thanks for ignoring me for almost twenty years. This is Ghost. He’s been haunting me and helped me get off in the woods, so he’s moving in now.
Fuck, that sounded dumb. Some things you just can’t explain in a handful of sentences. I had a feeling this was going to be a long, drawn-out conversation, one I didn’t want to have.
I looked over at Ghost, who was slinking along beside me. Sometimes, he walked on all fours, his long tail waving behind him as he sniffed the ground. Other times, he loped along on his two long legs. He hadn’t said much since we set out, too focused on sniffing around and shimmying up trees to get a look at the path ahead. Once, a squirrel crossed our path, and it startled him. I thought he might attack it, but the big baby ran up a tree and hissed at it until the squirrel wandered off.
“Ghost, Honor is still here,” I said, trying not to let my teeth chatter.
Ghost let out a small growl of disapproval.
“You can’t hurt him.” I tried to sound firm, but I didn’t know if that was coming across. What was I going to do to Ghost if he didn’t behave himself? The dude was huge and had razor-sharp teeth and claws. I was no match for that, so I had to get him to understand. “He might be an asshole, but he’s family. You let me deal with him.”
Another growl rumbled out of the irqed next to me, so I stopped short of climbing up onto the porch and turned to face him. “I’m serious, Ghost. If you can’t get along, you’ll have to leave.”
That made him recoil and let out a small chirp that might’ve been his version of a whine.
“Maybe it’d be better if you waited out here while I talk to him,” I suggested.
Ghost huffed, snorted and scratched in the dirt before circling and plopping down in a gesture that seemed oddly stubborn.
I sighed and rubbed my throbbing temples. The fish he’d caught me wasn’t the best breakfast, and I was running on fumes. I needed sugar. I could feel myself crashing hard.
But first things first. I need clothes.I came up the stairs and pushed open the front door, stepping inside with a frown, watching Honor scramble to get away from the cat-like monster. From the looks of things, I’d interrupted a rather involved make-out session.
“Axel!” Honor said, his voice going high and squeaky.
I swung the door shut behind me. “Nice to know you were out there looking for me.”
Honor scowled at me. “Was I supposed to be? That thing would’ve ripped me apart if I came within twenty paces of you.”
