Dog Eat Dog World: Limited Edition Bundle (Black Dog)

by Hailey Edwards

  “Who’s alpha?” I couldn’t stop my smile.

  “There isn’t one.” She eyed me as though that should have been obvious. “As far as my darling Flo is concerned, a beta is the top of the pyramid.”

  Lingering warmth spilled into my chest, tightening my throat until it burned. Probably heartburn from all the sausage patties I ate at breakfast. “She mentioned your husband is missing.”

  “Dear Tim is never late.” Mrs. O’Malley’s eyes glistened. “He missed dinner. That was two days ago. I checked the store first. He wasn’t there, but his car was. I called his friends, searched his favorite quiet places.” Moisture rolled down her cheeks. “I don’t know where my husband has gone.”

  Regretting the offer before I made it, I couldn’t stop the words from coming. “I’ll help you find him.”

  “You will?” She sniffled and wiped her eyes clear. “Not that I don’t appreciate the help, but why?”

  “Your daughter hired me.” Not exactly a lie.

  “That girl.” Her watery laugh faded into hiccups. “I’d swear she was half gruagach, if she didn’t wear my dear one’s face.”

  All my studying was paying off. The name gruagach spit a paragraph of information into my head instead of stumping me. Gruagachs, a subspecies of brownies, wore grotesque faces but possessed sometimes literal hearts of gold. They rewarded those who could look upon them without showing fear or revulsion.

  “The kid’s home safe,” Nathalie informed me. “I’m on my way back.”

  “Thanks for the update.” At least Flo had the sense not to strike out on her own. Crap. Once the idea occurred to me, I couldn’t dismiss it. Not with the initiative she had already shown. “On second thought, stay put. Her mom is here with me. Hang around until she gets there?”

  “Sure thing. Oh. Hey. Do you mind if we grab food while we’re in town?”

  Evil as it was to grin over costing Moore a block of his off day, I couldn’t seem to help myself. What can I say? The wolf in me was beta. The woman in me was petty. “Knock yourselves out.”

  “Dell?” Mrs. O’Malley reached for me but let her hand fall. “Are you all right?”

  “Sorry about that. The wolf I mentioned was checking in with me.” I tapped the side of my head. “Flo is home safe and sound. Nathalie is going to wait there to keep an eye on things until you arrive.”

  “That would be…” Her hand fluttered over her chest. “That’s very kind of you.”

  “No problem.” I relaxed my stance. “I do have a favor to ask.”

  “Of course,” she said. “Anything.”

  “Call before you pop in next time. Tell Flo the same.” There was a phone in the office with an answering machine, and the sentries checked for messages every four hours. “There are a lot of new wolves at the park. They’re good people, but they’re jumpy right now. Fae showing up in our woods without an escort are asking for trouble.”

  Color drained from her cheeks. “I didn’t think.”

  “I know.” I offered a tight smile. “I’m just asking you to remember next time.”

  Her vigorous nods tapered into an almost bow. “I should go. I’m sure your Nathalie has better things to do than babysit for me.”

  “Let me walk you out.” I needed to have words with my sentries about who and what they allowed inside the park without notifying me first. “Do you mind if I stop by later?”

  She fell in step beside me, hope a bright sheen in her eyes. “Will you start your search tonight?”

  “I will.” Who needed a night off anyway? “The last you saw him he was at the Cantina, right?”

  “Yes.” She dashed away fresh tears. “He told me to go ahead and tuck in the girls. All that was left was the bookkeeping, and I don’t have a head for numbers. Not the way my dear one does.”

  “Then that’s where we’ll start.”

  I must have sounded like the authority on missing persons I wasn’t, because her steps had lightened by the time we reached the parking lot.

  “Here.” She circled her car and popped the trunk. “It’s the least I can do.” She shoved three boxes of cupcakes into my arms. “I cleaned out the case at the Cantina. I don’t have the heart to open it while my dear one’s away, and there’s no point wasting perfectly good food.”

  Water pooled in my mouth as the perfumed sweetness of the icing tickled my nose. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I want to.” She opened her door. “I’ll see you tonight then?”

  “I’ll be around about six,” I assured her, waving her off with a smile that covered my irritation at how easily she and her daughter had crossed onto our property. Had they been dangerous fae, we would have been dead wargs. That was unacceptable. Enzo’s wards couldn’t get activated fast enough for me.

  Kissing my free time goodbye, I stormed the office and spread the cupcake boxes on the long table in the conference room. I started a pot of coffee in the hopes caffeine might provide some inspiration, and pinged the Lorimar wolves to join me. Before the others arrived, I opened the lid of each box until I found my heart’s desire—the lemon meringue cupcakes—and took those into Cord’s office to hide them. The others might smell my stash, but they wouldn’t filch them as long as they were in the boss’s private area.

  There were definite perks to being a beta. Using the alpha’s office as a cupcake sanctuary was one of them.

  Chapter 5

  Another perk of my rank was the ability to use the Stoners as free manual labor. After spanking the Lorimar wolves about their lax stance on visitation, I borrowed three guys who claimed to know a thing or two about woodworking. Killer Smile was thankfully not among them, but Shoe Laces was. I gave strict instructions on how I wanted my porch finished and left them to power through what should have been a relaxing weekend project for me.

  Of course thunder chose that moment to boom overhead. I tipped back my chin to see only blue sky. I bit my lip, hopped in the car Nathalie had loaned me, and decided to believe the local weatherman. He had promised his viewers two more dry days, long enough for the stain to cure, and I chose to extend his predictions a smidge of faith.

  Speaking of predictions… Not that I was keeping an eye out for him, but our resident witch hadn’t put in an appearance all day. Had I seen him, I might have asked him to divine the forecast. I hoped his absence meant he was hard at work and not floating in his hotel’s hot tub while regretting his life choices.

  Trusting the park to still be standing when I returned, I aimed the car toward the O’Malleys’ home. They lived in a small cabin on the outskirts of town that reminded me so much of Meemaw’s house when I arrived that my vision blurred the numbers on their mailbox.

  Circumstance had tied my hands for the time being. Visiting Villanow was out while the alphas were away, and the nightly death matches on the fringes of our property meant it was far too dangerous for Meemaw to spend the weekend. Except…we had a witch on the payroll now. Maybe once Enzo put some pep in his step and got the wards up, I could finally send for her.

  Even the possibility of wrapping my arms around her made breathing easier.

  The driveway curled around a stand of trees, and a pale face stared out at me as I passed. Flo. I tapped the brakes and gestured her closer. “You want a lift?”

  “Momma said you took the case.” She locked her arms around a young sweetgum tree. “She said you’re going to help us find Daddy.”

  “I’m going to try.”

  Her hand went to her pocket. “Should I pay you now, or when you find him?”

  Ah, the bold confidence of sheltered youth. Tell a grownup your troubles, and wait for them to make it all go away. “How about we settle our tab after?”

  “That’s fair.” Her lips puckered. “I’ll ride with you. I got in trouble for running earlier.”

  “Okay.” I popped the locks. “Hop in.”

  Once she was inside and belted in, she twisted to stare at me. “Why did you come to our house? Daddy disappeared from wor
k.”

  “I remember you told me that.” I worried my lip between my teeth. “I just want to be double sure.”

  “All right,” she agreed and faced forward. “I trust you.”

  A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. “You were wrong, you know.”

  She leaned back, canting her head toward me. “About what?”

  “I like fae, and I like you.” I reached over and tickled her ribs, earning a squeak of startled laughter. “Did you know the Lorimar alpha is a fae?”

  “He is?” Awe rang through her voice.

  “No,” I corrected. “She is.”

  “Your alpha’s a girl? Wow. That’s so cool.”

  Laughing under my breath, I admitted, “We have a male alpha too. His name is Cord Graeson. He’s a warg like me, but he mated a Gemini named Camille Ellis. Do you know what she can do?”

  Flo shook her head.

  “Cam uses magic to turn into whatever she wants.” I stopped the car. “Sometimes she even turns into a half-wolf and runs with us.”

  “Whoa,” she breathed. “Can I meet her?”

  “She’s not here right now, but I promise I’ll bring her to visit when she gets home.”

  Flo rubbed her chin. “Do you think she can teach me how to turn into a wolf too?”

  “I don’t think it works that way, but I bet she can show you a few tricks.”

  She scrunched up her face. “Like what?”

  “I bet you one whole dollar she can tell what type of fae you are just by holding your hand.”

  She scoffed at me and pointed to her eyes. “Everyone knows what kind of fae we are ’cause of these.”

  “She’ll do it…” I leaned across the console for dramatic effect, “…while you’re wearing glamour.”

  “Really?” She perked up. “I can’t wait to meet her. Remember your promise.” She slid out of the car and danced under the moon, practicing her howl as she twirled up the walkway.

  Something told me Flo’s pack was about to get its alpha.

  Mrs. O’Malley came to the door wearing an apron and one oven mitt, half-dragging a preschooler. Her expression fell when she spotted me, emotions flickering across her face before she shooed her children inside and stepped out to join me.

  “I thought we agreed to meet at the Cantina.” She scrubbed her face with the mitt, blushed and then removed it. “I must have gotten confused. I’ve had so much on my mind…”

  “No, you’re right. I’m early and in the wrong place.” I stuffed my hands into my pockets. “I wanted to check the area around the house if you don’t mind. We’re working from the assumption he never left work, that whatever happened occurred there, but I wanted to be sure.”

  “Whatever you think is best.” She gestured toward the house. “Would you like to come in for some tea? I’m baking bread pudding if you’ve a mind to stay and eat dessert with us.”

  Always ready to eat thanks to my warg metabolism, my stomach made interested noises. “I wish I could, but I need to get started while the scents are still fresh.”

  “Of course.” She clutched the mitt to her breast. “What do you need from me?”

  “This will work best if I can shift and scent the property. Will that be all right?” I patted my loaner car, which was Nathalie’s compact Chevy Sonic. “Would you mind if I left my car here until we finish?”

  Frown lines scored her forehead. “Not at all, but how…?”

  “I was hoping you could drive yourself to the shop and I could go there on all fours.”

  “That’s a fine idea.” She nodded. “My sister’s here to watch the children. I’ll let her finish the pudding for me. Do you need a place to change?”

  Shifting was never fun. Shifting in front of non-wargs was torture. Seven pudgy faces, ranging from Flo, the oldest, down to the baby on her hip wearing diapers, pressed to the window, peering out at me with an air of expectation. “What did you have in mind?”

  “We used to keep our own cows.” She pointed toward a low hill. “There’s a barn on the other side. You can leave your clothes in the tack room. You’ll have plenty of privacy there.”

  “Great. Th—” I caught myself halfway to a thank you. Gah. Fae social niceties made life so much harder than it had to be. “That was very thoughtful of you. I’ll take you up on that offer.”

  With a short wave, she headed inside to tie up her loose ends while I took the narrow path over the rise. Forks of dry lightning streaked the sky. Dark clouds hung low, but I couldn’t tell if they were swollen with rain or simply gloomy from the absence of the moon.

  As it turned out, the O’Malley barn was more of a lean-to, and it appeared to be leaning heavily to one side. Calling the partitioned area barely wide enough for me to turn in a tack room was being generous, but the structure appeared solid enough. I could do worse. I might have had to perform a striptease in front of a live audience of hob toddlers.

  I tugged off my clothes and folded them, leaving them stacked on a low wooden shelf. I placed my shoes beneath it and swung my arms across my body, loosening my shoulders, relishing the cool air sliding over my bare skin. The wolf, who preferred the wind in her fur, leapt to the forefront and initiated the change. Bones snapped, muscles stretched to the breaking point, and fur pierced my skin. I was panting hard, moaning and rolling on the ground when a child’s tiny gasp broke through the haze. Too late to stop, too far gone to come back, I let the change finish reshaping me. Fifteen minutes from that first pang, I rose on four legs and shook off the dull hurts to find Flo standing in the entryway of the barn with a hand over her mouth and tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “Are you okay?” she whispered.

  I trotted over, ignoring the residual aches, and nuzzled her throat, blasting wolfy breath into her ear. Her giggle was reward enough for me. As much as I liked kids, I couldn’t play with one tonight. I had a job to do. After dragging my tongue from chin to hairline, getting her good and drooly, I flicked my tail and trotted off to start my search. Thank God, she turned and ran toward the house instead of following me.

  To be a warg is to be a walking dichotomy. Life is a blend of thoughts and sensations that are I/me and she/her and sometimes we/us. Sometimes I’m just Dell. Sometimes I’m just a wolf. Most often, because she’s such an engrained part of my psyche, we’re both present to a degree at all times.

  Sharing your body and soul with a wild animal lends you a certain fluidity when it comes to personal identity.

  Tim’s thyme-and-paprika scent covered all the surfaces in the barn, and fading traces lingered along the paths. Exposure would wipe those away in a matter of days. I had to follow all the leads I could sniff out before a good rain washed them away. Dry lightning had been flickering all afternoon. Between that and the deep-throated rumbles in the clear sky, I half-expected a sneak attack from a thunderstorm at any minute. But there was no storm damage out here, meaning the worst damage was isolated in town. Whatever that meant.

  I spent a good hour crisscrossing the property with my nose to the ground, but found no smells unassociated with the family, no blood and no signs of a struggle. Whatever happened to Tim didn’t occur here.

  Afraid I might be followed by well-meaning kidlets, I doubled back several times in an effort to throw them off my tracks. Clearing the O’Malley property line meant I was free to drop into a comfortable lope that ate up the miles. Rustling in the tall grass piqued my interest once or twice, and I might have stalked a rabbit into the weeds for a quick snack before continuing on my way.

  Wolves kind of suck at time management.

  Mrs. O’Malley had the store open, the rear door propped wide, and the lights burning when I arrived. She sat at one of the booths with a cup of coffee in her hands, the pot at her elbow telling me it wasn’t her first or even her third. A whine prickled my throat. I shouldn’t have chased after that cottontail and left her waiting.

  Her tired eyes brightened at the sight of me. “Would you like to help me finish the pot?”r />
  Pushing my wolf brain down a bit, I shook my head. I might love coffee, but the wolf was not a fan.

  “All right.” She topped off her mug. “I’ll just wait here then.”

  Leaving her in the booth, I focused on the familiar scents of the Cantina. Lasagna. Enchiladas. Double Dutch cupcakes. Beneath the mouthwatering aromas I picked out Tim and his wife’s individual scents as well as those of the kids. One booth in particular was saturated with faint traces of crayon wax, peanut butter and chocolate milk. That must be where they parked the kids during business hours or at night when they closed shop.

  I walked a circuit of the restaurant twice before conceding defeat. Here there were too many tangled signatures to pick them apart. The Cantina did steady business, and no one scent stood out among the others to cry “Me! I belong to the kidnapper!” which was a damn shame. A few drops of blood marred the kitchen floor, hardly indicative of a life-threatening wound, and the bleach used in the cleaners made identifying its owner impossible. A whiff of charred plastic and ozone caused me to sneeze as I passed the trash compactor. Another electrical burnout? I would have to wait until after I shifted to ask.

  Resisting the urge to tuck my tail, I padded my way back to Mrs. O’Malley and sat until she acknowledged me.

  “Finished so soon?” Her bleary gaze lit on her wristwatch, and she rubbed her eyes. “Not so soon then.”

  I bobbed my head in an exaggerated manner that left my inner wolf rolling her eyes.

  “Will you speak to me before you leave?” She rose with her dishes in hand. “Once you change back, I mean?”

  Another nod for confirmation, and I trotted out the back door. The run to her place invigorated me, the temptation to wade into the grass hard to resist. But she would be hurrying home because of the late hour, and I was hoping that meant the kiddos would be sound asleep by the time I arrived.

  Sneaking back onto the property proved easier this time around, now that I knew the lay of the land. I ducked into the lean-to and scouted the area for Flo before allowing the human in me to rise. The shift back to two legs always hurt worse. I don’t know why, and I’d never asked if it was the same for everyone else.