He rubbed his large hands together and motioned her inside. “Got something I set aside for you to see before I put it out on display. Knew you’d be interested.”
Sabrina could feel her bank account shrinking even as she gathered her belongings and trudged into the shop behind Jules. Whenever he said those words it cost her money. Of course, he knew what she liked. She had a respectable collection of framed vintage postcards and prints and some really nice antique tarot decks that Jules had found for her.
The inside of the store was much darker than the outside and she blinked to adjust to the dimmer light. “Just leave your things behind the counter and follow me,” Jules instructed.
Anticipation made her blood hum. Not something small if he wasn’t keeping it tucked behind the counter for her. She dumped her belongings as instructed and wound her way through the warren of items, sidestepping a slightly battered leather trunk that had great potential as a coffee table, swerving around a chair that had to be at least one hundred years old, and squeezing past a rather large mahogany hutch that would take up half her dining area.
“This way,” Jules called. He was already through the door that led to his backroom.
Butterflies lurched in her stomach. The backroom was like the doorway to a magical kingdom, the wardrobe into Narnia, the rabbit hole to Wonderland. She’d only been allowed back here a few times in her life and each time had been an adventure. There was stuff piled everywhere, and only Jules knew what it all was and where it was located. Nothing was listed on a computer. Everything was organized in Jules’ brain. He could put his hands on anything at a moment’s notice and tell you the provenance of the item.
She halted in the doorway, a sudden fear descending on her. Her blood hummed and she knew, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that whatever Jules was about to show her would change her life forever. She tried to shake off the sensation but couldn’t. Her intuition was screaming at her, louder than it ever had.
Sabrina gripped the doorframe. “Well, what is it?”
Jules flicked on a light that illuminated a dark corner of the storage room. The gasp caught in her throat. She blinked, unable to believe her eyes. Her hand fell away from the doorjamb and her feet moved forward. Hand extended, she reached for the wolf.
He was massive, much larger than any real wolf. And she knew in her heart the wolf had to be male. He was much too large to be a female.
The wolf was magnificent. Primal. Elemental. There weren’t any other words that could describe him. His flanks seemed to ripple, as though he was caught in mid-stride. His mouth was open in a silent snarl, exposing razor-sharp fangs. This was no softened version of the wolf, but a depiction of him at his most primitive and powerful.
“Where did you get him?” Sabrina was almost afraid to touch him. Afraid he wouldn’t be real.
“This incredible creature was part of a carousel ride that belonged to the carnival. Guess the ride fell into disrepair over the years and they sold off the rest of the animals. All that was left was this guy.”
Her fingers grazed the wolf’s flanks. She yanked her hand away, surprised at how the tips of her fingers tingled. For a brief second, he’d felt as though he was more flesh and bone than wood and paint.
“Can you turn on another light?” She really wanted to have a better look at him. The dim light and the layer of dust covering him prevented her from seeing him very well.
“This is as good as it gets. Almost all the lights blew this morning. It was the damndest thing.” Jules shrugged. “One of my cousin’s boys is an electrician and he’s coming in tomorrow to check things out.” He shrugged. “Old wiring probably needs replacing.”
Oh well, it didn’t matter how well she could see the wolf, she knew she wanted him. “How much?” Not that it mattered. She had to have him, supposing she lived off rice and beans for the next five years.
She glanced at Jules and found him scratching his head. “Don’t rightly know, Sabrina. Never had anything like him before.”
“When has that ever stopped you?”
Her wry reply made him laugh, and he grinned. “You got that right, little girl. But this time is different.”
A shiver raced down her spine. She glanced at the wolf, unable to deny the wave of longing that went through her. She had to have him. He’d fit perfectly in the corner of her living room and could watch over her and protect her.
The fanciful thought made her smile in spite of the ball of dread curling in her belly. The wolf was her guardian, her protector, and she had a permanent reminder inked on her back. Her tattoo tingled and she resisted the urge to touch it.
“Different how?”
Jules rubbed a hand over his short, graying hair. “I had a dream about your granny last night.”
That caught her attention, and she reluctantly left the wolf and hurried to Jules. “What was it about?”
Jules pulled out an eighteenth century English chair and sat. He motioned to her to do the same. The chair she found was orange hard plastic and obviously dated from the late sixties or early seventies. She pulled the chair close enough so their knees were almost touching.
His face was troubled, the lines around his eyes deeper than usual. “Esme was telling me that the wolf belonged to you. She was also worried about you, girl.”
Sabrina swallowed back emotion. She missed her granny so much and wished she could talk to her. She was also jealous of Jules’ dream. Why couldn’t she dream about her granny instead of mysterious lovers and scary, disembodied voices? “Did she say why she was worried?”
Others might scoff, but she was a big believer in the power of dreams. Some people believed they could carry messages from those who’d passed beyond the earthly plane. Sabrina wasn’t about to discount the possibility.
Jules reached out and took her hands in his. They were big hands, strong from years of hard work. He rubbed his thumbs over her palms. “She didn’t say, or if she did I couldn’t understand her. But I do know I’ve never seen her so worked up over something.” He gave her fingers a squeeze and released them. “All I know is she wanted you to have that there wolf.”
He shook his head. “Maybe I’m just an old man with an active imagination, but my grandson is coming to help me load him up and bring him to your place as soon as I close shop. I already called him.”
Sabrina wanted to jump up and do a fist-pump. The wolf was hers. But another part of her was worried this was another part of whatever madness had entered her life over the past few weeks. Although that concern was tempered by Jules’ dream about her granny. If Granny was in the dream then it was a positive, powerful one and it behooved her to pay attention to it.
If Granny Esmeralda thought the wolf belonged to her then Sabrina wasn’t about to argue, but there was no way she could take the wolf for free. She’d never feel as though he really belonged to her. “I have to give you something for him, Jules.”
The old man shook his head. “I told Esme you’d say that.” He chuckled at her concerned expression. “Oh, I know the difference between dreams and reality, missy.” He pushed out of his chair and extended his hand to help her up. “But I like to believe I’m able to talk to my old friend from time to time.”
“And what did she say?” Sabrina liked the idea of him being able to talk to her granny too. Didn’t matter if it was real or not as long as it made them both feel better.
“She said to charge you three hundred dollars. Any more would be too much. Any less and you’d feel as though you were fleecing an old man.”
Sabrina snorted. “Old man, my foot. You’ll outlive us all.”
Jules’ booming laughter echoed around the dim room. “That’s the plan, missy.”