“Just because he slams your tail in the door, the rest of us have to be polite,” he grumbled. Then he sniffed the air, sniffed again as his head turned in her direction. “What did you roll in to make your fur smell that stinky?”
Irritation wiped out caution. Were they all obsessed with smell? “I didn’t roll in anything. And my hair stinks less than it did.”
“So does a skunk.”
Since that seemed to be his final opinion, she marched over to the back door of A Little Bite.
Tess took one look at her face and grinned. “I see you’ve met Blair.”
“Maybe,” Meg muttered. “Does he like any humans?”
“Sure,” Tess replied cheerfully. “Although he’s pretty opinionated about the lack of lean meat on most of them.”
“I don’t think I want lunch.”
“Yes, you do. Vegetable soup and a turkey sandwich. I’ll pack it up for you.”
Meg followed Tess back to the counter. “So, who is he?”
“Third Wolf, after Simon and Elliot. Those two deal with humans and the world outside the Courtyard. Blair takes care of the inside of the Courtyard. He keeps track of the game on our land, leads the hunt when the butcher puts in a request for venison, and is the primary enforcer. He’s also the one here at Lakeside who is most intrigued by mechanical things and energy sources, so he oversees the terra indigene who care for the windmills and solar panels we use to power most of the buildings outside the business district.” Tess smiled as she handed Meg the carry sack. “Keeps him busy and limits his contact with humans—which is the way he and Simon like it.”
“He’s waiting for a package. If it arrives, whom should I call?” Meg asked. Tess looked at her until she sighed. “I should call Simon.”
The BOW’s garage door was closed by the time she reached the back door of the office, and she didn’t spot a Wolf lurking nearby. But when she unlocked the front door, she did see three trucks idling while the drivers waited for her—and she saw the black sedan stuck behind them, unable to enter until at least one truck departed.
It looked like the kind of car she imagined a consul would drive—or would he have a driver?—so she signed for packages as quickly as possible, making hasty notes so that she wouldn’t be the one causing a delay. It seemed the delivery people shared that feeling. Within a couple of minutes, they were gone and the sedan pulled up in front of the consulate door.
The man who got out had a slim build and receding hair. He stared in her direction, then went inside.
“If that’s Elliot Wolfgard, I guess I won’t be getting any gold stars from him,” she muttered.
She could live without gold stars. Today she would be happy if she got through the rest of the day without being eaten.
She put the turkey sandwich and soup in the fridge, too unsettled to consider food. After a peaceful hour of sorting mail and packages, she called Howling Good Reads and left the message that there were a couple of items for B. Wolfgard, as well as other packages simply addressed to the Utility Complex, and was informed that Blair would pick up all of them after the office closed.
Maybe there was an advantage to having stinky hair if it encouraged the Wolves to keep their distance.
Cheered by that thought, she warmed up the turkey sandwich and enjoyed a late lunch.
Looking out the back window of HGR’s office, Simon watched Blair come out of the Liaison’s Office with a package and load it into the BOW assigned to the Utility Complex. The Wolf had waited only long enough to be sure Meg had left for the day before going in to retrieve the bits and pieces for whatever he was currently tinkering with.
She had headed for the Market Square, which meant she would be coming back this way when she went to her apartment. Better for both of them if they didn’t see each other. Better for him, anyway. Henry would smack him if an encounter with him upset Meg today—and getting smacked by a Grizzly wasn’t fun, even for a Wolf.
He put on his coat and stopped at the counter long enough to tell Heather, one of his human employees, that she was supposed to inform Vlad if Asia Crane entered the store. Then he went out the back door and walked over to the Liaison’s Office.
“You got your parts?” Simon asked when Blair came out with another package that he tucked in the BOW.
Blair nodded as he closed the vehicle’s back door. Then he locked the door of the Liaison’s Office. “You need a ride?”
He didn’t need a ride, but maybe he could coax Sam to spend a little more time outside if he got home while it was still light. And if Blair was unhappy with Meg for some reason, it was better to know before blood was spilled. “Thanks.”
Neither spoke until they were headed for the Green Complex. Then Blair said casually, “The Liaison. Think we could wash her in the same solution we use for youngsters who get skunked?”
Simon barked out a laugh. Then he considered the appeal of doing just that—and the consequences—and reluctantly shook his head.
Blair sighed. “Didn’t think so.” A pause. “Elliot might want to have words with you. The delivery trucks backed up for a couple of minutes while the drivers waited for her to return, and his shiny black car couldn’t get around them.”
“He doesn’t care about the shiny black car.”
“No, but he does care about maintaining status in a way the monkeys understand, and I don’t think having to wait for your human to open the door for afternoon deliveries is going to encourage him to tolerate her.”
“She’s doing her job.”
“And causing trouble.”
Simon growled—and noticed the way the other Wolf’s lips twitched in amusement.
Blair didn’t say another thing until he pulled up at the Green Complex. Then he looked straight ahead. “It’s still deer season, so there will be some bow hunters in the park for a couple more weeks.”
“So?” Simon opened the passenger’s door and got out.
“If she doesn’t wear a hat, the Liaison won’t need the orange vest hunters use to keep from shooting each other.”
Simon closed the BOW’s door a little harder than necessary, but he still heard Blair laughing as the Wolf drove away.
Fishing out his keys, Simon walked to his apartment. The Green Complex apartments were a mix of sizes that shared common walls and accommodated the different species of terra indigene who chose to live there. Some were more like two-story town houses, while smaller apartments were contained on a single floor. Like the other residential complexes, the Green was U-shaped, with the connecting section containing the mail room, laundry area, and a social room on the second floor where movies were played on the big-screen television and a couple of tables provided an area to play board games the Others had converted from the human versions of those games.
The moment his key slid into the front door lock, he heard the squeaky-door sound that was Sam’s howl.
His big living room had a carpet and a sofa, a couple of lamps, a television and movie disc player, a low table with storage baskets, and the cage where Sam lived.
Sam was all wagging tail and happy-puppy greeting—until Simon opened the cage door. Then the youngster huddled in the back of the cage, whimpering.
Simon held out his hand. “Come on, Sam. It’s still light outside. We’ll be safe. Come outside for a pee and a poop.”
When the pup continued to shake and whimper, Simon reached in and hauled him out, ignoring Sam’s attempts to bite him and escape. They did this several times a day—had been doing it since Daphne was killed and Simon became Sam’s guardian. Sam was terrified of outside because outside was where his mother had died right in front of him.