"At one point in time, I felt that way about my brothers. It's complicated. Now, I can stand to be around them." It was hard explaining my world to her without giving her too many details. I had no blood relations besides Danica. "Why isn't a woman like you married with kids?"

  I saw her shrug in my peripheral vision. "I don't know. I've never really had the desire. I was married once, and it was one time too many."

  I turned off the highway, and we rode in silence until I pulled into the beach parking lot. I put the car in park and turned off the engine.

  "Sometimes I come out here to think when I have a lot on my mind. It seems you have a lot on your mind."

  "That's the understatement of the century." She shifted in her seat and unbuckled her belt. "Why the abrupt one-eighty? One second you seem to hate me, and now you're acting like you're my friend."

  I didn't know how to answer that, so instead, I slid out of the car and walked towards the sand. I heard her get out of the car and grumble to herself.

  I stopped where the cement met the sand, took off my shoes and socks, and rolled up my pant legs. I looked over my shoulder and saw her walking towards me, slipping her arms into a jacket. I forgot that humans felt cold more than angels.

  "Don't you think it's a little cold?" Despite her question, she kicked off her shoes and removed her socks.

  "Not really. I don't really feel the temperature that much." That's how I always got away with wearing suits because I could never feel how hot it was, even when it was one-hundred degrees outside.

  "Are you going to tell me what you are? Ric already told me he's a wolf shifter. From another planet? He wasn't clear on that. I had to read between the lines. He wanted warm cow's milk this morning for breakfast." She laughed and walked beside me as I made my way onto the sand.

  It felt good beneath my feet. I didn't usually walk around without shoes on unless I was at the beach or getting ready for bed. Lately, there hadn't been a lot of either. I didn't like to sleep. That was when the memories haunted me.

  "He's not from another planet. It's hard to explain. I guess the easiest explanation is that it's a parallel realm called Inferna." I wasn't about to tell her that Hell was part of Inferna.

  I found a spot in the sand and sat down. She stopped beside me and looked down at me. My heart thudded in my chest. She seemed to be thinking about whether or not she wanted to sit down. I hoped she did.

  She looked out at the crashing waves and sighed. "Sometimes, I wonder if I should just force the spiders out of myself. It can't be that difficult. There has to be a way to piss them off enough to come out. Then maybe I could run from them."

  She sat down beside me and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She laid one of her cheeks on her knee and looked over at me.

  I mulled over that idea. She probably could get them out, but they might continue to find her. "I'm not sure that would work. You seem to be their host."

  "I've thought about different ways to kill myself and the spiders. It's kind of hard not to think about it when you wake up from a blackout and then realize you killed somebody. Maybe that person deserved it a bit, but who am I to make that judgment?" She shut her eyes, and a tear slid down her cheek.

  The conversation had gotten deep really quickly.

  "It's not you that's making the decision. You can't blame yourself. If you do, it'll eat you alive."

  I was such a hypocrite. Once I found out that my Lily was actually Lilith, that she had fooled me into giving her my heart, I blamed myself for the world almost ending. Although, I guess it wouldn't have ended, there just would have been a lot of demons running around raising hell.

  I knew exactly how she felt. She was a prisoner in her own body. She was probably wondering if the pain was even worth it, especially since she didn't have anyone in her life.

  At least when I was imprisoned and tortured by someone I had once loved, I could think about my daughter, Danica. She was the only thing that pulled me through.

  "You're really going to try to help me?" Her voice was soft, and she opened her eyes to look at my face. Her eyes were locked on mine.

  "We're going to try. And if we can't figure out a way to free you, then…"

  She nodded and looked back out at the waves. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but several strands had come loose and fallen across her cheek. I reached out and brushed them behind her ear.

  She shivered at the gesture, or maybe it was because it was so cold. Her nose and the tips of her ears were turning pink. I sent a wave of warmth towards her, and her eyes widened.

  "You are the one doing it." She didn't move away, despite the look of fear on her face. It softened quickly. "Thanks."

  I watched as she went back to gazing out at the ocean, and then she tilted her face to the sky. "It's so clear tonight."

  "Did you know that all the stars in the universe are the lost souls of guardian angels?" I braved slipping my arm around her shoulder.

  She let out a sigh. If I could only climb inside her thoughts and know what she was thinking.

  A few raindrops hit my forehead. "Let's get you home."

  It was well past midnight by the time I pulled Camellia's Camaro into the underground lot below her condo. We didn't say anything to each other as I followed her up the stairs to her second-floor unit.

  She opened the door, and I followed her inside. She didn't stop me, and I tried not to overthink the fact. We had shared a moment, but it wasn't enough to warrant inviting me in.

  Maybe she felt she didn't have a choice.

  I shut the door behind me and shrugged out of my jacket, hanging it on a hook by the door. She had already entered the living room after kicking off her shoes.

  Ric was sitting on the couch watching some television show. "Finally. I was starting to get worried." He paused the show and stood.

  I raised my eyebrows at his lack of clothes. He was wearing boxer briefs but nothing else. At least he wasn't naked. I had found him on several occasions walking around my house naked.

  "Umm..." Camellia's eyes went wide as she took in the sight of him.

  Even I could appreciate that he had a nice body. Probably from always running around on all fours.

  "What are you watching?" I looked at the screen that had a man with blood dripping down his chin. I thought he hated vampires. He liked to call them bloodsuckers.

  The entertainment industry wasn't too far off on the fact that werewolves and vampires hated each other's guts. There were probably still a few vampires left from centuries ago when a horde of them had gone through the barrier to Earth.

  It had been my fault and was the reason I never used other people's pens. You just never knew when a sharp blade could slice you open and allow someone with a little magic to steal your blood.

  "Vampire Diaries. It's actually a pretty good show once you get past the fact that they're filthy bloodsuckers."

  Camellia was still standing gawking at him. She seemed to snap out of her trance once Picard started jumping around, making noises. Sometimes I wondered if Ric could actually understand him or if he was just making up what the monkey said.

  "Oh! I got you something!" Ric picked up a small box from the coffee table and handed it to her. "This is what you humans do, right? You give each other Christmas presents?"

  I eyed the box suspiciously. It looked an awful lot like a jewelry box. It was wrapped in paper that looked like a candy cane and was the size of a box that a bracelet or necklace might be in.

  "You didn't have to get me anything. We barely know each other." She took the box from his hands and looked at him thoughtfully.

  She ripped the paper off, and her eyes lit up as she opened it. It was definitely jewelry. If he could afford to buy her a gift, he should be able to pay for his own place. Next time he asked to sleep on my couch, I wasn't going to let him.

  She held up the small pendant necklace that was in the shape of a crescent moon. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

  "It's gorgeous, thank you."

  An awkward silence fell over us. It was quite the scene with me in my security get up, her in her scrubs, and the wolf in his underwear. Add the miniature monkey to the mix, and it looked like some kind of comedic sketch.

  "Well, I should get to bed. Ric, maybe you should go sleep on Lou's couch. I think I'll be fine tonight."

  "Not a chance, chickadee. My task is to keep you safe."

  "I doubt you can keep me safe from myself. Goodnight." She took off down the hall. We heard her bedroom door slam behind her.

  "Really, Ric? You bought her a necklace? You do realize that she is an assignment, correct? No fraternization allowed."

  She wasn't an official assignment. I just didn't want him sinking his claws into her.

  It was then I realized I was fucked.

  Chapter 5

  Camellia

  My eyes opened slowly. I didn't think I had ever slept so hard before. Everything over the past few days was catching up to me. The recent murder. The new men in my life. My new roommate.

  It felt warmer in the bed than usual. I could feel something next to my legs, and I turned my head to look over my shoulder.

  What the fuck?

  My heart nearly jumped into my throat as I watched each breath move its hairy body. It was as black as night and as big as a Great Dane. I stiffened under the covers, not knowing what course of action to take. It's not like you wake up every day to a giant wolf sleeping in the bed next to you.

  As if sensing my unease, the wolf uncurled from its position and made a satisfied noise in its throat. Its eyes opened, and it looked right at me, its green eyes sparkling in the faint light from the window.

  Part of me knew that it was Ric, but also, part of me didn't want to believe that it was him. The green eyes staring back at me were the exact same shade of green that had stared at me the night before.

  My hand went to my chest and searched for the pendant he had given me as a Christmas present. I don't know why I had put it on and worn it to bed, but I had.

  I looked back at the wolf, and he seemed to be smiling at me, his teeth showing. It was either a smile or a warning that I was about to become his breakfast.

  "Hey there, buddy. Didn't anyone ever tell you that dogs aren't allowed on the furniture?" Yup, that's precisely what you should say to a meat-eating wild animal.

  His wolfish grin dropped, and he narrowed his eyes at me. His tail wagged back and forth on the comforter. He stood from his spot and stretched out his body before shaking like a dog.

  I had always laughed at the memes of people bringing wolves and coyotes into their homes, thinking they were dogs. Now here I was, conversing with an extraterrestrial wolf in my bed.

  "I hope you know that you're cleaning up whatever hair mess you make." I looked down at the comforter to see some of his black wolf hair. There were several reasons I didn't have pets, and the hair was one of them. I didn't even own a lint roller.

  Picard jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. My door was open. I remembered locking it and then double-checking to make sure.

  "You're a bad boy. You can't just break into a woman's room and sleep with her." I was talking to a wolf that couldn't talk back. He tilted his head to the side and moved forward on the bed to stand over me. Was he about to bite my face off?

  Instead, he gave my face a lick. Gross.

  "Ugh! Get off the bed, you mangy mutt."

  Instead of jumping off the bed, he put his butt in the air and wagged his tail like he wanted to play. Now, not only did I have an unwelcome roommate, but I also had two pets. A monkey and a wolf.

  "You want to play, boy?" I couldn't help but talk to him like he was a dog. I was probably offending him in some way, but I didn't care. They had inserted themselves into my life and made it even more evident that I was losing my mind.

  I got out of bed and made my way down the hall. He followed close behind me, right on my heels. If he sniffed my butt, it was going to be over.

  He trotted over to his duffle bag and gave it a nudge with his snout. I unzipped it, and he rummaged in it with his nose before pulling out the tennis ball in his mouth.

  "There really isn't anywhere to play ball here. How about this: after I take a shower, I'll go to the store and buy a leash and collar. Then we can go to the dog park and play. How does that sound?"

  Picard was making noises on the counter. I looked in his direction, and he was holding a pen and writing with it. It was funny to watch him because the pen was bigger than he was. Of course the monkey could write.

  I approached him and looked down at the dirty paper plate he was writing on. I really needed to have a talk with Ric about cleaning up after himself. I wasn't his maid.

  Picard put the pen down and looked up at me. I grabbed the plate and was surprised that his writing was actually legible. It looked like a first grader had written it, but it was nothing that I wasn't used to seeing. Doctors were notorious for their bad handwriting.

  He's supposed to shift two or three times a week, but he's been fighting it since we've been here on Earth. He thinks if he fights it enough, then he won't have to shift anymore. He's wrong. So every few weeks, his body forces him to, and he's stuck in his wolf form for a few days.

  I didn't know whether to be in awe or frightened over the string of words that the monkey had written. I had thought Ric was just pretending that he could understand him, but maybe they could actually communicate with each other in some kind of special animal language.

  I looked over at Ric, who had jumped on the couch and was chewing on his tennis ball. "Ric! Get off the couch!"

  He made a sound of protest in his throat and jumped down. He walked over to me, his nails clicking on the hardwood floor, and dropped his tennis ball at my feet.

  I rolled my eyes and then went to take a shower. When I was done, I wrapped my towel around myself and walked back into my room to find him on the bed again. He was sleeping.

  I sighed and dropped my towel on the floor to put on panties and a bra. It hadn't even crossed my mind that I shouldn't be changing in front of him.

  I turned to walk to my closet to pick out clothes and stopped in my tracks. He was awake and was looking at me. I looked down at myself and back up at him.

  "You're a perv." He put his head on his paws and looked at me and innocently. I wondered if he would remember any of this when he switched back to being human. Except he wasn't human, was he?

  He wagged his tail as I pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

  "I'm going to run to the store really quick. Be a good boy and don't tear up anything."

  I got back from the store and put away the few groceries I had picked up. I bought several steaks, not knowing if Ric's wolf ate like an actual wolf or like a human. I almost bought some dog food, but didn't want to offend him.

  "Ric? You want to go to the dog park?"

  He came barreling down the hall faster than a speeding bullet. He nearly knocked me over as he came skidding to a stop.

  I laughed and put the collar around his neck. He made a grumbling noise but was wagging his tail vigorously. I would need to make sure I took lots of pictures of him like this. They might come in useful later.

  Before we left, I found some old colored pencils from when I was on an adult coloring book kick and some blank white copy paper for Picard. I left them on the counter. I wasn't sure where he was, but he liked to hang out on the countertop.

  I was just glad he didn't like to hang out on the floor. One wrong step and he would be a squashed monkey.

  I put on a sweater and shoved Ric's tennis ball in my pocket. I then grabbed a few vegetable bags I had shoved in a drawer. I wasn't too keen on having to pick up his shit, but he certainly was acting like a dog, which meant he was probably going to shit like a dog.

  I attached the leash to his collar, and we were out the door. As soon as we got downstairs, he started pulling a little too hard.

  "Whoa there. I do the leading, not you." We stopped along the sidewalk, and he hiked his leg and peed on a bush. "You owe me big time for this. I can't believe I'm walking you."

  He looked back at me. His eyes seemed to say that he couldn't believe I was walking him either.

  We made it to the dog park near my condo, and I went to the gate that indicated it was for the big dogs. The two owners that were already inside it gave me a look and then looked at Ric.

  We walked in, and I unhooked his leash. Both of the owners walked over to me. The other two dogs in the area appeared to be a pit-bull mix of some kind and a chocolate lab.

  "What kind of dog is that?" The woman narrowed her eyes in Ric’s direction. He was trotting slowly towards the other two dogs who had stopped their playing.

  "He's a mix of Great Dane, German Shepherd, and wolf. He's a good dog, not ferocious or anything." As I said those words, I heard him growl, and the other two dogs lowered to their haunches. He stood over them, displaying his dominance. Then they rolled over on their backs to show their stomachs. He licked their muzzles, and then they flipped over, wagging their tails.

  "What the fuck?" The man put his hands on his hips and made a step in the dogs' direction. He stopped when they started to run around and play.

  "I guess it's the wolf in him." I laughed uncomfortably.

  I took out my cell phone and filmed Ric playing. This had to be good for something.

  It was a struggle to get him to leave the dog park after an hour. He probably could've stayed there and played all day.

  When we got back to my condo, Kai was sitting outside the door with a bag of take-out containers next to him.

  "Jesus, is this some kind of kinky foreplay?" He stood and then pushed Ric's muzzle away as he tried to sniff at the take-out boxes in his hand. "I thought I'd bring you lunch."

  I unlocked my door, and he followed me inside. I let Ric off the leash, and he ran around the kitchen with his tail wagging.

  "I think he's hungry. I bought him steaks."

  I didn't quite know what to make of all this attention I was receiving from Ric, Kai, and Lou. Sure it was nice, but at the same time, they knew exactly what I was. I guess if they wanted to risk their lives with a serial killer, that was their business.

 

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