17. Catriona

17

CATRIONA

H alfway to Millie's house, I decide this is very much not in my job description.

Millie giggles, hanging off Felix. "You're handsome for a clockmaker. And so strong. "

He doesn't respond. He just drags her along, looking abundantly annoyed.

It wasn't difficult to pry her away from Norris. It seems she likes my husband more. All Felix had to say was, "Come on, Millie, we're taking you home," and she stumbled into his arms.

"This was your idea," he says when he catches me looking at them. "I'm not taking any blame for this."

" You should have left her to the wolf, " Greg says, bored. I'm not sure if he's talking to Felix this time, or just me.

"You're not wrong," I answer, knowing Millie's too drunk to question my silent conversation with the dragon. "See anything suspicious up there?"

" There's a buck drinking from the creek. "

"That's not suspicious."

" I'm trying to decide if I'm hungry again. "

"You're not. It takes you a good week or longer to digest a meal as large as a deer, and you ate several last night."

" One and a half ," he says despondently. " I tried. "

"Don't make yourself sick."

" I don't like hunting werewolves. "

"I'm not particularly enjoying it either."

" Did Felix tell you about the time we went after a nest of draugrs? Now that was a hunt. "

I pause. "In Galbreah?"

" Yes."

Greg went several years ago to visit Felix while he was off doing who-knows-what.

"You hunted them?" I say skeptically. "Together?"

That can't be right.

Felix looks over, suspicious. "What are you two talking about?"

Apparently, Greg decided not to share our conversation with my apprentice.

" I wasn't supposed to mention it ," Greg admits.

Millie giggles again. "Is there someone else with us? Is he invisible ?"

Good heavens, she's insufferable.

"We're almost there," Felix says as we pass the Dahlheimer's property.

Thanks to Belinda, I learned the Dahlheimers and the Abendroths are neighbors. The four girls grew up together, and that's why Belinda thought Millie might have gone to Arnold's place after she and her father argued.

"What time is it?" Millie asks.

"Close to midnight," I say, surprised by the somewhat coherent question.

"Father should be asleep by now," she says.

We drag her down the path that leads to the old farmhouse, through an orchard that's far larger than the Dahlheimer's.

Reluctantly, Felix says, "He doesn't hurt you, does he?"

"Oh no." She hiccups. "He just yells and throws things. He knows better than to touch us."

Felix meets my eyes, his eyebrows knitting low. "He does?"

She laughs. "He's scared of Frida's monsters. All we have to do is tell him we'll ask her to send them, and it shuts him right up, the old fool."

"Her ceramic redcaps?" A chill travels down my spine. "Why is he scared of them?"

"Why indeed?" she says cryptically. Then she giggles again. "Belinda!" she yells. "Belinda, I'm home!"

I step away from her, rubbing my ear.

A minute later, the nuisance's sister opens the door, wearing a dressing gown and carrying a lamp.

"Oh no," she breathes, hurrying into the night. "Millie, what trouble have you gotten into?" She pulls her sister into her arms and turns to us, her face full of apologies. "I'm so incredibly sorry. Thank you for bringing her home. It won't happen again?—"

"It will," Millie sings.

Belinda swats her sister's shoulder. "Stop talking. You've made enough of a mess."

"Thank you for rescuing me, handsome Felix," Millie coos, making eyes at my husband. And then she turns to me and laughs. "And sour Catriona."

"Millie!" Belinda exclaims.

"It's fine," I say, taking pity on Millie's frazzled sister. "You're safe? Should we come in?"

She frowns toward the dark windows. "Father was gone when I got home. I think he went looking for Millie. He'll probably stumble around for a while, pass out, and then wake in the morning in one of our neighbor's orchards. That's his pattern."

"Do you want us to look for him?"

"No." She winces, ashamed. "You've already helped my sad family more than we deserve. Thank you for bringing Millie home."

"We'll go then."

"Be careful walking back," she says. "It's so late now, and the village…"

"We know."

She nods solemnly, dragging her sister into the aging farmhouse.

"That was an adventure," I say wryly when Felix and I are alone.

He swipes a hand over his shirt as we walk, disgusted. "I need a bath. The scent of Millie's perfume is clinging to me. Next time you decide to drag her home, you can carry her."

"Next time, we'll leave her for the wolf," I say, remembering how she looked at Felix.

Felix looks up from his shirt. "The redcap comment. That was weird, wasn't it?"

"It was. When I see Belinda again, I'll ask her about it."

"Have fun working that into a conversation."

I laugh, suddenly exhausted. For the second time tonight, we walk down the lane and into the village.

It's late enough that many of the shop lights have been snuffed. Even the tavern lights seem dimmer as we cross the bridge.

A wolf cries in the night, and I clutch Felix's arm. "You heard that, right?"

"I'm not deaf."

"Greg," I call quietly. "Are you still there?"

I'm answered with an agonized, draconic moan.

"Greg!" I exclaim, sudden fear clawing my throat. "Where are you? Are you all right?"

" I thought I had room ," he groans.

My panic turns to irritation. "Oh no."

" The apple-fed deer are so tasty, Cat," he says dramatically. "I tried to resist the siren's call of his venison flesh. But I failed. "

"Did you get sick?"

" Not yet. " He makes a retching sound in my head.

"Break the connection," I command, cringing. "I don't want to hear you be ill."

The night goes silent, and I shake my head.

"Greg tried to eat another deer," I tell Felix.

"He didn't even give the last two a proper chance to digest," Felix says.

"That's what I told him. But he didn't listen." I peer at him as we hasten back to our apartment. "Are the two of you at odds? Why isn't he including you in his conversations?"

"You're his favorite."

"Oh." I smile a little. "Well. He does have good taste."

Felix snorts.

We're almost to our shop now, but any minute, I expect the werewolf to appear from a dark side yard, teeth and claws bared.

"I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to meet Millie and Belinda's father," Felix says.

"Do you think that's him out there?"

"He is missing right now."

Before we turn up the porch stairs, we wait, listening for the wolf, hoping to figure out where it is. But the night is silent.

"We should probably go look for it. Let me get changed, and then we'll see if we can track it." As I trudge up the stairs, I say, "Is it horrible to admit I'm tired and wish we were back at the guild?"

"No, but personally, I'd rather be here."

Halfway up the steps, I turn toward Felix. "Werewolf jobs are so tedious. Surely you don't mean that?"

"As long as we're together, I don't really care where we are."

He squeezes my hand and begins up the steps, leaving me feeling slightly befuddled.

And then he stops.

"What's the matter?" I ask, hurrying up next to him.

And then I see it.

Another redcap smiles at us from in front of the door, holding the broken ceramic monster's head in his gnarled hand.