I sniff around the room's perimeter. By the time I make it to the door, voices outside make me retreat to the foot of the bed. I fluff my fur and display my teeth to look as big and mean as possible. As werewolves go, I'm of average size, bigger than a normal wolf. In human form I'm deadly to vampires, but my wolf is better suited to fight out of a tight space.
Three people are standing in the hall, arguing. A hand grabs the door handle, then undoes the lock.
He spots me right away and grins. "Well, hello, wee wolfie."
Teeth bared, I stand my ground. Two more heads pop around the door to peer at me. One is wearing a fedora over grey hair, the other is taller with giant prescription glasses. They smell like shifters, but I can't place their animals. A growl escapes my throat and the dark haired one raises his hands like I've drawn a gun.
"Easy, we're just here to check on ya. Don't bite the messenger." His Irish brogue tickles my ears. "We're here to check on ya."
Someone must have elbowed him in the side because he grimaces and starts struggling. "Lay off."
"Tell her Frangelico sent us--" the tall one with big glasses murmurs.
"I'm tryin'!"
"Well, do it before she eats us--"
The three crash to the ground, pushing at each other and cursing. Their scent is a confusing tangle of werewolf, feathers, and Irish whiskey. My nose twitches but I can't help grinning at their antics. The dark haired one pushes up first, struggling to his knees while his buddies sprawl around him. The gawky one's glasses hang from one ear and the grey-haired one has lost his fedora.
"I'm Declan," the Irish one announces. "Frangelico ordered us to check on ya. Give ya food and water, that sorta thing." He looks around and grabs the fedora right before the grey-haired guy can get it. "The rest of these ijits can introduce themselves. I'm the handsome one."
"I'm Parker," the grey haired guy rises and dusts himself off. He snatches the hat back and hands it to the tall one.
"L-l-laurie," stammers the tall guy who smells like feathers.
"I've never been in a vampire's house before," Declan remarks. "Do ya think we should explore?"
"No!" both Parker and Laurie yell.
"Jay-sus, no need to shout. I'm not deaf, ya know." Declan sticks a finger in his ear and twists it around. "What say ya, wolfie? Ready to get some fresh air?"
I assess them a second. Three shifters, unknown animals. Close friends, somehow working for Frangelico. Threat level: zero.
I bark once. When they head out of the room, I follow.
For never being in Frangelico's house before, they seem to know their way to the kitchen. The three knot together for a whispered conference.
"Is she staying in wolf form? Should we just go with it?"
"I guess…Just act natural."
Parker pours fruit out of a bowl and fills it with water. He sets in down for me while Declan opens the fridge.
"What do you want? Steak?" The Irishman holds up one finger, "or lasagna?" he holds up a second. I bark once.
"Good choice." He lays out my steak on a platter, sets it on the floor and backs away. The three lean on the counter at the far end of the kitchen while I rip into my breakfast.
They talk amongst themselves, slowly growing bolder. How did these guys end up working for the Vampire King? They're wondering the same thing about me.
After breakfast, they let me outside, and I roam around do my business on the base of a saguaro cactus. I sniff around a palo verde tree. I'm careful to stay away from the jumping cactus.
I spend the rest of the morning lazing on the warm patio, napping and gnawing on the steak bone that one of my sitters left out for me. I act like a normal canine pet, all the while clocking the guards patrol times, and the location of the security cameras set around the estate.
Around noon, someone comes to the front door. Declan and Parker's surprised voices echo through the house. They accept the packages, and carry them--box after box full of shopping bags--down the hall towards my room.
Declan pops out to check on me a few minutes later. "Frangelico, uh, ordered you some things. Must've had three personal shoppers working round the clock for ya. Clothes, make up and, er…" He flushes and I have no trouble guessing that a good portion of the bags came from a high end lingerie company. "We, um, left them in your room. We'll let you unpack them."
I nod and go back to worrying my bone.
The Irish wolf squats down a few feet away.
"Frangelico wants us to find out what happened your pack. Do ya have any clues ya can give us, lass? Any leads?"
What? Why would Frangelico order these guys to find my pack? What is he trying to prove?
He said he'd check my story. What will he do when he finds out who I am? That I'm the only wolf who got away?
Declan scratches his head, as if wondering how I'm going to communicate to him in wolf form. There's no way I'm telling him anything so I stare at him until he looks away.
"Right," he says, and goes back inside.
I doze for a few hours before they call me inside for dinner. Salmon this time.
"Here wolfie, wolfie, wolfie," Parker pours a bottle of fancy Fiji water into my clean bowl. Nothing but the best for the vampire king's pet.
At 3:00 p. m, the trio tries to lure me to my room with dog treats. I play along and let them lock me back in my room. They didn't ask to be my keepers. My problem isn't with them. I've got a few hours left before I face Frangelico again, and I need my wits sharp as a wooden stake. As the light in the bedroom thickens and turns amber, I change into human form and curl up in the bed to sleep.