I've already showered three times but I think I've finally gotten the last of the dirt and grime off from the warehouse. My aching muscles ease under the hot water and I let out a sigh of contentment. I needed this. I wish I could stay here forever.

When I'm finally ready to wrench myself from the bliss, I step out, dry myself, and wrap my body in a fluffy white robe with tiny pink hearts. I'm still towel drying my hair when I walk into the hall. Turning the corner into the living room, I scream.

A gorgeous black man lounges on my couch, sipping a glass of wine. He doesn't so much as look at me as I walk in, eyes glued to my TV.

"Have a nice shower?" he asks.

My eyes dart around for a weapon and land on a vase. I snatch it up and launch it at his face. He catches it with ease and sets it down on the coffee table.

"Whoever you are, you need to get the fuck out of my house."

Just then, the door to the bedroom opens and Eko steps out. He sees me, fists raised, and cocks an eyebrow.

"Get over here," I hiss at him. "There's an intruder."

He glances passed me to the man on the couch and rolls his eyes. "I told you she would not enjoy this."

Then he walks by me and towards the kitchen.

I hesitate, confused. "Wait, what? Enjoy what?"

"Relax, Lexi," the man says. "This place is warded out the ass. Do you really think anyone could get in without your saying so?"

I take a cautious step towards him. "So you're... Vimmy?"

He grins. "I told you I'd show you what that tattoo did. Do you like it?"

I look him up and down. He's handsome. More than handsome. He looks good enough to be on the cover of magazines. I can tell he's tall, too, even though he's sitting down, and muscular. His tattoos are still there, although they're harder to see against his dark skin.

"Where's your shirt?" I ask since he's only wearing a pair of jeans I recognize as a pair I bought for Eko.

"The fairy said you prefer your harem shirtless."

Eko, who was sipping a glass of water, chokes and spits it across the counter. "I said no such thing! And the term fairy is offensive!"

"Harem?" I squeak.

Vimmy stands and saunters over to me. I was right, he is tall. He towers over me and I have to step back so I don't hurt my neck looking up at him. He's not as tall as his Ogre form but he's taller than most men by far.

"So this is how you stole without raising suspicions," I say, trying to act like his proximity isn't making my heart race. "They just saw a human on the security tapes. Just another robbery."

He grins down at me and his teeth are so white they almost blind me. It's a dazzling smile. "Exactly."

His eyes drift languidly down and land on my robe. He gives me a wicked smile.

"Would you like me to take your coat, mistress?" he asks, holding out his hand and bowing as if he were a butler.

Before I can say a word, Eko walks over and strikes him across the face.

"You will not speak to the lady in such a crass manner," Eko snarls.

I tense, ready to jump in but Vimmy just laughs. "I was just joking. I wouldn't touch a single hair on her head without an invitation. You know what she could do to me. I would be Ogre dust before I could even beg for mercy."

"And you would be wise to remember that she could do it without so much as lifting a finger."

They stare each other down. Even though Eko is half a head shorter than Vimmy, his anger seems to make the air crackle.

"Okay, okay. " I frown, stepping between them. "Could you two put it back in your pants? The measuring contest is over."

Vimmy shrugs and heads back over to the couch to get his wine. Eko stands, staring for another second before marching stiffly back to the kitchen. With a frown I notice he too has forgone a shirt.

When I emerge from my bedroom ten minutes later wearing a pair of black yoga pants and an oversized college sweatshirt, they're in the kitchen arguing again. I do my best to ignore them as I grab a glass of water and a bowl of cereal but it proves difficult.

"You have nothing to offer her," Vimmy is saying, looking exasperated.

"And what do you suppose you can offer that I cannot?" Eko answers hotly. "A few party tricks?"

In response Vimmy pulls the sword from his skin and points it at Eko. "I can offer her protection."

"They will kill you before you enter the building!"

I plop down onto a stool and set my bowl on the counter. "What's happening now?" I ask.

Eko, who looks like he's about to explode, whirls to face me. "The oaf is insisting he accompany us to the wolves. Which is ridiculous, of course."

"It isn't ridiculous," Vimmy growls as he returns his blade to his skin. "You have no magic to protect her with."

Swallowing a spoonful of cereal I hold my hand up for silence. "Enough. Why is it ridiculous for Vimmy to come with us? He makes a good point."

Our next destination is the werewolf pack. Clyde had, as predicted, texted after a few days and I'd arranged a meeting through him with the pack alpha. I'd kept the details vague but insisted that only the Alpha could help. Eko seems to think that, despite being less than a millennia old, he might be able to help us.

"His magic is far too dominant. The wolves will sense it and try to kill him before he can even step foot in their home." Eko says.

"And what if it's a trap?" Vimmy demands. "She doesn't think the boy recognized her but what if he did? You could be walking right into the scorpion's nest without even a party trick to protect you."

"And if you come then we will not even get inside!" Eko slams his hand down on the counter.

The lights go out.

The three of us are instantly on alert.

"Intruders?" I whisper.

Vimmy shrugs, eyes darting around. He pulls two blades from his skin and hands one to Eko while I run to my safe and grab my gun. Armed, we prowl silently around the house, looking for any sign of the people who had attacked us at the warehouse.

As I sweep the bedroom I scoop a sleeping Snot into my arms just in case. She yowls in protest.

"Shhh." I command her.

When we've checked the whole house we meet back in the living room. I peek out the window.

"The whole block is down," I tell them.

"Does this mean we are not being attacked?" asks Eko.

Vimmy takes his blade back and deposits it along with its twin back into his skin. "Yeah, false alarm. Seems like it was just a power outage."

I sigh in relief. My nerves feel frazzled and my hands shake a little as I put the gun back in its spot in the safe.

When I emerge from my office, Vimmy and Eko are already fighting again.

I shout for them to stop. "Both of you, enough!"

They grumble but settle down.

"Eko," I say. "Do you really think it's a bad idea for him to come with us?"

Eko nods. "Truly, Lexi. I believe that if he comes they will attack us."

"Then it's final," I say, capping my hands together. "Vimmy, you're staying."

"But,"

"But nothing."

He opens his mouth like he's about to protest but closes it again. "I think it's a mistake but I'm bound by honour to obey you until my debt is repaid. At least let me help out in other ways. How about I go out and grab some supplies? We're running low on food."

"Because you ate it all," Eko grumbles, still fuming.

"Sidebar?" I say to Eko.

He looks at me, confused. "Side...What?"

I roll my eyes and grab him by the elbow, dragging him down the hall and into the bedroom.

"Can we trust him?" I ask Eko when the door is shut tight behind us. "I mean, he tried to kill us yesterday. If I let him through the wards and he decides to betray us..."

"He will not," Eko says. "The Ogres are a loyal race. Loyal to a fault. They may not be cursed to only speak the truth as the fae are but their word is their bond. If he says he will follow you until the debt of his life is repaid then he will do so. I would worry more about what happens when the debt is done."

I frown but nod.

"Yes, fine. I'll grab you some money and the spare set of keys," I say to Vimmy as I stride back into the room. "Get whatever you think we need. And put on a Goddamn shirt."

—--------------

Vimmy, now wearing a plain white t-shirt that's two sizes too small, leaves while Eko and I are still prepping for our meeting with the Alpha. He blows me a kiss on his way out the door. A blush creeps up my neck at the way his muscles bulge beneath the too tight shirt.

Eko, still without a shirt of his own, leans in close to the laptop to read the words on the screen. The webpage is open to the 'Fact or Fiction' site for werewolves and he's fact checking the information for me.

While he's distracted I examine his back. I take measurements and note them down with the others in my notebook. They've hardly grown at all since yesterday. No doubt because I took so much of his magic to heal Vimmy.

They're looking healthy. The skin at the base completely healed and the black feathers that are growing from the tiny wings are glossy and smooth. Even the other scars, the knotted white ones that cross his skin like mountain peaks, are starting to heal.

With a few quick calculations I find that the rate at which he's healing lines up with his estimate of one month to be fully healed. I jot that down.

"It is right for the most part," Eko says, finishing the page and leaning back. "There are a few corrections I would make although I am not sure if they will be at all relevant for our meeting."

"Just tell me anyway," I say.

"Well, for one, their power does not come from the moon. It comes from the moon goddess."

"There's a moon goddess?"

"Yes, and if the werewolves still exist then so too does the goddess."

I try to wrap my head around that. Moon goddess.

Eko continues, "It also says here that the pack order is determined by strength but this is untrue. It is only one component. Truly it is determined by respect. A wolf may be physically weaker but earn the respect of his peers with his wit or cunning. In this way he can elevate his position in the pack."

That one does make sense to me and I nod. "Anything else?"

"It is not written here so I will tell it to you. The pack only cares about the pack. We are strangers and outsiders and, as such, hold no sway among them. If we are to convince them to help us, we must convince them that it will be worthwhile to all of them, not just their Alpha."

"Alright," I nod. "Then let's go do that."