Dawn caressed me awake like a boulder would have hit Indiana Jones if he hadn't run fast enough in that temple. Apollo's chariot might as well have sucker-punched me, then stripped me down to hammer in a few more punches. So, I adjusted the curtains in the guest room before crashing into a deep sleep, dreaming of wolves and angry men fighting under neon lights. Then an hour later Ari had rolled onto her side and smoothed my nose down with a clean smack against it.

I cradled my nose and glared down at her oblivious sleeping face with a will strong enough to keep me from kicking her off the bed.

By eight in the morning, I was sitting at the edge of the bed watching the light thicken between the crack of the mustard-coloured weighing whether it was worth trying to get back to sleep. In the end, I was hungry enough, and grumpy enough, to start my hunt for Lycius and his butler Boris. With a secret hope that I might find out where the other wolves are kept and who they are.

Last night I was swept back into the mansion in quick succession. Calix had a way of flying noisily through corridors, and a tiresome skill of avoiding answering questions. He all but locked us in the guestroom with his sharp look, it didn't matter how polite I was, his look told me he had already made up his mind of what kind of person I was. It wasn't the first time I was judged unfairly, and it wouldn't be the last. If I thought Lycius' was hard to read, Calix was giving me emotional whiplash.

I kicked on the clothes from last night – my mild yet somehow provocative clubbing gear – and tried my best to clean my face at the mirror hanging by the door. The kohl around my eyes was smudged towards my hairline, and luckily, I had wiped off my black lipstick before bed or I would have woken up looking like I had just eaten the bleeding heart of a demon.

Honestly, I looked exactly how I felt. The daylight wasn't even on my skin, and I felt its burning weight oppress me. My throat felt as if there were claws raking down it and that I had been smoking for the past thirty years of my twenty-two years of existence.

As I peered disappointedly at my reflection at the mirror of a rustic dresser, I took in the Mavros' guest room, and it was the least interesting space in their house. I imagined it was one of the rooms Mrs Mavros was in charge of. Cream coloured walls, a modern double bed with a blue rustic detachable headboard, and canary yellow covers to match the curtains. The floorboards and the windows might have been the oldest features of the room because this bedroom looked like it was an Ikea display.

Oh Gods, what if Mrs Mavros was here?

And here I was looking like a crackhead that Lycius' had dragged off the streets...

Fabulous.

Before daring to leave the guest room I stuffed my phone in my pocket and took a deep breath as the brass handle cooled my skin. The hallway had grim wooden panelling with matching dark wood floorboards and where I walked my shoes clicked loudly, the sounds bouncing back into my already ringing head.

Last night, Calix had welcomed us in through the front door – if you could call it welcoming – while Lycius and this so-called Humphrey entered through another part of the mansion. We didn't see the master or his werewolf for the rest of the night. Calix had begrudgingly brought us to the guest room and instructed that we were to ring him if we needed him. He shut the door on us before we could thank him, making me want to avoid needing to call him.

It took lots of convincing to keep Ari from climbing out the window. In the end, she didn't want to be out on the property late at night while it was infested by wolves nor mess up her boots in the process. She was more disappointed that we didn't have access to Wi-Fi.

I marched through the second floor to the grand staircase leading down to the dimly lit ballroom. I looked over the railing to see the checkered marble floor glowing up at me and I was reminded that this was the kind of house you didn't expect real people to live in, I could almost spit at the extravagance of it. I might just be bitter but who needs all this space? When was the last time they even used this ballroom?

At the top step, the point of my boots peeked over the edge while the image of me being dangled over it by my neck made my stomach twist. The picture of his horrific face haunted me when all I could do was claw weakly at his arm with my shadows. It was strange how his wolf face could change like that. From something animal to something demonic.

The subtle beat of someone walking stirred me awake and I followed the sounds to the ground floor, over on the far left of the ballroom I spotted a silver door handle on the wall between two golden silky drapes. Like a secret servant's entrance and unlike the ones in the guest room these curtains looked grand, the fabric had a metallic shine as if woven by sunlight. I gently stroked the fabric before I gripped the hand and gave it a forceful pull. Fascinated, and wanting to know who was awake with me, I opened the door and crossed another narrower corridor to a smoky kitchen. Something was sizzling on a pan, and I jumped when Calix popped up from behind the counter with a hand on his chest.

'You frightened me,' he said. His ash-blond hair fell in dead straight greasy wisps, and I was surprised to see the man so unkempt but in marvellous silky red pyjamas.

'I wasn't the one hiding under a table,' I said.

'You shouldn't be awake,' he said, or more fussed as if me being awake was a massive inconvenience to his plans.

'Should I be dead?' I laughed.

He narrowed his eyes on me. 'Mr Mavros has explained to me your nocturnal nature. I didn't expect you until this evening.'

'Oh, I see.' They were going to wait for me all day? That was quite considerate of them – and very embarrassing.

Feeling awkward I narrowed my eyes at what Calix was cooking. A hot meal made for one.

'It's alright I'm not hungry,' I said when he put his French toast on a plate and slid it across the kitchen bench to me. He sniffled and took his plate down to the little table in the corner by a small window. He proceeded to eat with his back to me. I understood, I was just as irritable to being up this early in the day.

I leaned back against the benchtop, resting on my elbows and crossed one foot over the other. I swear I might have caught Calix sighing resentfully as if he could sense my rounds of questioning before I opened my mouth.

'What kind of magic do you do?' I said.

He froze mid-bite. 'I beg your pardon?'

I jumped and sat on the benchtop. 'You're a sorcerer, right?'

He scoffed. 'You flatter me, I'm but a humble butler.'

'Is this a sore spot for you?' I asked amused.

'No, I just don't casually talk about my powers to strangers. Nor flash them recklessly out in the open.'

'You needed cover,' I said immediately knowing he was judging me for casting darkness last night. 'And you recklessly admitted you are a magic user. We can stop playing pretend.'

He made a motion with his head as if he rolled his eyes before looking over his shoulder at me.

'I've never seen someone manipulate shadows,' he said. I couldn't tell if he was impressed or appalled by the thought of it. He nodded to my clothes with a judgemental twitch of his moustache. 'You certainly fit the aesthetic.'

Appalled it is.

What a prude.

'What's the stone you use for the werewolves?' I said, not letting him get to me.

'It's a non.'

'A nun?'

'A none of your business.' He snickered.

'Come on you've got to give me something. At least tell me what kind of powers you have. What do you specialise in?'

'I have a toilet to clean after breakfast. If you're going to be awake, try to avoid touching things that you shouldn't be touching.'

I wasn't sure what else to say without sounding slightly stung and ignored the growling of my stomach as Calix silently ate. He wiped his golden moustache with a napkin before standing and placing the plate in the sink. He didn't offer to make me breakfast and I didn't ask as he left me in the kitchen alone even more dissatisfied than before.

'Well, he didn't say I couldn't explore the house,' I muttered.

Lycius was startled awake when he felt this hard jab in his shoulder. He lifted his head from his pillow to find Calix hovering over him in his suit and tie, and with his usual golden pocket watch ticking away in his pocket.

'Miss Drakos has risen,' Calix said. Lycius looked at the clock on the nightstand and groaned in disbelief.

'It's not even midday,' Lycius growled.

'Yes, I was also disappointed to find her awake at such odd hours according to your logic, Master.' Calix's mouth formed a thin line. 'Now get up at deal with it. She asks too many questions.' Calix tore Lycius's bed covers off him before marching to the drapes and hauling them open with a vengeance. Lycius looked down at himself, bothered by the state of his fur, or more the fact that it was still there in the first place. His body felt incredibly heavy with exhaustion, but he dragged himself out of bed and lumbered over to his wardrobe.

'What kind of questions?' he said, scrolling through his human clothes to get to the larger shirts and trousers. He hesitated over the sweatpants and picked some black slacks and an XXXL button-up shirt.

'Impertinent ones. Doesn't matter. You haven't given me any instruction on what you want to share and what you want kept in the family.' As Lycius got undressed, Calix was already making a fuss on the ripped bedsheets as he tidied it up.

'I can't help it, it's these bloody claws. I'm not doing it on purpose. As for Rhea, I don't know what to tell her...' Not that he could physically share too much. He would have to test the waters even he wanted to explain the way and the reason his life flung itself off the edge. Yes, it was better that he didn't share so why did he want to. He didn't owe her anything. Distracted by his thoughts he realised to late that, as he slipped a foot through his pantleg, his claws pierced through the fabric and tore the leg open. 'For fucks sake!' he bellowed and threw the pants across the room.

'Do you need help?' Calix said.

'No! I don't need help!' Lycius snapped and lunged for another pair of slacks and delicately slipped into. 'Stop watching me.'

'I'm not watching you.'

'You're waiting for me to fuck up.'

'I am not...' he sighed giving up on him. 'I have work to do.' Calix stomped to the door but turned around at the doorway. 'What do we do about the others?'

I strolled back through the ballroom and noticed that behind the staircase was the way out to the new pool room. Unlike the guest bedroom, this part of the house had a feature to match the gothic style of the rest of the house. So, not Ikea inspired. It had pale blue tiling, but white ionic pillars lined against the walls. It was the Olympus of indoor pools and I half expected to catch Artemis bathing in its crystal waters. It also didn't have that strong chlorine smell, instead, it smelled like saltwater.

I was reminded again of how poor I was, how financially burdened I had always been since I was a child. I had never cared so much when it was important...

Alright, that's half true. I've always wanted to live a life where I wasn't counting the last few coins in my wallet. It was easier to distract myself or keep a positive attitude when extreme wealth was flaunting itself like a cruel temptress in my face.

This entire house fed on my envy and if it were alive, it would be enjoying every minute of it. I walked around the pool to the large arched windows and took the sight of what must have been a spectacular garden but now an overgrown mess of weeds and unkempt rose bushes growing like mutated monsters.

I wanted to know how to get out there. I unashamedly admit that I wanted to take a selfie with those plants behind me. When I turned around to find another door, I nearly left out of my skin at the looming figure taking up the doorway with his hairy mass.

'Fuck me,' I whispered. 'Don't do that!'

Lycius' slate coloured fur around his head was in disarray as if he had just been woken up. He was in a sapphire blue shirt unbuttoned at the collar revealing a white tuft of fur on his chest and wore slightly worn black pants. His cobalt eyes raked over my body before meeting my eyes. I was tempted to tease him about it, but I had a feeling he wasn't fully awake yet. He chuckled, it was rough and dry as if he was battling a cold. Could he catch a cold in this state? Could werewolves even get sick?

'Why are you up?' he said.

'I recommend some tea with lemon,' I said. He cocked his head to the side, so I pointed at my neck, 'for the throat.'

'It's eight-thirty,' he said.

'Yes,' I confirmed nodding.

'Rhea,' he said, and my heart fluttered in my chest, 'it's eight-thirty in the morning.'

'Yes, you can tell time,' I slow clapped, 'well done.'

The muscles in his shoulder heaved up to join his irritated sigh of contempt. I had practised the art of keeping my amusement to myself thanks to working in customer service.

'What are you doing up so early?' he said through clenched teeth. He padded softly along the edge of the pool, and I followed him on my end matching his soundless steps. His thick arms swayed heavily forcing his posture to hunch, or maybe he was too tired to bother with good posture.

'Not everyone knows about my nocturnal nature. Nor do they need to. Did you really think I was going to sleep all day in your house?'

He shrugged. 'I thought you would prefer it.'

'Really?' I sai.

'You've always hated being awake in the day.'

I was warmed by the thought that he cared, and we continued to pace until we were head to chest at the far end of the room – far from the door. I couldn't make out what his expression meant but it made me want to shiver.

'I've had to get used to it like everyone else,' I said.

Somehow, he had arched his brow. 'Like Giannis?'

'John?' I cackled. Why would he bring him up? Of all people?

He crossed his burly arms across his massive chest now straightening up his posture and looking regal as he did it. 'How was Penthouse?'

'Is this an interrogation?' I crossed my arms to match his smug appearance even while he towered over me. That arrogance didn't quite meet his eyes, sure they glowed with that usual old mischief I was familiar with but there was something else. Something dark. 'Are you mad I was out with him?'

'No,' he said. 'Just wondering when you two got so close.'

'We're not close.'

'No?'

I licked my bottom lip. 'No.'

'Hm,' he uncrossed his arms seemingly satisfied. I wasn't yet and I'll be damned if I ever let a man leave me undone like that.

'I recall you were friends with him first,' I said.

'And I remember you got jealous about it.'

I laughed. 'I was not jealous.' The wolfman roared with laughter, and I would have been mad, had I not been so delighted to hear his laugh. Even when it was so terrifying, I had to suppress my joy.

Suddenly he pressed his forehead against mine and glared straight into my eyes. Amusement danced within them tricking me into smiling with him.

'You so fucking were,' he whispered.

I pushed my head against his until we were challenging each other. 'And when John hit on me at your Halloween party, what were your feelings in that moment?'

He leaned back growing cold. 'He did?'

I prodded his chest, my finger sinking deep in his warm fur. 'Look at you panic. Are you jealous of good old John?'

'Oh please,' he rolled his eyes meaning to add more but I quickly interjected.

'You're right because jealousy implies that you have me, but you don't.'

'I did once.'

'Oh, and when was that?' I said light-heartedly but his expression grew grim. I shook my head. 'You can't count that night. I had you and you wimped out.' He turned away and stormed out of the room, I rushed after him into the ballroom. 'Was this why?'

'Was what why?' he growled. His claws tapped against the marble floor as he marched to a set of doors on the far right.

'How long have you been a werewolf, Lycius?' I said stopping him in his tracks. 'Did you know that night? Have you always known?'

'How are you so clueless.' He stated rather than questioned and glared nastily at me over his shoulder. The sudden shift of mood nearly threw me off my feet. 'You've always known something was wrong with me. Why does this shock you so much?'

'You gave off daddy issues, Lycius, excuse me for not firstly assuming that you were secretly a supernatural being. You could have opened up to me at any time and you chose not to, even though I had shared my life, kept myself open about my worries and my magic...'

'I don't owe you anything.'

'Bullshit.'

'Bullshit?' he turned and stormed back to tower over me. To intimidate me. I balled my hands into tight fists at my side.

'You owe me an explanation,' I sai.d

'You owe me some very expensive paintings.'

That silenced me. Almost. 'Prick.'

He laughed darkly. 'Brat.'

The doors led to a dining room with wine red coloured wallpaper mixed with the same dark brown wood panelling. The wall across me was lined with long arched windows adorned with red velvet curtains. The table was long enough to seat sixteen people and Lycius pulled out a seat at the centre of the table. It took me a second to realise he had pulled it out for me.

'Thank you,' I said as I sat down. I wish I hadn't. I wish I pulled out the chair next to it. I watched him take big steps around the table to sit at the end of it – or the head of it. He sank back into the chair, and it croaked under his pressure. He still looked ticked off, as if my presence was maddening.

'Where are the wolves?' I said.

He sighed heavily. 'Do you really want to know?'

'Is Humphrey okay?'

We both snapped to attention to the sound of footsteps and shifted uncomfortably as Arianna was dragged in by her arm by Calix –now suited up making Ari look terribly out of place in her crop top and matted hair.

'Get your hands off me, pervert,' Ari snapped her arm from his grip. He nodded to Lycius bemused then left the room. Ari shot me a glare. 'You abandoned me.'

'It's become a habit, has it?' Lycius said. When Ari heard his voice, she – like me earlier – had leapt out of her skin. Her hair might as well have greyed out with how ghostly she had gotten from looking at the wolfman while I fumed.

'Excuse me?' I said slowly.

'Oh, you've done it now,' Ari whispered as she rushed to stand behind my chair.

'Uh, how did I abandon you?' I questioned Lycius.

'I can think of a few examples,' he said quietly.

'Name one,' I said through gritted teeth.

'You ran off to university,' he said. I nearly scoffed out loud at such a lame example.

'Yeah, she did. Cos she's brilliant... And selfish,' Ari said and sat down on my left, furthest from the haughty beast who really thought he was making a significant point.

'You left the country,' I said accusatorily at him and slammed my hands on the table as I bolted upright from my seat. Then I realised what Ari had said and glared down at her. 'And-wait... I'm selfish? Are you kidding?'

No one gave me an answer when Calix bombed back into the room with a trolly full of food. I offered to help serve or at least serve myself but one look from Calix was enough to get me to sink back down in my seat and let him serve us. I thanked him, not that he gave a damn, and I tried not to appear repulsed by the way Lycius was inhaling his meal. He held the cutlery in his hands however he broke apart ad devoured everything with his teeth making the crockery worthless. Ari snickered and I elbowed her gut without looking up from my plate.

'Rhea,' Lycius called out suddenly, 'Arianna.'

'Ew, don't say my name like that,' Ari said.

'Arianna, before you take your walk of shame today. Are you busy later this evening?'

Ari and I grinned.

'The usual rituals,' I said.

'Smoke weed,' Ari said.

'Summon the dead,' I said.

'Steal a car,' Ari added.

'Settle a debt. Or two...' I said.

'See an episode of The Golden Girls...' Ari said. We turned to Lycius who ran his clawed hand down his snout.

'Why?' I said forcing my mouth to fall in a thin line.

'I want you to inspect the paintings before you leave,' he said.

I perked up. 'Sure.' I stood up and walked to the door. 'Let's get it over with.'

'Yeah, you guys do that,' Ari said through a mouthful of French toast as she drowned her plate in maple syrup.

It was terrible. All of it. It was like walking into a factory farm but filled with tormented paintings either chipping on the ends, scarred, burned, or painted over with slurs and curses. Arianna and this Lazarus had really outdone themselves. Lycius' father's face was slashed on multiple portraits, there were landscape paintings that were painted over or punched through, and frames cracked and torn apart leaving the work exposed. There was a family portrait of Lycius at a younger age, his parents seated behind him with their hands resting on his shoulders. It was such a cold image with all their faces sliced in half. I reached out to fold one piece up to complete Lycius' young face. He looked just as void of emotion as he did in his wolf form.

Lovely.

This was going to be a challenge. I was so tired I wanted to cry but I stepped back propping my hand to my chin to further inspect the other works in the sitting room.

There were some paintings with a mere fine scratch or paint peeling off. Those I could touch up, but the others were a lost cause.

I shifted uncomfortably between Lycius' and Calix. 'I can fix it.'

Calix scoffed. I swear even his moustache had a nervous twitch.

'I believe it,' Lycius said. 'Otherwise, I could just kill you.'

'Save us the disappointment and do it now,' Calix said.

'Funny,' I said dryly. I didn't know how well I could pull this gig off and with it being under Lycius' careful eye I had to act as if the swelling feeling in my chest was strictly confidence and not a panic attack brewing. My eyes darted to every scratch and mark on every painting, each imperfection flooding me with more doubt. Then I realised Lycius wouldn't be the worst of my problems, it would be his mother I'd have to impress, and I just knew that Calix would be a tattletale. 'I'll start with the less damaged ones.'

'Will your mother approve of this?' Calix said which cause Lycius to scowl at him. By the look of Calix, he regretted nothing.

'Yes, where is your mother?' I asked.

'She's on her third annual vacation,' Lycius said with a strong hint of venom. 'She won't be a problem.' Calix shifted uncomfortably in the doorway. Like he wanted to argue with Lycius but wouldn't dare cross that line. Therefore, he left us alone to dust something or be judgemental and hate life in another part of the house, and the silence between us was unbearable.

'I never realised how big this place was,' I said, clasping my hands together.

'It's not that big,' he said.

'Well, you are eight feet tall. You're as big as this mansion.'

'It's not that grand,' Lycius assured.

I stared up at him incredulously. 'I'm not sure if you know this, but normal people don't own ballrooms.'

'My dad was an aristocrat. Earned his wealth from inheritance,' Lycius said and paced around the couch glare at another portrait of an elderly couple. I assumed they were his grandparents as they shared the same disdain for smiling. Was this family line doomed to self-imposed misery?

'Why does your mum work if she doesn't have to?'

He shrugged. 'Boredom?'

'You're not spending your money right then. I would be sitting around painting all day.'

'Yes, painting naked women. I recall.' He did his version of a smirk on his wolfish face. I thought his comment was a dig, but he continued on before I could retort with something witty. 'My parents were never very creative. My dad was jealous of my mother because she actually worked for what she had. He never admitted it but it's clear now in his death.' He ran a claw over his father's cold expression. 'How's your theia?'

'As awful as you. I don't know how I'm going to tell her about the car.'

'You can borrow one of mine.'

'That's unnaturally generous of you.'

'If you drop a beast on it, I will have to really kill you.' Whether it was a real threat or not I giggled.

'Do you have other relatives?'

'You mean do I have relatives who know about me?' he said, and I nodded. 'No, my mum made sure of it.'

His mother had him isolated. I mean, if what Lycius said was true, it meant she left him alone constantly with an unfriendly worker and werewolves who had lost themselves to the curse. Then there were the physical walls keeping them all in, like a feral soup flooded with testosterone, and seasoned with unchecked trauma. No wonder he was so resistant to making friends again. This abrupt urge to embrace him was strong but that was because I thought of the awkward boy in high school who shrunk beside the bigger boys like Giannis.

'Stop it,' he said.

'What?' I arched a brow.

'Stop pitying me.'

'Stop being pitiful,' I said, and he shot daggers again. I stepped up to him smirking. 'I'm kidding.'

'When do you start?' he said dryly.

I glared at him confused. 'That's it?'

'Is there anything else?'

'I mean, we need to talk about supplies. Times to book in, I can do weekends and some weekdays.' When I through the list of things I had to do, the bills I had to pay, the friends I wanted to meet because it had been so long, and then the car I would have to find a way to repair...

Fuck, how was I going to do this? It always seemed impossible at first and that had never stopped me, it wasn't going to stop me now unless I finally passed out from the exhaustion.

'I'll pay you for your services,' Lycius said.

I rolled my head back. 'We're not doing this again.'

'I can see you trying to balance out your life in that little head of yours. I'll pay you thirty an hour. How does that sound?'

'I do not have a little head.' It was my turn to pierce him in place with my gaze, but he only looked fascinated by it.

'Really? That's the part you latch on to?' he said.

I leaned back against the wall propping my foot up. We glared at each other for what felt like long dragging minutes. When I blinked, he made a clicking noise as if he had just won something against me.

'Fine,' I said. 'Forty-five an hour.'

He strode right up to me, my head meeting his chest as I craned my neck to keep our gaze locked. The light from the windows danced in his bold cobalt eyes, and for a moment they were mesmerising. I thought back to his Halloween party, then to the night, he didn't want to talk about...

The night I hadn't been able to stop thinking about.

He looked like himself even in this form, I couldn't explain it but it was like I could see his real face. His high cheekbones, that crooked nose and that peachy pink mouth I had once brushed red with a kiss. There were no lips to kiss now, and it pained me. I softly pushed back the fur from his eyes so I could see into them clearly and what surprised me was that he didn't stop me. He let my hand linger on his face and run through his coat.

'Forty-five an hour and,' I said, 'I get to paint you.'

He took my hand in his, void of emotion and said, 'Deal.' We shook hands, I felt his talon pinch my skin on my wrist as he drew me pressing his wet nose against my ear. 'Now get out.'