Chapter 12
As much as Noah wanted to go home and have a proper bath, after spending all day checking houses with four werewolves and finding more bodies than living people, all he wanted to do was crawl into bed in the palace.
But Nan wanted to go home, and he wasn’t about to let her walk back to the car by herself.
And the drak weren’t about to let Pan go somewhere without them.
So it was Nan, Pan, two drak—not the same ones who’d helped search the houses, mostly they’d looked for food—and him, forming a very strange procession to where they’d left the car.
Pan had been impressed by the car and had wanted a turn driving it.
Nan had told him to pull his head in as he wasn’t driving her car until he got his learner’s permit.
Which then involved another discussion about human rules, making things overly complicated.
The drak had stuck their heads out the window and laughed.
Noah parked the car out front and got out with a groan; everyone spilled out with much more enthusiasm.
Even though Pan had warned the drak to keep a low profile, Noah was sure they didn’t understand what that meant because they skipped up to the front door, mewing about something.
With their backs turned in the dark, they almost passed for toddlers.
But their bright red fur and pointed ears gave away their mythological status.
He really hoped the neighbors over the road didn’t peek out the window and realize what was going on.
David greeted them at the door, and Noah introduced Pan, as Pan, not Silas, as discussed. He didn’t want to be lying to his family.
“As in the god?” David stared at Pan, and Pan took off the hat that hid his horns.
“Yes, although I am temporarily without magic.” Pan gave David a tight smile.
“I’m sorry about the loss of magic.”
“Don’t be sorry, prayers help.” Pan widened his smile as if he could convince David to pray to him.
“Stop trying to convince everyone to pray to Pan; it makes you seem desperate,” Noah grumbled. “And these two cat-like creatures are drak, they have decided to follow us everywhere. They currently can’t breathe fire or shift into something more human…or cat.”
“They are hoping for a bowl of milk,” Pan added.
“Err…we’re getting a bit low on milk. I’ll see what we have. Would they like dinner?” David asked, his gaze flicking to Noah and Nan.
Pan nodded. “If you can spare some. Otherwise, they will hunt.”
David frowned. “Hunt what?”
“Mice and rats mostly.” Pan shrugged as if he didn’t really care.
“I’m not sure they’re going to find much.”
Nan snorted. “There’s always rats and mice around. The drak don’t eat much, and they have been helping out at the bar. They’ve been cleaning everything and joining in with the English lessons.”
David’s face became a mask of concern and horror. “What English lessons?”
“We’re teaching the mythological people how to speak English, and it’s been really good for the regulars who otherwise don’t have a whole lot of social activities.”
“You said you couldn’t open.”
Nan waved her hand at him as she took off her coat and hung it up. “The bar isn’t open. It’s just tea and games. Mostly bingo. I need to dig through our games here and see what else we can play.”
Noah took his winter coat off and hung it up.
The fur coat he kept in his arms. Was he going to be carrying that around for the rest of his life?
“I need a proper shower.” He was sweaty and gritty, and there were grazes on his hands from where he’d scraped his knuckles one too many times while pulling away stones or timber.
“And I need some gardening gloves for tomorrow.”
“I would also like some gloves,” Pan said, examining the rough state of his own hands.
“Meredith said you were checking the mythological houses…” David stared at the drak as they mewed at Pan. “Is there a problem?”
Pan glanced up. “No. They would like the milk and to sit by the fire.”
“Tell them to follow me. Then I’ll dig the gloves out of the shed so David can finish dinner. Will Meredith be back?”
David shook his head. “Not until later.”
The drak scampered after Linda, leaving Noah and Pan pinned between the front door and David. His gaze flicked between the two of them, and Noah was sure there was something he wanted to say, but he swallowed it down with a sigh. “Go and get cleaned up and don’t use all the hot water.”
“How long do we have?”
David drew in a breath. “Half an hour…and what on earth are you wearing?”
Noah put one hand on his hip and posed for his uncle. “Vampire fashion.”
Pan snorted. “It is not fashion. It is everyday clothes.”
“You can hang the fur coat up.”
Noah ran his fingers through his hair. “Um, yeah, it’s kind of special, so I’ll keep it in my room.”
From the kitchen, Nan called out. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”
“What does she mean?” David’s eyebrows pulled together.
“That is a story for over dinner,” Pan said and gave Noah a little nudge forward.
“Okay, fine. We can swap stories over dinner.”
Noah wasn’t sure if David really had any stories from the temporary accommodation at the school, but he was sure that David wanted to know what he’d been up to, if only so he could keep Meredith up-to-date. They all expected him to end up floundering around in over his head.
This time, he was, and there was nothing they could do.
There was nothing anyone could do.
He had to figure out how to live with the fur coat on his own.