Eric left me curled up under the sheets just an hour before sunrise. I wasn't tired despite the night of exhaustive exploration of each other's bodies and I found myself staring off into empty space. When I'd asked him where he was going and why, he had paused at the door, explaining that it was simply safer for him to sleep elsewhere. I felt a little hurt, but he was probably right. The truly aggravating thing was that he refused to tell me where he would go. What if I needed to find him? How many hiding spots could a vampire have?
So there I lay, a strange anxious loneliness building inside me as I felt the new bond between us grow thinner and thinner as the minutes crept closer to dawn. I rolled over onto my side, away from the window, instinctively knowing that the first light of day would kill the connection completely. I didn't want to watch the growing light as it happened. The first gentle wooshes of highway traffic had already begun and I could hear some of the motel patrons emerge to start their day. I placed one of the heavy pillows over my head and drowned myself in a myriad of thoughts hoping that eventually I might fall asleep.
It wasn't long before a hungry croak erupted from my belly and I sat up, rubbing my eyes blearily. It had been so long since I'd eaten a solid meal and the vending machine snacks just weren't cutting it. Lacking my phone, my only hope lie in calling the front desk to ask if there was any real food within walking distance of the motel. The clerk, a woman this time, brightly informed me that there was a diner just up the road no more than 10 minutes walking distance. Perfect.
I brushed my hair quickly and tugged on the pair of fluffy boots Eric had bought me. After poking my head out the door to test the chilly morning air I put on a small tshirt under my hoodie and was ready to go. I grabbed the room key and looked around, but there was nothing else to take with me. The remainder of Eric's cash was stuffed into my pocket which would easily be enough to buy me breakfast, bless him. I paused at the threshold, feeling wary of leaving the safety of the room. Eric hadn't said not to, and I felt I was fairly safe in the daytime due to the lack of the undead. Feeling my confidence pick up, I stepped out into the cold morning air and pulled up my cat hood.
The walk to the diner was uneventful and pleasant, if not a little cold. There was a thick layer of grey clouds overhead blocking out the sun with threateningly dark bellies looming in the distance. I stayed off the highway and walked the unpaved shoulder, staying close to the line of trees and only working my way back to the road when blocked by overgrown brush. Brown pine needles rustled softly beneath my feet, and I could hear the occasional scamper of a startled critter through the underbrush. I kept my head down and eyes on the ground, mostly to keep from tripping but that it added extra shielding for my face from oncoming traffic, I felt, was a bonus.
The diner smelled incredible when I walked in. Like coffee, crisping bacon, and hamburgers. My mouth watered as I was seated in a small corner booth courtesy of an older waitress with straight brown hair. It was early, just barely 7:30am and the whole place was pretty empty. A few customers sat at the counter atop red vinyl stools that swiveled, and four burly men with long greying beards and overly patched leather jackets sat in a booth not too far from my own. They must be the owners of the motorcycles out front.
I Immediately ordered coffee and grapefruit juice, followed by a huge waffle, bacon, and egg breakfast as soon as my waitress returned with the beverages. I was starving. I ate quickly and I ate everything. There was a flat screen TV above the bar with terrible burn-in displaying the local news that I watched throughout my meal. My mouth hovered over my second cup of coffee as I watched a report of what was being called a hate crime by local Shreveport authorities. The burnt out remains of Fangtasia flashed across the screen, its neon jazzy script sign broken in half and lying face down in the rubble as firefighters stepped around it. I stared in shock, eyes wide. There was absolutely nothing left.
"I know, it's terrible, isn't it?" My waitress twanged at me. "I don't like 'em more'n anybody else but that just seems wrong." Her southern accent was thick and her words pooled together in a homey, endearing way.
"Tell me about it." I agreed, using my nod to lower my face from view. I'd forgotten myself for a moment and wanted to be more careful.
"You good? More coffee?"
"No thank you, but…" I paused looking at the menu. "Can I get something to go? The club sandwich please." I didn't want to have to leave the motel room again today and there's only so many vending machine snacks you can eat.
After I got my to go baggie I went up to pay my bill, handed my ticket to the cashier and caught the faintest brush of a nearby mind and froze completely. It was far too quick to catch a proper thought from and it shocked me so badly I looked up, snapping my head left to right trying to find the source. It was gone. I stared hard out the front of the restaurant towards the road, eyes narrowing. A vampire in the daytime? That just wasn't possible...
"$29.64, when you're ready darlin'." The cashier repeated herself patiently.
"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry." I stammered, looking back at her and handing over two twenties. "Not fully awake yet." I laughed awkwardly and she just smiled stiffly and processed my change without a word. My heart pounded frantically. I was not eager to go back outside and I wished desperately that I could talk to Eric.
Back on the road to the motel I was incredibly jumpy thanks to the vampire blood I'd had; every sound was amplified and the faintest rush of air felt like the tickle of insects crawling across my skin. The passing of approaching cars was deafening, and I had to stop myself from bolting into the tree line to hide every time one came. That type of behavior would only make me more noticeable, I repeated to myself.
At last I stepped up to the edge of the motel driveway, making note of a stray dog sniffing around the lobby entrance. It was grey and humongous. At first I thought it was a huskie, but something told me I was terribly wrong; overall it was too big, the legs were too long, and the body too lanky. it was pacing in an agitated fashion, hackles raised. I kept an eye on it warily as I quickened my pace to my room. I wasn't afraid of dogs in general, but I wasn't too keen on being approached by something so large and obviously ill-tempered.
As soon as my foot hit the bottom of the stairs that led up to my room, panic hit me. I felt the same brush of the mind that I'd felt in the diner and at the exact same moment the "dog" howled. It was an unmistakable sound; long, mournful, and chilling. Then, quite suddenly, it clicked. A wolf! I bolted, scrambling up the stairs so fast I was at my door in seconds. Fumbling the plastic key into its slot I looked over my shoulder in horror to see the wolf barreling towards me at full speed, mouth open and showing it's horrible white teeth.
"Shit, shit, shit!" My hands were shaking as I finally jammed the key home, throwing my whole body into the door as it opened. I slammed it closed behind me, locking and latching it, thankful I had left the blinds closed. I backed up into the room quickly, chest heaving as I kept my eyes on the door, expecting it to splinter open any second. I kept backing away, and that's when I ran into something large and solid behind me.
I screamed, or started to, when a huge hand clamped itself over my mouth and incidentally half of my face. I grabbed at it instinctively, trying to pull it away but it was locked down tight. I worked my jaw open and bit down hard on a chunk of the meaty palm.
"Hey, hey!" The man whispered urgently, securing a large forearm around my waist, locking my body tightly against his. He grunted unappreciatively as I continued to bite him. "Eric Northman sent me, you're safe, but you have to stay calm. Ow." He growled. "Stop biting me"
I paused briefly in my struggling to consider his words. Eric hadn't told me to expect anyone and just how the hell had he gotten into my room? I kicked back at him ineffectually and threw my head back, hoping to catch him in the nose but my head simply bounced off his chest. Jesus christ he must be tall.
At that the man squeezed me tighter, growling through clenched teeth. "I'm not trying to hurt you. Be still damn it!"
I thrashed again in his arms but had to admit I was running out of energy. Vampire blood or no, I clearly didn't have as much stamina as I'd like to think. Just then, the faintest hint of intention washed over me. I didn't know how I could pick up on his emotions, but he was telling the truth. I focused harder, struggling to take deep breaths through my nose, and found what I was looking for. His mind wasn't fully open to me, but I finally could recognize that his was the brain pattern I had picked up on briefly in the diner and then again just outside in the parking lot. I forced myself to hold still. He was, as far as I could glean, telling the truth. Maybe Eric had sent him. Or maybe he just wasn't out to hurt me. Either way, I had to get him to let go or else I might be squeezed to death.
My heart hammered in my chest and I nodded my understanding as best I could with his hand still in place. His lightly calloused palm felt rough against my skin and I relaxed my jaw, releasing the relatively small hunk of him I had savaged. He tasted faintly of earth and salt and smelled like aftershave. As my panic began to die down, I could focus more keenly on his brain pattern. Instead of being able to pick out clear thoughts like I could with the vamps, he was full of emotions; a shifting mass of feelings that swirled around each other growing bigger and then smaller, sort of like the tendrils of milk poured into dark coffee. It was so very strange to me.
"I'm gonna take my hand away now," He warned me. "Don't. Scream. That animal is still out there." He was whispering but spit out the word animal as if the wolf was something foul or disgusting.
I nodded again tightly, my eyes fixed on the door. As he pulled his hand away I could make out the clear red indentations my teeth had made in his skin and I didn't feel bad about it. Then he released the grip he had on my midsection and I stumbled forward, realizing for the first time that he'd had me pulled up on my tip-toes. I exaggerated the stumble, using it to create more distance between us before I turned around. When I finally looked at him, my eyes went wide.
"What are you?" I whispered, my voice sounding just on the edge of trepidation. He clearly wasn't a vampire but he certainly couldn't be human, not totally. I took another step backwards as I stared at him.
I had been right; he was huge. He had thick dark hair, was at least as tall as Eric, and built like a brick shithouse. I suppressed a small shudder as I realized how easily he could have simply crushed my windpipe with his massive hands. He wore a thin black t-shirt despite the cold and his muscles strained at the fabric. He furrowed his brows as he rubbed at the bite mark I'd left on him and gave me a genuinely amused smile. His skin was a beautiful deep shade of olive, same as a man who spends most of his time outdoors and his green eyes were ominously iridescent, like some strange fire burned behind them. He put out his palms in a peace offering gesture.
"I'm a friend," he answered, skirting my question. "My name's Alcide and Eric asked me to find you. See?" he dipped fingers slowly into his pocket and pulled out Eric's room key which looked ridiculously tiny in his large hand.
"You could have gotten that from the front desk." I pointed out. I could read his emotions well but his thoughts were clouded and unclear which made me wary. Surprise and then amusement rolled off him.
"Could've," He agreed, "But didn't. I don't even know your name." Truth.
"Explain." We were both still speaking in a hushed sort of whisper and I was starting to feel a little ridiculous for it.
"Look, you weren't answering so I let myself in. He said you'd be here so I thought you might be…" He stopped there after putting the key back in his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Dead?" I supplied helpfully and he winced.
"...in trouble." He finished, his eyes darting meaningfully to the door behind me and the adjacent window. The faint sound of tapping claws on cement could be heard in the silence that followed; the animal was pacing just outside the door.
I didn't reply and just listened, not daring to even breathe too loudly. He beckoned with both hands for me to move away from the door and stand near him. I shook my head and stood there frozen in my indecision about his character.
You know how in movies and TV, they always show dramatic moments happening in slow motion? Well, reality is nothing like that at all. Two things happened so fast I barely had time to register them; I watched Alcide's eyes grow wide, his lips parting as if to say something or shout, and I heard the awful, alarming sound of shattering glass.
"Shit!" I screamed, completely and utterly caught off guard.
Instinctively I shut my eyes and ducked, raising my arms to protect my face and head. The window was behind me and to my left, luckily, otherwise I would have been bowled over by the desperate and vicious creature that flung itself through. The wolf collided violently with the small table and worn chair beneath the window, toppling both in a mad clatter that shook my senses.
"Get behind me!" Alcide shouted, his voice practically a growl as I scrambled desperately to get away from the thrashing, snarling beast. I heard the snapping of its jaws as it bit in my general direction as it tried to attack and right itself among the overturned furniture.
I bolted past Alcide who stood with his arms spread in front of me, legs wide in a bracing stance. "Get in the bathroom, shut the door, now!" His voice was so gruff his command came out in a barking growl, startling me enough that I didn't have time to think and just moved.
"Alcide, come on!" I said, gripping the door handle ready to slam it shut once he was inside.
Instead he turned to me, eyes glowing a strange and fierce gold and snarled. "Shut the god damn door!" The bones of his face had changed and he looked so alien I gasped and slammed the door shut, locking it.
I heard the most terrifying snarl I'd ever heard in my life and the sound of ripping cloth then a frightening silence. I looked desperately around the bathroom for a weapon, anything I could use to defend myself or help Alcide and gave a cry of frustration at the tiny room and it's complete lack of accessories. I put my hand on the doorknob, fingers trembling, preparing myself mentally to help Alcide fight this animal bare handed. A horrifying thud against the door made me cry out in surprise and jump back, and then the sounds of an animalistic battle began.
Snarling, snapping, barking and yelps filled my ears as Alcide and the animal thrashed violently around the room. For a moment I swore I heard the sound of two wolves and my panic grew, thinking perhaps there had been more nearby that had joined in the fray. I was horrified and had never felt so helpless or cowardly, hiding away in that bathroom as a man I'd never even met fought to protect me. I had to do something. I looked around again frantically, turning in circles until my eyes finally rested on the toilet. I paused. It was an old ceramic model with a long, flat toilet tank lid that lifted easily. It was heavy and awkward but I hefted it, testing and adjusting my grip until I was sure I could use it to take a big and hopefully final swing at what waited beyond the door. I swallowed, took in a deep breath, and yanked the bathroom door open. I leapt out brandishing the toilet lid, ready to fight and found myself simply gaping at the scene before me.
The hotel room door was wide open and everything was in absolute chaos. The bed was ripped and torn, blood spattered the shredded white sheets, and tufts of fur lay strewn about. The TV had been knocked down, the window curtains pulled completely off their track, and glass glittered all over the floor like macabre confetti. Alcide's black shirt lay at my feet, surprisingly unharmed.
"Fuck…" I breathed out shakily, wondering where the hell they'd gone. It was eerily silent for 10 long seconds until I heard several sharp yaps then a high pitched yowl from the parking lot. I ran to the door and looked over the second story balcony railing, still clutching the toilet lid but letting it hang low so my arms didn't tire.
I stared in shock as two wolves circled each other, snarling. The tawn grey wolf, the large one that had come after me, was limping badly. His fur was matted and wet above the leg it was favoring. Blood flecked the pale concrete around them and coated the faces of each animal. My eyes fixed on the other wolf; just as big but black and of a much heftier build. It wasn't taller than its opponent, but it easily had at least 10 to 15 more pounds of muscle. My heart pounded in my chest and I didn't know what the hell to do. I felt a cold panic sweep over me as I whipped my head around, looking for Alcide. There was so much blood in the room, some of it had to be his. A sweat had broken out over my palms and my grip on the toilet lid slipped, causing a loud clatter as it fell to my feet, dangerously close to crushing a toe.
I jumped and both of the wolves looked up at me. The tawny grey growled, baring its teeth, gums and canines coated in red. My stomach turned. Suddenly, it lunged at the black wolf, catching it by the neck and shoulder while its head was still turned. I shrieked and grabbed up the lid, uncertain of what instinct drove me to want to protect the black beast. I scrambled down the stairs, keeping the lid low as I moved closer to the pair and stopped a few feet away. The grey wolf still had its jaws locked around the black wolf's neck and it gave a pitiful yowling whine, thrashing its body to no effect.
"Let go!" I commanded, making my voice as deep and menacing as possible, raising the lid. It cringed back but tugged at the other's neck viciously, trying to force its movement away from me. The black wolf dug in it's paws, dropping its weight and held its place, claws scraping against the pavement. I just didn't have a clear shot with the clunky lid. If I swung at the grey wolf's head I'd hit the black wolf too. I tried another fake-out to see if I could get it to open it's jaws but it just growled savagely, tugged again, and wouldn't let go. The black wolf yelped and snarled, losing just a little bit of its footing and started to pant heavily. I backed off slightly, my panic rising. I was running out of time and there was no way I'd risk prying that thing's jaws open with my hands. It's rear end stuck up in the air, its head low, holding the other wolf's head nearly to the ground. I took a deep breath and I threw the lid.
I swung it up as high as I could and threw it downward with as much force as my adrenaline and vampire blood fueled body could muster. Turns out, that force was a lot. The heavy porcelain lid connected with a sickening crack, more or less where I had aimed at the grey wolf's haunches, right at the base of its spine just above the hips. A sharp and terrible yowl of pain erupted from its throat, it's back legs collapsed, and it lost its hold. The black wolf recovered quickly, rearing up and coming down on the fallen wolf, biting savagely at the back of its neck until it was clear it would not be getting up again. The black wolf's eyes fixed on me, mouth and teeth still locked onto its enemy. I cringed away feeling sick. I had a horrible feeling that if I didn't move, I'd be next. I started to slowly back away and our eyes stayed locked together.
It stayed perfectly still as it watched me and after an excruciatingly long time I bumped into the stairway railing, turned, and ran up the stairs. I instinctively ran back to my room and slammed the door, causing a fresh shower of glass to fall from the window and tinkle as it hit the floor. I shook from head to toe, gasping for breath trying to figure out my next move. I cursed Eric, wishing desperately that I knew where to go to find him. I also couldn't help but acknowledge that he had been completely right to not stay here as my eyes roved over the damage to the small room. I had to get out of here. I turned rapidly, flung the door back open, and screamed in surprise as Alcide's naked and bloody body filled the frame then pushed inside the room.
"Jesus christ!" I clutched my chest, unable to control the shrill tone of my voice. "I thought you were-" And my voice stopped dead in my throat as he passed me.
He was riddled with savage bite marks and one hand gripped his side, the other being used to modestly cover himself. When I saw the mark on his neck and shoulder, that was what had stopped me. It was exactly where the black wolf had been bitten by the grey one.
"Alcide, what...?" I couldn't even think straight enough to finish my question. Adrenaline thrummed through my veins. His injuries looked awful and I couldn't read his expression clearly at all. All I was getting from him was remorse and an anger so thick it felt like a heavy weight in my chest. I swallowed hard and scrambled over the overturned armchair to look out the window into the parking lot. The wolf was gone. A man lay in its place, unmoving, a dark pool spreading out from underneath one shoulder. My mouth hung open. I stared. And stared. And stared.
"We have to go." Alcide's rough voice startled me and I turned to face his figure at the door. He had pulled on his jeans and his brown leather work boots, unlaced. He extended one hand to me while the other still clutched his side. "Come on girly, cops will show up and we gotta be long gone before they do."
I didn't accept the offer of his hand, not wanting to burden his injuries, but stepped over the chair and stood beside him. As if it were the most important thing in the world I said, "Your shirt!" and dashed to recover it quickly before rejoining him. I handed it to him but he just frowned at me then walked out, down the stairwell, past the unconscious (or dead...?) figure and straight to a huge black truck.
"You'll have to drive," He said begrudgingly, "I can't use this arm too well." He pulled out an enormous set of keys with his left hand, unlocked the truck and grunted. "Get in."
The truck was so big I had to open the driver's side door, use the step rail, and grab the Jesus handle to hoist myself in. The seats were enormous and cushy and my feet were easily a foot and a half away from the gas pedal. He had enough humor left in him to give me a sad half-smile and the location of the seat adjuster. My hands trembled as I gripped the steering wheel tightly to steady them and we pulled out of the parking lot as quickly as the huge truck would carry us. We rode in silence for a long time, Alcide furiously texting, until we both caught our breath and the adrenaline started to seep out of our systems.
"How bad is it?" I risked a glance at his wounds and winced.
He gave a tired and what looked like a painful nod, due to the bites on his neck. "I'll be alright." He glanced sidelong at me, opened his mouth as if to say something else then shut it again. Hesitation rolled off him.
"What? What were you going to say?" I took my eyes off the road every couple of seconds to look at him as he sat there in a stony silence. My desperate need for answers overwhelmed me.
"I don't know what you are, but you're not human." I said and watched him stiffen out of the corner of my eye. "And neither was that... man in the parking lot." I had to hold my tongue to keep from saying the word 'thing' so as not to offend my companion. I didnt have any clear answers yet, but I wasn't stupid. During the fight there had been two wolves. In the end there had been two men. Vampires existed, humans that could read vampire minds existed, and by those two rules alone it seemed like anything was possible.
He didn't respond, just said, "Turn left at the light."
We'd been driving for a solid 25 minutes and were now passing through a short section of strip malls. Typical shopping venues intermixed with the occasional restaurant or bar. He directed me to the very end of one structure and had me pull the truck around the back. It was dingy and empty save for a beat up white sedan parked directly in front of a heavily rusting employee only door. I put the truck in park, killed the engine, and looked at him. He looked back at me.
In the grey morning light I stared at his now slightly pale complexion, noticing that his eyes were once again green.
"They were gold…" I said absently, craning my head just slightly forward to emphasize my focus on his eyes. He looked away and responded to a text when his phone buzzed.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned to face him, sitting with my back against the door, waiting for him to finish. "Is he dead? Did we kill him?" The sharp yelp after I'd thrown the lid echoed in my ears. I sounded as guilty as I felt.
His eyes focused on me sharply, his expression angry. "You didn't kill him." His phone buzzed again but he ignored it. "I did." He looked away and unlocked his phone.
"I may as well have. I helped." I watched his thumbs hover over the keyboard letters as he took in a long breath.
"No. It's not the same thing. And don't convince yourself otherwise." He looked at me darkly. "For your own sake." He resumed typing then clicked his phone off again. "And who the hell taught you to fight with a toilet lid?" His brows were drawn together, his expression incredulous.
I held up my hands in defense. "I panicked. It was the only thing I found in the bathroom that could do some serious damage."
He shook his head at me and when his phone buzzed he checked the screen. He exhaled a long breath. "Help will be here soon. My friend owns that bar." He pointed to the rusting door. "So we'll have a place to lay low til it gets dark. Eric will know where to find you." He tilted his head back very slowly, wincing along the way, bringing it to rest on the headrest and shut his eyes. He adjusted the hand gripping his rib. I'd noticed he was holding his black T-shirt to the area tightly.
"So you can become a wolf?" I asked, feeling my heart do a little skip.
"Yes." He answered simply without opening his eyes. With his chin up, his already prominent Adam's apple stuck out even more and I watched it bob as he spoke. I've always found the feature fascinating and attractive, and as he sat there with his shirt off, muscles still tense and taught from the fight, my insides gave a little thrill. He was devastatingly masculine but the utter exhaustion I could feel rolling off him made him seem very fragile. The dichotomy was lovely. Don't get me wrong, he was no Eric, but he wasn't at all bad on the eyes.
"So could that man." I continued.
"Yes." He grunted.
"What are you?" I knew I already had the answer but I wanted to hear him say it.
"Werewolf." His eyebrow raised and his left eye popped open to look at me although he didn't turn his head.
His deep voice and answer sent an excited thrill through me. Werewolf! Since meeting Eric I'd often wondered if there were more than vampires out there. Now, I had my answer but it only led to more questions. How did werewolves work? What were their abilities and limits? Did the live in packs like actual wolves? I couldn't help the stupid grin spreading across my face as my thoughts raced around inside my skull. He eventually closed his eye again.
"Hey, Al?" I asked after a long extended silence.
He lifted his head and gave me a discouraging, deadpan look. "It's Alcide."
"Sorry, Alcide," I bit back my smile, my face sobering appropriately. I had been trying to lighten the mood ahead of what I was preparing to say. "I'm so sorry..."
His brows furrowed in question as he lifted his head to look at me.
"I'm sorry for what happened." I lowered my eyes, feeling an awful wash of guilt pass over me. "You wouldn't have had to... you wouldn't be hurt if it weren't for me." I wrung my hands together slowly, finding myself unable to meet his eyes. "Thank you for helping me." I couldn't look up, but allowed the distress of the morning to show on my face. Perhaps a little more distress leaked out in that moment than I had meant to, because I felt strong warm fingers tip up my chin. The look he gave me was gut wrenching, his beautiful green eyes filled with concern. I could feel the waves of protectiveness coming off him, mixing with sympathy, anger, and… just a dash of lust? I felt heat flush up my neck and into my cheeks.
"Sweetheart…" He said gently, looking at me, and I mean really looking at me, as if he were seeing me for the first time. His eyes were sharp and bright, boring into mine. "None of that was your doing. You got some crazy bastard trying to kill you, I'm just glad we got him first. And besides," He winced painfully as he shifted in his seat, his tender tone coaxing the beginning of a prickle in my eyes. "I should be thanking you, porcelain girl." A rueful smile creased his cheek. "Another minute and I'd have been in serious trouble." He reached out and gave my knee a firm but awkward pat. "It takes a brave woman to take on two wolves."
My throat tightened at the compliment and I had to brush it off or cry so, I snorted. I would not cry. Not now. "Or a real stupid one." I laughed sardonically.
"Or a real stupid one." He repeated in agreement and flashed me his best 'pretending not to be in pain' smile.
I smiled back, not really knowing what else to say. Then, it finally occurred to me. "My name's Amelia, by the way."
"Well, Amelia," He said as both our eyes moved to the sound of an approaching car. We both watched as a young woman stepped out with a hard look on her face, and a full plastic CVS bag. "It's very nice to meet you."
My smile was genuine as I cracked open my door to hop out. "Likewise. Alright tough guy, let's get you fixed up."
The hard woman gave me an assessing look but said nothing as I circled around the truck to open Alcide's door. He frowned at me slightly but slid out of the passenger seat stiffly without a word.
"Well, you're in fucking trouble." The woman said to Alcide, sliding her key into the back entrance door and jerking it open with the familiarity of a motion practiced hundreds of times.
Alcide grunted, and with a jangle of keys and the rustle of plastic, we both followed her inside.