Page 13 of Deck the Skulls
Okay. I’ve got a human working for me. She doesn’t know yet. Don’t say anything.
The only response he got from Titan was a shocked face emoji. Putting the phone back, he noticed Rissa watching him.
“Will is going to drop a bunch of food off for donation and a friend is going to pick it up,” he explained. “The Pack House is a breakfast and lunch place, so they’re closed right now and cleaning up. Titan can’t get there in time before they leave for the day.”
“Titan, interesting name,” she said.
“You’ll understand when you see him. The guy is massive,” he explained. “He’s also the gentlest soul you’ll ever meet. He’s even a vegetarian because he can’t stand the thought of anything having to die to feed him.”
He wished he could tell her how odd it was for a wolf shifter to be a vegetarian so she could truly understand how unique Titan was.
“Is the food for a food kitchen?” she asked.
Zan shook his head. “For his rescue.”
“He works at a rescue?”
“He doesn’t just work there, it’s his rescue. It’s his entire world. He’s got a few dogs, cats, chickens, a donkey, three horses, and a goat that live with him permanently, along with all the animals he has for adoption. He also rehabs some species of wildlife, like squirrels and opossums.”
She tilted her head. “Opossum? You mentioned that last night.”
He chuckled. “That’s why I wasn’t behind the bar when you came in last night. A friend found an opossum in a crawl space but couldn’t get to her, and Titan had a sick goat he couldn’t leave alone. I pulled the opossum out and took her and her babies to Titan.”
“Really? I don’t think I’ve ever seen an opossum in real life,” she said.
“They’re cute.” He pulled out his phone to show her pictures. “This is Mama and babies.”
“Oh fuck, they’re adorable!” she cooed.
“I thought they were ugly until I met one in person,” he said. “Then I saw how sweet she was. Even scared and hurt, she didn’t try to bite me. She only wanted to be left alone and care for her babies.”
“What was wrong with her?”
“Infected wound on her rump,” he said. “Titan said she’d be fine in a few weeks, and he had the perfect enclosure for her recovery.”
The door opened, making both of them turn to see another customer walk in. “Hi Ally,” he called, recognizing the pixie. “You want your usual?”
“Yes, please,” she said, casting Rissa a curious look.
“This is Rissa, she’s new,” he explained.
“Hello, Rissa,” Ally chirped, then headed to her favorite spot.
He flipped through the book until he found Ally’s drink. “I’m going to let you mix this one.”
Her brows furrowed as she read. “Three shots of honey liqueur? That can’t be right.”
He was forced to press in close to see where she was pointing. Grinding his teeth, he tried to ignore her soft body. “That’s correct.”
“That’s a lot of honey liqueur,” she noted.
He didn’t point out that Ally would probably have four of the drinks before the evening was over. Even though they were often small and delicate looking, pixies could handle massive amounts of alcohol without being affected. They had some of the highest tolerances he’d ever seen, and it was fun to watch a pixie drink someone twice their size under the table.
“Don’t worry, she can handle it,” he said as she started mixing.
Will and his mate Jesse walked in loaded down with bags of food.
“Put them in the office,” Zan said, waving Will and Jesse to the back.