The ominous buzz of electric clippers filled the air and Stasia beamed at him. “Nope. Guess we’ll have to see how this goes.”
?
Stasia stood back to admire her handiwork. The floor around them was littered with hair, but Billy now donned a short and clean hairstyle that fit him much better than his old unkempt look. With every swipe of the clippers, the young boy she remembered from their youth seemed to emerge. It was especially apparent when the beard disappeared.
“One last swipe and I think we’re good,” Stasia announced, moving closer to trim the remaining length along his jawline.
She ran her fingers down the stubble and held his chin in place. Billy closed his eyes and she thought she could feel him lean into her touch. As her heart began to pound loudly in her chest, she clicked on the buzzer to hide the noise.
She’d had a similar reaction to seeing him only an hour ago in nothing but a towel, water dripping over his muscular abdomen. The electrifying shock had forced her into action, reaching for the nearest activity to divert her attention and hide her reddening cheeks. The dishes still soaking in dirty dishwater were evidence of her near panic attack.
“There, all done.” She turned off the clippers and unwrapped the towel from around his neck. Holding a mirror in front of his face, she smiled and popped a hip. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“It feels...different.” Billy stared into the surface for a few seconds and then began to run a hand over the closely trimmed hair and beard.
If he’d been good looking before, it was nothing compared to now. Throw him in a suit and he could be on the next cover of the supernatural version of GQ. Stasia tore her gaze away and glanced at a snoozing Maxim on the sofa. So much for her assistant. He’d flipped the TV to a sports channel and promptly fallen asleep. Not even the clanging of a fire alarm would wake him now. When that boy fell asleep, he stayed asleep. She might as well get some more work done until he finished his nap.
“Since we’re waiting on sleeping beauty over there,” Stasia tilted her head at her snoring brother, “would you mind if we delve a bit into the interview portion?”
Displeasure rolled across Billy’s face, but he gave his consent with a curt nod of his head.
“Great. Why don’t you start by telling me why you went to Alaska?” Stasia yanked a spare chair from the dining table and sat across from him. Licking her lips, she pulled a small notebook and pencil out of her jeans’ back pocket. “I’d like to start from the beginning. Get my information straight.”
He glanced at her, dark emotions clouding his eyes. With the clearing of his throat, those emotions disappeared and he gazed down at her notebook with disinterest. “It was a deal my father had begun to set up in my early twenties. If you remember, he was the beta wolf of the Fang pack. Second man in charge and essential to their leadership. I was always set to take his place one day, but I guess he saw more potential in me.”
Stasia nibbled on the end of her pencil. “And this new pack didn’t have a leader?”
“Not anyone fit to be an alpha. The Sitka werewolf pack was flailing. They were an ancient pack with strong bloodlines running through their veins. They just needed direction. After my father died, I made it my mission to finish what he’d started. Preserve the Sitka pack.”
She nodded along and scribbled down some notes. Their viewers would love the idea of a handsome small-town hero, setting out to make a difference in the world. They’d lap it up.
“Did you like it out there? I’ve always heard that you can lose yourself in the Alaskan wild.”
The corners of his mouth curled up into a soft smile. “It was the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. My wolf could’ve spent all its time in the mountains, closed off from the rest of the world. We would’ve been happy. At least, that’s what I remember.”
She returned his smile. It was nice to see him open up. It was like the way they used to talk. No boundaries, no topic off limit. Maybe this interview process wouldn’t be so hard after all.
Looking down at her notes, she scratched the side of her cheek absentmindedly with the end of the pencil. “How long were you over there before the hunters attacked?”
The smile disappeared from Billy’s face. He worked his jaw, turning his head away. His hands clutched his knees so tight that his knuckles turned white. “Ninety-seven days and six hours. We’d just had our first initiation ceremony of a young man entering his eighteenth year. The bite had been successful and we all celebrated with a midnight sprint through the forest. We never imagined what horror lay in wait for us when we returned home...”
He stared at the floor, glassy-eyed and rigid. Without thinking, Stasia reached out to place her hand on his. He trembled beneath her touch. Running the pad of her thumb over his knuckles, she waited for him to come out of the thrall. They’d be working through a lot of old memories in the next couple days. It was best if he processed them slowly.
/>
Suddenly, his head snapped up and he snatched his hand away from hers. Blinking several times, he jumped to his feet and released a large breath of air.
“I need to get to work,” he said, glancing at the plastic clock on the wall. “My client wants his pickup back today. I’m already behind schedule. I don’t have time for this right now.”
Stasia looked up at him and fumbled with the notepad and pencil in her hands. “But if you could just answer a couple more questions...”
“Tomorrow.” He marched toward the front door and pointedly held it open for her.
Maxim began to stir on the couch. His blue eyes popped open and he stared around wildly. “I think I fell asleep. What’d I miss?”
“Nothing,” Billy said in a deadpan voice. “You and your sister were just leaving.”
“Oh, cool.” Maxim grinned and turned to look at her. “Just in time for the arcade to open. Good timing, sis.”