As they fly out through the open door, Alienor gives chase.
“Don’t bind my magic,” she yells. “I need it.”
The grandmother flies toward the larger house without a wave or a backward glance.
“Fucking Boogie Man,” Alienor growls, her hands balled into fists.
I hang my head, my ribcage vibrating with a mournful whine. The chances of Alienor sucking my cock again or allowing me to fuck that tight little pussy diminish by the minute.
Pushing the door open with my snout, I pad across the cottage’s interior to find Alienor shimmying into a pair of white knickers.
“What are you doing?” I bark.
“My life’s going to shit because of that winged bastard,” she snarls to herself.
“I meant no harm.”
Truthfully, I meant to murder Alienor. Since the magic rendered that impossible, I lashed out at everyone around her, including her suitor. Part of me wanted to punish her for finding another man. Another part wanted the authorities to blame her for the murder and slice off her head.
A glitch of magic drew me to Alienor’s descendent, and now I am obsessed.
I walk around her as she throws on garments until she is fully dressed.
“Where are you going?” I bark.
She moves to the kitchen counter, making my canine instincts rear up at the prospect of delicious meat, pushing my concerns to the back of my mind. My mouth salivates, and my tail wags from side to side.
I’m powerless to resist sating my appetite, and Alienor does not disappoint. She extracts an entire chicken, a leg of pork, and thick sausages, placing them all on a large platter.
“You be a good boy and wait for me here, alright?”
I rush to the feast and barely register what she says next.
Something about the library.
My higher instincts try to catch the thread of her words but the need to feed is all-powerful.
It doesn’t help that she continues to empty the cupboards and surround me with more meat.
I give up trying to make sense of her actions and lose myself in the food.
Alienor will return eventually. When she does, I will be there to offer comfort.
And satisfaction.
ChapterTwenty-One
ALIENOR
Now that the hound has enough food to keep him busy for an hour, I can finally focus on saving my hide. I pick up my bag, sling it over my shoulder, and step out into the garden.
The sun hangs straight overhead, making the wilted chamomile flowers look parched. I shudder at the thought of all that salty liquid contaminating the water table and hope Grandma hasn’t made things worse.
She forgot to yell at me for abandoning the store. Aggie’s probably working the counter right now, cursing me for making her do my job and for failing to get her broomstick.
My lips tighten, and I continue down the path of stepping stones toward the edge of the garden. I should feel like shit for taking advantage of my cousin, but I’m so weighed down by problems that it’s hard to breathe.
I need to get rid of the Boogie Man before he does something else to ruin my life. Once he’s out of the way, I can investigate what happened to Norbert’s corpse.