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  He flinched, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it except look pleadingly up at his master….

  “I am going to sleep,” Liam announced.

  “I have to piss,” Caleb retorted, glaring harder at him.

  “There are puppy pads,” the vampire countered.

  Caleb gave him a look. He wasn’t that far gone. Not yet. “Not a puppy. I can use a goddamn toilet, remember? You really expect me to piss inside?” he asked.

  Never mind that the tile told enough of a story in and of itself.

  Liam’s smile was chilling. “I would not be the one cleaning it up, Pup. And I do not think you would like the punishment for failing to control yourself.”

  “What the fuck?” Caleb snapped. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to add, “Master. I’m telling you I have to go out. You can’t punish me if…”

  Ugh, he couldn’t say it. He couldn’t talk about potentially having an accident.

  “I can do anything I wish to you, mutt,” Liam said matter-of-factly. “What will it take for you to stop being so resistant to training?” he asked.

  Caleb got it — finally.

  Grimacing, he braced himself to debase himself, and he shifted low to the ground. Peering up at Liam with the best puppy eyes he could manage, he whined and pawed at the bottom of the cage with a mitt-covered hand.

  A smile lingered on Liam’s lips. “Is something the matter, Pup?”

  Pup. That was a good sign. Wasn’t it? He barked, pawing at the bars.

  “Does my puppy need to go out?” Liam asked, mock-sweetness in his accented voice.

  Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, asshole.

  Caleb gathered all of his dignity — then pushed it away, shoving it deep down until it didn’t matter as much as something this basic. He whined again, his eyes as sad and pathetic as he could possibly make them. He barked for good measure… and for fuck’s sake, his cock shouldn’t have been so goddamn hard when he wanted to bite the crap out of Liam’s ankles.

  As usual, the vampire noticed, a smirk curving onto his lips. He leaned down and unlocked the cage, and Caleb forced himself to stay still and wait for the stupid leash to be attached to his collar.

  Holy fuck, that was never going to stop being hot, was it?

  What he wouldn’t give for a pair of pants so he could pretend it didn’t get him all hot and bothered… He didn’t think it would actually fool the vampire, but it was worth a try.

  “C’mon, boy,” Liam said, patting his leg. “Let’s go outside before bedtime, hmm?”

  Caleb shot him a look, but he gave another bark and followed Liam to the back door. At least it was as well-maintained as the rest of the place. The grass was lush and deep green, a perfect walkway of fancy tiles lined with flowers like the front of the place. Liam closed the door behind them and let Caleb off his leash — which was fucking irritating, because if he was going to do that, he didn’t need the leash to begin with.

  Then again, this was better than being dragged out the front door and forced to piss on the sidewalk like he was marking his territory.

  “Go on, puppy,” Liam said, too sweetly. “Go do your business.”

  He was torn. He half-wished the sun would abruptly rise and fry Liam to a crisp, and he half wanted to get this over with so they could get to the good part where the vampire might let him come.

  Caleb hesitated long enough for Liam’s foot to come up and nudge him in the ass, hard, sending him stumbling into the grass. He let out an indignant yelp, then caught himself as a chill ran through him. He’d yelped instead of cursed, made a noise instead of bitched.

  That wasn’t a good sign, yet…

  Hadn’t the times he’d started to surrender felt wonderful, peaceful, like something that might not really be so bad after all? Wouldn’t it be better? This wasn’t a bad life, all in all. Other human pets were treated like punching bags. Oh, sure, Liam didn’t hesitate to spare the rod, and he knew he was expendable, but the vampire didn’t go out of his way to find excuses to hurt him…

  And when he did, it was usually delicious.

  This, though? This was taking things just a little too far for him. He wasn’t sure how much further he could be pushed before there was no coming back from it.

  He clumsily dodged another nudge to his ass and started out into the yard. He looked helplessly around it, not having any idea where to go. This was… He’d done some humiliating things before, but this was above and beyond anything he’d experienced.

  He should not have been as equally turned on as he was disgusted.

  Finally, he went for the back fence — which was solid and high, thankfully, where no one would see him playing the family pet — and stared at it. It was going to be awkward trying to do this. His hands were too useless to help him aim, and the last thing he wanted was to piss all over himself.

  Ugh.

  He glanced back at Liam, who quirked a brow and watched him, gesturing for him to continue. Caleb muttered under his breath then edged closer to the fence, awkwardly lifting a leg and trying to mimic how he’d seen male dogs piss on fire hydrants.

  And shoes. He had to remember shoes. If Liam wanted a dog and wanted to treat him like he was that poorly trained…

  Right. Because provoking the vampire was a brilliant thought.

  It was strange, but for a moment, it felt right, too. Disturbingly so, to the point where he faltered. The aim he’d briefly managed got off track, and he grimaced as he wondered what punishment Liam would come up with for that.

  The vampire didn’t look pissed, though, even though it was obvious he knew what had happened.

  Somehow, that was worse, and Caleb eyed him.

  “Here, boy,” Liam said with a whistle. “Come to Master.”

  Caleb was going to bite his fucking balls off. He went, crawling low and trying to rub himself off in the grass — not nearly as surreptitiously as he wanted to be.

  Liam pointed to a spot in the grass. “Sit there.”

  Caleb looked warily at him then went over there, sitting down.

  “Like a dog,” Liam said impatiently, the amusement in his voice bleeding into annoyance. “Not like a human. I should not have to tell you this.”

  Caleb closed his eyes but shifted his position, settling onto his haunches. He didn’t know what to expect, but he didn’t think he was ready to know.

  It didn’t matter. His eyes flew open when he felt the first blast of cold water against his skin. He swore, trying to keep his cock and balls from being targeted. “What happened to the fucking grooming tub?” he complained loudly, which only made Liam’s aim suddenly become even more accurate while he scrambled to shield his dangly bits.

  “This is more fun,” the vampire said smugly.

  It threw Caleb for a moment. He’d expected a nasty answer, some asshole commentary, not some gleeful declaration of amusement. He glowered up at Liam, shivering as the man hosed him down.

  “Next time, you’ll be cleaned properly,” Liam added dismissively. He turned off the hose and grabbed the towel that should’ve been a clue. Why else would there be a conveniently-placed fucking towel hanging outside?

  The vampire was surprisingly gentle as he toweled Caleb off, efficiently wiping the beads of water from his skin. He tossed the towel onto the back of a chair then beckoned right as the first rays of sun threatened to peek over the horizon.

  What would happen if he—

  No. Liam was too old, too fast, and Caleb would be severely delusional if he thought he could keep the vampire outside long enough to fry him. All he’d do is set the guy off, and that was… not a pleasant thought.

  This time, the vampire didn’t leash him, but he gave a pointed look that made it more than clear he’d be willing to do that or more if Caleb pushed with daylight looming over them.

  Reluctantly, he followed Liam inside, goosebumps rising on his skin as they returned inside. “In,” Liam ordered, gesturing to the kennel.

  Caleb balked
at first, but before Liam’s eyes could darken in that usual stormy look, he dashed across the room to the carpet. Scrounging up what little remained of his pride — and really, there really wasn’t fucking much — he rolled over onto his back, whining pitifully. He’d act like a damn dog if it meant getting to stretch his legs a little longer.

  He’d been afraid Liam would strike him, but the vampire chuckled. He still nudged Caleb painfully in the ribs with his foot, but it could’ve been a whole hell of a lot worse.

  Liam crouched down, rubbing his belly but ignoring his aching cock. “Behave,” he said sternly, “Your dog walker will be here at noon.”

  Dog walker.

  He wasn’t sure if he should laugh, cry, or hump the stuffed animal in his cage until he got off.

  Chapter Two:

  Zain

  His wolf constantly made his skin itch.

  It paced restlessly against the surface, staying just shy of bursting through. It was a nagging sensation that always made him feel like he was lost, somehow. Only some serious cuddle time with his pack managed to soothe it — that, and the relief the full moon brought. It was all too temporary, seeming to come too fast then take too long to circle around again.

  Werewolves weren’t like vampires or witches. They weren’t deliberately chosen or born into elite families. No, they were just savaged within an inch of their life when those sharp teeth infected them with… werewolfery, or lycanthropy, or whatever they wanted to call it.

  Then it got worse. After they survived the mauling, they got to experience shifting, which was not pleasant.

  And by “not pleasant,” he meant the most agonizing pain in their lives. How could it be anything else when bones broke and joints tore, muscles stretching and rearranging themselves under the changing outer shell? He hadn’t known how much it would hurt, from the bigger transformation right down to the thousands of needle-prick flares of pain as fur erupted from beneath his skin. Then they got to shift back.

  If he’d thought he had a good pain tolerance before, he’d been quickly proven wrong. The only plus was that they healed swiftly — but not nearly swiftly enough to make the change last less than several excruciating minutes.

  Zain was still getting used to the idea that he shared headspace with a wolf. It was like a constant angel and devil on the shoulder situation, but in this case, the devil was all about the raw meat and stripping naked for a lope around town. He was getting better about ignoring it, but it still brought uncomfortable thoughts to the surface.

  The surprisingly good thing about all of it was that werewolves were shockingly accepting. He’d thought they’d treat people who had just been half-eaten more like second-class citizens, but they didn’t bat an eye about welcoming the newly-bitten into their ranks.

  At least, his pack didn’t, and he was grateful for it. Turning into a furry once a month was bad enough without feeling like an outsider the rest of the time, but ‘wolves didn’t care about much in general.

  It had been weird, just how quickly they’d accepted him. Once he’d gotten through his first few changes with a whole lot of screaming, a little bit of bloodshed, but a reasonable amount of sanity remaining, he’d just been one of them. He was up to seven, and he might as well have been one of them all along.

  How had his pack leader put it? They only cared about fighting, fucking, and feeding. They could check everything else at the door. There was no room for old prejudices.

  Aggie was a badass, and if he hadn’t been on Team Dick-Only, he might’ve had a hard-on for her.

  Fingers snapped in front of his face — all right, some vague semblance of finger snapping, because Seth didn’t know how to do it no matter how many times they tried to teach him — and Zain jerked upright.

  “I’m awake!” Zain said instantly, even though he’d been so deep in his thoughts that he might as well have been asleep.

  Seth snorted, his quiet, warm eyes taking him in.

  Zain squirmed uncomfortably. He always felt like the older werewolf could see straight through him, and he was glad there wasn’t really much to see. He’d been an average human, and now he was an average werewolf. He was an average everything, and he was glad for that.

  “Saria’s looking for you,” Seth told him.

  Zain perked up. “She got work for me?” he asked hopefully.

  His packmate shrugged. “I’m just playing messenger.”

  Zain pulled his pants on over his boxers — which were both new and clean, which was still a revelation and a half — and hurried to put on his shoes. With any luck, this would mean good news for his brand-new business. The others had laughed when he’d said he wanted to start a dog walking business, but hey. He liked dogs, they liked him, and even supes had dogs. They were rich and careless and busy enough to want to pass off that responsibility, right?

  “Kitchen,” Seth told Zain before he could ask.

  Zain wandered down the hall of the complex. There was no rhyme or reason to the design of the makeshift walls that separated the sections of the former grocery store. Even after months, he still got lost sometimes, but he’d been assured he wasn’t the first to find it confusing. They were probably humoring him, but he’d take it.

  Saria was typing away, and when Zain tried to interrupt, she lifted one hand long enough to wave it in his direction.

  He shut up, easing into the seat across from her to wait until she was ready to acknowledge him. If he’d learned anything about her, it was that she did things on her own time.

  “1410 Gardenia Street,” she finally said after a moment of silence interrupted only by the clicking of keys without looking up. “Vampire needs you to walk his dog.”

  Zain brightened, bouncing a little in his seat before he could stop himself. “Really?”

  She looked at him and offered a lopsided grin. “Really,” she confirmed. “Wants you there at noon. If he and the pup both like you, it may be twice a day for a little while.”

  “I’m nice,” he said hopefully, “and most dogs like me.”

  Saria cast him a dubious look, and he got the distinct sense that she knew something he didn’t. She didn’t share it, instead returning her gaze to the computer.

  “Hey, do you think I could use that sometime?” Zain asked hopefully. He hadn’t touched a computer in over a decade, but they couldn’t be that much different.

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?” He gave her his best puppy eyes even though he knew she wasn’t paying any attention to his expression.

  “The last time I let one of the guys in the pack use it, I had to clean up dried cum and two viruses from porn sites,” she replied.

  He blinked at her. “That sounds awfully sexist.”

  She finally looked up at him again, and another smile quirked onto her lips. “You’re a cute kid,” she remarked.

  “I’m not a kid!” he protested. “I’m nineteen.”

  “Kid,” she repeated firmly. “I’m twice your age.”

  “If I promise not to go look at porn, can I use it?”

  “The Internet is for porn,” she said dryly. “What else would you use it for?”

  Zain looked at her, bewildered.

  She sighed. “Sure, fine.” Before he could brighten too much, she went on, “But not now. Go get your jitters out and do your job.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Vamp’s Liam, dog is Caleb.”

  At least the vampire was somewhat original. He could’ve settled on Spot or Rex, or whatever else the fad was these days. He smiled at her. “Thanks, Saria.”

  “Good luck, Zain.” She spoke like she thought he would need it, but she didn’t bother to explain… and he wasn’t sure he wanted to ask.

  “Dogs like me. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

  Dogs were easy. They wanted attention and exercise. Some needed a firmer hand than others, but they weren’t complicated. Zain liked that best about them. Waving to her, he started heading toward the front of the hall. Weaving his w
ay around small groups of werewolves watching TV or practicing fighting skills he’d never started to learn, Zain was out the door and heading toward Gardenia Street.

  Being late for his first appointment was not the impression he wanted to make, and the last thing he wanted to do was get lost. He was especially glad he’d made the decision to leave early when he saw the neighborhood the house was in. It wasn’t far, but it felt like he was stepping into an entirely different world anyway. The pack’s hall wasn’t shabby compared to the human districts, but this was more like something he’d have seen before…

  Before.

  Zain didn’t let his thoughts go that far.

  He was grateful to see the 1410 on the mailbox of one of the more modest houses on the block. He walked up the neatly-kept path, but before he could knock, an accented voice came through the speakers, saying simply, “Enter, Zain.”

  Doing his best not to react like a spooked kid, Zain took a deep breath, gathered himself, and reached for the door handle. He would not go in there looking like a lamb being led to slaughter. He was a werewolf, not a mouse.

  It was like he’d stepped into another world, where everything was pristine and perfect. He might as well have stepped into an old magazine that was showing the perfect human family. Zain could almost picture the kids and the Golden Retriever in the backyard. It was weird, to say the least, after years of living in places where rooms had only been cobbled together with what was available.

  “Hello?” He tried to sound professional as he closed the door behind him. “I’m here to walk the dog?”

  He didn’t — quite — jump when he heard the same voice, less distorted this time, coming from the doorway to his right. “Yes,” the dark-skinned man agreed. “I am Liam, childe of Isaiah. My pup is Caleb.” Without giving Zain a chance to reply, he went on, “You will take him outside twice. Play with him, make sure he’s active and gets exercise. His toys are in his kennel and in the yard.”