Priceless by Shannon Mayer

the way home. ‘ Big road ’ was the highway and I suspected ‘ noisy truck ’ was a semi.
    The second pepperoni stick appeared in my hand. “ Can you answer another question for me? ”
    He nodded eagerly and gave a little yip of excitement. I shushed him , got up off the ground and shut the door. Well, propped it closed anyway.
    I pulled a chair around, sat down and patted my knee. Alex scrambled over to me, placing his elongated muzzle on my lap. I scratched him behind his left ear and he whined with pleasure. “ Okay , buddy. This is a hard question, maybe even scary. But you need to tell me and then you can have the pepperoni. ”
    Amber eyes stared up at me, totally devoted, completely loyal. He whined again and a loud thumping of his tail let me know he was ready for the question.
    “ What scared you away from the house today? Was it the pack? ” I continued to scratch his ears. Sure it was a dirty tool to distract him, but otherwise , we could be circling around the question for weeks before I found out what happened.
    He tried to pull away , but I put the pepperoni on my lap right in front of his nose. “ Just tell me what happened this morning and then you can have it. ” Ah, the old stick and carrot routine, it never failed.
    Alex bared his teeth and said, “ Pack came, chasing, biting. Wanting to kill. Safer to run than fight. ” He hung his head in shame with his last words.
    “ That ’ s okay , buddy. I would ’ ve run too. ” I mulled over his words and absently gave him the pepperoni. The pack had been getting more aggressive the last few months. Alex had been with me almost seven months now , and at first I ’ d thought there would be nothing to worry about. Slowly, the pack had encroached more and more on my land, marking territory and making forays closer and closer to the house. A sigh escaped me and I scratched my head. Just add another problem onto the plate.
    I knew from experience he wouldn ’ t go home now without me. Thanks to all that was holy I had a collar for Alex that hid his true form from anyone who might be able to see it —once more thanks to Milly— so he could come with me for the next few days. Having him with me would make it a little more difficult to maneuver , but a lot less lonely.
    Darkness fell , the sky clear and the stars easily visible. No sign of a thunderstorm , or any other bad weather for that matter. Stuffing Alex into the Jeep , I said, “ Stay here , buddy, I ’ ve got to get us a room change. ”
    Once John saw the damage, he gave me the nicest room the motel had, a suite with two separate beds stuck in the sixties.
    “ Can ’ t believe it , ” John said a nd handed me my new room key. “ You think they were after you specific- like? ”
    “ Nah, I wasn ’ t even in there , John. I bet they were just looking for an easy score. ” I felt a bit guilty ; after all, it was my werewolf that caused the damage. I ’ d leave an extra large tip in the morning.
    I waved to John and quietly beckoned Alex to come once the manager was out of sight. Alex bounded from the Jeep and barrelled past me into the suite, throwing himself onto the green shag carpet and rolling about with total abandon. “ Listen , buddy, no more breaking into rooms, just wait by my Jeep, okay? ”
    Alex just stared at me, amber eyes uncomprehending. Letting out another sigh, I took off my jacket and placed my blades on the bed. My night-time routine never changed, no matter where I slept . The only thing I wouldn ’ t do tonight , since Alex was here, was go for a run.
    Going through combinations involv ing hands, feet, elbows and knees, I worked a circle around an imaginary opponent. Muay Thai was my preferred method of hand-to-hand fighting; it gave me the most possibilities for striking out at someone. I always practiced in my working clothes, so that whatever restrictions they gave me, I learned to deal with before an actual fight. Fight like you practice and practice like