candles.
I glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "Does this happen often?"
He plopped himself down on a stool and sighed. "Very often now. People just can't admit they made a mistake. They want me to give them a refund, pay for their broken nose, or even buy them a new house!" He shook his head. "Kids these days."
I studied his middle-aged demeanor. "That last one looked old enough to be your great-grandmother."
Cotio raised his head and chuckled. "She wasn't that old."
Dives smiled. "Cotio here is going on-what was it?"
Cotio puffed out his chest. "Nine-hundred and two next month. A record for my family."
I glanced from Dives to Cotio. "I can't tell if you two are joking or not."
My patron chuckled. "Like I said, look twice at everyone."
Cotio cleared his throat. "So what were you wanting today? Or did you just come by to bother me like Latro did?"
"Both. I need some books on werewolves and mating," Dives told him.
Cotio raised an eyebrow. His eyes flickered to me and he jerked his head in my direction. "So she's the one?"
I pursed my lips and glanced at Dives. "What one?"
Dives shrugged. "Maybe, but I'd like to do some research first."
"What one?" I persisted.
Cotio walked around the counter to the aisle of books. "Let me see what I have." He disappeared down the aisle, but his mutterings wafted to us as he read off categories. "Bats. Possessed cows. Demonic dishes."
I turned to Dives and crossed my arms. "What one?"
He sighed and leaned against the counter. "I'm sure you know about wolves and their mating habits. They take a mate and don't let her go."
I raised an eyebrow and pointed at myself. "So you think I'm that mate?"
He shrugged. "You could be. That would explain why I-ahem, we had such fun last night."
"Here it is!" Cotio reappeared with a large tome in his hand. He blew off the dust and handed it to Dives. "The Definitive Guide to Werewolves and Their Mating. That'll be two-hundred dollars."
Dives frowned. "That's a little steep, even for you."
Cotio shrugged. "That guide isn't easy to find, especially outside the Old World. It took me quite a while and a great expense-" Dives held up his hand.
"I get it. You traded in your first born for the book. Just charge it to my account."
Cotio smiled and bowed. "Very well. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Dives shook his head. "No, you've robbed me enough for today." He turned to me and offered his arm and a smile. "If you would."
I took the arm and Dives led me from the strange shop. The warm sun greeted us.
I glanced down at the book tucked under Dives's other arm. "Mind if I look at that?"
He smiled. "Only after I've had a chance to enjoy my purchase."
We returned to the limo where Puer awaited us. His eyes flickered to the book, but he said nothing and opened the door.
"To home," Dives instructed him.
We slipped into the rear, but I took the seat beside Dives. He smiled down at me. "Eager for a read?"
"Only if you flip through to the 'mating' part of the book," I told him.
He opened the cover and thumbed to the table of contents. "It would be my pleasure."
He ran his finger down the list of chapter titles that read like a strange cookbook. There was 'How to Prepare Your Food,' 'How to Keep Yourself Fit in Fur,' and other self-help references. Dives stopped at one that read 'How to Spot a Mate,' and flipped to that chapter. He read the short chapter aloud.
"To identify your mate you must first have intercourse with said human or werewolf-" He turned to me and smiled. "A definite check." I rolled my eyes, and he continued. "Then you must inspect the right shoulder of the female or male. If the person is your mate then a small crescent moon-shaped birthmark will have appeared on their shoulder."
We both looked to my right shoulder that leaned near him. I sighed and shrugged. "Here goes nothing."
I pulled down my sleeve to reveal the flesh. A crescent-shaped birthmark stood out from the rest of my unblemished skin. I blinked at
I glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "Does this happen often?"
He plopped himself down on a stool and sighed. "Very often now. People just can't admit they made a mistake. They want me to give them a refund, pay for their broken nose, or even buy them a new house!" He shook his head. "Kids these days."
I studied his middle-aged demeanor. "That last one looked old enough to be your great-grandmother."
Cotio raised his head and chuckled. "She wasn't that old."
Dives smiled. "Cotio here is going on-what was it?"
Cotio puffed out his chest. "Nine-hundred and two next month. A record for my family."
I glanced from Dives to Cotio. "I can't tell if you two are joking or not."
My patron chuckled. "Like I said, look twice at everyone."
Cotio cleared his throat. "So what were you wanting today? Or did you just come by to bother me like Latro did?"
"Both. I need some books on werewolves and mating," Dives told him.
Cotio raised an eyebrow. His eyes flickered to me and he jerked his head in my direction. "So she's the one?"
I pursed my lips and glanced at Dives. "What one?"
Dives shrugged. "Maybe, but I'd like to do some research first."
"What one?" I persisted.
Cotio walked around the counter to the aisle of books. "Let me see what I have." He disappeared down the aisle, but his mutterings wafted to us as he read off categories. "Bats. Possessed cows. Demonic dishes."
I turned to Dives and crossed my arms. "What one?"
He sighed and leaned against the counter. "I'm sure you know about wolves and their mating habits. They take a mate and don't let her go."
I raised an eyebrow and pointed at myself. "So you think I'm that mate?"
He shrugged. "You could be. That would explain why I-ahem, we had such fun last night."
"Here it is!" Cotio reappeared with a large tome in his hand. He blew off the dust and handed it to Dives. "The Definitive Guide to Werewolves and Their Mating. That'll be two-hundred dollars."
Dives frowned. "That's a little steep, even for you."
Cotio shrugged. "That guide isn't easy to find, especially outside the Old World. It took me quite a while and a great expense-" Dives held up his hand.
"I get it. You traded in your first born for the book. Just charge it to my account."
Cotio smiled and bowed. "Very well. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Dives shook his head. "No, you've robbed me enough for today." He turned to me and offered his arm and a smile. "If you would."
I took the arm and Dives led me from the strange shop. The warm sun greeted us.
I glanced down at the book tucked under Dives's other arm. "Mind if I look at that?"
He smiled. "Only after I've had a chance to enjoy my purchase."
We returned to the limo where Puer awaited us. His eyes flickered to the book, but he said nothing and opened the door.
"To home," Dives instructed him.
We slipped into the rear, but I took the seat beside Dives. He smiled down at me. "Eager for a read?"
"Only if you flip through to the 'mating' part of the book," I told him.
He opened the cover and thumbed to the table of contents. "It would be my pleasure."
He ran his finger down the list of chapter titles that read like a strange cookbook. There was 'How to Prepare Your Food,' 'How to Keep Yourself Fit in Fur,' and other self-help references. Dives stopped at one that read 'How to Spot a Mate,' and flipped to that chapter. He read the short chapter aloud.
"To identify your mate you must first have intercourse with said human or werewolf-" He turned to me and smiled. "A definite check." I rolled my eyes, and he continued. "Then you must inspect the right shoulder of the female or male. If the person is your mate then a small crescent moon-shaped birthmark will have appeared on their shoulder."
We both looked to my right shoulder that leaned near him. I sighed and shrugged. "Here goes nothing."
I pulled down my sleeve to reveal the flesh. A crescent-shaped birthmark stood out from the rest of my unblemished skin. I blinked at
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