Page 4 of Maneater

After Levi arrives and settles in, I exit the office through the door leading to the café. I have a small kitchen set up in my cave, but it doesn’t get much of a workout. Owning and operating a business is enough to keep me busy. When I have free time? You can bet I spend my hours in the depths of the forest—far from humans—with nothing but nature to keep me company.

The world, the way it was before electricity, industry, and technology, rules my heart. It’s what truly matters to me. My throat tightens. Especially since my heart has nothing else as a companion.

Brushing my annoying melancholy aside, I refocus my thoughts on dinner. I’m a guy who enjoys a hearty meal, and I made sure the cook I hired serves the comfort food I prefer. Actually, the guests who want a true country getaway love it as well.

“Hey, Jimbo. Got any specials today?”

“I got yer favorite, boss.” He chuckles. “Chicken ‘n dumplings. I take it you want two servings like usual?”

I grin. “You bet. Thanks.”

By the time he’s bagged up my food, my stomach is growling so hard I want to tear into it immediately. But I’ve got my animals waiting for me, and they’re attuned to dinnertime. They’ll have a meltdown if I’m not there to give them their special snacks.

Most of them forage or hunt for their own food out in the forest, and come and go as they please. But they also know that Daddy Rex gives out special treats. The main ones that stay with me are my bunny Clover and my troublemaker raccoon, Winston.

After thanking Jimbo, I climb into my flatbed and drive away as if I’m headed to my faraway fake home. I guess I’m a traditional Howler in many ways. I love cave life, and I don’t intend to change. But since the modern world would find that rather odd, and it’s not wise for humans to know where I live in case they discover something they shouldn’t, I’ve worked out a way to stay hidden.

The obscure dirt road turn-off I use is about two miles away. I own a fair chunk of land, with my cave pretty much in the center. This little road is marked private, and I rarely have an issue with trespassers. A hearty, shrieking howl usually takes care of that problem.

Once I decided to build the inn after my parents passed, I worked out this subterfuge to keep myself safe. Of course, the magical wards around the cave add the final layer of security. They’ve been specially designed to allow my pets to come and go freely, but to repel anyone human. Since I do have a human form, it can be annoying to have to lock and unlock them, but hey. Don’t humans contend with that very issue all the time?

After I park the truck and I trudge the short distance to my home, I reach the pine trees that form a sort of gatepost that frames the invisible shield. I set my food down on a rock next to the bigger pine, the light thrum of the magic prickling at my skin. If a human were to go off trail and be wandering by, the energy field would become uncomfortable enough to steer them away.

I reach into the pocket of my jeans for the rune that releases the seal, but it’s not there. Frowning, I proceed to check every pocket on my person. Front and back of my pants, the one on my shirt—and lastly, I turn out the pockets of my jacket, even though I know it can’t be there. It’s a huge no-no to leave the rune in something I don’t have on me at all times.

Shit. This is bad. Really bad. If I somehow dropped it back at the inn or anywhere else, and someone picks it up…

I grit my teeth. Such a powerful item being handled by a human with no clue could cause serious harm. I’ll have to ask Edgel if the damage would be physical or mental or both, but either way, the outcome would not be pleasant.

Right as my panic rises, I spot Winston ambling toward me. He’s probably pissed that I’m not inside already giving him food. I can picture him wondering why I’m standing around like a doofus and not giving him treats, and has come out to investigate. It’s not that my animal friends and I can literally speak to each other, but we do have our own way of communicating non-verbally.

Winston reaches me then rises onto his haunches. He gestures with one paw toward the food bag.

I sigh. “You’ll get your treats, but that’s my Howler food. It’s not for raccoons.”

He scents the air, then chitters while waving his paw again.

“No, Winston. It’s not good for you.”

I cross my arms to show him I mean business. In truth, he scavenges all kinds of junk to eat, so some chicken and dumplings are unlikely to do him in. All the same, it’s my dinner, and I’m not in the mood to share.

Winston lifts his other paw, and my jaw drops. “Why you little shithead.”

I’m being extorted. Winston has purloined my cave rune and is holding it hostage. My dinner appears to be the ransom. I don’t know when he stole it, but it’s never being left out again. That much I do know.

“Uh-uh, buddy,” I shake my head. “You’re not playing fair.”

I’m reconsidering whether I should have Edgel make the rune repel all organic beings. Although that’s so unfair to Clover and my other pets who like to come and go as they please.

Winston utters more chattering noises, the noises growing in intensity, but I stand my ground. After a few more minutes of this dramatic display, he growls, tosses the rune outside of the magical barrier, then huffs back to the cave, his tail flicking angrily.

While I’m grateful to have the rune back, I’m annoyed that all the delays will have cooled my dinner. If only I didn’t feel so awkward eating in the café by myself. Sure, I could cook, but meh. It’s not really my thing. Plus, I feel bad preparing raw meat around my furry friends. Not that I’m eating rabbits—I simply couldn’t—but it has to squick Clover out.

I finally release the magic and the barrier evaporates. I turn to retrieve my meal from the boulder in time to spot a coyote running off with it.

“Hey!” I call out. “Drop that right now!”

Dammit. I don’t recognize her, but her swaying belly as she rushes off tells me she’s a new mom. My shoulders slump. I’m not going to hassle her about it. I’m sure she’s ravenous, and leaving her litter for too long so she can hunt is risky.