Page 105 of Vasmora

The pup sniffed the air, and my eyes flicked toward the platter of food on the ground. Recalling when Miss Primsley’s dog had died from eating too many grapes, I quickly swiped up the food before he could get to it.

As if disappointed, the pup sat back on its haunches and let out a small whine. Again, I glanced toward the adult wolf, who continued to watch me from the entrance. Awkwardly plodding between its legs was another puppy that slipped through the invisible barrier.

Three more followed after, all of them gathering before me, politely sitting at my feet, undoubtedly waiting for me to share my food.

“Vondervul,” the bloodbinder said from behind. “Ve’re to play nursemaid in our imprisonment.”

I caught a glimpse of him leaning against a tall boulder, arms crossed. “This is far better than the last prison, wouldn’t you say?”

The bloodbinder grumbled, adjusting his monocle. “Must be their mother outside the cave. The males vatch the perimeter.”

The pups sat back on their haunches, whining in their high-pitched little cries, as if growing impatient.

Their mother watched me, those intense eyes damned near burning with warning. “Would she let me feed them a piece of meat?”

“I’m sure she’d love iv they made a meal out ov the two ov us vile they’re at it.”

Still holding the tray out of the pups’ reach, I tossed a few small pieces of meat. The pups scrambled over each other for it, shutting out what looked to be the runt pacing at the fringes, failing to wiggle between its siblings. When I offered the poor pup a piece of the meat, it gobbled it up before the others could swarm after it.

One of the pups tugged at the hem of my dress with its teeth, while another sprang for its tail. The first released me to wrestle with its brassy sibling, both dogs growling and rollicking across the floor. The scorpion held up its claws, weaving between them to avoid their snapping jaws.

The moment I attempted to skirt around them, both pups lost interest in each other and dove for the hem of my dress again.

A massive shadow drew my attention to the adult wolf stepping inside the cave, and I froze in place, my dress jerking with each hard yank from the puppies.

The scorpion lurched toward it, stinger drawn up.

“Now vee become the meal,” the bloodbinder said behind me with a slight tremble in his voice.

“What do I do?”

“Ofver her pups more ov the meat. Show her you mean no harm to them.”

Fingers trembling, I gathered a few pieces of meat to toss to them, and the puppies all sat at attention, just like before.

“Vait. Bite a piece yourself to show her it isn’t tainted.”

“I’ve already fed it to them.”

“Just do it!”

Anchoring my eyes on her, I took a bite of the meat, swallowed, then held it up for her to see. Intelligent eyes tracked my every movement. Not sensing any hostility from her, I carefully tossed the meat to the pups, who eagerly devoured it, before sitting back and patiently waiting for more.

The puppies scuffled after the few extra pieces I scattered across the ground, and the larger wolf prowled toward the cave wall, where she posted herself. Watching me from the corner.

A second adult wolf entered the cave, that one a rusty brown, lips snarled over a set of incisors that could’ve passed for tusks, as long as they were.

My muscles locked as I imagined those teeth tearing through me with ease. “Now would’ve been a great time to have my whip,” I whispered over my shoulder.

“It von’t help. They vould overpowver you bevore you had time to summon your little bone vip. They’re veared vor a reason. And they’re listening to our conversation, so I vould caution your choice ov vords.”

A low growl, like the crackling roll of thunder, echoed through the cave. The first wolf bared her teeth, eyes locked on the second, and the brown wolf’s ears flattened. Gaze lowered, the scolded wolf sulked its way over to the first and sat alongside her.

Four of the puppies abandoned me to return to their mother, except for the runt that seemed insistent on getting me to play as it pawed at my leg.

I set the tray onto the surface of a nearby rock, out of reach, and held out my hand, allowing the tiny beast to sniff me. It immediately licked the meat grease off my fingers.

Another glance toward the bloodbinder showed him knelt beside the flame, head tipped as he studied it. “He’ll kill you when he returns,” I told him. “You know that, don’t you?”