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Hot breath hit my hand and I barely kept myself from jumping. I couldn't stop myself from flinching, though. The feeling of its breath disappeared and it sounded like the creature was moving back away from me, back toward the woods.

"I can bring you more," I whispered, hoping my voice wouldn't startle it into attacking me. It couldn't possibly understand me, but maybe my tone would be enough to convince it that I meant no harm?

I knew it couldn't understand me, it was impossible, but a mournful little whine responded anyway, nearly scaring me to death.

"O-okay," I breathed, my voice shaking. "Okay. I can bring more food if you promise not to eat me."

Something rustled behind me again and I felt its breath a heartbeat before scales rubbed against my hand. In the time it took me to get over my shock, the sounds faded, then disappeared, and when I cautiously turned to look behind me, I was alone.

Chapter 5

Quinn

Monday was a blur.

Somehow I got through a full day of work without remembering any of it, and this time, it wasn't from lack of sleep. After my encounter yesterday morning, the adrenaline crash knocked me out, and I'd spent most of Sunday afternoon asleep on the couch while the kittens used me as a bed. Rom roused me enough to let him out to potty, and I stumbled through evening animal care, only to immediately fall into my bed and sleep straight through until my alarm went off today.

For once, I wasn't tired. If anything, I was too awake, my mind racing, poring over every detail of my insane morning yesterday.

What the hell was I thinking?

Do I subconsciously have a death wish or something?

Why didn't I turn around to see what was behind me? There's no way that was a cougar.

The last thought was the one I kept circling back to. I remembered the feel of scales against my skin so clearly, almost exactly the same as when I handled Priscilla. Not fur, not feathers, but scales. While there were plenty of large animals in the Colorado wilderness, many of them apex predators, none of them had scales.

So what was in my backyard?

I glanced over at my phone for the hundredth time, checking the security cameras, but everything at home looked normal. Knowing something was out there, I'd almost called off work for the first time since I'd opened, but with a full schedule, I knew I couldn't. Instead, I'd left Romulus at home to guard the place and kept my security cameras pulled up, just in case. I'd adjusted them before I left, covering a blind spot I'd never known existed until I tried to check the recording of yesterday's encounter, only to find that was the one spot in the yard where the cameras didn't overlap.

It had to be a coincidence. A bad one, but what else could it be? An animal wouldn't be smart enough to figure out the weak link in my security.

Was it even an animal, though?

I groaned quietly as the same argument I'd had with myself all day came full circle. Winston, the little Havanese I was clipping, tilted his head and stared at me in confusion.

"I'm confused, too, buddy," I murmured, earning myself a lick on the nose and a happy butt wiggle from the dog.

"You know, in any other workplace, I'd be worried about you talking to yourself," Lain commented, abruptly reminding me that there was a witness to my spiraling thoughts.

"You were just talking to Luna about your date tomorrow," I reminded him, nodding toward the adorable pit bull mix on his table.

"She's a good listener. Aren't you, baby girl?" he crooned, and the dog squirmed with delight, excitedly licking his face as her tail wagged a mile a minute. "But seriously. Penny for your thoughts? You've been quiet all day."

"I'm always quiet."

Lain snorted. "Yeah, with everyone else, not with me."

It was true. The first six weeks after I'd hired Lain had been painfully awkward as my learned reticence came up against his outgoing cheerfulness. He'd been determined to befriend me, though, and his relentless barrage of friendly conversation was impossible to resist. It'd taken time, but around Lain, I could relax my guard and be a version of myself I hadn't been since before I'd met my ex.

I hadn't thought about him once since my encounter yesterday. Whatever that creature was, whatever madness it'd inspired in me, I guess I owed it another sandwich just for that.

"Quinn? You okay over there?"

"Yeah, sorry." I shook my head, trying to focus on the conversation. This was my last appointment of the day, though, and I was eager to get home.

"You sure you're okay? You know you can talk to me, right?"