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Typhon deserved better than that. Lain would tell me I deserved better than that, too, and I was working on believing him.

So, I took a moment, thinking through what I needed to say, not what I thought he wanted to hear. I couldn't deny what had happened. Everyone had seen me freak out in the hallway, much to my mortification.

"You did scare me," I finally said, the words coming out in a rough whisper. "I didn't think you would hurt me, though. Not really."

"Never." Typhon's voice was firm, resolute, then it wavered when he continued. "But you were afraid when you looked at us after. I shouldn't have done that."

"I can at least understand why you did it. He did shoot you. You're right, though; you can't attack people like that. Especially if we ever encounter those soldiers. Don't give them a reason to come after you."

Finally, he looked up at me, genuine regret in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

The question took me by surprise. "I'm fine," I said automatically, then caught myself and shook my head. "I'm not fine, actually, but I will be." I sighed heavily. This wasn't the time or place to have this conversation, but it looked like I had to make the time. "I'm sure you want to know why I acted the way I did."

"Only if you want to tell me," he said, catching me by surprise yet again. "I don't want to know if you don't want to talk about it."

Do not fall in love with the man slash monster who was living in my woods a week ago. Don't do it, Quinn. That way lay madness.

My self-scolding did nothing. It was stupid, idiotic, too soon, dangerous… all the bad things I could possibly think of, but I couldn't seem to stop myself. Everything about him drew me in, like a moth to a flame. The end result would likely be the same, with me getting burned yet again. At least I had other things to worry about right now besides my wildly inappropriate yearnings.

"I think I have to tell you at least a little of it, so you know why I am the way I am, but…" I glanced at the clock again. "Can it wait until I get home? My first appointment will be at the salon soon, and I still need to get changed."

"It can wait as long as you need," he agreed. "I'll keep an eye on the animals while you're at work. I've watched you take care of them. I think I remember how."

"That'd be great. I bet they'd like that," I murmured, unable to hide a smile. "I'll be home as soon as I can, and we'll talk some more. We'll figure this out together."

Lain met me in the parking lot and volunteered to grab us coffee and breakfast from Buns 'n' Roses, which I accepted. I wasn't sure I was ready to face Raina and Camille this morning so soon after learning they'd shot Typhon. We separated at the front door of the salon and I went inside to prepare for the day.

Even after five years, it was still sometimes jarring to walk in and realize that this place was really mine. It wasn't the quaint, cozy salon I'd built with Marnie. That was long gone, the space renovated into a thrift boutique run by a woman I'd graduated with. The old spot was a few blocks over, just out of the way enough that I didn't have to walk past it every day and feel guilty all over again for failing.

It'd taken every penny to my name (and a sizeable loan on top) to turn Groomer Has It into what it was today. Bright, colorful salons were trendy these days, but I'd gone with blue, as close as I could get to the sky on a bright summer day. A white wooden fence anchored to the floor kept the dogs away from the door, with the far wall partitioned into smaller sections for the dogs that didn't care to hang out with others. The only closed-off space was the bathing area, hidden behind a swinging door. It used to be a laundry room, but it was the perfect size for two big metal bathing tubs. High-velocity dryers hung on the wall, along with aprons and ear protection, so we could do the loud work away from the main salon.

When Marnie and I worked together, I'd invested in two high-end hydraulic tables for us. I'd managed to hold onto those, hidden away in a storage unit despite Aaron's repeated protests that I should sell them to help pay bills, even though we weren't struggling.

Groomer Has It was everything I'd hoped Marnie's Bows and Bubbles would be, before I'd let one asshole get into my head and I'd let it fall apart. After her stroke, Marnie had moved to Boulder with her daughter, so hopefully she'd never find out I'd failed. She'd never liked Aaron and she'd probably forgive me, but I still wasn't quite ready to forgive myself.

The bell over the door pulled me back to the present before my thoughts could get too maudlin. I'd scheduled all four of my dogs to come in at once today, only because it was two pairs of siblings. Usually I preferred to space them out a little, but with how scatter-brained I felt right now, I was relieved to limit my human interaction. Petal and Petunia, two schnauzers, got dropped off first, then Calvin and Leesi, two bath dogs. The four of them were on a regular schedule and knew each other well, so I let them play under Rom's watchful eye as I got to work.

I'd just started the first bath when Lain came back, a drink carrier in one hand and a bag of food in the other.

"Good morning, good sir," I heard him say to Calvin over the sound of the water. Calvin was an older mixed-breed, his muzzle heavily sprinkled with white, and one of the best-behaved dogs I'd ever met. That didn't stop him from being an unrepentant beggar when it came to food, though. In fact, when I peeked out, Lain had a rapt audience of very hopeful dogs staring up at him and even Petal looked intrigued by the smell, despite being soaking wet and covered in shampoo.

I bathed all four dogs and got them mostly dry before settling them in kennels with gentler dryers, then finally rejoined Lain up front. I found my best friend perched at the reception desk, scrolling through his phone.

"Planning another date?" I asked as I approached and he rolled his eyes. He'd already snagged a chair from the tiny break area for me to sit in. Usually I wouldn't have eaten at the front desk, but today I didn't want to be tucked in a corner out of sight of the windows. The latch was turned, which meant Lain had locked the door when he came in, but I still wanted to see the street and watch for any trouble.

"I would, but I don't think there are any single gay men left in a fifty mile radius," he sighed. "If I want a date at this point, I'll have to do a repeat, and that's just not going to happen."

Lain passed me the coffee he'd brought for me, along with a wrapped breakfast sandwich.

"I'll never understand your aversion to second dates." The coffee was lukewarm, but still delicious. He'd gotten me my favorite dark chocolate sea salt mocha, a seasonal drink that currently wasn't on the menu. Knowing Lain, he'd sweet-talked one of the baristas into making it for me, which didn't bode well for the conversation we needed to have.

"A second date feels too much like a commitment. People start to expect certain things and it gets too messy. I've got too much going on in my life to deal with messy."

"Speaking of which…"

Lain winced, putting his half-eaten bagel down and shifting in his chair to face me. "I guess I owe you come answers, huh?"

"That would be nice. I feel like I'm the only one who had no idea what's going on." It stung more than it should, knowing every single person I considered a friend had kept me in the dark. Logically I knew it was probably for my own safety, but I was too exhausted and overwhelmed to be expected to think logically.