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It is my own private policy not to break the law I drive the speed limit, keep my cars insured, pay a little iven away a twenty or two to people who'd asked, but never hired someone who couldn't appear ona olf, and a new one at that, if I was any judge The young ones have less control of their wolves than others

He hadn't commented on how odd it was to see a wo et used to the idea-but, still, he hadn't said anything, and that won hih points for what I was about to do

He rubbed his hands together and blew on theers, which were red with chill

"All right," I said, slowly It was not the wisest answer, but, watching his slow shivers, it was the only one I could give "We'll see hoorks"

"There's a laundry rooh that door" I pointed to the door at the back of the shop "My last assistant left so on the hooks in the laundry room If you want to shower and put those on, you can run the clothes you're wearing through the washer There's a fridge in the laundry room with a ham sandwich and some pop Eat, then come back out when you're ready"

I put a little force behind the "eat": I wasn't going to ith a hungry olf, not even almost teeks from full e under a full hosts He heard the co his eyes to meet mine

After a h the door, shutting it gently behind hi I knew better than to give orders to a olf-it's that whole do

Werewolves' instincts are inconvenient-that's why they don't tend to live long Those same instincts are the reason their wild brothers lost to civilization while the coyotes were thriving, even in urban areas like Los Angeles

The coyotes are my brothers Oh, I' I am a walker

The term is derived from "skinwalker," a witch of the Southwest Indian tribes who uses a skin to turn into a coyote or so disease and death The white settlers incorrectly used the terers and the name stuck We are hardly in a position to object-even if we came out in public like the lesser of the fae did, there aren't enough of us to be worth a fuss

I didn't think the boy had knohat I was, or he'd never have been able to turn his back on h the door to shower and change Wolves e was full of odd odors, and I doubted he'd ever smelled someone like me in his life

"You just hire a replacement for Tad?"

I turned and watched Tony coh the open bay doors, where he'd evidently been lurking and watching the byplay between the boy and ood at that-it was his job