The muscles in Gideon's jaw clenched when the human male mentioned Trystan's name. Remi's ex-boyfriend was pulling out all the stops to try and win her back. He hoped she wouldn't fall for such blatant, tasteless tactics.

It was little relief when Gideon saw Remi close the door. The look on her face was anything but joyful when she turned and walked toward him. As he stepped to the side of the window, out of view, hope that she wasn't falling for Trystan's antics rose within him.

Poking his nose around the window's edge, Greedy Gideon wanted to view Remi's expression as she read the text he heard come across her phone. On the heels of the "song-o-gram," it wasn't hard to guess from whom it came. Crouching as her gaze flicked in his direction, he wondered if he'd been seen.

Breath held, Gideon waited to find out if he'd been discovered. Soft movements heading toward his hiding place extinguished all hope he hadn't. On hands and knees, he crawled low beneath the window.

"Damballah!" Remi cried, stopping Gideon in his tracks. "You nearly gave me a heart attack," she continued in a breathless tone.

Panic rising, Gideon eyed the folding staircase. It was still too far away to rush toward. The little seer would find him lurking outside her window.

Remi's footsteps came closer. They stopped at the window. Before he could overthink the move, Gideon called the other soul within forth. In the blink of an eye, he became a wolf.

"Mais!" Remi gasped, her voice muffled by the pane of glass between them. Then she wondered aloud, "You? How did ya get all the way up here?" How did he find me? an inner voice asked. It'd been months since last she'd seen him.

Shaking her head at the black-faced silver wolf, Remi set Damballah down. Reaching for the window, she paused. What was she thinking? Here she was, seriously contemplating letting a wild animal into her small apartment.

Gaze leaving her outstretched hand, Remi looked at the animal on her fire escape. It was freezing out, and the wolf was shivering. Her heart stuttered at the pathetic sight. But, an inner voice argued, he isn't some tame pet. It would be pure madness to let a humungous, non-housetrained wild beast into her tiny home.

Just then, Remi's memaw's words flitted across her mind. "Maîtresse Ayizan says to trust the black-faced wolf." One hand came up to grasp the gris-gris. Sucking in a deep breath, she let go of the small, leather satchel as she decided to trust in her great-grandmother's loa.

Another shiver followed with a low whine met Remi's ears through the pane of glass. Heart melting at the pathetic sight and sound, she unlatched the window. With a gentle push, it opened to the elements.

Just then, another text chimed. Taking advantage of Remi's distraction, Damballah streaked past and out the window. Before she could even shout his name, the wolf's mouth closed around the black cat's scruff.

"No," Remi forcefully whispered. She was likely seconds away from watching the wolf devour her beloved pet. "Don't you dare eat my cat," she warned, torn between trying to wrestle her kitten from the jaws of death or smacking the wolf on its massive head. The last thing she wanted to do was startle the wild beast and have him "accidentally" gulp down her kitty.

That massive black-and-silver head, dripping with a stunned Damballah, filled her window. The side of the wolf's snout nudged Remi aside. Then, he leaped through. Her insane cat remained calm, docile the whole time. When he was dropped onto her parquet floors, Damballah even started to purr and rub against the wolf's legs.

"Oh," Remi uttered as she turned to shut the window. Maybe the wolf had never intended to snack on her cat.

Eyeing the wild beast in her living room, Remi went toward her phone. The cat with a screw loose kept on purring and rubbing against the wolf that was easily ten times Damballah's size. Picking up her cell, her gaze flicked from the mismatched pair to the text. It was from Trystan.

"Why haven't you answered?" The question raised the specter of the old Trystan - the controlling and demanding one Remi had once tried so hard to keep. It reminded her of the bad things in their past relationship. Justification in her distrust of the change he tried to claim rose within.

"Busy," Remi sent eventually. "Trou Dans Le Mur at 2." The terse reply would signal she wasn't going "out" with Trystan. It wasn't a date.

What Remi needed to say wasn't something for a nice restaurant. The place was a run-down but charming bar a few blocks away. The owner let her come to play her mixes for a free meal and a pittance. After their breakup, her DJ career had taken a plunge, and it was hard to make ends meet.

"See u then," Remi's ex quickly replied.

Tossing the phone onto an armchair's seat, Remi put Trystan out of her mind. The wolf hadn't moved. Damballah was busily licking the beast wherever he could reach. The cat purred the whole time.

The massive beast filled the entire space behind the armchair. Remi didn't trust him nearly as much as her crazy cat did. Warily, she approached. Stopping several feet away, she wondered what she was going to do with a wolf. No way was he housebroken. For all he seemed tame, he was a wild creature. She frowned, thinking of the messes he was likely to make. By her meeting time with Trystan, he should be warm, and she could hopefully convince him he needed to leave. There was no way she'd try making the giant beast do anything he didn't want to do.

Shaking her head at the unlikely pair, Remi strongly advised, "Don't eat my cat." Warning issued, she left the wolf in her living room. Two o'clock was just around the corner. She wasn't going to go out of her way to dress up for Trystan, but she wasn't going to show up to her favorite dive in her cleaning clothes either.

Remi was securing back her dark curls when she saw the black face of the wolf peek around the bathroom door in her peripheral. Turning her head, she told him, "My place is too small for ya."

He snorted-sneezed in response as if to say, "Ya think?"

Facing the sink, Remi applied some lip gloss. Smacking her lips, she screwed the applicator back onto the tube. Sighing at herself in the mirror, she said, "I suppose I'm ready to meet Trystan."

The growl that erupted from the wolf's throat was cut short. Remi's wide-eyed gaze went to him. Memaw's loa said to trust him. Was he trying to warn her it was a bad idea to see her ex?

Brows pinching, Remi told the wolf, "I'm going to tell him to leave me alone. It's not like I want to get back together with him after the way he treated me."

Gideon's unease lifted when he heard Trystan – the cayoodle – wasn't in the running for Remi's affections. To make sure it stayed that way, he'd tag along. And if she needed added muscle, he'd be there to lend it.

After putting her makeup away, Remi tried to exit her bathroom. The wolf was in the way. There was less than an inch on either side of him. Sighing, Remi said, "Either go forward or backward. There's no gettin' around ya."

The wolf didn't budge. He seemed intelligent, able to understand what Remi was saying. The fact that she was going to see Trystan appeared to upset the beast. Eyes narrowing, she warned, "I will go over you if I have to."

That got the desired reaction. Angling his sizeable rear end toward Remi's bedroom, the wolf backed out of the bathroom doorway. Damballah was close on his heels and gave her a baleful look as he went by her.

"Traitor," Remi muttered as she made her way to the kitchen. Taking down a large bowl, she put it in the sink. Then, she turned on the tap and took down another dish. As the water bowl filled, she dumped the rest of Damballah's food into the other.

Turning off the tap, Remi used both hands to lift the large bowl from the sink. She placed it next to the other on the floor. "There. Since Damballah likes ya so much, he can share his food." The wolf sniffed her offering uncertainly.

Going to the front of her apartment, Remi grabbed her wool-lined bomber jacket and shoved her arms through its sleeves. She was pulling on her ratty, old snow boots when the wolf, Damballah in tow, came to stop before her. A large, wet nose bumped her knee.

Remi's breath caught in the back of her throat. She'd been putting on a brave face since the wolf came through her window. Now, the danger the beast posed was too close to ignore.

Straightening, Remi cautiously took a step back. "Do you need to go outside?" Her voice only slightly shook.

The wolf sat and wagged his big, bushy tail. He acted as if he were a tame dog, and Remi took his actions to mean, "Yes." Opening the door, she was knocked aside as the massive beast rushed past. Instead of racing down the stairs as she expected, he stood alert, ears pricked, and nose testing the air for any scent of danger.

Damballah, the opportunist, tried to sneak past. Snagging him by the scruff, Remi put the cat back inside. "Behave, ya couillon," she ordered before shutting and locking her door. It was slang for "loving little fool," and she was reasonably confident that she'd come home to chaos. A pissy Damballah was a messy one.

Remi turned. The wolf was at the head of the stairs. He seemed to be waiting for her. The beast led as they descended to the first floor. Opening the door for him, she was surprised when he didn't run off and toward the outskirts of her neighborhood. Instead, he fell into step beside her as she trudged over the treacherous sidewalk and toward the bar.

"I'm heading to where people congregate," Remi told the wolf. "I don't think you'll be welcome."

An eye rolled in her direction. The look Remi received seemed to say, "You just let me deal with the people."

"Ok, but don't say I didn't warn ya."

A huff of breath misted in front of the wolf's nose. She had her answer. He was stubborn, that much was certain.

When they entered Trou Dans Le Mur, the wolf took the lead. The man behind the bar was the owner. Adrien was almost six inches taller than Remi's 5'2" frame. In his mid-thirties, he was near her age and liked to flirt with her. She didn't take his attentions seriously as he tended to flirt with any single woman in his vicinity.

"No pets allowed," Adrien said, deep brown eyes tracking the wolf's progress. When the barkeep glanced up to see who owned such a massive, unleashed beast, his eyes widened slightly.

Remi shrugged. "You tell him that. I don't own him. He does what he wants."

"Remi," Adrien nearly purred as he came out from behind the bar. "I didn't realize it was you."

Taking off her coat, Remi hung it on the back of a chair. Resembling the pet Adrien mistook him for, the wolf sat beside her, looking tame.

"What can I get you?" the owner asked after whipping out a small tablet of paper from his back pocket. A well-worn pen came from behind Adrien's ear. His light brown hair was pulled back in a messy high bun.

"I'm meeting someone," Remi told Adrien. She was short on cash and doubted Trystan would pay for her meal once she broke things off for good. "I'll just have some water until he arrives."

"He?" Adrien asked, seeming to deflate as he put the pen back.

"Yes, Trystan is coming."

Adrien made a face. He'd never met her ex, but Remi's roommate Emile had plenty to say about Trystan. Especially after a few beers.

Once her water was delivered, Remi sat back in her chair to wait for Trystan. She was ten minutes early, and he was usually at least fifteen minutes late. So, she had time to mentally prepare herself for the upcoming battle.

Over the soft music in the quiet bar, Remi's stomach rumbled. Adrien heard and gave her a look beneath his lashes. She felt her cheeks heat and shifted her gaze to stare intently at the scarred tabletop before her. A half-minute later, beer soup and a soft pretzel came into her view.

"On the house," Adrien announced, then disappeared behind the bar before Remi could protest.

"Thank you," Remi all but breathed as she picked up the spoon. She'd planned on heating up Gideon's soup for lunch. But then, Trystan's text and an unexpected visitor waylaid her plans.

After only a few bites, Trystan walked in and spotted Remi. Glancing at the time on her phone, she was surprised to see it was three minutes to two. He was early.

"You couldn't wait for me?" Trystan asked as he sat down across from Remi.

A shrug was Remi's answer. Truth be told, she thought she'd have finished the small meal long before he arrived. It wasn't her fault he was early for the first time ever.

Reaching across the table, Trystan laid his fingers on the back of Remi's hand. It rested beside the heated bowl of soup, but his touch was warmer than the hot liquid. Gaze rising, hers was soon caught up in his from across the wooden expanse. Those familiar, deep brown eyes seemed darker than normal in the dim light. A soft word left his lips and her breath caught as need filled her. Suddenly, she was remembering the really good times between them.

"What can I get you?" Adrien's unfriendly voice broke the spell. Remi blinked as Trystan's hand left hers. Beside her, the wolf's hackles rose, and a low, rumbling growl came from deep in his throat.

Trystan didn't even spare the wild beast a glance as he ordered a rum. His demeanor toward the wolf was odd. Where others' attention seemed drawn to the wild, woodland creature, Trystan didn't seem to notice his presence. Added to that, Remi's ex only drank gin and tonics. What was with the order of rum?

When the wolf quieted, Remi picked up her spoon and began to eat once more. Trystan's drink came, and she saw him pull out a small brass tube. Whatever was inside was dumped into the rum. As more questions surfaced, one thing was certain. She no longer recognized this man who put drugs in his drink.

"Did you like the little present I sent?" Trystan asked after his first sip.

Shrugging, Remi wondered at his drug of choice. Hopefully, it didn't turn him violent. She'd never seen Trystan under the influence of anything besides alcohol.

"What am I to think of your answer?" Across from her, Trystan leaned back in his chair, spiked rum in his hand.

When Remi remained silent – she didn't want to set him off – Trystan mused, "Perhaps you didn't like it. You don't want to hurt my feelings, is that why you won't answer?"

Blowing out a breath, Remi pushed the half-eaten meal to the side. "Look, Trystan," she began. "I don't want to upset or hurt you. I just want you to respect my wishes and leave me alone." Gaze flicking upward, she tried to gauge his reaction. Their eyes caught and held. He twisted a ring on his thumb, then he leaned forward and placed his fingers on the back of her hand. Suddenly, having Trystan leave her alone was the furthest thing from what she wanted.

The wolf erupted, lunging across the table. His saucer-sized paws knocked over Remi's water, and the bowl of soup came hurtling into her lap. Leaping up and away from the mess caused the hot and cold liquids to run down her legs.

Through it all, Trystan remained cool. A reaction to having a massive, wild beast lunge at him didn't so much as ripple across his handsome features.

"Out!" Adrien shouted. The bar owner must've been deep in shock, for he grabbed the wolf by the scruff and hauled him off the table. "Out I say!" he commanded with a booted foot to the creature's rear.

With one, last look over his shoulder at Remi, the wolf left.

"I need to try and clean this up," Remi told Trystan, looking down at her ruined clothes. "Please, don't let me keep you from leaving."

Downing the rest of his drink, Trystan promised, "I will see you again, Remington. What we have is not finished." Then, he rose from his seat and finally respecting her wishes, left.

I hope you liked this chapter. If you want to point out mistakes or want to leave a comment, I'd appreciate that! Also, if you enjoyed reading this chapter, please consider voting for it. Thank you!