Kim slipped into the house, shifting back to human form mid-step. “Sarah!” she whispered harshly. “We can’t just break into a guy’s house at 3 a.m.!”

  “She’s in here!” a kind voice answered from around the corner.

  Kim followed the sound. There sat Sarah, happily tearing into a thick steak across from an elderly, balding man in a worn cardigan.

  “Now, Sarah and I have a rule about clothing,” he said, politely averting his eyes. “You’ll find a robe in the hall closet.”

  “Okay…” Kim retreated, found the robe, and returned a moment later, tying it tight.

  Sarah was still eating, tail thumping softly against the chair leg. Kim cleared her throat. “I’m sorry… do you know her?”

  The man smiled gently. “My first parish was in Minnesota. I’m familiar. And Sarah is a good Catholic.” He reached over to pat her head. Sarah growled low.

  “Don’t growl at him!” Kim snapped. “You’re a werewolf, not a raccoon!”

  The old priest just smiled wider. “You must be Kim. It’s good to finally meet you.”

  “I’m sorry… how do you and Sarah—”

  “She comes for Mass most mornings.” He tried to mask the exhaustion the thought brought up. “It sometimes presents challenges. So occasionally she pops in a little earlier for steak and prayer.”

  “You seem remarkably okay with this.”

  The priest shrugged. “It’s a dark world. If the choice is between a werewolf or whatever they’re hunting, I’ll take the werewolf every day of the week.” He smiled at her. “If you’re also here for steak, I’m afraid I’m running rather low.”

  “I’ll replace the steak. I’m sorry,” Kim said.

  “It’s okay. My name is Jeffery, by the way.”

  Kim nodded and sat down. “I guess you’ve heard of me?”

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  “Sarah has given me a version. I have to say, she’s an interesting storyteller.”

  Kim shrugged. “If you told me this would be my life last June, I would’ve had you committed.”

  “It’s a much bigger world out there than most folks expect. I imagine you’re a little overwhelmed.”

  “I wouldn’t go back.” Kim’s voice softened. “When I’m out there hunting… something… I feel alive in a way I never have. The friendships I had before—they’re shadows compared to what I have now. But the monster hunting? It’s gotten old quick.” Her face betrayed the weirdness of it all. She couldn’t explain why she was opening up to this priest. But he had a way of drawing it out.

  “So is it monster hunting or elk hunting tonight?”

  “If we were elk hunting, we wouldn’t be here eating your steak.”

  He gave Sarah a coy look. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” He laughed quietly.

  “We better get going. The monsters don’t hunt themselves.” Kim stood.

  “I usually pray for Sarah before she leaves. Do you mind?”

  “I’m pretty sure my family is Presbyterian.”

  “I can come up with something.”

  Kim was going to refuse. She wasn’t the religious type. But looking at Sarah sitting patiently at his feet, she figured this was one of those battles not worth fighting.

  The old man stood and raised a hand toward them.

  “Lord of the wild and the weary, watch over these two.

  Keep their fangs sharp, their hearts human, and their feet on the path of the just.

  May they find what is hidden, protect what is small,

  and return to us when the moon wanes.

  Give them the strength of the pack, and the peace of the shepherd.

  Now may the blessing of Almighty God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—descend upon you and remain with you always. St. Michael the Archangel, defend them in battle.”

  He made a small sign of the cross in the air between them. “Now, go. Sarah, if you really want me to have an elk, don’t leave it dead on my lawn.”

  Kim shook her head as she turned back to the great white wolf. They disappeared into the night.

  It was their third pass through the area the teens had mentioned when Sarah caught the scent. This way, she seemed to say.

  Kim followed, eventually distinguishing it herself—the weird, sickly smell of magic. It woke something savage in her. The stronger it grew, the more she had to hunt it. Until finally the two wolves emerged at the base of a small mountain. The entire slope reeked of magic. It seeped from every stone, every tree.

  It took another hour. They found the cave entrance—hidden behind rocks and twisted roots. When they stepped inside, it looked more like an Egyptian tomb than a cave.

  As they walked the tiled floor, a large sarcophagus came into view—solid gold, surrounded by pillars. Kim and Sarah drew close, only to be shoved back by an invisible force.

  Kim shifted to human form. “Now what?” she asked.

  Sarah turned back and sat beside her. “We can call my dad or get Father Jeffery.”

  “You see why one of those things is not like the other, right?” Kim asked.

  “They’re both priests who believe. I agree it would be better if it was Dad or Thomas, but I don’t know where they are.”

  “I think we really have to figure out cellphones,” Kim sighed.