Barks And Bubbles Near Me Novels & Stories

"Do you want to play with the bubble machine? I’ll buy it for you. You’ve never played with one, right?" Charlie patiently went along with her to delay time. At 10:30 PM... "Candice, there’s a little train over there. Want to go for a ride?" He was holding a bubble machine in one hand and a stuffed toy in the other. He pointed at the small train with his chin. A lot of two- or three-year-olds, and toddlers just learning to walk, were holding their parents’ hands, shouting to go for a ride. Candice: "…"

The grass blades prickle! When I stop for the second time to take a break, I don’t know where I am. I look around. It’s a completely strange place. Bucks is nowhere to be seen. It sucks! Suddenly, a bark breaks the air. When I hear more, I know it’s not a hallucination. I walk in the direction of the sound. As I walk near, I can hear the rowdy music and people chatting, mingled with the intermittent barks. My eyes light up. Bucks, is that you?

An ache so deep to feel her lips moving against mine, to have her in my arms lodge in my throat and I feel as if I won't be able to breathe if I didn't. I start to finally close the space between us and her hands wrap around my neck. My sole attention was on the thing that had been bothering me since we began this camp trip: her lips. I lift my eyes to hers and something leaps in my chest. Rrwoof. Huh? Rrwoof, Rrwoof----woof. What the fuck is making that sound? I lift my head only to see a puppy standing by the side of the bed barking happily.

I had to pretend that things were okay, that my brother hadn’t messed up in the biggest way possible. Draining the last of my cup, I placed it on my dresser, then pulled on a pair of black leggings and a hot pink polo shirt with my business name and logo on the breast. I’d opened Bubbly Paws a couple of years ago hoping to cash in on the craze of people treating their dogs more like humans. It turned out my hunch had been right, but about a year ago, another dog grooming salon had opened, and, for some reason, I was slowly losing my patronage to them.

I need to find her, but hunting blind won’t help. I needed to take a rest after driving for so long. Bars are where people talk, where whispers float on liquor breath. I spot a neon light flickering ahead that identifies a bar. “Midnight Howl Bar.” Sounds like a spot wolves might be, or at least humans who don’t mind the wild side. I pull over, kill the engine, and step out.

The line goes dead before I can say anything else. I stare at the screen for a second, then lower the phone. And just like that… I make my decision. I wipe my face with the back of my hand, smearing my makeup into a mess of ash and black across my cheeks. Doesn’t matter. I’m past caring. Ben's Bar isn’t hard to find. It's closer to the camp and I've been there a couple of times. A day never goes by with trouble starting in it. Most of it is caused by us and it's usually always fun. Humans, werewolves and a few other supernatural creatures show up there to blow off some steam.

Kai. I stood in the middle of the big car park, surrounded by too much noise and too many people. Music blared from the speakers at the far end, bass shaking the ground under my shoes. Food stalls lined the edges of the lot, filling the air with the smell of fried dough, sugar, and roasted meat. Everywhere I looked, wolves from Ravencrest and beyond were milling about. Some still wore their uniforms, some had already changed into shorts and light shirts, and others looked like they were headed for the beach.

His black hair was neatly styled, but a curl had fallen off, and he brushed it away with his finger. "What's the state of the pack right now?" I asked and stood up, and then I walked around my desk and sat on it. "Everything is going smoothly. Young puppies are doing well in practice, and the borders were calm last week. The cabin is leased next to our border. I heard the neighbors talking at the shop this morning." I could sense my brain fighting me to pay attention to what it said.

My men fan out in an arch ahead of us. “Would you like me to describe everything I hear and sense?” I ask. She nods. “That would be good, I think. It might make me less worried.” Anything to ease her mind. “There’s a deer about ten feet to our left, grazing. I can hear birds high in the trees. Squirrels too. There are a few other animals behind us, but nothing to worry about,” I tell her, pausing when a sound reaches my ears. I smirk. “The chipmunk we just heard has joined another and is… busy with another—”

Waiting for her to finish up next to a stand with some pamphlets for local attractions, I picked up one for Busch Gardens, an African-themed amusement park with thrill rides and animal-viewing areas. I wondered if Aston liked animals, then I pushed the thought away. I wasn’t here to look for date ideas. The women she was speaking to thanked her and walked away. Aston was about to head back over to the front desk when she saw me. A wide, warm smile spread on her lips. “Blake. Not holed up in your room working I see?” “I think you know better than anyone here that I do get out from time to time,” I teased before I could stop myself.