twelve
I smelled them before I heard them and heard them before I saw them. Two men in Jade’s living room. My fists clenched and I forced myself to breathe. She wasn’t in danger. They sat on the opposite side of the room from her. She spoke with animated hands, the soft drone of her voice through the windows steady.
I could see her clearly through the glass. The back of the men’s heads bobbed or shook as they asked her questions.
Sir Purrs-a-Lot sat at her feet, but as she spoke more of her cats gathered around her. They could sense her upset. If the men didn’t leave in the next few minutes, I’d have to call my brothers for another cleanup. One they wouldn’t be happy about, given these men were human officials.
Didn’t matter. They were upsetting Jade, and that was reason enough to split them open. I sat back on my haunches, ready to leap through the door, when they stood up and Jade escorted them to her front door.
“We’ll let you know when we’re ready for you to come to the station and look at mugshots.”
I flew around the house and flattened myself to look around the corner at the front door.
“Okay.”
The two men shook her hand and then walked to their car. She didn’t wait for them to get in before closing her door.
I stared at the men, committing their faces to memory.
“Have you ever seen anyone with so many cats?”
I growled but cut it off when the older man looked in my direction.
He shook his head. “Thought I heard something.” He opened the door and slid into the car. “And yes. I have. My aunt ran a shelter. What, you don’t like cats?”
The conversation drowned out by the sound of the engine, and I returned to the backyard. Indecision shuffled me from foot to foot. Did I knock? Wait in the trees like I had before? I shouldn’t presume she’d want to see me. I was halfway to the tree line when the back door opened.
“Thurl?”
I whirled around and dug my claws into the dirt to keep from running to her.
“Um… would you like to come in?”
I nodded so fast I almost lost my balance. She smiled, and the knot in my chest eased. I was careful as I made my way inside. I didn’t want to nick her door with my horns or scratch her floor with my claws. I should ask Kendal for another set of claw caps for my paws. They hadn’t been necessary before, but I’d feel better if all of mine were covered.
“Don’t worry, the blinds are closed.”
She must have noticed my eyes darting around the space.
“If it will make you feel better, I can turn off the lights.”
“Thank you,” I croaked, then cleared my throat. “That’s not needed, unless you’d like to turn them off.”
She shook her head, the small smile and flush to her cheeks warming my skin.
“I’d like to look at you.” She looked at the floor. “If you don’t mind.”
I grinned to let out a fraction of the happiness I felt. “I don’t mind.” I sat on my haunches. She was such a small thing, no bigger than a whisper.
She stopped a hair’s breadth from my chest, her fingers reaching before she pulled them back.
“May I?”
I swallowed hard. “You may do whatever you like to me.”
Her eyes went wide, and her chest rose. I closed my eyes and inhaled the heady mix of sweet and spice that clung to her. I wanted to bury my nose in her neck, but I forced myself to stay still.
The barest touch of her fingertips against my chest made me groan. She gasped so I grunted, “Don’t stop.”
Her hand flattened against me and it was beyond anything I could imagine. Her palm made its way down over my abs and to my side before coasting up, around my bicep and down my arm. My cock strained and I shoved my hand against my seam in a last-ditch attempt to keep it hidden.
My eyes flew open as her hand landed on my forearm, traveled to my wrist, and gently tugged. I groaned and resisted the pull.
“What are you hiding from me?”
Her voice was husky and I swelled to the point of pain. I couldn’t hold it any longer, so allowed myself to spring from my seam. My chin hit my chest, and I waited for the scream, the sound of running feet, the sound of her leaving me forever.
They never came. Instead, I heard a gasp that verged on a moan and a whispered, “Holy wow.”
My eyes popped open and studied her face. Her tongue darted out to lick at her pink lips. She stared at my cock and it preened for her, twitching its pride at her reaction.
I watched as she drew one fingertip down my length, the spikes on my shaft bowing as she passed.
“How…” She swallowed. “What…?”
I managed to rasp, “Werewolf and dragon DNA.”
“Which one gave you these?”
Her fingertip glided over my spikes and my head fell back. “Dragon.”
Her hand curled around my cock, her fingers in between the spiral of spikes and she squeezed. I whimpered.
She jumped back like she’d been burned. “Oh my god.” She spun around and scooted across the room, staring at the wall in front of her. “Oh my god. Oh my god. I can’t believe I just did that. I’m so sorry. I’m not usually like this, I’m just curious and you know how they say curiosity killed the cat. I should be dead a hundred times over.” She waved a hand behind her in my general direction. “My only excuse is that I’ve never seen anything like you.” Her voice pitched higher into a squeak. “Anything like that, and I just couldn’t help myself. I’m actually a pretty tactile person, so I touch a lot of things inappropriately, but that’s gotta be the most inappropriate thing I’ve ever done.”
It didn’t seem like she was going to lose steam anytime soon, so I broke in with, “Satisfaction brought him back.”
She whirled back around, her eyes dipping to my crotch for a millisecond. Thank gods I’d managed to get myself under control and my cock tucked securely behind my seam.
“What?”
Her cheeks were bright red and I ached to touch them and see if they were as warm as they looked.
“That’s the rest of the saying. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back.”
“I never knew that.”
I grinned at her.
She tilted her head, her brows slashing down. “Are you… are you smiling?”
My hands came up to cover my muzzle. “Yes.”
She smiled. “It’s cute.” She dropped her head. “Fuck. No adult likes to be called cute.” She looked back up. “Can we maybe start over? Without all of my embarrassing mishaps?”
“I enjoyed your embarrassing mishaps. Too much, maybe. I almost had an even more embarrassing mishap.” I smiled as she laughed.
“Right. Okay, well, I wouldn’t blame you if you want to leave and never come back.”
My entire body lurched toward her. My growl filled the room as I shook my head. “No. I will stay as long as you allow me. Please. Allow me to stay.”
She grinned, her chest rising in a deep inhale. “Yes. I’d like that.”