Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
“Have you ever wanted to unhear something? Okay, good. I’m not the only one.”
~ Lola
Lola had never seen so much testosterone crammed into a living room before.
Gage’s home, which was probably usually a sanctuary of calm and pine-scented peace, was now a den of shifter energy—lion, wolf, and panther all crowded together like a support group for overgrown predators with boundary issues.
It had been four days since Maddie and Roan vanished.
Four days since Nico had gone radio silent.
Four days of pacing, worrying, and watching her best friend Katy alternate between anxious muttering and threatening to maul anyone who suggested she “relax.” Four days of Callon shadowing Lola’s every move, a big golden lion shifter with a possessive streak a mile wide and a glare that could peel paint off the walls.
Currently, Callon occupied the couch beside her, his arm stretched along the back like a territorial warning.
Wyatt—the panther with the most inappropriate sense of humor—was sprawled on the other end, grinning like he knew exactly how much he annoyed Callon.
Rafe lounged in the armchair, boots up, arms crossed, looking like he was auditioning for the cover of Feline Quarterly—if that was a thing; if it wasn’t, it totally should be.
Kian, ever the tattoo artist, perched on a kitchen stool, sketchbook in hand, occasionally glanced at Lola and Callon with a smug grin that said he remembered just how much Callon hated Kian being the one to have nearly inked his mate.
Drystan was by the window, eyes restless and fingers drumming, while Bane, the only panther who could actually shift, stood slightly apart, his presence quieter but somehow heavier.
Gage, the dire wolf shifter and resident grump, hovered near the fireplace, arms crossed and frown firmly in place. He and Callon might have been friends if they weren’t so pissy, but right now, neither seemed thrilled about sharing their territory—or their mates.
Katy was pacing. Again. Otto the crazy little lizard clung to her shoulder, bobbing his head and flicking his tongue every few steps.
“Any word yet?” Katy demanded, pausing mid-stride, the force of her glare enough to make even Bane take a step back.
Gage shook his head. “Like the last ten times you asked, nothing. But if Nico was in trouble, we’d know. He’s too stubborn to die without sending a group text, not to mention he’s not about to go out without making a big scene. He’s too vain.”
Wyatt grinned. “Can we vote that if we ever find ourselves missing, we just leave a note? ‘Gone to rescue friend, be back for dinner.’ Makes things easier.”
Callon’s growl was pure lion. “You’d better leave more than a note if you ever vanish with one of our females.”
Wyatt winked at Lola. “I’ll leave a love letter for her, then.”
Callon’s arm tightened, and Lola elbowed him playfully. “Relax, Simba. Wyatt’s just trying to see if you’ll roar.”
Wyatt flashed a grin. “I live for the roar.”
Lola snorted out a laugh. “Dude, don’t ever say that, in that tone of voice ever.”
Rafe smirked. “I have to agree with Lola, that was a tad disturbing.”
Kian looked up from his sketchbook. “Should we brainstorm rescue plans, or let the big cats stare each other down a while longer?”
Drystan shrugged. “I’m in for a plan. Anything’s better than watching Callon flex every time someone looks at Lola.”
Callon bared his teeth. “I don’t flex.”
“Says the flexing lion shifter,” Wyatt coughed.
“I’m not going to keep restraining him,” Lola warned the cheeky panther, who seemed completely unrepentant.
Katy, undeterred by the male posturing, crossed her arms. “If we don’t get news soon, we go. I don’t care what Taras or Nox says.”
Gage’s response was immediate and gruff. “Not happening. I’m not taking you anywhere near the Kingdom of Silk.”
“You’re not my only option,” Katy said, narrowing her eyes on her mate.
Wyatt lifted a finger. “I could—”
“You could end up as a skinned wall hanging if you keep it up,” Callon cut him off, voice low and dangerous.
Otto piped up, tail flicking. “Panther wall hangs stupid. Mistress right to want to rescue. Stew is better than rescue. I bite you.”
Everyone stared and then their heads turned collectively to look at Katy. She was the little lizard’s translator anytime his sentences were especially jacked up.
Katy shrugged. “Appare
ntly decorating with panther hides is so last year. Also, he’s hungry and wants a rescue plan. I’m with him.”
“What about that last part?” Drystan asked.
“If you try to stop him, he’ll bite you,” Katy shrugged as if that wasn’t a death sentence.
Lola grinned, pulling her threaded fingers from Callon’s clasp. “Let’s cook, Katy. We’ll need fuel for the impending disaster.”
Callon and Gage said in unison, “No.”
Lola raised a brow. “Too late. Katy, let’s raid the kitchen.”
Katy was already moving, Otto bouncing on her shoulder. “Coming!”
Wyatt called after them, “I like my stew spicy, Lola!”
Callon’s glare could have melted titanium.
Lola glanced over her shoulder and waggled her fingers at him as she disappeared into the kitchen. “Don’t eat the panther, Leo, you’ll ruin your appetite.”
The kitchen quickly filled with the scent of sautéing onions and garlic, the sizzle of meat in a hot pan, and the sound of Lola and Katy’s laughter. The males kept coming in, offering unhelpful “suggestions” and offering to taste the food.
Gage hovered behind Katy, his hands on her hips, chin brushing her shoulder as he grumbled, “You know, you don’t have to cook for them.”
Katy rolled her eyes as she looked at Lola, though speaking to her mate. “You’re just mad because I don’t make stew for you every night.”
He nipped her neck, making her squeak. “You better believe it.”
Callon sidled up to Lola, lips at her ear. “You’re not feeding Wyatt.”
She grinned, holding up a spoonful of stew. “Watch me.” Was she taking entirely too much joy at the jealousy the panther caused? Yes. Would she stop . . . probably, at least before Wyatt got himself killed . . . hopefully.
Dinner, when it was finally served, was a circus.
The panthers inhaled food like they’d been starved for weeks, and Gage and Callon made a show of glaring at any male who dared compliment the cooking, as if that somehow made it worse that Lola and Katy had cooked for other males.
Otto sat on Katy’s shoulder, munching on a piece of carrot and nodding his approval.
Wyatt sighed in satisfaction. “Best stew I’ve had since . . . well, ever. You’re wasted on the lion, Lola.”
Callon’s response was a low, dangerous rumble.
Lola just patted Wyatt’s arm, eyes sparkling. “Don’t worry, he’s well fed.”
Bane, ever the voice of reason, spoke quietly. “If we’re going into the Kingdom of Silk, we need a plan. No heroics.”
“I agree, we need to go in,” Callon said, sounding quite irritated about it. “Roan isn’t just our shaman, he’s a friend. And Maddie is Lola’s friend, which makes her important to KOC as well.”
“Glad you’re finally seeing reason.” Lola smiled.
“But,” Callon said, his tone clipped as he looked at her, “the females are not a part of the plan.”
“Agreed,” Gage said, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned back in his chair, looking like a judge presiding over a courtroom.
Rafe raised his bowl in salute. “Here’s to both you males, it was nice knowing you. Mostly. Sort of.”
Bane muttered,“Bloody hell.” Then lowered his eyes as if he didn’t want to witness the carnage about to happen.
Smart cat, Lola thought.
Wyatt pouted. “Mate problems.”
Drystan snorted. “Once you have a mate, you won’t be so keen on the problems.”
Lola ignored the two males and focused on her mate. “You can’t actually expect me to simply ‘do what you say.’ You know that, right?”
“I know that I am your mate and that I’ve been a part of this world a hell of a lot longer than you.
I’ve been a warrior, trained from the time I was a cub, and can handle myself in any situation.
” His words weren’t meant to be cruel, at least Lola didn’t think they were.
She knew he was right. What could she possibly do to help?
But that didn’t make it any easier to give in.
“This is Maddie we’re talking about, Callon,” she said, her voice softening. “How can I just sit here and wait for news?”
“You sit in chair, it not hard,” Otto said in an exasperated tone as if he was talking to an exhausting toddler.
“Not a good time to chime in, O,” Katy said. The lizard grumbled under his breath, no doubt threatening to bite someone.
Callon held her stare for several seconds before he said, “We’ll wait one more day to hear from Nico.
If he doesn’t call, we’ll go in.” His eyes didn’t leave her face even though his words had been for everyone.
“I’ll still need to clear it with my father.
Gage, do you need to speak to Nox about it? ”
Katy snorted. “You seriously didn’t just ask that.”
“What my mate said,” Gage answered dryly.
“What about us?” Lola motioned to herself and then Katy.
Callon shrugged. “Katy’s not my problem. You and I will discuss this in private.”
Lola felt the lioness in her growing more agitated with her mate.
She wanted to swipe him with her claws and remind him that she wasn’t human.
She might be new to all of this, but she was a shifter.
She had a beast with fangs and claws. Her inner feline didn’t seem worried about handling any trouble they might face.
“Fine,” she snapped, picking up his plate and her own and carrying them to the kitchen.
She started to open the dishwasher but Wyatt took the plates from her hand, and Drystan shouldered her out of the way.