Page 24 of Fiends and Familiars
Adrienne
Iskipped into Cassie’s office, feeling as if I were walking on clouds. I’d wanted to see her before heading to my next appointment, to let her know the resolution on the hornet situation as well as what was happening with the werebadger.
And about my date. Oooo, I had a date with a totally hot guy I’d met at Pistol Pete’s of all places. I’d been having lunch there after dropping the squirrels and Drake off at the firehouse to entertain Ophelia, and he’d walked in. Tall, dark, and handsome. And he liked dogs.
“Hey!” I plopped down in the chair across from my sister and told her all about the hornets and the badger, wondering if I should tell her about my date or not. Probably not. As excited as I was, Cassie would be downright ecstatic. And she’d get her hopes up. I was optimistic, but if this guy turned out to be a total douchebag, I didn’t want to have to explain all that to Cassie.
“So this werebadger has been there for months?” Cassie shook her head. “It’s not like any of us have gone up there much since the elves left. It’s all overgrown and wild. I guess if he wanted to live an isolated life where he could burrow up in his animal form for a few years, Savior Mountain would be the place to go.”
“Except it’s not going to be an isolated life with a rancorous werewolf compound practically on his doorstep.” I shrugged. “He doesn’t want to move. Says it’s a pain digging a sett in that rocky ground. He’d rather just set boundaries with the werewolves and learn to deal with neighbors. Actually I got the idea he was kind of intrigued by my suggestion of Clinton’s pack hosting him for an occasional dinner. I think he’s lonely but doesn’t want to admit it.”
Cassie’s gaze sharpened. “Is he cute? Hot? Smoking hot?”
I laughed. “I’m not really sure. He was buck naked when he took on human form and let’s just say it was hard to keep my eyes on anything above the waist.”
“Hot damn!” Cassie stood and came around her desk. “Go for it, girl. I don’t know much about badger shifters, but if he’s like all the others, you could totally hit that if you wanted to.”
My thoughts shifted to the guy in the bar.That’swhat I wanted to hit.
“You sound like Sylvie,” I complained. “And I don’t want to hit that. Cassie, he was hung like a centaur.”
“That’s manageable with enough lube,” she insisted, reminding me even more of Sylvie. “You haven’t had a boyfriend in ages. Invite him to dinner next Sunday. If he’s been up on that mountain for months, then he’s probably dying for a good meal.”
“From what I gather, his idea of a good meal is earthworms,” I countered. What was it with my sisters lately? Actually, I knew what was up with them. They’d all found love and paired off, and now wanted me to do the same. Then they’d probably start pestering Babylon, if they weren’t already.
“I’m making lasagna. Tell him to throw on some clothes and join us, then afterward the two of you can go get drinks at Pete’s and get acquainted.”
I sighed. “Knock it off, Cassie. He’s not my type.”
She leaned on the edge of her desk, fixing me with a perceptive look. “And whatisyour type?”
I thought once more of the man in the bar. Then I thought of my dreams, of a monster with horns and glowing eyes. What kind of weirdo was I? That had been adream. If I encountered such a creature in real life chasing me through the woods, I wouldn’t be turned on and dragging the guy into my bed or screwing him under the stars in a hay field.
But the dude in the bar? Let’s just say I was hoping putt-putt ended up withthatguy in my bed.
“I don’t know how to define it,” I confessed. “But Idoknow that I want to feel that spark of passion when I look at him, not wonder if he needs a shoe horn and a gallon of lube to get it in.”
“Like Eddy, that guy you dated in college?”
Eddy. Nice, human Eddy. He was sweet. We hung out, watched television, studied, talked about how many cats someone should have before they got labeled a Crazy Cat Person. Spoiler: it’s seven unless you live on a farm and they’re working cats. Then it’s a dozen. Don’t argue, it’s a scientific fact. And Eddy had agreed. In fact, Eddy had agreed with everything. We were so compatible that our friends expected us to get engaged before we got our diplomas. Instead we’d just drifted away after college.
I didn’t want one of those relationships where we were fighting all the time, tossing dishes at each other and screaming so loud the neighbors called the cops. I just wanted someone who was a bit like me, but not exactly like me. I wanted to occasionally disagree. I wanted us to argue, then both work toward a mutually satisfactory resolution because our love was more important than whatever crap we were fighting over. Then I wanted us to have mind-blowing makeup sex.
Yeah. That.
“I just moved into a new house,” I reminded my sister. “Give me some time to get settled in before you start berating me about being a withered-up spinster.”
Cassie scrunched up her face. “That’s not what I meant, Addy. I just want to see you happy.”
“Iamhappy,” I insisted. “I love my work and my new home. I’m going to a party this week with Babylon. I’ve got four squirrels and a vulture living with me.”
I have a date tonight.But I didn’t want to clue her in on that until I was sure that Ty was going to be more than just a fun evening.
“I don’t think your vulture counts.” She glared at the animal who’d insisted on coming into her office with me. “Okay, but if you’re not dating anyone by Christmas then I’m going to fix you up with someone.”
“Not the werebadger,” I told her with a laugh. “Please not the werebadger.”
She grinned. “Okay, not the werebadger. Get going. I’ve got work to do and I’m sure you have a house to delouse or something like that.”
