Page 33 of Waifs And Strays
‘She’s not brought a man here before,’ grunted my curmudgeonly neighbour whose company I used to enjoy until about ten seconds ago. ‘Three years and no sex.’ He shook his head. ‘None. And now she’s plumped for a damned werewolf?’ He looked at me. ‘What will the cats say?’
I didn’t know whether to be astonished, affronted or amused.
Dave clicked his tongue, snapped his hand forward andgave Thane’s a perfunctory shake, then went back inside his house without another word.
‘Three years, huh?’ Thane murmured.
My eyes narrowed. A visibly active sex life didn’t suit my cat-lady persona but just because I didn’t bring anyone home didn’t mean I didn’t get my kicks when I needed to. I was about to say that in a sniffy tone of voice before I remembered it was none of his business. Or Dave’s.
I tilted my chin. ‘Actually,’ I said, ‘I’m a virgin.’ Thane blinked. Ha.
‘I’m waiting for Mr Right to come along. I won’t accept anything beyond marriage before my precious hymen is broken. I want thunderbolts, fluttering heartbeats, kisses that make me weak at the knees and,’ I smacked my lips for emphasis, ‘a binding contract and a joint bank account. Only then will I bestow the gift of my virginity on a very, very lucky man.’
‘What about the cats?’ he asked. ‘Where do they fit in?’
‘They don’t want my virginity,’ I told him. ‘Trust me.’
He sighed. ‘Finally.’ I watched in astonishment as he raised his right hand and placed it over his chest. ‘I’ve been waiting for someone like you all my life. Somebody pure, untouched. Somebody who knows not only what it means to be a life partner but also how to stab me in the heart. Literally. And I’ve finally found you. I knew from the moment you tried to kill me that you were the one for me. I’m also a virgin and I’m the knight in shining armour you’ve been waiting for.’
I met his eyes. ‘Great,’ I said flatly.
He grinned again.
While Thane took a quick shower,I checked on She Who Hisses. She screeched from behind one of the cardboard boxes,indicating her continued displeasure at both her confinement and my presence. I tried to get closer but she refused to let me so much as glance at her wound to check it was healing so I left her in peace and headed into the kitchen to heat some stew.
I had a lot of information to sift through and a lot of potential leads. I was going to have to prioritise my next moves very carefully if I was going to help Nick.
‘We’re going to have to prioritise what we do next,’ Thane said, wandering into the kitchen with damp hair and cleaner clothes. The cloud of vetiver that seemed to continually envelop him was stronger than ever.
My eyes narrowed. ‘We?’
He gave an easy shrug. ‘You came looking for me for a reason, right? You want to save Nick. So do I. It makes sense that we work together.’ He eyed me. ‘Two heads are better than one. We should team up and both search for him and the fucker who took him.’
I let out a frustrated hiss of breath. ‘I don’t play well with others.’
‘I’m a lone wolf,’ he reminded me. ‘Neither do I.’ He continued to watch me calmly. ‘But Nick is worth the effort.’
I couldn’t argue with that.
‘I didn’t kidnap him,’ Thane said. ‘And neither did you. We’re on the same side, Kit.’
I hadn’t told him my name so he’d clearly been researching me. My thoughts must have shown on my face. ‘So what are you really?’ he asked. ‘You’re obviously not just a cat lady.’
As if on cue, He Who Crunches Bird Bones padded into the kitchen and gave me a questioning look. ‘Iamjust a cat lady,’ I said. My insistence sounded pathetic even to my ears.
‘A cat lady and what?’ Thane enquired. ‘You’re not a witch or a druid, but you have some magic. I can smell it. And youpossess skills beyond that magic.’ He rubbed the back of his head ruefully. ‘You kickedmyarse.’
I snorted. ‘That wasn’t hard.’
‘It wasn’t easy, either.’ He stepped closer and stared at my face. He Who Crunches Bird Bones growled a faint warning but didn’t move towards him. ‘You’re a loner like me,’ he said softly. ‘You’re not a gang member or a team player. You like to go solo but you…’ He paused.
I ought to have shut him down while I had the chance but I was too fascinated by his thought process. ‘But I what?’
Thane stepped back. ‘You’re a killer.’ He said it quietly, with no fear or awe in his voice. ‘You don’t kill for fun – you don’t have that gleeful, psychotic edge – but you do have the skills. You’re trained.’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘EEL. Betcha.’
I did my best to maintain a blank expression but I couldn’t deny my shock. Nobody had ever guessed what I used to do for a living; even Trilby, with all their street smarts and insider knowledge, hadn’t come close. And yet within an hour this solitary werewolf had worked it out.
I didn’t bother trying to deny it; I was a great assassin but I wasn’t a good liar. ‘If you breathe a word to another living soul—’ I began.
