Here Kitty, Kitty!

Chapter Six

Nik didn’t come back. At least, she never heard him if he did. Around eleven in the morning, she rolled out of bed and scrounged up a bowl of cereal, made a fresh pot of coffee, enjoyed two cups and the newspaper before throwing on a pair of denim shorts and a T-shirt, and heading out to the backyard. She draped herself onto a lounge chair and dialed Sara.

No answer on her cell. So she tried Miki.

“Yeah?”

“Hey. It’s me.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, come on. You’re not still mad at me.”

“No. I’m not.”

“But Sara is?”

“She’s mad at everybody. Zach, Conall, me. The universe.”

Angie grimaced. It took a lot to piss off sober Sara. But once done, the woman wasn’t satisfied until someone lay bleeding and crying.

“Well do something.”

“Do what? She won’t even talk to me. She’s pissed. I mean p-i-s—”

“Yes, Miki. I know how to spell pissed. I can actually spell it in several languages.”

“I still have you beat by two.”

“I’m sorry but Klingon and Elvish don’t count.”

“Says who? Klingon is really tough.”

“Miki, hon, I really need you to focus.”

“Yeah. Well, if I were you, I wouldn’t get too fuckin’ comfortable.”

“Am I the only one who sees the big picture here? Hyenas are trying to kill you. True, there are many who have wanted to see you dead, but these are the first that have actively tried.”

Miki snorted. “Look, I do understand. And I appreciate you caring and all.”

“But—”

“There’s no but. I mean, I did do a little research on this Vorislav guy last night and found some pics of him and his brothers on his company’s web site. And imagine my surprise when I realized he’s the guy from the airport. But, of course, I’m sure that has nothing to do with you staying there so comfortably.”

Fucking, researching bitch!

“It has nothing to do with that. I’m waiting for the Pack to get here. Then I’ll be back.”

“Well, they seem to be taking their sweet time, but I’m sure you’ll find some way to survive.”

“Oh for the love of all that’s holy. Look, I’m doing this for your—oh my.”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Um…puppy.”

“Don’t call my baby that!”

Angie rolled her eyes. “I’m not, you garden gnome. I see an actual puppy.”

An adorable black lab puppy specifically, running through the grass of Nik’s backyard.

“Puppy? Why don’t you call him what he is? A mid-day snack.”

Her crazy friend was right. Tigers roamed this property. A cute little thing loping through the grass was really just a moving Snickers bar to these people.

Angie secured her phone to her shorts and made sure her headphones were on, then she moved across the grass toward the puppy while yelling at her best friend.

“All I’m doing is trying to protect my family. You think she’d appreciate it.”

“Aw, you consider me family?”

“That is the dumbest fuckin’ thing you’ve ever said. Of course I do!”

“Well, ya don’t have to get nasty.”

“Yes, I do. When you ask me stupid questions. You, Sara, and Marrec are the only family I have since my grandmother died.”

“The breeders still live.”

“Yes, but they don’t count.” She caught up to the puppy as it came to the very edge of where the lawn ended and the acres of trees and tall grass began. “Come here, cutie.”

She crouched low and picked the little beast up. “What are you doing around here, little one?”

“Maybe he’s suicidal.”

“Shut up.”

“How come you’re nicer to the dog?”

“The dog doesn’t make it his goal in life to piss me off.”

“This is true.”

The puppy squirmed out of her hands. “Shit.” She grabbed for him, but froze when she watched the puppy climb on top of the tiger less than five feet away from her. So well hidden in the grass, she never saw him. Her real problem? His markings were different from Nik’s. His ears bent a little differently. His eyes a little more slanted. This wasn’t Nik. Which meant she didn’t know how safe or unsafe she may be.

“Shit,” she barked again and scrambled back.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh…” The tiger moved forward, his big body raising up out of the grass. He shook himself, the puppy tumbling off. He caught the little beast between his teeth by the back of its neck. Angie flinched. She really had no desire to watch a dog become anyone’s lunch. Really. But the puppy hung from the tiger’s mouth without any fear.

The tiger walked forward slowly, eventually dropping the puppy at Angie’s feet. She scooped him up and backed away until her ass sat back on the lounger.

The tiger watched her for several very long seconds. Then he charged into the woods.

“Are you still there?”

“What? Oh. Yeah. I’m here.”

“What’s going on?”

“Tiger antics.”

“Don’t ever turn your back on one.”

“Excuse me?”

“Tigers. They attack from behind.”

Angie closed her eyes on a sigh. “Good God, you’ve been reading.”

“It’s what I do. Research.”

The tiger returned, a rabbit in his mouth. Unlike the puppy, the rabbit didn’t fair too well. The tiger dropped the bloody carcass in the middle of Nik’s lawn, and looked at her expectantly.

Another tiger, this one’s marking different from Nik’s as well, wandered out of the woods. He caught sight of the other tiger. Looked at Angie. Then the dead rabbit. He turned and charged back into the woods. After a few moments. He trotted in with his own rabbit. A bigger one. He dropped it on top of the first one.

“Uh-oh.”

“What uh-oh?”

The two tigers glared at each other, and charged back into the woods.

“Something’s going on.”

“Something bad?”

“Not for me.”

They returned, each carrying a deer. One held a doe, the other a buck. They dropped their prey, roared at each other, turned and charged back into the woods yet again.

Angie giggled. “Dude, this is gettin’ weird.”

“How weird?”

“Well, I could be wrong but…I think I’m being wooed—tiger style.”

“What does that entail?”

“So far? Rabbit and deer.”

“What?”

The brothers returned, both carrying their own elk. They dragged and dropped them on the pile. Then one slapped the other in the head with his paw. The other hit him back. Before she knew it, they turned into a mass of snarling, biting, slashing stripes.

“What the hell is that noise?”

“Cat fight.”

“They’re fighting over you?”

“I don’t know.”

“They are so fighting over you.” Miki laughed. “Angelina and those mighty legs strike again.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“You’re wearing shorts, aren’t you?”

“Shut up!”

A third tiger charged out of the woods. Nik. She easily recognized his markings now.

Using his massive jaws, he grabbed one brother by the scruff of the neck, flinging him into the woods. The other went to follow, but Nik knocked him back with a well-placed paw. Then he chased that brother in the opposite direction.

“It’s all clear. Big brother handled it.”

“I swear, everywhere you go—”

“Oh, shut up!”

Nik returned. He trotted past Angelina, barely glancing in her direction and ungracefully belly-flopped into his pool.

Angie laughed again.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just Tiger-Nik jumped into his pool. Like that goofy fat kid in eighth grade swim class.”

“Well, I read that tigers love water. And they don’t purr.”

“This one purrs.”

“Really?” Angie could hear Miki “thinking”. “Interesting. Tigers are the one cat that doesn’t. It must be the human in him.”

Shaking her head and smiling, Angie watched the seven-hundred-pound beast splash around like a little kid.

“Look, Angie. Are you sure you’re okay? Really?” Miki’s concern for her bled through the phone connection and it warmed Angie’s hard heart.

“I’m doing fine, Mik. The man took me shopping. I spent twenty thousand dollars of his money, and he didn’t even blink an eye. Nor did he ask for sex.”

“You must have terrified another one.”

I wish. Angie chuckled as she watched Nik pull himself out of his pool.

She froze, that chuckle caught in the back of her throat. He’d shifted back to human. Naked human. Nik stood up, shaking the water from his hair. The bright midday sun made his skin look like the gods had bronzed it just for her. Every muscle perfectly formed and begging to be touched.

Her mind stopped functioning. Her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest and she openly stared at him. She couldn’t help herself. She couldn’t turn away. She was mesmerized.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“Angie? Are you listening?”

Nope. She couldn’t hear a damn thing. Nothing. Everything else, even her best friend, blocked out by this man’s beauty.

Her eyes trailed down his hard body and she saw it. His cock. And like him, it was perfect.

She swallowed.

“Calling Angelina Santiago! Come in, Angie!”

Nik walked toward her, water dripping down every long, wonderful inch of him. With his long legs, it took him no time to reach her chair. He crouched next to her and gently, with one of those big hands, closed her mouth.

“Catchin’ flies, sugar?”

His hand slid across her chin and down her neck. Then it kept going. For an ecstatic moment, she thought he would cup her breast. But, instead, his hand petted the puppy she still had in her grip.

Nik leaned in close, his hot breath against her ear. Softly, so only she could hear, “And, sugar, if you’re gonna sit out on that balcony at night, half-naked, smellin’ so sweet and sighing like you just had the best fuck of your life, then you might as well put a leash around my neck and call me yours.”

He pulled away, gave her the biggest shit-eatin’ grin she’d ever seen, and went back into his house.

“Angie! Either you answer me or I’m coming out there my goddamn self!”

“Don’t you dare!” Whoa. She didn’t mean to yell that. Or sound so hysterical. But Jesus Christ, who was this guy? She took a calming breath and licked her lips. “I mean. The important thing right now is that Pack baby.”

“Stop calling her that!”

Nik pulled his front door open and his sister and cousin stormed in, carrying armloads of dresses.

“Where is she?” Reena demanded.

“Angelina?”

“You got some other Yankee livin’ with you at the moment?”

“Bite your tongue. Like I’d have a Yankee in my house. She’s a Texan.”

“Come on.” Kisa motioned to the stairs. “She’s probably in her room.”

The two females dashed up the stairs and Nik shook his head. He didn’t know what his sisters were up to, but he saw no claws, so he wasn’t too worried.

He started to close his front door but Ban and Aleksei walked up.

“Hey, bro!”

Nik closed the door in their faces and headed back to his office. He still had dead elk in his backyard.

“That’s not funny,” Ban yelled through the thick oak.

“Yes it is,” Nik cracked back.

Angie stared at herself in the full-length mirror. She wore two different shoes. Both high heels, both exceptionally hot.

She didn’t even look up when the banging on the door started.

“Fuck off. You said we weren’t leaving ’til seven.” She debated which shoes to wear. She didn’t want to think about it too much, but she wanted to look nice tonight.

“It’s us.”

She frowned. There was only one “us” in her life and they didn’t sound anything like that.

“Fuck off until seven.”

With no locks on the doors—damn shapeshifters—nothing stopped the two women from rushing into her room.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I said come in.”

The smaller one stopped and stared down at Angie’s feet. “Oh, Lord, she’s even got cute shoes. We don’t have cute shoes.”

Turning to face them. “Who are you?”

“Don’t you remember us? You met us yesterday before you left with Nik.”

Angie shrugged. Very few people held her interest, especially from one day to the next.

The bigger one spoke. “I’m Nik’s cousin Reena. This is his sister Kisa.”

“Great. Now I’ve got the whole rootin’, tootin’ clan in here.”

“You gotta help us,” the smaller one begged.

“Help you? How?”

They dumped the clothes they had in their hands on the floor. Angie grabbed the first thing she saw and held it up.

“Going as a nun, are we?”

Reena nodded. “Exactly.”

“Ya see?” Kisa insisted. “Ya gotta help us.”

“Why me?”

“We saw those Pride whores today,” the taller one said. “They looked amazing.”

“It’s all over town you helped ’em.”

“That’s all over town?” Angie snorted. “Not a lot goes on around here in Shifterville, does it?”

“Look, you reek of style,” the smaller one offered. “We, however, don’t.”

Angie looked at the two women. The problem wasn’t their looks. They were gorgeous shapeshifters and you could barely make out those scars on their necks. But the little one could barely look her in the eye. Shy. The other one clearly a hard ass. Probably the one saddled with the constant responsibility of keeping the youngest boys in line. That task always seemed to fall to the oldest females.

Hell, who could it hurt? And, to be honest, she kind of enjoyed helping the fashion helpless.

“All right. Why not?” The two women smiled in relief and she gave a big grin. “But we need champagne to do this.”

His brothers walked into his office.

“What’s that look on your face?” Ban threw himself into one of the wingback chairs. “And what the hell are you listening to?”

“Lords of Acid.”

“Devil music, O-E-G would say.”

“What’s wrong?” Aleksei sat on the edge of Nik’s desk. “And stop calling our grandmother that, Ban.”

“There’s over twenty thousand dollars in my account.”

“That’s all you have left in the world?” Alek demanded.

“Bro, why didn’t you tell us? We can lend you some money.”

“You idiots, I don’t have twenty thousand left…there’s suddenly more than twenty thousand extra there.” He checked a few more things, then leaned back in his chair. “She paid me back.”

Kisa rushed in. “Champagne?”

“Wine cellar.”

“Chilled?”

“Fridge in the basement.”

“Thanks.” She tore out of the room.

Ban shrugged and turned back to Nik. “Who paid you back?”

“Who do you think? And did you get your damn dog out of my backyard?” Ban was the only tiger he knew who insisted on picking up strays, even dogs. Not for a “munchie” either as their mother called it. But for pets. The local rescues loved Ban because he gave them money, helped during fund raisers, and came over to pet the cats and walk the dogs. His brother was so weird.

“Yes. He’s back at my house. And do you mean the delectable Ms. Santiago paid you back? By the way, she can handle my puppy anytime.”

“Angelina Santiago,” Alek sighed. “That name rolls right off the tongue, don’t it bro?”

“I’m sure lots of things roll off the tongue when it comes to her.”

“Sewing kit?”

The brothers looked up to see Reena in the doorway.

“Aunt Abby’s room, I think.”

“Thanks.” She disappeared.

With a shake of his head, Nik turned and stared at his siblings. “Let’s get this straight, shall we gentlemen. You stay away from her. She’s my guest. I promised those dogs I’d take care of her. So you two idiots back off.”

Aleksei winked at Ban. “I thought you didn’t want her.”

Ban grinned back, and Nik felt his hackles rise in anger. “Which means, big brother, she’s fair game.”

Kisa rushed past the room, heading back where she came from. “I took cheese and crackers too!” Then she charged up the stairs.

Nik didn’t know what the hell the women were up to, and he didn’t want to know. Instead he focused on his brothers. “She is not fair game.”

“Oh, come on, Nik. Ya can’t keep ’em all.”

“I don’t keep ’em all. And I’m not keeping this one.”

His face perfectly innocent, Ban asked, “So we can get her when you’re done?”

He knew his brothers would never go after his leftovers, but still…even the thought of it made Nik want to rip the hides from their backs. They knew it, too. They knew they were getting to him. That they were making him dangerously angry. And they were enjoying every minute of it.