She knew come. But she wanted her treat now. Leaping off the shelf with the yucky-tasting sticks, she launched herself at his hand and grabbed the yummy thing. Then she shot out the hole to the next cave, then the next. She hesitated for only a second in the massive cavern before choosing a new rectangle set in its wall. She emerged onto more of the flat rock painted with white and yellow lines. But it was the lights bearing down on her with a rumble of a massive monster behind it that had her plastering herself against the wall.
She was still there when Zach emerged. He appeared annoyed to see her. He walked right past to the beast huffing on the smooth rock. He got inside it.
And she had a sudden vision of riding inside one before.
A car.
Zach leaned out and snapped, “Come.”
Since she was a long way from her cave, she followed.
Chapter Three
Fluffy touched everything in the back seat. And not just with her hands. He’d known toddlers that licked less stuff.
The cabby kept eyeing her in his rearview, his massive unibrow twitching as if it were about to crawl off his head. The cabby—"Call me Gerald”—wouldn’t tell anyone about what he saw. The male didn’t bear the scent of a shapeshifter, but…something else. Someone who didn’t want to be noticed.
“Is your lady friend okay?” Gerald asked in heavily accented English.
“She’s from the country.” Zach kept it simple.
“Ah.” Because that explained everything, even halfway across the world. “Where to?”
Since he had no choice, Zach brought her to his hotel. Nora had a room as well, on a different floor.
An asshole would have interrupted her night of sex and dumped the yeti on her. That same asshole would probably wake the next day, minus his skin. Never get between a lioness and her mate. Right up there with don’t touch great aunt Natalie’s pecan pie unless she serves it to you on a plate.
A good thing for Nora that he liked her. Not many people could claim that distinction. Nora was good people, though. It should be noted he didn’t like Peter. Or Fluffy for that matter. However, he was responsible for her. He’d keep her close until he could hand her off.
Rawr. His inner feline was a little too happy about it.
It’s temporary.
Apparently, his lion had other ideas. Keep.
She is not a pet, no matter what Nora says.
Then his lion uttered something so shocking and rude that he almost shoved Fluffy out of the car.
Take that back.
But his lion smirked and thought it again. Mate.
I don’t think so.
Coward.
He was still having his internal argument when they arrived at the hotel, the building old and rundown with remnants of grandeur. It could use a major overhaul. However, you couldn’t beat the privacy.
“Ooh.” Fluffy had her face pressed to the glass as if it were a fairy tale castle
Zach paid the cabby and then slid out of the back. She kept staring out her side. “Let’s go, Fluffy.”
“M-kay,” she chirped as she hopped out, then took in a deep breath—and gagged.
“Welcome to the smell of civilization, Fluffy. It ain’t pretty.” He rubbed her back as she took in a ragged breath. When she straightened, her face held repugnance.
He felt sympathy. “You’ll get used to it after a while.” It became more noticeable when he returned from a place people hadn’t really penetrated. He loved those kinds of big, open spaces.
Recovered, she glanced around and then pointed to a streetlight. “Sss-sun.” She spoke as if it had been a long time, and her voice still needed a chance to warm up. How long had she been in that cave? Were there others like her?
“Actually, that’s a light.” He pointed to all the illuminated sources and repeated it until she did.
Her brow knitted as if she were thinking, and she glanced at the ground. Then the street with its traffic.
“City,” she stated.
“Yes.” Meaning, she did remember and knew some stuff about the modern world. He pegged her age somewhere between early twenties to possibly thirties.
Fit. Seemingly healthy with all her teeth. Only a few scars that he’d seen.
“Did you used to live in a city?”
Her nose scrunched. She understood but struggled to reply.
Before she could get frustrated, he broke in with, “I’m hungry. Let’s get something to eat.”
Her expression lit, and she smiled as she rubbed her tummy.
Fuck, she was cute, even with her hair a wild mess. He snuck her in the hotel’s side door, and they took the stairs up. At this time of night, no one was in the stairwell.
The steps were a thing of wonder for her. She oohed at them and skipped up and down a few times before laughing as she raced them. He had to whistle at the third-floor landing to get her back by his side.
She arrived with flushed cheeks, and part of her bandage hanging loose. He’d fix it in his room. He’d opted to keep her with him rather than book another one. He wasn’t sure she could be left alone. Not to mention, given how she stiffened and paused, ready to bolt each time she heard a strange noise, it wouldn’t take much to startle her. She couldn’t flee under his watch. He needed her secured until he made her someone else’s problem.
The door to room 304 opened with a swipe of his keycard, and she entered, curious but with her shoulders back. She stalked into the room, sniffing, tense but with surprisingly no fear.
She noted the neatly made beds—two of them because Zach liked the choice of mattresses when he stayed places. She ran her fingers over the fabric cover. He flicked a switch, and the light turned on.
He might as well have set off a bomb. Fluffy jumped. Had she been a cat, the claws would have come out. As it was, she went partially furry and hit the floor before scuttling under the bed.
“Fluffy?” Such a stupid name. He really needed to find something more suitable and proper like Melanie or Patricia.
She didn’t reply, so he dropped to a knee, lifted the bed skirt, and peeked. He didn’t see her, which took him aback. He stood and glanced on the other side of the bed. Nothing. He knelt between them and peeked under the second one. Empty, too.
It made no sense. He glanced once more under the bed he’d seen her disappear under. Just shadows, and yet…he could smell her. As if she were right in front of him.
He reached into a seemingly empty spot, and his fingers encountered an ankle. Despite not seeing her, he grabbed and yanked.
Apparently, not a good idea as Fluffy bellowed, heaved, and lifted the bed into the air, sending it crashing.
He eyed the disaster, then her. Shook his finger and said, “Bad. Bad, Fluffy.”
Rather than appear contrite, she eyed her ankle and then him, arching a brow.
He got the message. “Don’t touch?” He nodded. “Fair enough. I won’t touch, but you need to listen. No hiding under the bed.”
“Bed.” She said the word and frowned, then eyed the one she’d wrecked. She indicated it. “Bed.”
“Yes. Yours too since you broke it.” He moved to the bent frame and lifted it. His turn to arch his eyebrow so she would move. He set the frame down in its spot. It was lopsided, but it would hold the mattress. He threw it on top, then the blankets. The pillows, however, he fired at Fluffy.