“Peanut.” Lawrence’s soft tone drew her attention. “Look at me. You’re okay.” He snared his pants from a bush, and began pulling them on.
“This isn’t real,” she muttered. “People aren’t cats.” The expired soup must be at fault.
“Not all people. Only shapeshifters.”
She stared at him and shook her head. “Shapeshifters don’t exist.”
“I’d say you just saw proof they do.”
“No. That wasn’t real. Cats don’t turn into people. You are not a lion. This is a dream. Nightmare. Maybe there is no cottage at all, and we never escaped the forest.” She babbled as she sidled along the edge of the cottage, looking to put some distance between her and the naked people. She was feeling overdressed and very confused. “Maybe I’m in a hypothermic coma and imagining this is happening.”
“You’re not dreaming, Peanut. I know this seems a little strange.” He finished buttoning his bottoms, but remained barefoot and chested in the snow.
“A little?” A hysterical giggled bubbled from her. “You were a giant freaking lion!”
“I’m a liger actually.”
“A what?”
“I’m what you call a hybrid. Part lion, part tiger.”
“Of course you are.” She finally found out the reason why he couldn’t hold on to a woman. He liked to pretend he was an animal. “Let me guess, these women belong to the same crazy commune.”
“Actually, we’re his aunts. And who are you?” the woman with the darkest hair, streaked in gray, demanded haughtily.
Lawrence did the introductions. “Aunties, this is Charlotte. Charlotte, Aunt Lena, Aunt Lenore, and Aunt Lacey.” He pointed them out, one by one.
“You’re related to him,” she stated.
“His father was our brother,” said the biggest of the aunts.
“Much older brother,” clarified the blondest of the three. “I’m Lacey by the way. Chubby is Lenore, and the one with the trucker mouth is Lena.”
“Rather speak how it is than be all fake,” scowled Lena, tossing her messy silver hair.
Lenore of the dark hair and light streaks, and the one to sniff her crotch, frowned. “Lawrence, is that—”
Before his aunt could finish, he threw himself at her, hugging her, which Charlotte would admit was weird. Half-naked nephews did not hug naked aunts. Or turn into lions. Had he put some mushrooms in their soup?
“You have one seriously messed-up family,” was the last thing she said before she shoved past the naked Amazon lady and into the cottage to check for drugs.
Chapter Nine
“You better start talking, and fast,” threatened Aunt Lenore.
“Nice to see you, too,” he drawled.
“Don’t you sass me.” Lena shook a finger at him, and while a human might have been uncomfortable being confronted by three naked family members, shifters didn’t have the same taboos about nudity. For them, skin was like fur, and clothes were simply a costume they had to wear to pretend they were human.
“I’m sorry. I should have said thank you for coming to my rescue. You arrived a tad quicker than expected, though.” He thought he’d have until later tonight or the following morning at least.
“Are you calling us old and slow?” Lenore took offense at a perceived slight.
Rather than clarify, he teased. “Well, you have started wearing slippers.”
“They aren’t just any slippers but unicorn flamingoes,” she stated, lifting her chin. “I like them ’cause they’re cute. That doesn’t make me old.”
“Yeah it does,” coughed Lena, earning a glare.
Lacey stepped in before it went any further. “Now isn’t the time, sisters.”
“Yeah, we should get back to our dumb-ass nephew and the fact he is not in danger but shacking up.”
“Wish we’d known that before we commandeered those snowmobiles,” grumbled Lenore.
The mention pricked Lawrence’s attention. “Are they far? I thought I heard engines.” Having the machines would make their trek back out a lot quicker.
“As if you heard us coming,” scoffed Lenore. “We parked about a mile away.”
“A mile? Not too far, then.”
“We thought you might be in trouble and snuck in,” Lacey explained.
“I was in trouble but managed to get out. On my own,” he emphasized.
“Well la di da for you. Guess we’ll just turn around and leave then.”
The aunts as one lifted their chins and acted as if they’d depart. And they would, too, if he didn’t say the magic words. “While I did escape my initial capture, I could use your help getting out of these woods.”
“What’s that?” Lena asked. “I don’t think I heard you.”
“I said please help.”
“Not until you tell us what happened. Who is that girl?” Lenore demanded.
“I’d like to know, too. There’s something about her…” Lacey trailed off as she glanced at the cottage.
“Something strange yet familiar,” Lena added.
“You nitwits. Are ya fucking blind?” Lenore swore. Apparently, she’d seen what the others hadn’t. “She had marks on her neck.” She squinted at him. “You mated her!”
“He what?” screeched Lacey. Probably more pissed he’d done it without letting her plan a wedding first. Having only a nephew didn’t stop his aunt from starting a wedding scrapbook—over which he had little control.
Lenore nodded. “He did. He bit that girl—”
“Woman,” he corrected, earning another glare.
“Human,” was Lena’s correction, and he winced.
“Well, that would explain why she smells funny,” was Lacey’s contribution.
He thought she had the most enticing scent.
“He can’t be mated,” argued Lena. “The boy is like us, free spirited.”
“Was,” Lenore corrected. “I know what I saw.”
“Lies!” Lena hissed.
“I don’t think so. Look at his face.” His aunt Lacey didn’t look any happier, but she did soften her tone as she said, “Tell us, Roarie.” She used her pet name for him. Because apparently as a baby he had the cutest mewling roar. “Tell us what happened.”
Admit what he’d done? His aunts would probably go ballistic. Lie and they’d probably do something to his Peanut. “First promise no one gets hurts. Not me and especially not her.”
For a moment, he thought they might refuse. Lena opened her mouth, but Lacey put her hand on her arm and gave a slight shake of her head.
“We promise, no harm to the woman.” Lean scowled.
“Her name is Charlotte.” Best they start seeing her as a person right now. An important person. He already knew it wouldn’t go over well. It never did.
“Charlotte as in a wily spider who dragged you into her web?” Lena eyed the cabin suspiciously. “Did she force you to mark her?”
“Hardly,” was his dry reply. “She has no idea what the bite means.”