by Ann Charles
“You think we should stop by Eugene’s?”
“Why?”
“To make sure his entourage hasn’t turned on him. He could be cornered in his tent right now.”
“Nora.” Bruno laced his fingers through mine. “I’ll remind you that Eugene shapeshifts into a grizzly bear. I think he can handle a few small forest creatures, even if they get a little aggressive with him.”
“But he had an alligator following him around earlier.”
Bruno chuckled. “I know. I saw the toothy bastard when Eugene came to get me. You should be more worried about his entourage turning on each other. Owls hunt skunks and herons kill gators.”
I crossed my fingers there wasn’t a bloodbath going on in Eugene’s tent.
“I’m more concerned about Hank and Leon,” Bruno added. “When I talked to the two of them a few hours ago, Hank was threatening to personally declaw Leon with a pair of pliers if the werelion didn’t stop flexing his claws while sitting on Hank’s lap.”
I giggled. “Those two make quite a pair.”
He draped his arm over my shoulders. “Leon found a few more, by the way.”
“A few more what?”
“Shifters who’d made wishes. Nothing had happened as major as what Donatello experienced, thankfully. I’ll make the rounds in the morning and make sure everything has settled back to normal for those affected.”
I leaned my head against his shoulder. “It was too easy.”
“You mean getting me into bed the first time or dispelling the wish?”
“Both.”
“Yeah, but with me you cheated.”
“What?” I smiled up at him. “How?”
“You got me drunk and then took advantage of me.”
“Took advantage, my ass.” I poked him in the side, making him grunt and laugh. “You were egging me on that night, pushing my buttons, practically daring me to kiss you.”
“True. It took you long enough to shut me up with those sexy lips of yours.”
We reached my tent. He held the flap for me, following me through the waiting area and then the curtain leading to my parlor. There he caught my arm and pulled me toward him. “How about I push some more of your buttons, Madam Mayhem.”
“Hmmm,” I pretended to think about it.
“There’s that hmmm again.”
“Is there going to be any kissing first?”
“There’d better be,” he said, cupping my face with his hands.
“Are you going to want to analyze my moves?”
“No.”
“What about orgasms?”
He raised his brows. “What about them?”
I grinned. “Will we have to stop to talk afterward about how they made us feel?”
“Smartass,” he whispered and lowered his mouth to mine.
There was no talking then, only groans and moans as he took his time teasing and tempting while his hands traveled over hill and dale. He undressed me slowly, loosening the strings on my peasant blouse as he tasted my neck. Then he picked me up and took me to bed. There, our clothes came off piece by piece, starting with mine and ending with his.
He stayed true to his word, taking me to the moon and back with his hands and fingers, keeping me silent with his kisses the whole time. Then, while my heart was still pounding, he slid into me, pushing deep.
He caught my gasp with his mouth. He growled deep in his throat when I wrapped my legs around his hips and clawed at his back.
I pulled away from his kisses long enough to ask, “How do you want it?”
“I just want it, period.” He slid out and in again, his face soft with desire. “Now zip it, woman. We’ve talked enough.”
I laughed and scraped my nails down his arms, my hips moving with his. “Is that all you got?”
It wasn’t. The way his mouth worked mine as his body moved within me was intoxicating. This time, our mating was more sensual, taking me to a higher level physically than I’d experienced before with him. I bowed under him when my pleasure peaked, my whole body pulsing with delight.
He joined me on the other side of pleasure shortly after I’d come back to earth, his arms and legs trembling still when he collapsed on top of me. We lay in silence afterward, our breathing loud in the darkness.
He rolled onto his back, pulling me along and settling me on top of him. “Damn, Nora. If I were to keel over right now, I’d die an incredibly happy, satisfied man.”
I rested my cheek on his chest, listening to his heart as it slowed to an even tempo. “Bruno?”
“Yeah?”
“I have an idea.”
“If it involves the two of us naked on your parlor table, you need to give me a little time to catch my breath.”
I smiled, stroking the skin on his arm. “How about when we set up the tent after the next jump, we decorate our private quarters with your stuff.”
“I don’t have any stuff.”
“You must have a few personal items somewhere, like a picture of your family, or a trophy or some mementos from your previous life before the circus.”
“Nora.”
“What?”
“I like being surrounded by your things.”
“But you said they’re girly.”
“They remind me of you, soft and sexy.”
I scooted up his chest, bracing on my arms so I could look down into his eyes. “But Bruno …”
He placed his finger over my lips. “Of course, if you want to drape your lacy panties and bras all over the room, I’m good with that, too.”
I snorted. “That’s the Bruno I know and love.”
His gaze held mine, the tenderness I could see in his eyes making my body want to sing and dance to his tune all over again. “The only thing I want to change in this room,” he said, “is to add some things that symbolize the two of us.”
“Like what? Pictures?”
He shrugged. “Treasures that we find together, for example.”
“That’s very romantic, Bruno.” I kissed him. I couldn’t resist.
When I came up for air, he said, “Nora Mai, why are your hips moving like that?”
“I’ve had a vision.”
“Of what?”
“Let me show you.”
He folded his arms behind his head and watched through half-closed eyelids as I worked my magic on his body. After he’d seen enough, he gave me a performance of his own that filled me with wonder yet again at the new heights of satisfaction I reached from his touch.
Sleep came quickly in the ensuing silence. I woke right before dawn as usual, my internal alarm having been set long, long ago.
When I returned from greeting the sun, Bruno was up and pulling on his jeans.
“Where are you off to?”
“I want to check on the others who’d been screwed up by Patooty’s Wish spell.” He glanced at the clock on my nightstand. “How about you meet me at the monkey brothers’ food joint in an hour for coffee and beignets?”
“Twist my arm.” That would give me time to take a long shower and organize my parlor room.
“See you in a bit, Madam Knock-My-Socks-Off.” He gave me a kiss good-bye and strode out before I could think of a cheeky reply.
I showered, dressed, and prepped for another night of fortune-telling. Bruno was waiting for me with a bag of beignets and hot coffee mixed with chicory when I joined him at the monkey brothers’ stand.
“I like that sundress.” Bruno handed me a beignet.
I looked down at the navel oranges dotting the dress. “This old thing?” I’d picked it up at a thrift store a month ago when we were traveling through Florida. The cotton was worn soft, but the print was still vibrant.
He nodded. “I’d like to peel it off you later.”
“Peel—I get it. You think you’re so funny.” I took a bite of the beignet, moaning as I chewed the warm, sugary dough. “If I keep eating these babies, I’ll have to get serious about exercising.”
He watched m
e lick the powdered sugar off my fingertips. “I’ll help you burn off calories later.”
I giggled. “You’re smitten.”
He scoffed. “You think?”
“Hey, you two,” Eugene said from behind us.
I turned, my eyes widening at the sight of the barred owl perched on his shoulder still. The skunk, raccoons, squirrel, heron, and alligator were absent, though. “It looks like you lost your assistants.”
“Yep, but it’s for the best. None of them were potty trained. Poor Mr. Jingles kept threatening to spray the others when nature would call.” He thumbed toward the owl. “This guy is sticking around, though. He appears to like the circus life.”
“Don’t we all,” said a high-pitched voice behind Eugene.
I leaned to the side to see around the big bear shifter. “Hi, Gigi. How’s Donatello doing this morning?”
She stepped up next to Eugene. Her lab coat was wrinkled with streaks of dirt. Her red hair had come loose from the knot on top of her head. “He’s on the mend. He’ll be up and moving later today, I’m sure.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Bruno said, taking a sip of coffee.
“Are you heading out then?” I asked, sorry to see her go.
“That depends,” she said.
“On what?” Eugene’s question had a depth of something more than mere curiosity.
She blinked her long red lashes up at him. “You.”
“Me?”
“Donatello and Marco offered me a job here at the circus as a traveling veterinarian, but we agreed that I need to be part of an act to keep AC from squawking about taking on new crew members.”
“An act?” Eugene’s thick brows lowered.
“I was wondering if you still need an assistant to help light your matches.”
The shifter’s smile equaled his bear size. “I sure do.”
“You mind letting me join your act?”
“Little lady, nothing would make me happier than having you on stage by my side.”
Ahhhh. Eugene’s wish had come true after all.
I stuffed another beignet in my mouth, chewing with happiness.
“Electra!”
I looked across the grass to find Hank striding toward me. “Howdy, Hank. Where’s your big kitty?”
“Back in my tent.”
“What?” My smile faltered. I’d thought with the Wish spell revoked, everything would return to normal. Well, as normal as a freakshow circus could be. “Is he still playing kitty with you?”
“No, but we both realized during this wish mixup that it’s lonely living alone and we enjoy the same books, so he moved in. We’re going to try being roommates for a while.”
He stopped at the order window long enough to ask for a couple of coffees, and then he joined us. “I wanted to thank you.”
“For what? You still have a big cat living with you.”
His lower lip stuck out. “That’s true, but he’s not sleeping in my bed or sitting on my lap anymore.”
“That’s good to hear. I’m glad it worked out for you two.”
The sound of an elephant trumpeting made Hank’s ears perk up. “That’s Geraldine. She’s waiting for her breakfast. I’d better run.” He hurried off, grabbing the coffees in the pickup window on his way to the elephants’ tent.
“Donatello is looking for you two,” Gigi said to Bruno and me, shifting her doctor’s bag to her other hand.
“Did he ever tell you what he wished for that started this ordeal?” Bruno asked.
She nodded. “It was an accident. Those show bunnies of his wouldn’t stop hopping around him and singing ‘Camptown Races’ while he was trying to train them. He got mad and wished they’d shut up and get in their trunk.”
“You’re kidding,” I said, shaking my head. “Those cute bunnies were behind this whole calamity.”
Bruno laughed. “Finn was right about them being troublemakers.” He tugged on my elbow. “Let’s go.”
We weaved through the tents to the monkey brothers’ place. Upon arriving, Marco led us inside to Donatello’s kip.
“Electra and Bruno,” Donatello said with a tired smile. “I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to thank you again for your help.”
I pointed at the candle and partially burned feather on his nightstand. “What are you going to do with those?”
“Burn them both and dump them down a well, like I was supposed to in the first place. You see, I’d started the spell process, but then was called away to check on the flamingo triplets. Apparently, some weremuskrats hooligans had been trying to ruffle the girls’ feathers the night before. Anyway, when I got back, I’d forgotten about the spell and went on with my daily routine, which included training the bunnies.”
“We heard how you ended up in the trunk,” Bruno said.
Donatello shook his head. “That’s what I get for being greedy. I wanted to use the Wish spell to increase our profits. AC might send more money our way for new tents and equipment if we show some good revenue growth. In the end, I almost got myself killed and endangered everyone else.”
“Voodoo is not a religion to dabble in,” I said.
“So I’ve learned the hard way.”
“Why were you stuck in your shifter form?” Bruno asked.
“I sometimes shift when I’m panic-stricken. The wish must have pushed me over the edge.” He leaned back into his pillows, covering a yawn. “I want you both to know that I’m going to listen to my brother from now on and try to increase our profits with marketing, not black magic and frugality.”
“Thank God,” Bruno said dryly.
I elbowed him. “What Bruno means is that all of us here at the circus will be happy to help increase revenues within our means.”
“Excellent.”
“He needs to rest,” Marco said, holding back the curtain leading to the main room.
We said our good-byes for now and joined Marco, who followed us outside into the warm morning sunlight.
“Thanks again, you two. Without your help, this all would have ended badly.”
He shook Bruno’s hand and then gave me a hug.
“Electra and I need to get to work,” Bruno told Marco and led me away before I got teary-eyed again.
After a few seconds of letting him pull me along toward the edge of the line of tents, I asked, “Where are we going?”
“To the swamp.”
“Why? Are you going to throw me to the alligators?”
“Maybe, but not in broad daylight.”
At the fence line, he pulled out his keys and opened a narrow gate that had been padlocked shut. We walked another hundred feet or so, and then he sat on a fallen log at the swamp’s edge. He patted a spot next to him on the moss-covered bark.
“It’s buggy out here.” I sat with a scowl, swatting at something that buzzed around my head. “Now what?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“And that required dragging me out to the swamp?”
His solemn nod gave me pause.
“What is it, Bruno?”
“I stopped in at work this morning before meeting you for coffee.” He frowned toward the green water and cypress trees. “You remember that I still have the bounty hunter’s cell phone.”
“Oh, no.” I gripped his forearm, steadying myself as the blood rushed from my head. “What about it?”
“There’s a boss.”
“I thought she worked alone.”
“Me, too. Turns out we were wrong.” He covered my hand with his. “Someone is looking for her, expecting her to have checked in by now.”
“Oh, damn,” I whispered, blowing out a breath. “It’s just a matter of time before they come looking for her.”
He nodded. “That doesn’t mean they’ll be looking for anyone else. Clint was on their radar, not you.”
“We don’t know if she sent word about me or not, though.”
“Right. Well, for the time being we go on same as usual, keeping an eye out for anyon
e who looks like trouble.”
The urge to run far away always hovered in the back of my mind, but I pushed it away yet again. Bruno was here, along with my friends. I was as safe at the circus as anywhere else. Safer even, with the help I had.
“There’s something else,” Bruno said.
“Oh, shit. What else?”
“It’s not as serious as the other problem,” he added. “At least I don’t think so.”
“Tell me.”
“I’ve been thinking about that wish you made to nullify the Wish spell.” He glanced at me, his forehead lined. “I’m not sure it worked. At least not fully.”
“What are you talking about? Donatello is back to his human form and talking.”
“True, but he’s different. Softer hearted. Not so black and white.”
“He’s learned his lesson.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. But consider Eugene’s wish.”
“What about it? The animals are gone, except for the owl.”
“Yes, but Gigi is going to be his assistant now, so his wish came true.”
“Sort of,” I said.
“Exactly. It came true, sort of. And don’t forget Hank and Leon. They’re now roommates. Before that wish Hank made, they barely spoke to each other.”
“They’ve become good friends through this crisis. That’s a good thing.”
“Sure.”
I sat next to him looking out at the swamp, letting his theory sink in. “What about you?” I asked. “You aren’t overanalyzing everything anymore.”
“That’s mostly true, but think about us and last night in bed.”
“What about it?” I smiled at him. We’d connected on a new level that felt deeper than a mere physical joining. “Sex was better than ever.”
He looked my way, his eyes slightly narrowed. “Yeah …”
That word hung in the air between us like a swarm of gnats.
My eyes widened. “Oh! I see.”
He nodded. “Everyone who made a wish has had their lives shift slightly in one way or another.”
I chewed on my lower lip. “Gigi closed down the spell.”
“Yep. So however we all ended, this is where we’re stuck.”
I took his hand in mine. “Do you want to talk about how that makes you feel?”
He laughed and pulled me to my feet. “No, but if I start writing you love sonnets, woman, you’d better pretend to like them.”
