by R. J. Blain
“Unfortunately for me, that’s why I’m calling you.” Sebastian growled, another good sign I’d get a good roar out of him soon. “I need to meet with you about your work.”
“Will this meeting take more than ten minutes?”
“For my sake, I hope not.”
“And is there a reason it can’t be over the phone? I’m busying registering shit in the system here, Mr. Mane. That’s me, busy, busy, busy.”
“Yes, there is a reason it can’t be over the phone.”
“If you want me to make you cry in person, Mr. Mane, you’re going to have to try a little harder than that.”
“My name isn’t Mr. Mane,” he growled.
“Well, it should be. That hair of yours is just so fluffy. You must make all the single ladies swoon when you walk by.” He certainly did a good job of making me want to swoon—while purring—whenever he strutted his stuff, and my virus was only partially responsible for my interest in him. “Have you tried flipping it over your shoulder?” The lion kept his hair cut short to avoid the mane jokes, but I refused to play by his rules. Or anyone’s rules, really. “It must be hard being pretty enough for the both of us.”
“Damn it, Wells!” The lion inhaled and roared. My poor abused phone buzzed. “Could you take this seriously?”
Sweet victory belonged to me, and I allowed myself a few moments to purr my enjoyment of having nettled him so early into our talk. “Making you roar is very serious business, Mr. Mane. Also, I think you broke my phone with that one. Well done. That was a spectacular roar. Such a manly lion lycanthrope, roaring so impressively.”
“One of these days, you’re going to pull on the wrong lycanthrope’s tail, Wells.”
Knowing how much I avoided lycanthrope men unless hunting them for their bounties, he’d be waiting a long damned time for that to happen. More likely than not, one of my bounties would get me killed, and I’d go to my grave as an eternal virgin. The lycanthrope men flinched—or ran away. “Are you the wrong lycanthrope?”
Challenging the CDC’s pet lion might bite me in the ass later, but there were worse people who could try to bite my ass. Or anywhere else on my person, really.
Damned virus.
Sometimes, I really wanted to put her in the corner and remind her there were other male cats in the world, and that she didn’t have to just have fun with Sebastian. Taunting the lion did classify as an act of reckless and dangerous fun, something I enjoyed as much as my virus did. It helped I pissed him off enough he didn’t flinch when I came around; he was too worried about controlling his damned temper to care about my face.
Then again, the first time we’d met, he hadn’t flinched, which had been all it had taken to convince my virus he was the only one worthy of me. I believed I needed a crown so I could become the Queen of Unhealthy Relationships. Then again, what I had with Sebastian didn’t classify as a relationship.
Then again, maybe it was healthy. He didn’t flinch around me, and he treated me like a person. Well, mostly. He treated me like a person when I wasn’t out for his roar. When I was out for his roar, he treated me like the annoyance I was.
My virus loved it all, and I appreciated she wanted me to be happy, although if she pushed much harder about Sebastian, she’d have me eating out of the lion’s hand while purring.
Personally, I hoped he fed me barbecue chicken with extra spicy sauce I could lick off his fingers. After I finished with the chicken, a steak might be nice—or a taco. Or some form of pasta covered in cheese. When I thought about it, I didn’t care what he fed me.
I’d even take a stale cookie as long as it was chocolate chip and served with milk.
“If I hadn’t been given upgraded access to your file as of this morning, I would have accused you of being a cat without knowing just how right I was, Miss Murder Mittens. Now that I know what I know, I find your chosen bounty hunter alias to be rather amusing. Knowing other things I happen to know, you’re courting trouble, and I absolutely cannot wait until this blows up in your face in a spectacular and dramatic fashion. You deserve every bit of trouble headed your way.”
Fuck. Sebastian had upgraded access to my file? While my rating as a lycanthrope was in the general file, my species and gender had been locked down at my request due to rarity. I played wolf because everybody assumed wolf despite their noses telling them a cat was around. “Why do you have upgraded access to my file?”
“That’s what I want to talk with you about. In person.”
Fuckity fuck fuck fuck. “You’re a very bad kitty, Sebastian Sumners.”
“What are you going to do about it, Wells?”
Pulling his tail for fun came to mind. If pulling his tail didn’t earn me another roar, I’d tweak at his pride until I accomplished my goal. I needed his best roar to cover my purrs. “I have a list.”
“Of course. Why am I not surprised? A meeting, Wells, not excuses.”
“Can I be excused from this meeting?” I gave the bounty list a quick look and spotted a reference to Battle Lake, which was a short enough detour on the way to Cincinnati.
“Absolutely not.”
I ignored him in favor of the info sheet. According to the bounty, a woman had been infected and mated to a lycanthrope without being told about the infection risk and permanent nature of relationships with lycanthropes. The CDC’s note on the file included angelic verification the victim, Carol, wanted nothing to do with her wolf suitor. She’d even set up a script, where the killer of her nightmare would inquire about sewing shears. She even had a picture of the fucker to go with the hit, and he was the type of man who probably assumed his looks entitled him to any woman he wanted without being even remotely handsome.
Fucking creeper.
With three taps of my trackpad, I claimed the bounty as mine. Twenty-five thousand didn’t count as a whole lot in the grand scheme of scar removal, but it would help cover my deposit and further my cause.
Every penny helped.
The lion waited with admirable patience, so I tossed him a bone. “I have a violent date at a seamstress’s shop in Battle Lake. Can we have our date afterwards?”
“Absolutely not. Meet with me before you pick up any more damned random bounties.”
“Why are you being such a lion, Sebastian? I have a violent date, and I absolutely refuse to miss it. This one infected a woman against her will and is using the virus to hold her hostage. You know I hate creepers who do that. I absolutely enjoy murdering them and being paid for the honor of doing so. This one will be highly satisfying, although I hope I only get lightly beaten in the process of taking the asshole out.”
“Your file didn’t mention how you were infected. Does this relate to your known vendetta against lycanthropes who do this?”
How curious. He’d never expressed any interest in my background before. “Do you really want to know?”
“Yes.”
“When a man loves a woman, they do unspeakable things in bed with each other. Should they do this at the right time in the woman’s fertility cycle, tiny beings called babies appear. In my case, I was a straggler.”
“You were a what? Did you just say you were a straggler?”
“Yes, I was a straggler. I was conceived later than my identical twin brothers. So, they barely reached term while I didn’t. My parents infected me from within the womb. You know how lycanthropes get. They can’t keep their filthy paws off each other. Don’t make me toss you to my family, lion. I have a lot of brothers, and they take the overprotective brother thing too far. I also have an uncle, and he’ll fight you for fun.”
“Henry Wells, I’m guessing. You being related to him makes so much sense.”
“He’s my uncle. Does this mean I’m the lucky bastard getting the promotion that he’s so excited about? He’s going to be so disappointed when he finds out he’s not being picked.”
“If you’re going to insist on playing this game, very well. You are right. He’s not being picked. He’s not being picked beca
use I’m your handler.”
Well, well, well. I licked my lips. If he had to handle me, I’d be able to make him roar whenever I wanted. Somehow, I must have acquired a guardian angel, and she loved me. While Sebastian counted as a pain in the ass, he came with benefits.
He roared.
I purred when he roared.
Life would be good.
“Wells?”
“Where do you want to meet?” I needed his next roar in person. Nothing else would do.
“Name your location, and I will be there as fast as I can get on the next chartered flight out from where I’m at. Upstairs has a job for you.”
“Does the upstairs pay well?”
“Very.”
“How does Fargo sound to you?”
“Fargo sounds like I could catch a cab and be to the CDC headquarters there within thirty minutes. How long will it take you to get there?”
I could walk to the damned place in five minutes flat without breaking a sweat, but I needed to finish my coffee in a leisurely fashion and secure a few extra bounties, including my main Cincinnati job, which was still unclaimed in the system. “You are lucky I happen to be somewhat near Fargo, and I won’t make you loiter in the lobby for more than twenty or thirty minutes.”
“So help me, if you don’t show, we’ll have words, Wells,” the lion warned before hanging up on me.
Today was turning out to be a great day.
As I was contrary, curiosity often got the best of me, and I wanted to hear Sebastian roar in person, I chugged my drink, nabbed two more bounties for reckless idiot lycanthropes I could bag in the Cincinnati area with little work, and headed for the CDC headquarters down the street. The security guards gaped at my scars, and they spluttered for a few moments before realizing I needed them to register me as a visitor. Gaping beat flinching, although not by much.
One day, I would get through a single day without classifying as someone’s worst nightmare. One day.
Armed with my pass, I hopped onto the big black desk and posed for the moment the lion strolled through the doors, expecting to have to wait for me to arrive.
The security guards didn’t appreciate my presence on their desk, but they kept their opinions to themselves, probably because they didn’t want me to take their issues with my face to their boss. As a general rule, I left the issue of my scarred face alone, as going to management over someone’s natural tendency to recoil when presented with catastrophic facial damage counted as snide, rude, and didn’t help matters for me at all.
I checked my cell, which informed me he’d arrived precisely thirty minutes after I’d hung up on him. Smiling, I crossed my legs, braced my elbow on my knee, and rested my chin in my hand. “Meow, Sebastian.”
He twitched, but he didn’t roar. “And just how long have you been here? If you’d told me you’d be early, I would’ve tried to get here sooner.”
“Long enough to drive the security guards into contemplating murder, as I’ve been authorized to go upstairs for at least twenty minutes, but I thought I’d wait for you like a good little bounty huntress. Miss me, Mr. Mane?”
“No.”
Well, if he’d missed me, things would have become boring, which wouldn’t do. My virus had missed him, but part of the game involved him believing otherwise. “You just can’t bear the thought of anyone realizing you, a lion, might actually notice anyone other than yourself. It’s okay. The security guards won’t tell anyone.”
“Damn it, Wells!”
His protest wasn’t quite the roar I wanted, so I took my time looking him over from his brown hair, neatly trimmed to keep anyone from cracking mane jokes at him, his darker eyes, which contrasted nicely with his tanned skin, and his perfect suit.
He must have spent the entire cab ride prettying himself up for me.
How nice.
I could understand why women got jealous over their men, especially if their men were as handsome as the lion, especially when he prettied himself up just for meeting me.
“Admit it, Sumners. You missed me. You missed me so much you concocted this excuse to get me into the same building with you. You just happen to be lucky I was in Fargo. If you’d waited for a few hours, I would’ve been long gone with my registered bounties, and you would’ve been sniffing my trail—if you could find it.”
Implying he couldn’t locate my trail did him in; Sebastian flexed his hands, growled, and when growling didn’t make me even raise a brow, he roared at me.
My virus stirred at having nettled the rival predator, and I purred my pleasure over having cracked his professionalism yet again, enjoying my victory until the sound of his displeasure and frustration faded away. “You really missed me.”
“Must you?”
“Absolutely. You’re the one who wanted to see me in person. You could’ve emailed me like a civilized being. But no, you wanted to see me in person. That makes it my lucky day and your living nightmare.” I slid off the desk, picked up my bag, and slung the strap over my shoulder. “Do you need to check in or are you already king of this castle?”
“I haven’t quite managed to become king of the castle yet, but I do have a permanent badge. I work here, Wells. I come here every day.”
Damn it. The last thing I needed was Sebastian permanently in my turf. “Since when did you start working here permanently?”
“Since the CDC gave me a phone call, asked me to show up, and told me you were my main and unfortunately permanent assignment. That was two weeks ago. I was specifically directed to leave you alone until you started poking your nose in the system looking for a contract, at which point you officially became my problem. The two weeks of sane work was nice, and I enjoyed them, and I resent having to deal with you permanently.”
His words said he hated my guts and wanted to light me on fire before tossing me into a dumpster, but his tone told another story. I sniffed the air, and his scent told a different story, too.
The naughty lion had gotten himself riled up in all the best ways, and while my virus hated the stench of amorous male wolf, naughty male lion made her purr and started her engine. And mine.
I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing, but I figured I’d play along with his words but pay closer attention to my other senses. While I took the time to consider the ramifications of his tone and scent, I’d do my best to ignore my rowdy virus, who wanted to drag the lion to my daddy’s truck and make good use of the cab.
My virus liked the idea of dealing with him permanently. A permanent duration to our relationship involved listening to him roar every day. As a lycanthrope, our lifespan could exceed several hundred years. Several hundred years of roaring appealed to me.
So did seeing him out of his suit.
Damn it, my virus would get me killed one of these days. By Sebastian, who’d hang me from the rafters after slitting my throat and disemboweling me. To be fair, I would earn my murder, as nothing revved my engine quite like tormenting the annoying lion.
Oh, well. There were worse ways to go. “Why don’t you show me to your office then, Mr. Hot Shot.”
“You just never quit, do you?”
“Do you think quitting is an option with this scarred train wreck of a face? Give me a break. I work customer service by day, but I’m a relentless and badass bounty huntress by night. If you have a body you want brought in, I’m your woman.”
“Unfortunately, the government has noticed that, and as such, I have a job for you. The job is big enough we are being expected to work together. I’ll be your handler and informant, and if necessary, your backup.”
What the hell? Since when did I need backup? Okay, to be fair, I’d dragged in a few corpses while hanging out at death’s door myself, but I’d learned my lesson on those jobs. Half the time, I showed up with another woman’s face, using makeup to hide my damned scars so I wouldn’t terrorize the CDC employees.
Sebastian handled my scars better than most, although he’d give me hell for mentioning them. I’d take th
e blame for any ribbing he gave me over my scars, as he never brought them up unless I did first. Even then, he never poked fun at me.
I could trust Sebastian to somewhat remain a professional. Not only that, he disliked claiming low-lying fruit.
When he went after me, he did so with finesse and his best roars.
I needed to have my virus levels checked. At the rate she was going, I’d be going out of my mind trying to make the damned lion roar by the end of the day. No, not only would I be trying to make him roar, I’d be clawing at his perfect custom-tailored suit so I could get him naked.
“Your expression tells me you’re about to say something I won’t like. Can we skip that until after you hear about the job?”
I narrowed my eyes and considered his request. “I’ll bite, but only this once. Next time, I will aim to make you roar three times before laying off your delicate sensibilities.”
The security guards chuckled, and the lion roared at the pair. Grinning at the deep rumble that would leave my ears ringing for a few minutes, I headed for the elevator. “Lions. So sensitive, right?”
“That’s right, ma’am,” one of the guards replied. I checked his badge to discover his name was Thomas and he was the head honcho of the security team. No wonder they’d settled down after running my credentials.
The head honcho of the security team could likely view my kill count and didn’t want a cranky lycanthrope female with a love-life problem making a mess of his pristine lobby.
Sebastian marched to the bank of elevators and hit the up button. I took my time, as I’d have to break into a jog to keep up with his long legs.
I bet he doubled my size when shifted, which would make toying with him as a cat more entertaining. The size difference didn’t bother me much, as my father weighed in at a little more than twice as heavy as my mother, who enjoyed when my father got rough with her.
