by E A Price
Avery peered at him. “Rick?”
“Perfect and awesome,” he repeated as he slowly rose to his feet, uncaring that he tipped the table over and all the other players jumped back. He started stumbling to the door, repeating the words over and over.
“Something’s wrong with him,” hissed Wayne trying to block the lion shifter’s escape. Rick growled as Wayne tried to lay a hand on his arm. “Maybe he’s sick.”
“Oh no, what a shame,” said Cutter without much conviction. “Let’s put him out of my misery; Lucie get my gun.”
“Rick?” Diaz put a hand on his shoulder and Rick snarled, throwing the jaguar shifter across the room. Diaz rolled to his feet and growled.
“Is he drunk?” asked Isis, revelry forgotten as she slowly stalked the lion. She motioned for her human mate to stay back. Rick was a pretty easygoing guy and as a doctor, he preferred to heal rather than inflict wounds, but at the end of the day, he turned into a huge man-eating lion on a regular basis. They weren’t dealing with a mouse shifter.
“Only if he was drunk before he arrived here,” rumbled Diaz, pushing his own mate behind Raf for safety.
Avery bared her teeth as Rick propelled Wayne away from him. The gator held up his hands, never losing the laconic smile on his face, but his eyes flicked to the slits of his beast. Rick glared at him as claws slowly pushed out of his fingers.
“Perfect and awesome,” he rasped.
“Let me take a look,” said Lucie trying to reach him. Cutter grasped her, ignoring her struggles. “I’m a nurse, let me check him out.”
“Hell no,” snarled the infuriated wolf shifter.
“Maybe he’s possessed,” hazarded Raf.
“Maybe it’s a spell,” suggested Penny trying to peer around Raf who made far too good of a shield for her liking. “Or a leprechaun. We know from experience they are tricky bastards.”
“Whatever it is, I don’t really think we should let him leave. He might hurt someone.”
Isis nodded. “Lucie grab your cuffs.”
The hedgehog blinked at her. “What? I don’t have any and Cutter leaves his at the office.”
“Seriously? The wolf here doesn’t like to tie you up and spank you? I felt sure he’d be into that kind of stuff.”
Cutter howled in outrage and Isis sighed. “Fine just find some rope.” Rick snarled and shifted into an enormous lion. “Make that thick rope.”
*
Ariadne flushed as she sent the mail carrier packing. The nerve of him! To think he’d been delivering mail to her bakery and her home for three years and he had the nerve to proposition her!
After a couple of awful phone calls to ex-boyfriends - resulting in one hang up and another who claimed he didn’t speak English before hanging up – Ariadne was clutching at straws to find a decent temporary father.
She’d even tried Gary the mail carrier, but he completely grasped the wrong end of the stick and made some disgusting suggestions about how he could play ‘daddy’ with her. To think, he seemed like such an average young man. Did average people own whips and ball gags?
Marlene, her fellow witch and baker, hissed as the young man sauntered away telling Ariadne it was her loss.
“Men are such pigs,” spat Marlene vehemently.
At that moment, Ariadne couldn’t very well disagree. Jay, who worked the counter, could, though. He grumbled in disagreement under his breath, quietly enough that Marlene didn’t catch all his words. The witch could be pretty fierce when she wanted.
Ariadne gave Jay an appraising look. He was a couple of years younger than her and tall and lanky, but he certainly had the right qualifications – he was male and a nice guy.
“What about you Jay? Any way I can persuade you to take Calisto to the dance?”
Jay’s eyebrows almost shot off his head while Marlene snorted.
He shrugged. “I’m saving up for a Jacuzzi. You pay me, and I’ll do just about anything.”
“Deal.”
They shook hands and agreed on a price. Marlene wasn’t pleased, but then she was rarely anything but moody. Ariadne kept her away from customers.
But at least her Calisto problem was solved. Jay may not be the best guy for the job, and he wasn’t cheap, but in a pinch, he’d do.
Yeah, okay, she was a long way from being the perfect mom, but surely she’d get kudos for effort.
*
“Some kind of spell I guess.”
“You guess?” snarled Cutter. His eyes were red-rimmed and his jaw covered in bristles.
Bettina shrugged. “I’m a witch, not a psychic. I sense a spell at work, but I can’t tell you for definite what it is. All I can do is guess.”
She ran her hands over Rick’s muscled torso and let out a small sigh of arousal. Cutter rolled his eyes. Fucking lion shifter. All the single women at the SEA went crazy for him. Except for Lucie he thought proudly – back when she was single, and in spite of Rick’s flirty overtures, she sent him packing. His hedgehog really did eclipse all other women.
Yes, the decision had been made – completely against Cutter’s will – to restrain Rick at his house until they could find out what was wrong with him. Cutter was all for hauling his ass into an SEA holding cell, but his friends had taken pity on the lion, and they decided to put him up in Cutter’s guest room. And after Lucie had just prettied it up by redecorating it in shades of pink and purple! The fucking lion better not mess it up.
Lucie had injected Rick with some kind of tranquilizer, and they had taken it in turns to watch him all night. But Cutter hadn’t slept. He’d sent his worried little mate – who stubbornly refused to leave the house – off to bed, and had sat up all night, just in case.
He had no other choice. The thought of anything happening to his hedgehog was unacceptable. What if the beastly medical examiner got loose and came after Lucie while he slept? They didn’t know what was wrong with Rick; the lion was plenty aggressive, and Cutter didn’t know what a mangy beast like him could do. He and his wolf had watched the lion like a freaking hawk.
His wolf snarled. He knew the lion was trouble from the moment they met. Cutter would never forgive him for flirting with Lucie. Petty grudge? Him? Nah!
Rick’s large chest heaved up and down while Bettina copped a feel under the pretense of trying to sense magic.
Avery and Wayne, looking mightily refreshed from their naps hovered nearby, crowding the small guest room, while Mason, a gorilla shifter and currently heading the team that investigated misuses of magic eagerly watched the useless Bettina.
The tension in his chest eased slightly as Lucie slipped into the room and pressed a kiss to his temple, handing him a cup of coffee. She looked far too sexy for her own good in an oversized pair of pink, plaid pajamas.
“Stay back,” he ordered grouchily.
She gave him a patient, loving look before leaving and returning with coffee for everyone, completely ignoring his order – as per bloody usual. Lucie exchanged pleasantries with Mason over his rabbit shifter mate, Judy and – fucking hell – made tentative plans for them to go on an undoubtedly tortuous double date.
Damn friendly, perky, beautiful mate.
It was probably going to be as bad as the time she took him to the mug painting store. Seriously, there was a store where you were forced to buy a mug and then sit there and paint the damn thing. It was horrendous - although he now had a one of a kind mug from Lucie that said ‘I love you wolfy’ on it. He kept it at work to remind her of him every day when they were apart, and lord help any mother fudger who dared make fun of it.
“From what you’ve said,” said Bettina, snapping him out of his daydreams, “and what I can sense, it seems like some kind of compulsion spell.” She gnawed on her purple painted lip. “Remember on Valentine’s when Lucie was infected with that dust that made her fall in love with Wayne.”
“Yes!” snarled Cutter glaring at a worried looking Wayne.
“Well, that was a kind of compulsion spell – she was c
ompelled to lust after the first person she saw. I think Rick is being compelled, too. Someone called to him for some reason, and we need to know what kind of spell it is before we can figure out a way to break it.”
“My spell was broken with a kiss,” piped up Lucie.
Cutter growled.
“Well, I’d volunteer to smooch the doc any day,” started Bettina.
The growl turned into a surprisingly noisy eye roll.
“But I think it would be a waste of time. In the past, witches have used spells like these to compel others to do things like rob banks. Or in the case of my aunt Berta rip up speeding tickets. The spell usually only lasts until the person completes the task they’re being compelled to do. And most times the witch has to perform this in person.”
“No one else but us shifters and Raf here last night,” said Avery.
“Or – like the dust – it has to be inhaled or ingested. It would have a pretty instantaneous effect. What was he eating or drinking last night?”
“The same things as us,” said Lucie. “And other than the cupcakes Penny bought from a bakery, I got everything else from the Speed-E-Mart.”
“Hmmm, I don’t know then – maybe he was targeted.”
Mason frowned. “Does he have any enemies?”
Cutter snorted.
“You mean other than the grouchy wolf shifter in the corner,” chuckled Wayne, “we don’t know.”
“What do you suggest we do?” asked Mason.
Bettina pursed her lips together as her shoulders sagged. “Honestly, my best suggestion is that we untie him and let him follow the spell to its natural conclusion.”
“What?!”
*
Bang bang bang bang.
The steady pounding didn’t stop until Ariadne opened the door. Jeez, impatient much? If that damn mail carrier was back, she was going to turn him into a freaking toad. Although given her capability with magic, who knew what would happen. Maybe just make him ribbit for a few hours.
She flung the door open, ready to unleash a few curses, only to be tongue-tied as a slightly disheveled but indecently handsome man glared at her with fierce, yellow eyes. He was incredibly tall, with shaggy blonde hair and sporting impossibly impressive shoulders.
She clutched the doorframe to stop herself from swooning. Had that dream where the bus of male models broke down in front of her house finally come true?
“Hi…lo,” she whimpered. “I uh, sorry I was going to say hi and thought that might sound immature, so I decided to go for hello. Hi-lo.”
The male remained silent, gazing back at her with those mesmerizing eyes.
“You are perfect and awesome, and I want nothing more than to take your daughter to the Daddy Daughter Dance,” he rumbled in a sex-quivering voice.
She enjoyed it for a few seconds until his words finally penetrated. “Ah, what?”
Ariadne jumped as a giant blonde goddess of a woman peeked over his shoulder.
“Hey, I think a few explanations might be in order.”
*
Ariadne rubbed her forehead. “I’m sorry, I had no idea.”
A few questions and the realization that he had eaten her cupcakes enlightened her to what happened to the poor, depressingly sexy lion shifter. Mmmm, lion shifter. They were always perfect specimens, but this one was especially hot. He really was perfect.
Damnit.
Really, how did she know that her desires for the perfect man would manifest in her cupcake batter and force a male she’d never met to turn up at her house? Yes, she was a witch but she’d never accidentally compelled anyone to do anything. Usually, she wasn’t that good of a witch.
Despite what the Muffin Factory down the street said, she did not charm people into preferring her bakery – she didn’t have that kind of power, and she didn’t need to anyway! Her sweet confections spoke for themselves. But, if she’d known the effect it would have, maybe she’d have started crying into her cupcake batter years ago.
She watched as the younger, much more lissome and infinitely more capable witch hovered over the hunky lion shifter.
“I don’t get it,” Bettina complained. “He doesn’t seem to be snapping out of it.”
The male in question seemed irritated by the witch flitting over him and more intent on trapping Ariadne in his sensual gaze. He caught her eye and a slow grin threatening a lot of sinful delight spread over his face. It said, ‘watch out, you’re mine’.
Eep.
Bettina scowled. “You really should be more careful with magic.”
Ariadne opened her mouth to argue but was abruptly cut off by a snarl from the lion, making the lithe young witch pale. She wanted to smirk in triumph, but really, that was no way to behave in her home – and not to a female.
She guessed lions were like children – allow them an inch and the next thing you knew they were running up massive amounts on your credit card. Calisto had the emergency credit card for an entire thirty-five hours before Ariadne took it away. Online shopping was the creation of the devil.
Ariadne swiped a newspaper, rolled it up and bopped the offending lion on the nose. “Hey, that’s no way to treat a lady.”
Bettina pressed her lips together to stop the laugh that wanted to escape at the dumbstruck lion. The lioness, alligator, and the gorilla shifter were not quite so restrained in their guffaws.
The younger witch, somewhat mollified, asked, “What exactly did you wish for?”
“I can’t remember my exact thoughts,” admitted Ariadne, a little shyly. “But, well, ah, the perfect guy.” She blushed profusely. “Although, I did specify that he had to take my daughter to the Daddy Daughter Dance, so maybe that…”
The huge male jumped off the couch, dropping to his knees and swiping one of Ariadne’s hands into his massive paws.
“It would be my honor to escort your daughter to the Daddy-Daughter Dance.”
Ariadne blinked at him a few times before hooting with laughter.
He frowned. “I fail to see the joke.”
“That was so corny.” But still kind of a turn on.
A deep growl sounded in his chest.
“Hey no, don’t make me get the newspaper again.”
He grumbled but didn’t let go of her hand.
She sighed inwardly. What would it be like to be with a guy who really was this earnest, who really did care, who didn’t have to be grudgingly forced to do anything – even as small as change the TV channel.
Ariadne bit her lip. Otherwise, she really might cry. Having this man falling at her feet was like being shown a glimpse of heaven – or a perfect pair of shoes that had high heels, didn’t pinch her toes and were within her price range. Essentially, something wonderful that was utterly unattainable.
Sigh.
Shaking herself – because really, thirty-four was far too old to stamp her feet and wail about the unfairness of it all – she patted him on the head, ignoring his look of disgruntlement.
“I absolve you from taking my daughter to the Daddy-Daughter Dance.”
His brow furrowed but he didn’t lose the steely glint from his eyes.
She tried again. “You are free.”
Now he looked annoyed.
“Abracadabra!”
“You have another male in mind?” he grunted.
“No! Well, technically yes, I’m paying him…”
“You’re paying him to be your mate?” bellowed the lion shifter - probably loud enough for all her neighbors to hear.
“I’m paying him to take Calisto to the dance.”
“He will pale in comparison to me.”
All other men probably do, she thought wistfully.
The huge, goddess-like lioness placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, the doc’s starting to sound like his normal, arrogant self again.”
He shrugged off her hand and gathered Ariadne to him. Warm, strong arms circled her, and she felt the bristles of his unshaved jaw tickle her neck as he inhaled deeply, letting out
a shuddering breath.
“Mine,” he purred.
“This is normal?” she gasped, pretending she wasn’t enjoying the feel of his hard body against her softer curves.
Bettina rolled her eyes. “Do you have any of those cupcakes left? Maybe this spell needs a bit more work.”
*
Calisto picked at her dinner. Honestly, the girl ate her out of house and home and yet Ariadne hardly ever saw her eat anything.
“How was your day?”
Calisto shrugged in reply, countering with, “How was your day?”
Ariadne flushed as the reply ‘I almost enjoyed a sensual mauling by a lion’ nearly escaped her lips.
She would have too if the lioness, gorilla, and gator hadn’t banded together to pull him away from her. But that didn’t quench her arousal. Ariadne had never known what it was to feel so… so… lusty. Panties wet, pulse racing, she had actually done something she hadn’t ever done before – brought herself to orgasm with her fingers. All the while imagining that it was the huge lion gently teasing her into ecstasy.
She came to orgasm far too easily, screaming his name. Rick. It just rolled off her tongue. Oh, the things she wanted him to do with his tongue.
“Mom?”
Ariadne blinked. “Oh, ah, yes?”
“You’re drooling.”
She wiped her mouth, thankful of the interruption of the phone. She answered it, pretending Calisto’s scrutinizing expression wasn’t bothering her.
“Oh, Jay, how can I help?”
She dared a glance at Calisto. With all the excitement of the lion, she hadn’t mentioned that she’d found a suitable fake father for the dance - even if he were an odd coyote shifter who demanded two hundred bucks up front. Yeah, even as she thought it she had her doubts again.
“I have to leave town,” came Jay’s strangled reply.
“Oh, why? What’s going on?”
“I have to leave town. So I quit. Bye.”
“Wait, Jay! Jay?”
Ariadne slammed the phone down. Where the heck had that come from? Great, now she was short of one bakery employee, two hundred bucks and a father substitute.
Just terrific!
How could it get any worse? She cringed and peeked out the window. Seriously, how could it get any worse? She waited, but nope, no thunder, no lightning, no raining frogs – huh.