“So, she isn’t a random?”
Augusta shook her head. “Nope. Born of two cats, she ended up a cheetah. Her dad was a lion.”
He blinked. “That is an unusual pairing.”
“That is what her grandparents said. She was caught between two clans, but she decided her own fate. She’s my hero.” Augusta chuckled but it was true.
“She did seem rather…deadly when I first met her.” He chuckled. “I didn’t know if she was going to hand me popcorn or claw my eyes out.”
“And yet, you sat through the movie anyway. You are truly a man among men.” She reached out and patted his thigh.
He placed his hand on top of hers. “I am glad you think so. Yours is the only opinion that I truly value.”
“You stared down a PMS’ing cat for me. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you at this point.”
His eyes widened. “If I had known that, my courage may not have been enough.”
Augusta dissolved in giggles, and she didn’t bother correcting her small lie. She was almost sure that Rayna was already pregnant. It was the reason she wanted to see her sister again, there would be something there to sense, Gusty was sure of it.
He drove through the town and parked just down the street from a discreet jewellery shop.
She unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to open her door when Randal did it for her. Augusta smiled and let him take her hand to lift her from the car. “I could get used to this.”
“I want you to. I plan on spoiling you as much as I am able. I am not extravagantly wealthy, but I get by.” He kissed her hand and closed the car door.
“Good. I am not going to be a drain on your finances, but it is good to know they are healthy.” She took his arm and smiled up at him.
He beamed back and escorted her into the jewellery shop.
The moment they crossed the threshold, she raised her head and scented the air. One of their kind ran the place. The scent of shifting magic was everywhere.
“This is a special shop.” Randal whispered it in her ear.
“I guessed as much.”
“And my hearing is excellent, so what brings you here today?” A woman with long red hair and brilliant green eyes came out of a back room.
Fox. There was no doubting it.
Randal smiled, “I am here to find an engagement ring for my mate.”
The woman grinned wide. “Randal! Congratulations!”
“Thanks, Stolly. This is my mate, Augusta Samuels. Augusta, this is Stollitha Ranger.”
Augusta stepped forward and extended her hand.
The fox took it.
“Pleased to meet you. I was beginning to think that Randal didn’t have any friends.”
“None that are human. They have funny opinions of entertainers. As long as he didn’t plan a life with any of them, what was the harm?” Stolly shrugged. “He and I got along fine once we danced and realised that we were not designed for each other.”
There was a euphemism to the word danced, but she had him now, so she dismissed his past. It had no place in his future.
Stolly kept hold of her hand and turned it knuckles up. “I think something in colour. You have that lovely Snow White colouring with your hair and skin. Do you have your heart set on a diamond?”
Augusta looked up at Randal. “Nope. I am only doing this for the sake of the humans around us.”
Stolly grinned. “In that case, I will find you a ring that will eclipse his sisters’.”
They began the arduous process of fitting rings to her left hand and trying to gauge the impact.
Randal had a lot of patience for the process and kept asking for more ornate rings with larger stones.
Finally, Augusta beckoned him close and grabbed his nose between two fingers. “I do not want a ring that can be seen from space. This isn’t a competition.”
Stolly was laughing, and she straightened suddenly. “I think I have just the thing.”
The ring she brought out of the back had a central square-cut ruby with a brace of diamonds in a tiny frame around it.
Stolly handed it to Randal, and he knelt in front of her. “Augusta Samuels, mate of my heart, will you marry me in an obnoxious ceremony designed to placate the humans?”
She laughed. “Yes, Randal Forester, I will.”
The ring slid onto her finger as if made for her.
It looked right on her hand, perfect and right. A drop of blood that, to her, symbolized her family ties. “It is lovely.”
Stolly smiled. “It will shift with you. You don’t need to take it off, but if you choose to, here is a necklace to match it.”
Randal returned to his feet. “Yes, and if you have earrings to match it, yes again.”
Stolly rubbed her hands together. “You have always been so easy when it came to women. I am glad that you haven’t changed.”
“He buys engagement rings often?” Augusta raised her eyebrows.
Stolly blushed. “No, he is more of a lingerie man.”
“Was. Now, I will get anything that Augusta asks of me.” He hummed and handed over his card.
Augusta laughed and clenched her hand with the ring on it. It was strange how it felt like part of her and she had only been wearing it for minutes.
Stolly packed up the rest of her purchases and smiled. “Thank you for shopping at Creative Jewels.”
Augusta reached into the back pocket of her jeans and she fished out one of the gift certificates she kept with her. “Here, take this and get forty percent at Creature’s Feature.”
Stolly blinked, “Oh my god, I love that place! I have every fox item that they carry.”
“Not all of them, we just got a new artist this week.”
“You work there?” Stolly looked eager.
“It is my sister’s shop. Business is booming.” Augusta grinned.
Stolly held the card with reverence. “It was a pleasure meeting you. I would be honoured to be invited to your wedding.”
Augusta inclined her head. “I will put your name on the list. Stand by for a wedding invitation. I think my mother has had blanks printed out since my first sister hit puberty. She just has to fill in the names and date.”
Stolly grinned. “Shifter mothers are the worst for wanting their kids married off.”
“We are designed to go through life with partners. The sooner we find them, the sooner the mothers can release us into the universe.”
Stolly snorted and shook Augusta’s hand. “Wear it in good health.”
Randal blinked. “Hey, I am standing right here.”
The girls laughed at him, but Augusta took his arm while he took the bag of goodies.
Augusta waved at Stolly as they left, and a moment later, she turned to Randal. “I think we need some groceries if we are going to be in town more than another night. The waffles were good, but I don’t think that they are recommended for dinner.”
He shrugged. “Put a minute steak on them and they aren’t half bad.”
“Seems like a lot of work for a waffle. I would rather just whip up a casserole. Now, let’s get some actual food.” She snickered.
He sighed and put the jewels in the truck of the car. “Fine. Groceries and then home. You need to take a swim in the lake.”
She blinked as he held the door open for her. “Do I?”
He tucked her into the car with a wink. “Oh, yes you do.”
Three bags of groceries and a short trip later, they were unpacking the food quickly because the lake was calling again.
It was almost hypnotic, the way the waves beat on the shoreline and the rushes bent and twisted. The scent of metal and rust did not contaminate the smells around the lake today. There were no traces of humans in the vicinity, and she stripped off her shirt, shoes and jeans without looking at Randal. The call of the water was urgent. Her otter was clawing at her insides.
“I have to go in.”
Randal’s voice was calm. “I know. The local fae call this a focus zone. T
he water pulls shifters in and it generates magic.”
She shucked out of her panties and bra. “How does it generate magic?”
He took her hand and walked with her to the water. “Oh, we do that together.”
They entered the water with no ripple or splash. Together, they swam into the water, and Randal held her as it deepened.
With slow movements, he pulled her to him, sliding two fingers into her and coaxing her wet heat to respond to his attentions. When she was moaning and twisting against him, he pulled her to him again. He wedged himself inside her, stroking her breasts as he let the water take her weight.
She felt the magic of the lake close around them, and as they moved together, it got stronger.
The moonlight cast Randal’s face into spectral relief as he surged into her. He stroked her clit with his thumb, and the heat against the cool of the water started her body bucking in short, sharp jerks. She moaned, and he ground his hips against hers as he fought to find his own release.
She felt the hot spurts inside her an instant before she heard his groan. Augusta looked up, and instead of Randal’s handsome features, his beast was bleeding through.
She grabbed his shoulders with hands turned to webbed paws and held tight as her shift was forced on her, pushing her away from her mate for a moment.
He changed completely into a beaver, and Augusta climbed on his back while he took her for a tour of his home. When he made a bobbing motion, she clung tightly and held her breath.
He was taking her to his secret place, and knowing Randal, it was even more magical than his home above.
Chapter Nine
They plunged down into the cool depths and finally began to head upward through a narrow tunnel. It led to a wet entrance. Randal boosted them out of the water, and together, they shook themselves dry.
He lumbered into the cavern, pawing something against the wall. A tumble of light cascaded from one rolling ball to another on the walls.
Randal shifted back to human, and she followed suit.
Carvings covered every inch of the underwater structure. Beavers, humans, mermaids, otters, dolphins, if it swam, it was somewhere in the relief that covered the walls.
“What is this?”
“Every beaver has a dam. I didn’t want to dam up common water, so I built this.” He took her hand and pulled her deeper into the carved wonderland.
“What did you use?”
“My hands with my claws. I cut down and fitted the logs here into a smooth canvas. I replanted of course.”
“Of course.” She smiled. It was astonishing. “How long were you working on this?”
“Ten years, since I bought the property. My mind is full of images, and I want to create them. I brought you here to study you and to place you in a place of honour.”
She blinked. “Where do you want me?”
He grinned. “With me, all the time.”
She settled against the wall, reclining as he studied her. There was a blank chunk of wood in front of him, and as she watched, the chips started to fly away. He looked at her, scowled and returned to his carving. He worked for hours until finally he sat up straight.
“Done.”
She yawned and sat up. “Really? Can I see?”
“Of course. I hope you like it.”
She looked and tried not to thud backward. “It’s me.”
“That was the idea.”
“But it is exactly me. Even my new ring is there. How did you do that?”
He laughed and reached out to hold her. “Damn, you are cold. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know.” She snuggled against him, stealing his heat for her own. “I think we need to go top side.”
“These stairs lead into the house. Come along.”
Naked and shivering, she headed up the stairs, one step behind him. “If this leads to the house, one of us is going to have to retrieve the clothing. I nominate you.”
“You take a hot shower; I will take care of the clothing and prep dinner.” He was so solicitous, she felt a little guilty.
Nevertheless, she climbed into the shower and warmed herself from all angles. He had his image now, so she should be completely fine to visit for a shorter period the next time.
Dinner was a sandwich and soup. He had prepped all the ingredients for a BLT and executed it with professional skill.
“Are you feeling warmer?”
“Much, thank you.” She had also stolen a huge terrycloth robe. It was helping.
Augusta sighed, “I am going to have to make a pilgrimage for my wardrobe.”
“And I will have to return to work. We both need to resume lives that have been derailed by our union. We will just have to work out the kinks when it comes to work and location.”
She grinned. “So, tomorrow, we face my family?”
“And the day after, we face mine. Deal?”
She extended her hand and shook on it. “Deal.”
He turned her hand over and pressed a soft kiss to her palm.
She ate with one hand while he tasted her from fingertip to elbow.
It wasn’t the weirdest dinner she had ever had, but it was the longest.
“So, you live above the shop?”
She shook her head. “No. I live next door. Rayna and Gregory live above the shop. She even had a race track put in on the upper floor.”
“Race track?”
“She’s a runner. She can’t always head into the woods for a sprint. Someone would notice a cheetah. So, she runs on her roof.” Augusta was eager to see her sister again. “Even Gregory makes use of it.”
“What is he?”
“Horse.” Augusta snickered.
They pulled in and parked. She could see his truck parked in the lot and mentally thanked Rayna for not having it ticketed or towed. He probably made arrangements for it.
They went to her apartment first, and she packed up her clothing, bathrobe and a few toiletries. There was no use bringing her sheets, they wouldn’t fit his bed.
Once she was all packed, they left the bags and headed over to Rayna’s shop.
Rayna was there and looking a little green. She perked up when she saw Augusta. “Gusty!” Rayna ran to her, and Augusta braced herself for the impact. Rayna stopped, staggered and doubled over with a groan.
Augusta looked and clapped with delight. “Congratulations! Project Spotted Horse was a success.”
“Yee freaking haw.” Rayna groaned again.
“Are you all right?”
“Did you know that morning sickness is not confined to the mornings? I didn’t. Mom never mentioned it.” Rayna breathed deep and stood up, smiling weakly at Randal. “So, you found her. Excellent. It all worked out then.”
Augusta took Rayna’s arm and steered her back to her seat behind the counter. “Sit. Relax. Can I get you anything?”
“Call Gregory. He knows the drill already. Tell him code green.”
Augusta dialled and spoke quickly. “Hey, Gregory. Code green.”
“Damn. On my way.”
He hung up, and Augusta made her sister comfortable.
Augusta finally remembered Randal, and he was shopping. “Seriously?”
“Well, you had things handled over there and the holidays are coming. I thought I could get some shopping done and no one would be the wiser. How is she?”
Augusta looked over. “Stable. She’s stable for now. Mom never mentioned how sick she got because she didn’t get sick with any of us. I am guessing that Rayna’s mom had a bit of an issue.”
Gregory came in, and Randal introduced himself once again, this time as Augusta’s mate. Greg moved toward Rayna carefully and offered her a pack of saltines and lemon water.
Rayna fell on them with ravenous hunger. She stuffed a handful of the salted crackers into her mouth, and Greg rubbed her back slowly, an icepack in his hand. He did indeed have it down.
They closed up the shop and retreated upstairs. Once there, Rayna recover
ed dramatically and squeezed Augusta until she squeaked.
After the meeting, the admiration of the engagement ring, the girls agreed to part ways and Augusta left with Randal.
They met with her mother and father, hugging and being congratulated endlessly. An engagement party was planned and the wedding date was set.
Randal whispered on their way out, “You weren’t kidding about the invitations. I think I saw her start to fill them out.”
She laughed and followed him home in his sedan. He drove his work vehicle ahead of her, and she was interested to find that his home was only half an hour from hers. It was a bit of a surprise to learn that they had been so close and yet so far.
Agnes Forester looked Augusta up and down. “You are an otter?”
“I am, madam.”
“Call me Agnes.” She smiled and then sobered. “So, what do you do?”
“I run a shop for my sister. She is currently a little under the weather with morning sickness, and she needs me there all day every day.”
“She is married to another otter?”
It was a logical assumption, but Augusta had to break it. “No, she is married to a horse. My sister is a cheetah. She’s adopted.”
Agnes blinked.
The matriarch was interrogating Augusta while Randal was at a safe distance with his father and his youngest brother. He had just been downgraded from beaver to weasel in her eyes.
“You have a predator in the family?”
“I do. In fact, she is the one that Randal asked for help when he was looking for me.”
“I see. So, you know that my son is occasionally a stripper?”
“I know that he was, Agnes. That is how I first met him.”
“You frequent strip clubs?”
“Only when one of my relatives is having a bachelorette party and I am the designated driver. We left at the end of Randal’s set.”
Agnes blinked. “So, you didn’t see him dance?”
“Not really. He still had most of his clothing on when we left.” Augusta shrugged, it was a white lie and Agnes gave her a look that said she knew what was being unsaid.
Agnes gestured to the engagement ring. “You hold with human traditions?”
Getting Wet Page 5