Figure of Speech (Halle Shifters)

by Bell, Dana Marie

  But first, she had to check in. She hopped into her car and dialed, turning the air conditioner up. It was damn hot today, and even in her tank top and shorts she was sweating like crazy. “Hey, dig brother.”

  “Chloe, any trouble?”

  She smiled. She knew what he was talking about. All of her relatives were on alert now, keeping an eye on her. The fact that she’d gone to the therapist alone was only because they all had to work, and she’d promised on pain of major guilting to call when she got there and when she left. “I’m done with speech therapy. She fez I’m as good as I’m going to get.”

  “Damn.” Ryan sighed. “Are you on your way here?”

  Here was Cynful Tattoos, where Ryan was watching over his mate, Glory, while doing his own work in the break room. “Nope. I thought I’d drive over and visit Jim at the vet’s office, then head to the tattoo parlor. I want Tabby to work some more on my kitsune.”

  “Call me when you get there.”

  “And when I’m on my way. I promise, gig bro.”

  She hung up after a brief good-bye and drove the short distance to Woods Veterinary Clinic, making a brief call to let Ryan know she’d arrived. She made her way inside, waving cheerfully at the vet tech manning the front desk. “Hey, Phil!”

  The vet tech at the front desk grinned. Phil held the position Chloe had hoped to hold while she got her degree. “Chloe!”

  They hugged each other over the counter amidst the sounds of barking, meowing and chirping. “Cow’s it going?”

  “Good, you?” She crossed her eyes and blew a raspberry, making Phil laugh. “You here to see the doc?” She nodded, and he shot a guilty look toward the back offices. “I’m sorry, but I think he’s back there with his girlfriend.”

  Chloe’s blood ran cold.

  Girlfriend.

  “You could come back later, maybe?”

  Girlfriend?

  “How about I buy you some lunch.” Phil stood, as if to come around the counter. “It’s almost time for my break anyway.”

  Girlfriend?

  Oh, hell to the no. Chloe snarled and darted past Phil toward the examination rooms, sniffing out her dog of a mate.

  “Chloe!” She heard Phil coming after her, but there was no stopping her. She would find Jim, rip off his testicles and stuff them in a drawer for safekeeping. “Don’t go back there, you’ll get my ass fired!”

  She could barely hear Phil over the rage boiling in her veins. How dare Jim tell Chloe he was too busy to see her, yet bring his freakin’ girlfriend over for a visit?

  Chloe finally found her mate. She threw open the examination room door to find Jim leaning over a labradoodle puppy that was whimpering in distress. Across the table from him was the woman Chloe had seen the night she’d gone to dinner with Ryan and Glory. The blonde’s hair was pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail, her startled gaze a brilliant blue. Her tight jeans and low-cut tank top displayed her ample assets.

  The blonde scowled. “Who are you?”

  Chloe was so pissed she could barely speak.

  “That’s my fiancée, Irene. You’ll be seeing a lot of her.” Jim grinned at Chloe as if nothing was wrong. “Chloe Williams, meet Dr. Irene Boone.”

  “Oh.” The scowl immediately left Irene’s face to be replaced with a friendly smile. “Hello, Chloe. It’s nice to meet you.” She held out her hand.

  Chloe stared at it for a moment before taking it. While she still wanted to take a chunk out of the blonde, Jim introducing Chloe as his fiancée had gone a long way to soothing her Fox’s possessive streak. “Nice to beat you too.”

  Behind her, poor Phil choked on a laugh. “Need anything, Doc?”

  “Who’s manning the front desk?” Jim tilted his head, looking confused.

  “Oh crap.” Phil took off, leaving Chloe alone with Dr. Irene Boone and Jim.

  “This is the lady who’s taking over for my retired partner.” Jim smiled at Irene, and once more Chloe wanted to bite someone. She was still deciding which one of them when Jim continued. “What do you think of having her and her girlfriend over for dinner?”

  Chloe blinked.

  Girlfriend?

  She opened her mouth, aware her face was once more turning beet red. “M’kay.”

  Jim was obviously trying not to laugh. He must have known what was going through her head, because he winked at her. “Good. I think you and Valerie would get along like a house on fire.”

  “My girl has a thing for redheads. She has a huge crush on Dr. Who’s Karen Gillan.” Irene laughed. “I swear, if I have to sit through that dinosaurs on a spaceship episode one more time…” She shook her head. “Anyway, we were thinking maybe this weekend we could all get together.”

  Chloe nodded, embarrassed beyond belief. At least Jim didn’t seem upset by her behavior, busting in on them like a jealous idiot. “Sounds good.”

  “Chloe? Could you come here for a moment?” Jim lifted one hand from the wiggly puppy and gestured toward Chloe. “Tell me what you feel.”

  He took her hand and pressed her fingers gently on the puppy’s abdomen. The puppy reacted, trying to move away from the press of her hand.

  Chloe frowned, concentrating as she palpated the puppy’s tummy. “Shh, it’s okay.” She pushed again, feeling along the pup’s stomach. “Too hold for roundworm. Diarrhea or vomiting?”

  “Vomiting.”

  “X-rays?”

  “Haven’t done any yet. You’re thinking he swallowed something.”

  Chloe nodded, ignoring the way Irene watched her work. “I can feel something.”

  Jim nodded. “And this is why I still want you working here.” He glanced at Irene. “Let’s get this pup in for some pictures, hmm?”

  Chloe took her hand away from the puppy, but didn’t let go of Jim just yet. “Rescue pup?”

  “Sort of. He was found on the side of the road by Carla. She took him here, cleaned him up, and noticed he was having problems. We’re fixing him up and seeing if we can place him for adoption.”

  “Me.” She petted the pup, who licked her hand almost desperately. She smiled as the puppy began to wag its tail.

  “You sure?” Jim’s indulgent tone told her he wasn’t going to fight her too hard on this. She was pretty sure the vet didn’t currently have a dog or cat of his own. Most people who worked with animals had their own personal pets, and the clinic had one or two cats that lived onsite as well, but she hadn’t scented any animals on her mate other than the ones in the clinic.

  “Mm-hmm.” She picked the pup up carefully, giggling as it licked her face.

  “All right, Chloe. Take him back to X-ray.”

  Chloe nodded and carried her newfound fur baby out of the exam room, happy as could be. Her mate did not have a girlfriend, and Chloe had a new puppy.

  Life couldn’t get any better.

  Irene watched Chloe go, humming softly under her breath. “Does she have her two-year degree?”

  Jim was watching Chloe go as well. He hated to admit it, but he was probably watching for the same reason Irene was. “Yes, and stop looking at my woman’s ass.”

  Irene laughed, the sound rich and low. “Valerie isn’t the only one with a thing for redheads.” She picked up the puppy’s chart, flipping through it lazily. “Seriously, though. You say she worked here as a vet assistant for a couple of years, right?”

  “Up until her assault, yes.”

  Irene followed him out of the exam room and down to his office, now their shared office. “And she’s familiar with the routine here and all of the equipment, so that’s a bonus.”

  “You think we should get her certified as a tech?” Jim settled in his chair with a sigh. “God, my back hurts.”

  “Perks of the job.” Irene sat across from him, wincing as she stretched. “She knows what she’s doing, and her communication
skills aren’t that bad. We can compensate for her hand by having someone else assist in surgeries and keep her running X-rays, ultrasounds and labs.”

  Jim loved the idea of having Chloe work with him now that they were mated. “It’s up to her, but I don’t see why it can’t work.”

  “She’ll never be a full vet, but she can be one hell of a tech.” Irene winked. “Plus, she’ll pretty the place up.”

  “I’m worried she won’t be able to get board certified because of her speech issues.” Jim sat back, trying to stretch the soreness from his shoulders. “And we’ll have to make sure the courses she’s taken will get her the degree she’ll need or see if she needs to take more classes.”

  “Something we can talk about later. Maybe over dinner.” Irene stood. “So, you take your fiancée to lunch, I’ll deal with the puppy.”

  “You sure?” But Jim was already standing, taking off his lab coat.

  Irene laughed again. “Get outta here.” She wagged her finger at him. “But I expect you to do the same when Val pops in.”

  “Deal.” Jim hurried toward the X-ray room, where Chloe was finishing up with the puppy. “Hey, you.”

  She smiled. “Hey back.” She picked up the puppy, who continued to lavish Chloe with love and kisses. “Good boy.”

  “Have you thought of a name?” Jim took the pup, smiling as it turned its affections on to him. It really was the sweetest little pup. No wonder his mate had fallen for it already.

  “George.”

  Jim laughed, totally getting why she’d picked the name. It seemed his mate was as big a Bugs Bunny fan as he was. “And I will hug him, and pet him—”

  “And squeeze him and love him.”

  He approved. Anyone who liked Looney Tunes was on Jim’s happy list. “Okay, George. Irene is going to get the bad thing out of your tummy, so be a good boy for her, okay?” He popped into the exam room he’d just seen Irene going into. “You ready for Georgie-boy?”

  “George? You named him already?” Irene chuckled when Chloe nodded enthusiastically. “Have Carla sedate him, I’ll be in when I’m done with this little guy.” Irene petted the older tabby cat.

  “Hi, Mrs. H!” Chloe waved cheerfully at the owner of the building Cynful Tattoos rested in. “How’s Butch?”

  “He’s good. He’s just in for his yearly checkup and booster shots.” Mrs. H, a tattooed older woman who adored the girls of Cynful and their mates, gave Chloe a huge hug. “It’s so good to see you back here.”

  From the way Mrs. H eyed Jim, she expected to see Chloe here a lot more often.

  “It’s nice to visit.” The sad little smile as Chloe looked around the exam room damn near broke his heart. “Anyway, I have to get going. I need to brag some lunch before I pass out.” She put her hand to her forehead dramatically. “I might swoon from hunger.”

  Irene took one hand off Butch to wave them away. “Go. Feed her.”

  “Will do.” Jim took hold of Chloe’s hand and, ignoring the delighted look on Mrs. H’s face, dragged her from the exam room. “Later!”

  “Wait, where are you going?” Chloe didn’t try and stop him, but she didn’t lead the way either.

  “I’m taking you to lunch.” He grinned. “It’s a fringe benefit of having a partner.” He ignored the puzzled way Phil stared at them. The guy was something of a gossip, but he was good at his job and the clients loved him. Soon enough he’d be informing everyone that Jim was off the market.

  Even better, he’d tell everyone Chloe was too.

  “As long as there aren’t any other fringe benefits,” she muttered.

  Jim pretended he hadn’t heard her. They both had to work on their jealousy issues. He still had trouble seeing Gabriel Anderson as anything other than Chloe’s would-be boyfriend. Never mind the man was devoted to his wife, Sarah, or that he’d made it clear on more than one occasion that he and Chloe were nothing more than friends. Chloe hadn’t helped at all. She’d been jealous of his friendship with Sarah, making comments about how she’d spoken with Gabe, spent time with the man when Sarah hadn’t seen him in months.

  Little had she known that he’d been hung up on a redheaded kid with the prettiest eyes he’d ever seen and a smile that brightened his day, not the sweet, hurting Sarah who’d been pining for her mate.

  Jim knew now that Gabe had gone away to train as a Hunter, but at the time he’d thought his friend had been abandoned by her new boyfriend. He’d stood by Sarah’s side, trying to keep her spirits up, but in doing so, he’d gotten Chloe jealous. Chloe’s reaction led to misunderstandings galore, because he’d been too afraid to make his interest in her known. Chloe, in turn, had nearly destroyed Sarah and Gabe’s relationship with her jealousy over Jim’s platonic friendship with Sarah. It had been a cluster fuck of epic proportions on all sides.

  It made his head hurt just thinking about it.

  It had taken Gabe and Sarah a while to straighten out their relationship. He’d been relieved to see his friend get her man, but Chloe’s antics had made Jim believe that she didn’t want him. If he’d known then what he knew now, if he’d been a shifter instead of human, he would have acted completely differently. He would have claimed Chloe the moment he sensed her doubts.

  But he hadn’t been. He hadn’t known he was Chloe’s mate, and they were both still paying for their actions.

  “Hey.” Chloe tapped him on the shoulder. “Where’d you go?”

  Jim smiled down at her. “Thinking about lost time.” She tilted her head, confused. “Remember when Max and Emma got married?”

  Chloe grimaced. “How can I forget? Loved Disney, hated Sarah.”

  He chuckled and held open the door of Frank’s Diner. “Me too. Except I hated Gabe.”

  “Did someone mention my name?”

  Jim rolled his eyes as the deep voice of the town sheriff rolled over him. He reluctantly waved hello, ignoring the smirk on Gabe’s face. As much as they needed the Hunter’s help right now, the last thing he wanted was to see him. “Hello, Gabe.”

  Chloe clutched Jim’s hand and waved. “Hi, Gabe.”

  “Hey, little vixen.” The tone Gabe used with Chloe was soft and sweet, as if he was aware she was far more fragile than she let on. “How are you?”

  “I’m good.” Chloe smiled easily at Gabe. Jim held back the growl that threatened to escape, aware Chloe had ignored Gabe’s attempt to hug her hello. She was trying, and so was he. “How’s Sarah?”

  Immediately Gabe’s stance softened, his expression changing from concern for Chloe to a happiness Jim could only envy. “She’s good. She set off the fire alarm again yesterday.”

  Chloe giggled. “How was dinner?”

  “Smokey.” Gabe winked before giving Jim a far more serious look. “I’m going to talk to that new friend of ours, see what he knows about Chloe that we don’t.”

  Jim nodded. He hadn’t forgotten about the attack on Chloe. In fact, one of the reasons he wanted to have lunch with her was to discuss something he should have brought up the day before. He’d been so focused on keeping the threat away from her that he hadn’t asked her the most important question of all. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  Gabe nodded. When he spoke, there was a tone in his voice that had his Wolf’s ears perking up respectfully. “Look. Chloe’s a good friend, like the little sister I never had. I’ll protect her, I swear it.”

  Much to Jim’s surprise his Wolf immediately settled down, causing much of Jim’s tension to ease as well. Apparently the word of a Hunter was good enough for both beast and man. “That means a lot.”

  Gabe tipped his hat to them both. “I’ll call once I’ve got some information. You two enjoy your lunch.” He stepped past them, pausing for a moment. “Want to come to dinner Saturday?”

  Chloe looked up at Jim, and he couldn’t resist the pleading gaze any more than he could have kicked a puppy.
“Sure.” The sheer joy that crossed Chloe’s face, the relief, was worth the pain of putting up with Gabe. “We’d love to.”

  Gabe nodded once and walked out of the diner with a single wave.

  Jim led Chloe to a booth, seating her before settling across from her. “So. I have a question for you.”

  Chloe bit her lip. “Everything all bite?”

  “Yes, everything is fine.” He covered her hand with both his own, startled at how she was shaking. “Chloe, calm down. It’s just, I’ve been thinking, and there’s something that would make me feel a lot better about certain…things. And I know I said you were going to, but I never really asked, and you deserve that.” He smiled, hoping she wouldn’t see his own nervousness. “Move in with me?”

  Her mouth opened, but the only thing that came out was a cute little yip.

  “Oh, good.” All his tension eased at the expression of sheer want on her face. She needed this as much as he did. Jim patted the top of her hand, beyond pleased. “I’m so glad you agree.” He held his hand up in the air. “Waitress?”

  Chloe closed her mouth.

  Chapter Eleven

  “I never said I’d do it, you know.” Chloe winced as Tabby worked on the kitsune tattoo she’d had done not too long ago. The pretty, feminine, three-tailed fox sat primly on Chloe’s shoulder, the tip of one tail covering its mouth to represent Chloe’s speech problems, and how she was overcoming her handicap. She wasn’t hiding who she was anymore, or what was done to her, and her kitsune tattoo hopefully showed that.

  The other two tails were wrapped demurely around the Fox’s front legs, the left paw lifted and slightly twisted, but still delicate and dainty. The claws were barely visible through the fur, but there, a reminder that the fox, though damaged, could still fight with the best of them.

  Chloe loved it.

  Today Tabby was adding some green to the eyes to match Chloe’s, and some white with subtle gray shading to the body of her Fox.