Addy did as requested and hauled the man along to the medic.
She was going to ring the bell but the door opened. “Evening, Lee.”
“Evening Addy. Come on in.”
She pulled her victim through the door and dropped him on the exam bed, face down.
“The wolves were getting a little irritated by the lack of friendly females. They had a scrap and I got in the middle.”
The wolf in question gave her an unhappy glare. “You screamed banzai and flipped me through the air.”
Lee chortled and rubbed at her lower back. “Whatever happened, you will heal as soon as you shift. If you would like, I have a room for transformation now.”
He winced. “I think I will leave that until the morning. Stitches for tonight?”
Lee looked at Addy. “Would you like to do the honours?”
“How did you know?”
“You have a remarkable aura of calm when confronted with a head wound. I guessed that you have experience at first aid.”
The wolf was perturbed, but he sat as Addy cleaned the wound and put the four stitches in place. He tried to scowl but he pulled the skin. “Thank you. You have a nice touch.”
Addy patted his shoulder. “When you wake up, drink a litre of water and take a few painkillers. We don’t want to risk kidney damage, so nothing tonight.”
His eyes went wide and he nodded, leaving the station without a look back.
Lee rubbed her back again and sat on the edge of her desk. “I am looking for a replacement for when I go on maternity leave and possibly afterward.”
Addy jerked. “What?”
“You seem to have the requisite skills. I have been reading up on your council files. Your actual council files. I am nosey that way.” Lee grinned. “You also have a varied resume and that in itself would be a boon if you chose to stay here.”
Addy ran her hand over her hair. “Wow. That is…wow.”
She lifted her left wrist and showed off the band. “You know this isn’t real, right? Being here alone would be torture.”
Lee chuckled. “The band thinks it is real, and sometimes, a magical object knows what your mind doesn’t.”
“I have only known Albert for half a day, most of which I spent in the bar.”
Lee grinned. “Doesn’t matter. The bands know. It wouldn’t have snugged up and become seamless if you two didn’t have something under your casual introduction.”
“How far along are you?” She helped Lee into her chair and smiled at the deep sigh.
“Nine months. I could blow at any moment. I look small but I know when I got knocked up.” Lee’s expression took on an evil cast. “It freaked James out.”
“Why?”
“Because he has lived a large chunk of his adult life here. He has just been handed a link to the outside world. We can’t have a baby here at the Crossroads, it would freak people out.” Lee smiled. “We also want him or her registered with standard agencies. The moment I go into labour, we call his family and get me out of here.”
“Have you had a baby shower?”
Lee snorted. “With nothing but horny men and women running around? No.”
Addy scowled. “If you are due any moment that is practically a crime. In my family, you would have been surrounded by small green and yellow onesies.”
“Well, here, there are few women. Teal, Ivy and Teebie. Men don’t really think of baby showers.”
Addy’s back stiffened. “I think I have to get back to work, but leave this with me for a few hours. I will get back to you.”
“Before you go, can you help me out of this chair?” Lee looked hopeful.
Addy helped her up with only a little grunting on both their parts. Once Lee was up and running, Addy made a beeline for the Meditation Centre.
Teal was wearing a loose robe but she opened the door. “Addy, what is wrong?”
She grabbed Teal by her shoulders. “I need to make a call.”
Teal stepped aside and showed her the phone. “Do what you need to do.”
Sicily spoke with her mother for fifteen minutes, and Verona shared her outrage. “I will get a pack arranged. Can you have it picked up?”
Sicily looked at Teal who was watching with interest. “I have a parcel from my mom’s place. Can you have it transported tomorrow around five in the afternoon?”
Teal yawned. “Sure. Not a problem.”
Sicily thanked her mother and yawned herself. She told her mother she loved her and hung up the phone.
“Thank you, Teal. That was helpful. Where can we hold a baby shower for Lee?”
“I will talk to Teebie in the morning, or in two hours, whichever comes first.”
Sicily smiled and whispered, “Good night.”
She slipped out the door and mentally became Addy again.
It was time to get back to work. The baby shower was under way.
Chapter Five
Addy was busy running the final tray of barware through the washer when she registered that she was hungry.
She stood up with a groan and rubbed her back.
“I wondered when you were going to show signs of strain. Well done, Addy.” Chuck applauded slowly.
“Thank you, Chuck. What time do I come back today?”
“Come back when you wake up and have had a few hours to yourself, but please eat something. You are looking a little grey around the edges.”
The scent of food teased her and she thought she was imagining it. When she looked around, Albert was standing at the edge of the bar with a takeaway box in his hand. “I am guessing that you could use a meal.”
She swallowed against the drool that was filling her mouth. “Is that for me?”
Albert smiled. “It is indeed. Chuck mentioned that you hadn’t eaten since you had arrived. I am guessing that you are one of those women who likes to keep busy.”
“I am. Lead on, I will follow whatever is in that packet.”
She wiped her hands, checked the washer and moved out from behind the bar. “Good night, Chuck.”
“Good morning, Addy.”
She walked out into the weird pre-dawn light and followed Albert home.
The moment they were inside the small house, she paused. “Do I have to share?”
“No. I ate during the evening.”
Spike dug around in her bag and held up a spork. “Whee.”
She sat on the floor of the living room and opened the takeout container. The slow-roasted beef melted in her mouth, as did the potatoes. The carrots were nicely browned, and in a few minutes, the entire collection of tidbits were gone. She sat back with a gasp and smiled. “That was nice. Your work?”
Albert was staring at her with amazement. “Um, yes. I am better with fish, but I wanted something to feed you that would be able to wait until Chuck sent for me. Apparently, he wanted every moment of work out of you tonight. You are fully accepted in there, by the way.”
She swayed and smiled. “I am glad. Did you want to use the bathroom first?”
Albert shook his head. “It is all yours.”
“Good. Wrestling drunk wolves is a little harsh on the sweat reflex.” She smiled and groaned as she heaved herself to her feet. She quickly grabbed a spare pillow and blanket. Spike tossed the bedding onto the couch, knowing that she wouldn’t be up for much when she finished a hot shower.
With her bag in hand, she headed into the modestly comfortable bathroom, and the moment she fought free of her clothing, she stepped under the hot spray. Her muscles unknotted one by one. A transformation would have the same effect, but the hot water just felt better.
Once she was clean and limp, she stumbled out of the shower and dried off. Her favourite nightgown was decently opaque and covered her to her knees. It had a hedgehog on the front and the back of a hedgehog on the back.
With her feet bare, she pattered out into the living room, with a quick look into the bedroom where Albert was sleeping. He was out cold, so she crept into the living ro
om and curled up on the couch. The moment that she settled the blanket on her, she succumbed to sleep.
* * * *
The moment that she was asleep, Albert got out of bed and walked into the living room. Even sleeping, she curled into a ball.
He scooped her up, blankets and all. She snuffled and turned toward him, rubbing her cheek against his chest.
Spike was adorable. Albert couldn’t help but smile as her hands curled up to cushion her cheek against him. Sighing and praying for patience, he carried her into the bedroom and tucked her under the covers.
The couch would have left her with aches and pains. There was no reason that they couldn’t sleep in the same bed. He had self-control and he had worked himself to exhaustion. Sex with Spike was very much on his mind, but he was fairly sure that he was too tired to manage it.
He crawled into bed next to her, and to his horror, she gravitated toward him, snuggling against his chest. Well, there went sleep for the night, or the morning.
* * * *
Spike woke up and she was warm and comfortable, two things that she was not expecting.
She froze when she heard a sigh above her. Spike opened her eyes and looked up toward the source of the sound. Albert was an angel in repose, but that didn’t answer the question of why she was there instead of on the couch.
She eased away from him, and the cool space created by her movement caused him to blink awake.
“Sorry, Albert. I didn’t mean to burrow into you.”
He blinked at her, and she could see that while his eyes were open, his brain was still napping.
Smiling, she slid out of bed, and he looked delightfully befuddled. “Go back to sleep, Albert.”
Spike headed to the bathroom and brushed her teeth before looking for her bag. She settled in the living room and brushed her hair, whipping it into a short ponytail. She got dressed and looked into the bedroom. Albert was on his stomach, his arm over the spot she had vacated.
With an eye to exploring a little more, she walked out and got two orders of a rather thorough breakfast from the Crossroads Café.
The beavers running the café were efficient and friendly; she was in and out in five minutes with carry boxes in tied string. Everything in the Crossroads was either washable or compostable. It was taking some getting used to. Even the coffees were tied to the boxes with a weird webbing of string.
“Bring the string back later in the day. We will reuse it tomorrow.” The server winked and waved her off.
Spike headed back to the house, and when she came in, Albert was in the shower. The small kitchen had just enough room to make a pot of tea or coffee. It was not designed for proper cooking.
Sighing, she turned and put the takeout on the table in the living room. She retrieved her spork, washed it and began to eat.
Albert must have been flossing his toes in there, because she could not imagine why he was spending so much time in the shower.
* * * *
Albert groaned as his cock jerked in his hand. He kept one hand on the slick tile and the other around his erection as he spent into the flow of water.
Waking up with Sicily pressed against him had been a shock. He had wanted nothing more than to roll her to her back and thrust into her, but as they hadn’t even had a first date, it would have been more than inappropriate.
He shuddered and sucked in a deep breath. Sicily had returned. He could feel her in the other room. Getting a towel around his hips was easy, but going to get it lying in straight lines was another matter.
* * * *
Spike listened to him leave the bathroom, and she shrugged when he didn’t immediately come out for food. “I brought breakfast.”
“I will be right there. I just have to get dressed.”
She smiled and opened her coffee. The smell was amazing and she perked up markedly.
He came in, pulling a tight black t-shirt over some truly impressive abs. “The café?”
“Yup. They want to keep the little rope bondage kits.” She smiled as he gave her a surprised look. “I am guessing that you are not a morning person.”
“Not for conversation. No.”
He flicked her a look through his thick and surprisingly dark lashes. She blushed.
“Ah.”
He smiled and went to work on his meal. “Indeed.”
Sicily thought about what sex with Albert would be like, and she hid her continuing blush by gulping coffee and coughing violently.
“Are you all right?” Albert leaned forward with concern.
She gave him a thumbs up and sucked air in until she felt normal. “Sorry. It went down the wrong way.”
His brows drew together. “Are you sure you are fine?”
“Yup. Eat your breakfast, drink your coffee.” Her voice was husky, but she sipped at her coffee until the burn was gone.
“So, what do you want to do today before work?”
She cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
“We have several hours before we are needed at our respective jobs. Would you like to shift and run around in the woods? I wouldn’t mind a swim.”
She grinned. “By that statement, I am guessing that you think I can’t swim.”
“Can you?”
“Not in the way a swan does, but I can enjoy myself in the water. Do you need to wait an hour before we go in?”
He finished his meal in record time. “I am ready to go when you are.”
She got up and turned away while the image of his abs went through her mind again. Sure, she had seen him naked, but partially clothed was always more of a turn on. In the world of shifters, preferring clothing on parts of her lovers made her a little bit of a pervert.
“Let’s go.” She smiled. She cleared the boxes and put them in the compressor in the kitchen. With the string cages hanging from her hand, she waited for him to put his shoes on.
The moment he was ready, she stepped out the door and headed for the café to turn in the string cages.
Albert was waiting for her outside the café, and the moment she appeared, he offered her his arm. “Shall we?”
She took his arm and smiled at him. “You still don’t think I can swim.”
“Prove me wrong.”
Chapter Six
Spike jumped into the water with her spindly little legs. She moved all four legs like small buzz saws and cruised through the water with only the occasional barrel roll.
She heard Albert’s laughter from the shore, and she kept going until she was able to crawl up the bank and watch as he shifted from male to swan in a smooth motion.
He cruised around the pond until he had gotten the swan’s excitement out of his system, and then, he came for her.
Albert lifted one wing and beckoned for her to approach. Spike couldn’t believe the offer. With no hesitation, she pounced into the water and swam up to him, pulling herself up onto his back and perching behind his neck.
She looked up when he craned his neck around to see eye to eye with her. He nodded and faced forward again, taking her deeper into the pond and flexing his neck as he swam.
She stood and walked to the edge of his back, and she dangled her paw in the water as he moved at a speed she couldn’t match.
He flexed his neck again, and she tried to figure out what he was doing. Spike tumbled into the water when she realized she was watching swan courtship and it was directed at her.
He swam in front of her and blocked her path. With a sigh, she climbed back onto his white feathers and shook herself dry.
She turned and watched the ripples that he made and she could see the occasional flash of his foot as they cruised along. It wasn’t quite as idyllic as she would have liked. A few other shifters were also flirting in the pond.
Lying in the sun, trailing her paws in the water, it could have been a perfect day if they were alone. Spike sighed and nestled down into his feathers, letting the sun warm her spines.
A duck and a goose swam by and examined her carefu
lly. She wriggled her nose at them and remained relaxed. This was blowing her cover in a big way, but since she had decided that the job at the Crossroads had a certain appeal, she wasn’t worried about being a hedgehog on a swan. It sounded like a weird holiday dish. It wasn’t something that anyone would take seriously.
When Albert returned to the rocky incline where they had entered the water, he waited for her. When she didn’t move, he nudged her with his beak.
She sighed at the interruption of her tan and scampered out of the water and up to her folded clothing. She shook off the water and shifted, increasing her mass by fifty times and slipping into her jeans and t-shirt.
Albert put on his jeans and he leaned toward her.
Spike flinched at the reaction that her inner beast had to his frank gaze.
“You didn’t seem to react to swan courtship, so I thought that trying out hedgehog techniques might work.” He paced toward her and she flinched back.
He circled her and she hissed at him, a low growl and a snap of her jaws warning him off. He continued to circle her with slow moves, but he came closer with each movement. When he stood in front of her, he got closer and her low growl got quieter, and her jaws stopped snapping.
He kept moving until he was pressed against her, torso to torso. He stared into her eyes and slowly bent down until his lips were an inch from hers. Her body jerked in slow stop-starts until he made contact.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and ran them up his neck and into his hair. No one had bothered to look up the hedgehog mating ritual for her before. It was so sweet, it deserved to be rewarded.
She lifted herself to him, pressing as tightly as she could while he wrapped his arms around her and carried her away from the pond.
He navigated fairly well for a man with a hedgehog attached to his face.
They thudded into their temporary home, and he continued until they reached the bedroom. She finally broke the kiss and peeled off her shirt and jeans. Her underwear had disappeared somewhere around the lake.
Spike's Day Out Page 3