by P J Gordon
“I think your little champion is feeling better,” Josh remarked, “but you’d better feed her before she gets any crankier!”
“I’m sorry!” Manda groaned with her face in her hands. Josh was right. Some food would probably improve her disposition.
“She’s doing it again,” Joshua said, amused. Manda looked up at him.
“I’m doing what, exactly?” An edge of annoyance crept back into her voice.
“You’re apologizing for something ridiculous,” Richard told her with a chuckle. He seemed to be enjoying her little tantrum. “Josh had it coming.” He threw one of the pillows at his brother. “But I’m the one who should be apologizing. I should have made sure you had something to eat a long time ago. I’ve done a terrible job of taking care of you today! I’m just lucky it didn’t turn out any worse than it did.” Richard’s expression had grown grim as he spoke, and he shook his head as if to dispel dark thoughts. “Of course you must be hungry. I’ll order us something. What do you want? Something filling I think.”
“I was thinking of comfort food—maybe a grilled cheese sandwich.” The thought of it made Manda’s stomach growl.
“I think I can manage that. You rest here while I go and order for us.” Richard kissed her forehead and stood to leave.
“Wait!” Manda stopped him. “Maybe I can have a shower and get cleaned up while we’re waiting for the food?” She was filthy and bedraggled and the thought of a hot shower and clean hair was irresistible. She was afraid that Richard might not be a big fan of the idea though, especially after her little fainting episode. Why did you have to go and do that? she chastised herself. He was worried enough about you without that!
“I’ll go order dinner,” Josh excused himself, leaving Richard and Manda alone in the bedroom. Richard looked down at her thoughtfully. He considered for a moment before he answered. “A bath would make you feel a lot better, wouldn’t it? I’ll make you a deal,” he finally said. “You can take a bath in my bathroom, but you have to leave the door cracked so that I can hear you—so I’ll know you’re okay.”
Manda suspected that his willingness to go along with her suggestion was just a way for him to postpone any further explanations for as long as possible. She didn’t mind much. She thought maybe she should eat first anyway.
“So I have to talk to you the whole time?” she laughed.
“Or hum or sing or whistle or whatever, as long as I can hear you and know you haven’t drowned or anything. And you can’t get the bandage on your arm wet.”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that,” Manda sighed, disappointed. “I don’t think I can wash my hair with only one hand. Not when it’s such a mess.”
“I’ll do it for you,” Richard offered. Manda blushed and he laughed. “On my honor, I’ll be a good boy. I can use the hand shower in the bathtub. All innocent and above board. Will you be able to get in and out of the bathtub with your ankle though?” He was suddenly concerned again.
“I’ll be fine as long as everything is within reach I think. And,” Manda’s blush deepened, “I would be very grateful if you would help with my hair. It’s really disgusting.” She fingered a blood-caked strand and wrinkled her nose in distaste.
“Then let’s do that first, and then I’ll run you a bath and leave you to your own devices. Hold on a sec while I send Josh over to get your clothes. Do you have your keycard?”
“It was in the pocket of my coat!” Manda groaned in sudden realization. “We didn’t bring that one back. My wallet was in it!”
“No worries, sweetie. I have everything from your coat pockets. They gave it all to me at the hospital. Where is it, in your wallet?” Manda nodded, relieved. “Okay, I’ll grab your wallet for you. Be right back.”
“Just grab the card out. It’s in the side pocket,” Manda called after him as he walked out the door.
Manda flopped back against the pillow when he was gone, and immediately regretted it as the pain in her head flared. A nurse had given her some painkillers at the hospital, but the sudden jolt was still unwise. She took a deep breath and concentrated on relaxing. She knew that the explanations were not over—there were still too many things she didn’t understand—but she was grateful for the chance to retreat and regroup. It was all very overwhelming and she decided not to think of it again until after she’d eaten.
Richard returned with her wallet and cell phone.
“I had them in my coat pocket,” he explained. “Now let’s get you cleaned up.” He left her things on the night stand, and then, cradling Manda in his arms, carried her through the double doors into the large bathroom. He deposited her on an upholstered bench against one wall and pulled two towels from a shelf. “Let’s see if we can’t give you the complete spa experience,” he grinned. He folded one of the thick, white towels in half and draped it over the edge of the expansive sunken bathtub in the middle of the room. Then he folded the other one into a thick square and placed it at the very edge of the tub, on top of the first towel, forming a soft pillow over the slightly raised rim. Satisfied with his handiwork, he rummaged through a basket on the vanity until he found the two small bottles he wanted and placed them by the towels, and then turned on the faucet and adjusted it until the water temperature met with his approval.
Manda watched his preparations with a familiar sense of wonder. How had this happened? How was it that she, Amanda Jensen, was being pampered and cared for by Richard Raines? What sort of alternate universe had she stumbled into? In what world could someone as perfect and unattainable as Richard be here with her? She watched him move efficiently around the bathroom with his usual graceful and controlled movements.
With everything prepared, he finally returned to her. “Ready?”
Butterflies fluttered in Manda’s stomach. Letting Richard wash her hair seemed extremely intimate somehow. It wasn’t logical. Hairstylists—complete strangers—had washed her hair more times than she could remember. Why was this so different? Because it’s Richard, she answered her own question. Because it’s like having your hair washed by a Greek god. And because you are so completely in love with him that it’s ridiculous. Manda clenched her hands into fists to hide their trembling.
”As ready as I’ll ever be,” she answered, proud of how steady her voice was. Before she could stand, Richard scooped her up from the bench, as if she were no heavier than a feather, and placed her on the plush carpet beside the bathtub. She laid back and adjusted her position so that her neck rested on the square cushion formed by the folded towel, with the thick, blood-matted tangle of her hair hanging down into the tub.
“Close your eyes now,” he commanded when she was settled. “I’ve never done this before and I don’t want to get anything in them.” Manda closed her eyes obediently. “Tell me if the water is too hot.”
Manda felt the cascade of warm water from the hand-held sprayer flowing through her hair and she sighed. It was perfect. Richard’s hand stroked tenderly through the wet curtain of hair and she surrendered to the pleasant sensations, luxuriating in the relaxing warmth of the water and the soothing touch of his fingers.
“Mmmmm, that feels nice,” Manda murmured lazily. Her hands relaxed at her sides.
Richard’s answering chuckle was low and husky. “I’m glad you like it.”
As she lay next to him with her eyes closed and his hands caressing her hair, the effect of his voice was instantaneous. Her pulse quickened and her breath caught. Richard chuckled again, and Manda tried to concentrate on relaxing once more. He carefully and gently worked the tangles from her hair, being especially cautious of the tender area where she’d hit her head. Then he shampooed the long strands meticulously. He finished with a honeysuckle-scented conditioner. Much too soon for Manda, he turned off the water and wrapped a warm towel around her hair.
“All done,” he said, and Manda thought she detected a note of tension in his voice.
“That’s too bad,” she groaned in disappointment, opening her eyes slowly. She looked up
at him hopefully. “I think you missed a spot.”
Richard’s laugh was rough. “Don’t press your luck, Amanda Jensen. I promised you I’d be on my best behavior, but at the moment it’s an uphill battle. You are too enticing for your own good.” He grasped her left hand and helped her into a sitting position. “Now for your bath.”
As Manda squeezed water from her hair with the thick towel, Richard started a bath, pouring in a generous amount of honeysuckle-scented bubble bath.
“Wait right here while I get you some clean clothes,” he instructed as he placed a stack of towels within easy reach of the bathtub. He was gone for only a few minutes, returning with Manda’s duffle bag. “Josh didn’t know what you’d want, so he grabbed pretty much everything. Now I’ll leave you to your bath. Remember, don’t get your bandage wet, and make some noise.” Setting the bag down within arm’s reach of her, he winked and left the bathroom, leaving the door cracked open slightly.
“Make some noise,” Manda repeated. “Right.” She wrapped the towel around her head securely and then stripped off her clothes, glad to get out of them. Richard’s shirt was the only thing that wasn’t filthy and stained with blood. As an expression of her disgust she threw them all as far across the bathroom as she could. Then she swung her legs over the side of the tub and slid slowly and carefully into the hot water. Richard had made it very warm, just on the verge of being too hot. It was exquisite. Manda had felt as if her bones were frozen ever since her unfortunate escapade earlier and she moaned with pleasure as the steaming water enveloped her.
“Manda? Are you all right?” Richard called sharply from just outside the door.
“I’m fine!” Manda called back quickly. “It just feels so good. Nice and warm.” She heard Richard exhale in exasperation.
“When I told you to make some noise that isn’t what I had in mind.”
“Sorry!” Manda called back, and giggled. “What kind of noise did you have in mind then? Shall I recite selected passages of Shakespeare? Maybe some Romeo and Juliet? ‘But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?’”
“No, what else you got?”
“Hmmmm.” Manda considered. “You don’t want me to sing. That wouldn’t be pleasant. I can whistle. What would you like to hear?” She grinned to herself.
“Surprise me,” he laughed.
Manda thought for a minute and then began to whistle the theme song from an old television program. After she’d whistled the whole thing through, she stopped.
“That was very good,” Richard commented, sounding surprised, and named the show that went with the theme.
“Okay, how about this one?” Manda challenged, and as she washed away the dirt and blood, she and Richard made a game of it—she tried her best to stump him with the oldest, most obscure theme songs she could think of, and he named every one correctly. When she finally felt clean again, and her bath was beginning to cool, she pulled the plug to let the water and bubbles drain away.
“I’m getting out now,” she informed Richard.
“Let me know when you’re decent.”
Manda dried off and dressed. She struggled to decide what to put on. Josh hadn’t really grabbed all of her clothes, just all of her pajamas and under things. She blushed at the thought of him collecting her underclothes. She decided on a pair of blue flannel lounge pants and a matching v-necked cotton t-shirt—more attractive than her favorite ratty pajamas but more modest than her silk nightie. She found her comb in the side pocket of the bag and worked the tangles out of her hair until it hung straight and damp down her back.
“Okay, I’m dressed,” she called. Richard walked through the door immediately. He must have been standing right outside.
“Feel better?” he asked.
“Much,” she replied fervently.
“Good. Now let’s get you fed.”
Manda’s stomach growled as if on cue and Richard smiled as he strode across the room and effortlessly picked her up.
“Aren’t you getting tired of this yet?” Manda asked as he carried her through the bedroom and into the sitting room.
“Not even remotely,” he informed her. “I’m enjoying it.”
Josh was sitting on a chair near the stone fireplace, where a roaring fire blazed. He laughed.
“Be serious, Manda. This is just the excuse he’s been looking for to have his arms around you all the time. He’s like a junky when it comes to you.”
Richard shot him a dirty look and aimed a perfunctory kick at him as he carried Manda to the sofa, which flanked the fireplace across from Josh’s chair. Josh avoided the kick handily and flashed his boyish grin.
The coffee table between the chair and the sofa held a tray of covered plates and an assortment of canned soft drinks and bottled water. The smell of food was mouthwatering. Richard situated Manda on the end of the sofa nearest the fireplace and propped her right foot up on a pillow. He produced another icepack from somewhere and arranged it on her ankle, then tucked a blanket around her. He sat down on the sofa near her feet.
“Let’s eat,” Josh enthused, pulling covers off of plates. “Here’s Manda’s, and here’s yours.” He handed two plates to Richard, who passed one to Manda. She put the plate down on her lap and frowned. It was practically overflowing with food. Not one but two sandwiches were stacked on one half, while a giant heap of French fries threatened to spill off the other.
“You don’t expect me to eat all of this, do you?” Manda asked dubiously.
“Just eat what you want,” Richard chuckled. “You might be surprised by how hungry you are.” Manda didn’t think it likely that she’d be that hungry. She bit into one of the sandwiches, and rolled her eyes in approval. It was heavenly.
Everyone was apparently ravenous, because there was no more conversation until the meal was over. Or perhaps it was just that nobody wanted to mention the elephant in the room just yet. Manda had been hungrier than she thought. She polished off a sandwich and a half and made a respectable dent in the mountain of fries, not to mention the bottle of water she washed it down with.
When everyone was done, Josh stacked all of the dishes back onto the tray and set it aside on a table by the door. Then he returned to the chair by the fireplace and looked at Richard expectantly. Manda knew it was time for more explanations now and was suddenly assaulted by a fresh attack of nerves. Richard’s brow furrowed and he stood up and began to pace. Manda suspected that he was as nervous as she was.
“Are you up for this, Manda? Are you sure you want to do this right now?” he asked, stopping to look at her worriedly.
Manda was feeling much more prepared to deal with this conversation now that she was clean and well fed. She knew one fact with overriding certainty—she loved Richard and trusted him with her life. As long as he was with her, everything would be okay.
“I’m ready,” she assured him. “Tell me everything.”
Richard approached tentatively, as if afraid of frightening her. He sat down on the edge of the sofa, facing her as he’d done earlier. Manda promised herself she wouldn’t faint this time.
“So, what do you remember from before?” he asked her cautiously, and realization dawned on Manda. He was assuming—hoping?—that she’d forgotten his previous revelation, that it had been too much for her and when she’d fainted, she’d blocked it from her mind. After all, her attitude toward him hadn’t changed—it had still been playful and affectionate. Knowing Richard, he would think this meant she hadn’t processed the information. With sudden, blinding insight Manda understood. He was afraid to tell her the truth about himself; sure she would think he was some sort of monster. The flash of intuition sent a shiver through Manda and her nervousness vanished.
Richard blanched when she shivered. His face contorted in anguish for a split-second—a look that was quickly replaced by a sad smile. Manda laughed softly, and reached out to take his hand.
“Now who’s being ridiculous,” she admonished, and Richard frowned at her in confusion. �
�I remember that you were the lion who saved my life. I remember that you’ve taken care of me all day, when I couldn’t seem to take care of myself. And I remember that I love you, Richard Raines, no matter what.”
Relief transformed Richard’s face, and he smiled jubilantly. He pulled Manda close and kissed her, his arms encircling her tightly. Manda wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss, but after a few moments she squirmed uncomfortably and Richard immediately released her and sat back.
“What is it?” he asked anxiously.
“Ribs,” Manda explained, pressing her hand to her left side and wincing. “I just have to remember not to get carried away.” She grinned at Richard impishly and he chuckled. Manda sat back into the sofa cushions and divided a quizzical look between Richard and Josh. “So, I understand that you were somehow the lion and the dog, but what I want to know is how? I mean, that’s just impossible.”
“We’re therianthropes,” Josh explained eagerly.
“Shapeshifters,” Richard supplied, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.
“Josh too?” Manda exclaimed in surprise.
“Yep, me too,” Josh grinned.
“It’s a hereditary thing,” Richard explained. “Our parents are shapeshifters and so we both are as well.”
“What exactly does that mean, that you’re shapeshifters?” Manda asked numbly. Once again she had the feeling she’d fallen down the rabbit hole, or gone through the looking glass, or in some other way made a complete departure from reality. Her first and strongest response was disbelief but she’d seen the evidence with her own eyes. Now she just needed to somehow understand what she’d seen. “How does that work?”
“We can assume the shape of other animals exactly. Our thoughts are still our own, but our bodies become the animal’s,” Richard answered, encouraged by Manda’s curiosity.
“Any animal at all?”
”No,” Josh clarified, “We can only shift into forms we’ve collected, and then only into mammals and birds as a general rule. You know, warm-blooded animals. The closer the physiology is to our own, the easier the shift.”