A Lion’s Mate by Eve Langlais
Chapter Eight
Fluffy was having the time of her life when the door bounced open. Zach gaped in the frame.
“What did you do?” he exclaimed.
She grinned as she patted the foam expanding all over. “Bubble bath.”
Imagine her surprise when the tub began to fill as she showered. A hot basin of water that she dropped into. Pouring a bottle filled with smelly goo, it frothed. Multiplied. The foam getting bigger and bigger. Spilling into the small room.
It kept expanding and tickled her nose. She sneezed, and the bubbles exploded all over. When she blinked her wet lashes, Zach wore a full white beard.
She giggled as she imagined him in a red suit, jiggling a round belly.
“Not funny. Water damage is no joke.” He reached over and turned off the tap.
Her lips turned down. “Bubbles.”
“You have enough bubbles and too much water,” he exclaimed as it sloshed over the sides.
He reached into the tub and rooted around.
His face went through a few expressions before settling on disgusted. He withdrew her plug of hair. He gagged as he turned from her, tossed it into the toilet, and flushed.
“You ruined my bath,” she complained as the water drained.
“Next time, take a proper one that doesn’t cause damage, and you’ll enjoy it longer.”
“Meanie.” She glared.
He didn’t seem to care. He held out the towel and looked away. “Let’s go, Fluffs.”
She stood, and the suds clung to her skin. She stepped into the fabric he held out, and he wrapped it around her, patting her dry. Usually, she shivered by a steam vent until most of the moisture was gone. This was nicer.
“How’s your wound?” he asked.
“Gone.” She grabbed the towel and showed him.
He went tense and said, “Looking good.”
“Am I?” she said softly. She dropped the towel entirely. Stepped closer to him on impulse. Felt the flutter that happened every time he got near.
“Behave.”
“Am I being bad?” She knew on some level she was teasing. Flirting even, as she didn’t recall ever doing it before.
“Don’t.” He grabbed a fresh towel and wrapped it around her. “Not all men will respect you. They might take advantage.”
She understood enough to smirk. “Then I’ll eat them.”
“You’re not in the Arctic anymore, Fluffs. You can’t just eat the things that annoy you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ll go to jail.”
The word had her seeing another kind of cage. She shuddered.
“Let’s find you some clothes.” He led her from the bathroom to a small room featuring a skinny bed atop drawers, a dresser beside it, and posters all over of very athletic men and women. The scent belonged primarily to Zach.
“You live here?” she asked, trailing her fingers over the wood and eyeing the statues on it. Trophies was the proper word, and she read his name on each one. Look at that, she could read.
“I don’t live here anymore. But I grew up in this house.”
“With your parents.” Because that was how it worked.
“My dad only. My mom left when I was young.”
“Mine left me, too.” Her lips turned down. “I don’t remember my mom.” Only the death. She didn’t remember any of her family. Only her purpose. She veered from the sad topic to ask the most pressing question.
“When are we going to find it?”
He glanced at her. “Find what?”
“The special box. We have to find it. Make it safe.” The need to secure it beat inside her and roused her anxiety.
His lips pursed. “I don’t know where it is.”
How could he not feel its pull? She pointed. “That way.” The direction tugged at her.
“That way isn’t enough. You’re going to need to be more specific. Can you give me a name? A landmark? Mountain? Or a lake?”
“Mountain!” The syllables evoked a strong image. “A range of them, they’re huge, the tops of them touch the sky in places. The valleys are lush and green.”
“Sounds like you’re describing the Rockies.”
It was as if a bell went off inside her. She smiled. “Yes. The Rockies.”
“Guess we’ve got a location, then. I’ll book us some plane tickets.”
The thing that flew in the air? She shook her head. “No. No planes.”
“We wouldn’t be travelling with the luggage this time.”
“No.”
“We could take a train. But that would really cause a delay.”
“Train? Choo. Choo.” She chuckled as he handed her a clean shirt—his shirt with his scent on it. He also handed her soft pants. Fabric too, for her feet.
“If you want to find that box, then the quicker, the better. Think about it while I clean up your mess.”
“I’ll help.”
For some reason, he looked appalled. “You’ve done enough for one day. Get dressed. If you can’t sleep, find my dad in the kitchen. He’ll probably have more food for you.”
Food? That had her dressing quickly, even before he left, slamming the door.
She got all the large pieces on and then headed out to find Joe.
The man was in the kitchen, using a stool to spin from stove, to counter, to sink. He cooked.
Her tummy rumbled.
He didn’t even look as he said, “Have a seat. I’ve got something coming out of the oven you’ll want to try.”
She fidgeted and was glad when he spoke. Mostly questions that she answered with one or two words.
A restlessness filled her as if she should be moving. The box needed her.
Pulled her.
She took a bite of the hot thing on a plate that Joe slid in front of her. It was beyond delicious.
Between bites of the fresh cinnamon rolls with gooey icing, she told Zach’s dad her life story, which didn’t currently amount to much. She didn’t remember a childhood. And her time in the cave was a blur.
Zach returned and reached for a treat. “Ooh, yummy.”
She wanted to slap his hand, but had a stupid thing going on in her head for some reason: Sharing is caring. She wasn’t sure how depriving herself showed care, but she allowed it.
Then she stared overlong at how he ate the pastry. His lips probably sweet from the sugar, he groaned in pleasure. Having groaned herself, she understood.
She paid attention suddenly to the argument in front of her.
“You should drive,” Joe exclaimed.
“Drive where?” Zach asked, licking his fingers before reaching for a napkin. Was that allowed with these treats?
“Fluffy was telling me about how you need to visit the Rockies to find a treasure.”
He glanced at her. “You told him about the box.”
Her shoulders lifted. “He asked.”
“It’s supposed to be a secret.”
“It is? No one told me that.”
His mouth opened and shut. “Shit. It never occurred to me.”
“Not a good secret. You know,” she reminded, “Nora. Peter. Hayder.” A name she’d heard the first night they met.
“Add a few more,” he muttered. “I get it.”
“You saying I can’t keep a secret, boy?”
“Joe won’t tell.” Fluffy grinned at him.
Joe beamed. “Already smarter than you, I see.”
“What can I say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
His father harrumphed, and Zach smirked. Both stubborn, and yet she felt the bond between them. Strong.
“We can drive to the box?” she asked. When she’d talked with Joe, they’d gone through the various scenarios. Flying scared her. Trains were less than straight forward and tedious.
“By car will take days,” Zach remarked.
“Days of you losing whoever might be following,” his dad argued.
“I don’t know. My car’s not good outside the city.” Zach shook his head.
“Stupid electric cars. What you going to do when the apocalypse hits and the electronics stop working? Huh?” His dad snorted.
“Borrow your gas-guzzling Impala.” The males went at it again.
“Over my dead body,” Joe snarled.
“Here’s to hoping it slows down the zombies while I make my escape.” Zach smirked.
The men stared at each other, and she waited for their next verbal attack. Or would it get physical? She couldn’t help but be fascinated, and for some reason, she craved something salty and crunchy to complete her utter enjoyment.
Eventually, Joe relented. “Since it’s for a good cause, you can borrow her, but I expect the Monica to come back in pristine condition. No eating inside.”
“It’s vinyl. You do realize it just wipes off.”
“No. Eating,” his dad emphasized.
“Fine. No food. I’ll pack it with a few things, and we’ll get going before four.”
“Are you insane? You need a little more time to prep.”
“It will take me literally five minutes to put a bag together.”
“For you?” his father argued. “Your lady friend needs clothes.”
“She’s wearing clothes,” Zach stated.
“Even foot sweaters,” she said, holding out her foot where it dangled loosely.
“She looks ridiculous,” Joe hissed.
No, she didn’t. She glanced at her bold red shirt with slashes of white with buttons, and her green pants. “I like it.”
“See, she likes it,” Zach parroted.
Joe shook his head. “Idiot. If Nora or any of the biatches find out you didn’t get her stuff, then you’ll go missing. When that happens, I am turning your bedroom into an office.”
“You don’t even own a computer, old man.”
“Don’t sass me, boy, or I will get the belt.”
“You’ve never owned a belt.”
“Because suspenders are a man’s best friend.” Joe snapped a strap.
“You’re always arguing. This is why I moved out. Forget staying here. We’re leaving, Fluffy. I’ll call the Pride for a ride.”
“Leave because you can’t handle the truth,” Joe hotly declared.
They fought because of her. She put her hand on Zach’s arm. He froze.
“Stay. I’ll go find the box.” He didn’t need to help her.
Both men snorted.
“As if you’re going alone,” Zach stated with a roll of his eyes.
“Your lady friend needs to work on her sense of humor because that wasn’t even close to funny. I’ll get some food together for you to take.”
“And we’ll hit the thrift shop and get her outfitted. Happy?”
“Very.” Joe smiled.
And she was confused. What happened to their battle?
Suddenly, they were the staunchest allies. She narrowed her gaze. Had they just fooled her?
Zach insisted that she wear shoes. The things for her feet were uncomfortable, a wedge of plastic between her toes, keeping it on her foot. It slapped loudly every time she took a step.
“Good thing it’s almost spring,” he said as they headed out for the store.
“It’s hot,” she complained at the bright sky.
“It’s thirty degrees Fahrenheit. Hardly.”
“Bah,” she grumbled, shrugging off the heavy coat he’d told her to wear.
Only because people kept staring did she put it back on and move closer to Zach. In the Arctic, she was an apex predator. But out here, outnumbered with the humans and all their knowledge, she was out of her element.
Entering the store, an impression of too much stuff closing in the space almost sent her running. But then she saw a pretty color.
The pale pink belonged to shoes—pretty ones with a heel and a bow.
She turned to Zach and knew with every ounce of her being, “I need those shoes.”
