Atticus by R.E. Butler
Chapter Twenty-One
Atticus dropped Lori off at the nail salon in the marketplace. She and Dani were getting their nails done by Adriana and Celeste and spending time getting to know each other. Dani’s family was unique—her step-dad was a stallion shifter, and her mom was human. Dani didn’t know about shifters until she met Neo. Her brother, Khyle, who was also a stallion shifter, lived in one of the empty houses in the gorilla’s private area because he was the only one of his kind in the park and was an honorary member of the band.
“Hey, Atticus.”
He turned and saw Eugene and Joss sitting at a table in the marketplace. He joined them, taking a seat when Joss motioned toward one. “Congratulations on your mating,” Joss said. “How is she getting along?”
“Good. After she gets her nails done, we’re going to the paddock so she can see me shift. She’s excited.”
“That’s great,” Eugene said. “We were just talking about my son.”
“Auden?” Atticus asked.
“No, Evan.”
“Oh, I haven’t seen him around in a while. Where is he?”
“He went to stay with a pack Joss knows. They had a good number of unmated females and Evan didn’t really want to wait for his soulmate. He was anxious to start a family, so he asked if he could join up with them temporarily to see if he likes any of the females enough to take as a mate.”
“I’m surprised he doesn’t want to wait,” Atticus said. “The younger generation seems to want to find their one-right-person.”
Eugene shrugged. “I’m kind of surprised too. But he’s ready to start a family, kind of hard to do that without a female.”
“Indeed,” Atticus said with a snort. “So has he had any luck?”
“He has, actually. Her name is Aletris.”
“Nice. Are they getting mated soon?”
“No, they’re promised to each other. Evan is actually on his way back here to pack up his things, but he’s going to stay for a month or two to earn some money so he has a nest egg to start off his mating.”
“Good for him,” Atticus said. His watch beeped and he said, “I need to go. I’ve got about forty-five minutes until Lori’s done with her nails, and I told August I’d help him rotate tires on one of the Jeeps before I go to the paddock with her.”
“See you later,” Eugene said.
“Enjoy your time in the paddock with your mate, it’s special,” Joss said.
“I will, see you both later.”
Atticus headed up to the maintenance shed where he helped August, then he hustled back to the nail salon in time to see Lori and Dani walk out of the small shop, their nails sparkling.
“Very cute,” he said as he kissed Lori’s cheek and looked at her purple sparkly toes.
“Thanks, I had fun. Did you get the tires rotated?”
“Yep. I’m all yours now.”
“Have fun,” Dani said. “I’m going to find my mate and show him my toes.”
They parted ways with Dani and walked to the gorilla’s private living area, utilizing the set of stairs that led up to the paddock. “Are you ready to see me shift, sweetheart?”
“Very much so. I feel like I missed it the first time because I was so scared.”
“I’m glad you’re not scared anymore.”
“It’s very freeing.”
In the shed, she changed into a beige uniform and boots.
“While I’m in my shift, we can clean up the paddock,” he said. “Sometimes humans throw trash near the fence or it gets blown over.”
“So you like bananas, right?” she asked, touching one of several bunches on a work table.
“Of course.”
“My mom was allergic to them, so I never had any growing up.”
“I’ll be sure to share with you.”
“Aw. Now, let’s get this party started. I can’t wait to see you change.”
He kissed her, caging her against the table. “I’m still me inside.”
“I know.”
“I just want you to remember that. I can’t talk, but I will be able to understand you. The outside might change, but I’m still me.”
“Thank you for the reminder, I promise not to faint like a damsel or run screaming away from you like a loon.”
He snorted. Damn he loved her. Giving her a quick kiss on the nose, he said, “Ready babe?”
“One hundred percent.”
* * *
Lori had no idea what to expect, because when she’d seen him change before, it had happened so fast her brain hadn’t really been able to comprehend it. She didn’t want to miss a thing this time, so she watched him closely as he stripped off his work uniform and revealed inch after inch of lightly tanned skin. His muscles made her mouth water and parts south tingle. No guy had ever affected her the way he did.
“You keep looking at me like that and I’m not going to be able to shift because I’ll be too busy bending you over the table for a good fuck.”
Her cheeks heated and she bit her bottom lip. “Sexy male. You can bend me over something later, but right now I really want to see your gorilla.”
“Whatever my sweetheart wants.”
She kept her gaze on him as he changed from human to gorilla. Dark fur sliding over smooth skin, his features changing from sexy man to beast. He sat back and stared at her, his dark eyes taking her all in. She went to him and touched him, her fingers sliding over the smooth fur and tracing the big muscles, up over his shoulder and down his back. He felt like he was made of steel and covered with velvet.
“Just so you know, I’m not scared. I mean, it’s still weird to see. You were just standing there all naked and sexy and now you’re a gorilla. It’s kind of hard to believe even though I watched it with my own eyes. I don’t think I even blinked!” She laughed and came around to his front. Cupping his big head, she leaned forward and rested her forehead against his. She closed her eyes and inhaled, finding him smelling like the jungle and sunshine.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She hugged him and then patted his shoulder. “Let’s go out to the paddock. I’m excited to explore it.”
She grabbed a bunch of bananas. He pushed open the door and then closed it once they were outside. They were alone in the paddock. The tour wasn’t open until later in the afternoon, so they didn’t have to worry about any humans seeing them together or wondering what she was doing in there, even though she was wearing a zookeeper’s uniform.
He took a banana she offered and opened it, scooping out some and holding it up for her. She took the piece and popped it in her mouth. He finished the rest and then took another one. He ate while they walked and listened as she talked about her life. She had a small bag for trash, which they picked up as they walked around. When they reached the back corner, where the bodies of the men who’d hunted her for two decades had been burned to ash, she stopped.
The pyre had been covered with a chemical that burned extremely hot to hurry the process along. It had worked. When there was nothing but ash, they’d tilled the area and laid sod down. It didn’t look any different from the rest of the paddock, but she knew it was a place where a great evil had been put down for good. Atticus had done that for her. He’d killed for her, been willing to die to keep her safe.
Atticus made a curious sound. She hadn’t realized she’d been crying until she felt a tear slip down her cheek. She brushed them away and sniffled. “I was just thinking how very amazing you are, and how much it means to me that you came for me and saved me. I’m glad I’m free and that you were the one to make it happen. You were a catalyst for me. I feel like I was a caterpillar caged by his bad intentions and then you came and set me free and now I’m a butterfly.”
He grunted and it sounded like a chuckle. “I guess that’s pretty corny, but it’s how I feel. Because of you I can sleep without nightmares. You’re everything to me.”
He nodded and let out a grumble of agreement. “Let’s get back to our walk. Now, what was I telling you about? Oh, right! The time I was babysitting when I was fourteen, and their dog got out and ran away. Man, was that a disaster! I did get him back to the house though, I jangled his leash and told him we were going for a walk, and he bolted right back into the house.”
She started to laugh as he let out his gorilla-version of a chuckle.
When they’d walked the perimeter of the paddock, they moved to the pond and sat near the edge, watching the water and enjoying each other’s company. She even dozed off, leaning against him while listening to the birds in the trees. By the time they were back in the shed and he had shifted back to human, she felt closer to him than any person on the planet.
“So now you just have to tell me all about yourself for a few hours straight and we’ll be even,” she said as she stripped from the uniform and changed back into her clothes. He dressed as she hung up the uniform on a nearby hook.
He grabbed her around the waist and pushed her gently against the table. “I’m pretty sure I made some promises about how the rest of our day would go, sweetheart.”
Her skin prickled and her stomach flipped. “I remember,” she murmured as she tilted her face up for a kiss that he readily gave.
“Good,” he said. “Then let’s go home so I can see how many times I can make you scream my name.”
“I love that idea,” she said. “Let’s put a pin in talking until later.”
“Much later.”
She murmured in agreement as he gave her another kiss and then hurried down the stairs to the private area, pulling her with him. She laughed at how fast he moved, and once they reached the area, he swung her into his arms and raced to their home.
She was as eager as he was, and her laughter soon changed to moans as they tumbled to bed together, shouting each other’s names into the night.
