While they ate, Chad told Bull about his conversation with Rome and Bull relayed the results of his talk with the receptionist. “I spoke with Alice. Caught her right before her shift ended. She doesn’t know the florist’s name but said it’s the same woman who made all of the deliveries. Get this. She said that originally, the driver said there was only one flower arrangement to be dropped off. But, before Alice could sign for it, she remembered that there was another one on the back of the truck and went to retrieve it. Alice thought it was odd because when she signed the form, there was still only one delivery listed.”
“Does she remember which one was added?”
“Sure thing. Ten guesses which one?”
“The peace lily.”
He pointed his fork at Chad. “Ding, ding, ding, ding. Give the man a cigar. Got it on the first try.”
“We need to tell Rome.”
“Already ahead of you. Called him soon as we left.”
“So what happens now?” Meka asked.
“Now we wait. She’s beginning to make mistakes. One of them will lead us to her,” Chad told her with more confidence than he was feeling.
The next day was quiet. Chad was underfoot all day, refusing to leave the room, which seemed to shrink by the hour.
Alex still wouldn’t let her check out of or even leave the clinic, stating he wanted her under constant observation, just in case. If she didn’t get out of the room soon, she was going to lose it.
Alex must have realized it. “Look, I can’t let you leave, but the clinic is built in the shape of a square around a center courtyard. You can go out there and sit, feel the breeze on your skin and the sun in your face and still be protected.”
“At this point, I’ll take whatever I can get, as long as it gets me out of this room.”
It helped tremendously, but it still wasn’t home.
“I want to go home,” she whined for the fourth time in an hour. “I want my house, my space, my things. I’m sick of being stuck in this place.”
“Well, you can’t. Not until Alex says it’s safe.”
“I don’t see why I have to stay. I’m perfectly healthy. Alex said so himself. Why won’t he let me leave? What can they do for me that you aren’t already doing? If something happens—
which I seriously doubt—you can pick up the phone and give him a call,” she complained as she paced back and forth, kicking at the occasional obstacle in her path.
“You’re just bored.”
She threw up her hands. “And you’re not?” He sighed. “Meka.”
She knew she was being a bitch, but she felt like a prisoner.
Her skin was crawling with the need to do something—anything.
“You want something to do? Fine. Let’s see if you can shift into your wolf form.”
“What?”
“You heard me. You have to do it some time. Might as well be now. Take off your clothes.”
She looked around nervously, feeling like there was thousands of eyes watching her. “Here? Now? What if someone sees me?”
“There’s no one around and even if there were, nudity doesn’t bother shifters. We spend half our time in the buff.”
“Well, it bothers me.”
“Meka.” The way he growled her name cautioned that she was trying his patience. She reluctantly began to strip.
See what happens when you complain, Meka.
Not now, Momma E.
Momma E.’s chuckle slowly faded away.
“You smell that?” The expression on his face was the same one in the truck that day when Momma E made her first appearance.
Playing dumb, she sniffed the air and gave Chad an innocent look. “Smell what?”
When Chad narrowed his eyes at her, she remembered that shifters can smell lies. Oops!
“Never mind,” he told her. “It’s gone now.” She slowly let out the breath she’d been holding. Explaining about her dead grandmother was not on today’s ‘to do’ list.
“Take off your clothes,” she suddenly commanded.
“Why?”
“’Cause you’re not going to have me out here naked by myself. Now strip.”
He took off his t-shirt and jeans and tossed them to the side.
As per usual, he went commando. When she saw his erection, she reached out a hand to stroke it and suggested, “You know, we could just go back to the room and make love again.”
“No.” He knocked her hand away before it could connect.
“Stop trying to sidetrack me.”
“Fine,” she huffed. “Now what?”
“Think about your wolf. Remember that sensation when we were on the bed and you felt it move? Concentrate on that.”
“Is this going to hurt? ‘Cause I really don’t like pain,” she warned him.
“It only hurts if you fight the change, so don’t fight it.”
“Easy for you to say,” she muttered.
“Meka, concentrate.”
“I’m concentrating, or I will as soon as you quit talking to me.”
He huffed at her and placed his hands on his hips. “You’re stalling. We’ll stay out here all day if we have to.”
“All right already. I’ll do it, just don’t look at me. I can’t think with you—and that—staring at me.” She waved a hand at his straining penis.
He rolled his eyes, then turned his back. “Is this better?”
“Not really,” she muttered. The man’s rear was just as luscious at the front. Knowing she had no choice, Meka stopped playing around and got serious. She closed her eyes, trying to recapture the feeling she’d had yesterday.
Here, wolfie. Don’t you want to come out and play, wolfie?
Nothing.
She shook her shoulders to loosen the knots and tried again.
After a few minutes passed, she gave up. “Chad, it’s not working.”
He turned to face her. “Are you really trying, Meka?”
“I said I would, didn’t I? Yes, I tried and nothing happened.”
“Hmmm, maybe you’re too self-conscious about being naked. Those times when you felt it stirring, what were you thinking about?”
“You.”
“Come here.”
She walked over to him.
“Come closer.”
She stopped when their toes touched.
“Now, open up your senses like you did yesterday and smell me.”
She leaned in so that her nose brushed his chest.
“Don’t think about anything but my scent,” he said in a soft voice.
Her hands came up to hold him by the waist and she rubbed her nose against him, wanting to wallow in his essence.
“That’s right, baby. Rub yourself against me. I’m your mate.
You want my scent covering you, don’t you?” She did. He smelled so good, but lower smelled even better.
He dropped to his knees and she followed, bending on hands and knees until her nose was buried in his pubic hair, sniffing all around his root and balls.
“Meka, look at me, baby.”
She rolled her eyes up until she could see him.
“Your eyes are glowing. Follow me, babe. Just let it happen.” He rolled over onto his side and shifted.
Meka felt a searing heat, saw a flash of light, and then a tingling sensation engulfed her from head-to-toe. When her eyes opened, the world looked funny, all variant shades of gray.
You did it, baby. You’re a wolf.
Yeah, yeah, that was nice, but back to that luscious scent.
She went back to rubbing her muzzle in his groin.
Muzzle?
She plopped onto her behind and looked down. She had fur…and paws. She brought her right paw up felt her nose. She was a wolf. She did it.
Now how do I change back?
Chad laughed. One thing at a time. First I want you to get comfortable in your wolf body. Take a few steps. Run and play.