Page 22 of Cats and Dogs

Chapter 10

The Wolf

No, he wasn’t her mate, dammit. It was just wishful thinking because they'd talked of it the previous day, and because he looked like that.

She recalled seeing him in the clearing, walking next to his father a year ago; she'd thought to herself that it was too bad that he was part of a pack of dicks, because he was hot. So was his brother, to be honest. A strong jaw, light blond hair, and those eyes; light brown, with long lashes that were wasted on a guy. She would have killed for perfect lashes like that; no need for mascara.

Hunter Force was standing in front of the door, a little boy behind him. Ian and Rye were talking to him, but he ignored both, his eyes cutting right through to her as she walked down the staircase.

"Christine Taylor, right?"

Caught by surprise, she did the dumbest thing she could think of and just swallowed the toothpaste.

Actually, that wasn't nearly as gross as she'd imagined. "Hey, stalker."

His eyes went from her eyes to her naked feet, and went back up to her mouth, taking everything in. Then he smiled. "Fan of elephants?"

Because, obviously, she had to be wearing her pink elephant cotton set. The universe wouldn't have had it any other way.

"You aren't?" she countered, lifting a judgmental brow.

He smiled slowly.

That was one sexy smile.

"My wolf would disagree. When I was in Africa few years back, my pal and I came across a parade. They had youths and that makes them very protective. I didn't want to have to defend myself against them, so I had to run out of there at full speed. Only, a few young males ran after me."

The kids, curious as they were, had started to gather in front of the living room, listening in.

"What happened to your pal?" Hsu asked.

Redirecting his gaze from Christine to the little girl, Hunter crouched to be at her level.

"I told him to stay put. See, wild animals can tell we're here because we're predators; we spook them a lot. But my pal was human and he could hide. There were some tall plants near the water point where the parade had gathered; he stayed put, and silent, until they'd moved on. Then, he rushed to the car because it's not smart to stay near water."

"Why?" a little voice piped in.

Christine saw the big bad wolf freeze, and his eyes widened, before softening, as Lola came out of the living room, and advanced toward him without hesitating.

The other kids had stayed at a distance instinctively, although no doubt whoever filled them in this morning had told them he wasn't dangerous. But Lola went right to him, standing very close.

Christine felt like she'd intruded on a private moment but she couldn't make herself move.

"Because, little one," said the wolf, at long last, "water is rare in Africa and all kinds of animals go to it. Including some who might have seen him as a nice dinner."

She giggled, unfazed. Shifter kids were generally taught the laws of nature right along with sweet fairy tales.

"What were you guys doing there, then?" Daniel wanted to know.

"Studying a rift. My friend and I were researchers. But, to tell you the truth, we should have been a lot smarter about it all. Our professor told us off. You know, after laughing at us, because Tim was scared and covered in mud, and I looked like I'd run seven marathons. Which I had."

The wolf was good with kids. She didn't know why it surprised her so much, after everything she'd heard about him.

"Did you see lions in Africa?" Jasper asked, unsurprisingly; he was a lion shifter, and shifters always found the actual animals they changed into fascinating.

"One, yes. I saw more tigers in India."

The kids were sold, just like that. Even Christine had to admit that the guy had her attention. She rushed back upstairs, finished with her teeth, and got dressed at the speed of light, before returning downstairs. He was now seated in the living room, telling them about his travels.

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