NightCritters2:FauxPaws

Chapter One

The door of Enrique’s bar slammed open, and the icy blast of winter heralded the entrance of the only customer Lucky had seen that afternoon. He gave her a friendly welcoming smile and continued to polish the glass in his hand. He was insanely glad someone had braved the icy chill to warm themselves at the bar.

From the top of her deep purple hair to the bottom of her laced platform boots the girl was all old-fashioned Goth Revival from the early twenty-first century. She unfolded the weird red and orange cloak she wore to reveal it was her wings. She had to be one of the oddest looking Nephylum Lucky had ever seen. Normally Nephylum were airy creatures with white wings, but hers were the color of fire. Peridot green eyes scanned the room and fell on Lucky. The Nephylum folded her wings back with a snap and marched over. She dropped a huge tote bag at her feet, slammed her fist on the bar and winced. “Give me a whiskey neat and a bag of ice for my hand.”

Lucky studied her frowning face for a long moment. This had to be one of the less common Michael Nephylum, so named for the famous Archangel. Rumor Control had it Michael Nephs were much feistier than the gentle Gabriel Nephylum he was used to. Still, rules were rules, and he had to check to see if she was legal. “ID, please. You don’t look old enough to drink.”

She put her wrist ident badge into the reader. Impatiently, she waited while Lucky looked over her profile on the screen. “Satisfied?”

He looked up and smiled. Lucky hit the button to wipe the screen and nodded his head. “Yes, Charmaine. Thank you.”

The girl scowled and straightened her shoulders. “It’s Charm. Only my parents call me Charmaine.”

Lucky slid the whiskey in front of her and leaned on the dark mahogany top. “My apologies, Charm. Is there anything else I can get for you?”

Charm picked up the glass and downed the Kentucky whiskey in one shot. Impressively, she didn’t even cough like most Nephs when they drank alcohol. She slammed the glass back on the bar. “Another whiskey and the ice for my hand.”

Lucky looked down and winced in sympathy at the petite hand with its swollen, red knuckles. She’d have bruises by morning. “May I ask what happened?” He put some ice in a bar towel and handed it to her.

She put the towel on her knuckles and winced. “Just some testosterone junkie outside who wouldn’t take a repeated ‘no’ for an answer. So I gave him an answer he would understand.”

The door to the bar slammed open, and the town bully stomped in. His whiny scum of a sidekick slunk in behind him.

Lucky rolled his eyes to the ceiling, but smiled affably. To keep his hands busy, he returned to polishing glasses with a clean towel. “Hello, Kent.” He could tell by the red spot on the side of Kent’s face that he was the “testosterone junkie” who’d accosted Charm. Just like the big jerk, hitting on anything with tits and a pulse.

Kent and Lucky had known each other since they were pups in preschool, and Kent always made it a point to remind Lucky of his inability to shift. Needless to say, they’d never gotten along.

Kent’s brown eyes screamed anger -- fists balled up, jaw muscles twitching while he clenched his teeth. Kent’s sidekick, Josh, tagged along after him. “You Nephylum bitch. You will regret ever laying your hands on me.”

Charm lazily looked up. Her wings had been fading to a soft black, but fire colors licked at the edges as if they’d burst into flame at any moment. She studied her drink and drawled her words with languid contempt. “I didn’t lay my hands on you, I laid my fist on you. Don’t tell me you want more.” She pushed away from the bar and stood up to him.

Lucky had to admire the way the little shrimp defied the town bully without even knowing who or what he was. These Michael Nephylum definitely were firebrands. Apparently they were as temperamental as the element they were rumored to control.

Kent looked down at her and then back to Lucky. His cheek had started to swell up in competition with his large ego and puffed out chest. “You gonna come out here and protect the Nephylum slut, Faux Paws?”

Lucky’s spine stiffened and he dropped the towel. His eyebrows drew together and his fists clenched. He resisted the urge to jump over the bar and show Kent how to act like a gentlebeing once and for all. Lucky really didn’t want to ruin the hand-crafted woodwork he’d finished that morning for his brother’s bar. Because he knew doing so would piss Kent off more, Lucky made a show of studying Kent’s rapidly swelling face. “It seems the lady can take care of herself.”

Kent smiled, his canines sharp and glistening. His contempt for Lucky was clear. “Coward. Just like a Faux Paws.”

Charm took a step back, frowned and looked back and forth between Kent and Lucky. “What the hell is a Faux Paws?”

Kent stepped up next to Charm and draped his arm over her shoulder. He ignored her wrinkled nose at his body odor. “A Faux Paws, my dear skanky angel, is a werewolf who can’t shift. Lucky here might as well be human.”

Lucky’s blood boiled. If there was one thing he would not tolerate, it was being called human. Screw the bar. He jumped over it and leaped at Kent. His fist connected with the werewolf’s infamous glass jaw. The punch knocked Kent back several steps.

Josh, with his finely honed sense of self-preservation, dove out of the way. Lucky didn’t spare him a second thought.

Kent shook his head to clear his eyes and took a step toward Lucky. His brindle gray fur crawled from beneath his skin like a disease, and his body odor rose to an eye watering level. Never the cleanest wolf around, Kent’s lack of hygiene had obviously gotten worse since school. No surprise there.

Charm gagged and sneezed. She stepped back a pace, and her gaze darted around the room frantically.

Lucky closed his eyes, not wanting to see the knuckles coming at his face. He’d thrown the first punch, and it seemed sporting to let Kent have a shot before Lucky beat his ass bloody. He heard a loud crack and splintering wood. He opened his eyes.

Charm stood over Kent’s unconscious body with what was left of a bar stool in her hands. She planted her boot square in the middle of Kent’s back and held him there.

Impressed with her quick thinking, Lucky bowed to the lady. “Thank you.”

Charm dropped the splintered stool on top of Kent. “What kind of wolf are you? You were actually going to stand there and take the punch?” She went behind the bar to make her own drink. She stumbled and looked down at something Lucky couldn’t see. “What the hell are you doing?”

Joshua, Kent’s cowardly sidekick, stood up and leaped over the bartender’s gate, never taking his eyes off of Charm, and ran for the door.

Lucky joined Charm at the bar. “Leave it to Kent to align himself with sludge.” He downed the shot Charm poured for him and slammed the glass down on the bar.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the bartender?” She winked and refilled both glasses.

“You’re doing a fine job. Enrique would probably hire you if you need a job.” Lucky couldn’t quite put his finger on what was so attractive about her. Maybe it was her coloring, or perhaps her indomitable spirit, but whatever it was, she was sexy as hell.

Before Lucky could finish his thought Charm leaped over the bar, her wings fully extended, flaming and beautiful. A metal object flashed in her hand. She landed on the floor in front of Kent, who wielded a chair clearly aimed for Lucky’s back.

Kent dropped the chair and fell to his knees, whining like a little girl.

Lucky cringed when he saw Charm had Kent by the balls with a pair of ice tongs. No matter how much he despised the werewolf, the male in him sympathized with the concept of a pair of ice-cold tongs biting into tender balls.

Charm hunched over and leaned in close to Kent’s face. Her green eyes stared into his terrified brown ones. “You will leave me alone. I have no interest in you. If you do not leave me alone, I will claim these as mine and hang them from my rearview mirror.”

“Drop the weapon, ma’am, and step away from him.”

Lucky and Charm spun around. The voice that came out of nowhere belonged to the county sheriff. Charm dropped the ice tongs on the floor and casually moved away to lean against the bar.

The sheriff holstered his gun and walked toward them. “Lucky, what’s going on here?”

Lucky put an innocent smile on his face. Enrique would kill him for the furniture as it was, but getting the bar closed down for a fight would be infinitely worse. “Nothing, Sheriff Jones. Just a misunderstanding.”

The sheriff looked at the three of them with his hands on his hips. Kent lay whining on the floor, tears in his eyes. Charm picked dirt from underneath her nails, completely disinterested in the whole scene. Not one hair on her head was ruffled.

Lucky nodded to himself. No matter what the truth was, Kent was the only one injured. Oh, yeah, they were going downtown.

“Where is Enrique?” The sheriff looked around the bar.

“He’s on vacation for a week. I’m taking care of the bar while he’s gone.” Lucky bent over to pick up some of the scattered wood.

Sheriff Jones turned in a full circle and did a quick survey of the damage. “Looks like you’re doing a damn fine job. Broken furniture, one man down on the floor, and a call in for disturbing the peace.” He turned his eyes back to Lucky. “This doesn’t look like a misunderstanding. It looks to me like you were harassing a customer.”

Startled, Lucky looked up from his armful of broken furniture. “I don’t consider Kent a customer -- just a nuisance.” Why did this always happen to him? “Sir, Kent was harassing this woman, who is a customer.” Lucky gestured toward Charm, who hadn’t even looked up from her nails.

The law officer glared at Lucky in disbelief. “Right. I can tell she fought real hard. I’m going to take you all downtown for questioning till I can figure this out. Everybody outside.”

Lucky rolled his eyes and stomped behind the bar. He dumped the shattered remains of the stool in the corner for later repair. “Let me lock up first.”

Charm shrugged. She shot Kent a nasty look full of promise of further pain. “Yippee. I’m going to jail. Are we all three going to be in the same cell?”

Sheriff Jones shook his head, and his lips twitched as if he were trying not to smile. He cuffed the whining Kent and brandished a pair of wrap ties for both Lucky and Charm. “No, ma’am. I want this fellow in one piece to face the judge.”

Chapter Two

Charm sat across from Lucky in the holding cell with silence wrapped around them. She didn’t want to talk to the person who was the reason she’d been arrested for -- of all things -- disturbing the peace. She hadn’t disturbed the peace. She had been fighting, no matter how literally, to keep the peace. If Lucky had stayed out of her way, none of this would have happened.

She felt naked without her body jewelry. They’d even made her remove her clit ring. How embarrassing and annoying! At least the body cavity search was now done with a scope instead of prying fingers. Yech!

Lucky wanted to say something to her. His mouth kept opening and closing, but no sound emerged. He resembled a stranded fish, except for the occasional glowers in her direction. Surely he didn’t blame her for what those two useless louts had done. She hadn’t invited the twits in.

She wasn’t going to force the issue to make him speak. Speak? She would really have to stop thinking of the handsome werewolf -- er, were-uh-critter -- as a trained dog she could give biscuits to after a trick. Her mind skittered briefly to some horizontal tricks she wished he’d do, and she slapped herself mentally. This was no place to get horny. Maybe after they got out…

They both looked up when the guard came to the iron barred door. He eyed them both with a smile on his face. “Thornburn, you made bail.” The guard unlocked the cell.

Lucky stood up and glanced back at her. Amusement, or perhaps sympathy, flickered in his ice-blue eyes. Why did he have to be such a hot-bodied sex crime? The standard prison jumpsuit, which made her look like a sack of potatoes, was like runway gold on him. So not fair.

Recognition had her tired brain cells on full alert. Thornburn? She knew the name. Her mother always talked about a were-dog named Roni Thornburn. Her best friend in the world. Lucky was Roni’s son -- the one who was born in human form. Her father and his father, Corbin Thornburn, had been really close before they’d moved. Charm had never met them, but with the way her parents talked about them, she had plans to look the whole pack up and introduce herself. What a great first impression she had made. That was her -- all full of grace and charm. Literally.

Her face heated to scorching. Now she was very glad she hadn’t called Mommy and Daddy to come bail her out like the whiny dough-faced mouth-breathers she’d gone to school with.

Lucky turned back to the guard. “What about Charm? Didn’t she make bail? I’m not leaving her here.”

What was it with this guy? Wasn’t chivalry dead and the day of independent women upon them? Charm stood up and stomped over to Lucky. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a big girl.” She growled through clenched teeth to let him know she was serious. “I can pay my own way.”

Lucky grinned at her. The cocky smirk seemed like it didn’t happen often from what she’d seen of the dour bartender, but there was a first time for everything. “How are you going to do that from in here?”

Was that a challenge? How’d he known her weakness for dares and puzzles? Charm jutted out her chin and took the dare, hook, line, and sinker. “I’ll post my own damn bail.”

Lucky’s blue eyes twinkled in the fluorescent lighting. “You left your purse at the bar.”

Touché. Charm crossed her arms across her chest. Stymied again. She’d wiggle out of this yet, somehow. “Then I’ll wait here for you to fetch my purse.” She slapped herself internally for the “fetch” part.

Lucky mimicked her by crossing his arms across his muscular chest. “I don’t fetch. If you want to sit in here, that’s fine. I’ll see you during visiting hours.” Lucky turned and walked out of the cell.

Kicking herself the entire time, Charm took two steps forward. “Lucky, wait.”

He turned around with victory dancing in his eyes.

Charm picked at the sleeve hem of her sturdy jumpsuit. The ball of humiliation twisted like a nest of snakes in her belly. She would not use her one call to beg for help from her parents. Dammit, she had enough cash in the bank to buy his fucking bar if necessary. All she needed was her magno-cards. “I’ll pay you back in full when I get my purse.”

Lucky nodded. He’d won, and, graciously, didn’t even have a glint in his eye. “No need to kill yourself financially. We can make payment arrangements. I’ll dial up a cab while you change.” He walked away before she could tell him to kiss her ass.

Once she’d changed out of the high-fashion blazing orange jumpsuit, Charm met Lucky in front of the precinct clerk. He didn’t look very happy, but that almost seemed a normal thing for him. The guy was wrapped in a permanent gloom. Wordlessly, he handed her a piece of paper.

Charm studied the receipt for her bail and nearly fainted. For a simple disturbing the peace charge? “Fifty thousand dollars? Why the hell was it so high?”

The not-so gregarious bartender took the receipt back and folded the yellow paper into his wallet. He shrugged his shoulders and slipped his wallet into his black pants. “Maybe they charged a fee for your mouth. It seems to never shut up.”

“Listen here, you arrogant ass. Who are you to say anything?” Charm couldn’t believe he had just said that. “Just because you don’t have the balls to stand up for yourself when people call you Faux --”

“You finish that sentence, and I’ll ask for a refund and leave your cute ass here.” He walked out the front doors.

Charm trotted to keep up with him. He had the keys to the damn bar, and she needed to get her purse.

A tall man stepped out of the shadows of the columns decorating the exterior of the courthouse, effectively blocking their way to the waiting cab. Lucky stopped short, then staggered forward when Charm plowed right into his back.

The elegantly dressed stranger was taller than Lucky, but he didn’t have the same build. He resembled a paper pusher who visited the gym multiple times a week instead of one who did true physical labor. His lip curled into a polite sneer. “Hello, Lucky.”

Lucky frowned, obviously not pleased to see this man. “What’s up, JR?” The casual nature of the acknowledgment seemed forced. JR was probably another guy who tortured Lucky about not being able to change.

“Not much. Just stopping by to see how some permits are coming along.” JR slid past Lucky and eyed Charm with curiosity. “Who is your Nephylum friend?”

Lucky spun around and crouched, ready to spring into another fight. Did the guy want to end up back in the slammer again over needlessly protecting her? How much chivalry and chauvinism could one guy have in his testosterone-poisoned brain, anyway? “None of your concern. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do at Enrique’s bar.”

JR smiled. “Break something else? Just like a Faux Paws. They never do learn grace.”

Stepping in between Lucky and JR, Charm shot JR a killing look and slapped a hand on Lucky’s muscled chest. For a few seconds, she felt his heartbeat. “Not here. I don’t want to go back to jail. Let’s get back to the bar, and I’ll help you clean up.”

“I don’t need your sympathy or help. I’m a Faux Paws, it’s true, but I’m an honest, hardworking guy. That’s more than I can say for some people.” Lucky snarled and kept his fists clenched. He never took his eyes off of JR. “Watch your mouth in front of ladies, JR.”

JR shrugged. “Let me know when you find a lady, and I will.” He skimmed a contemptuous glance up and down Charm’s body, taking note of every tattoo and piercing. “You sure can pick ’em, Lucky.”

Charm snorted. “You probably date mealy-mouthed over-bred parasites with all the spine of wet cardboard. Come on, Lucky. Let’s go.” She pushed Lucky into the taxi waiting patiently at the curb before arranging herself and her wings carefully in what was left of the cab’s back seat.

Charm snuck a glance at Lucky. He looked like he was calming down, so she figured it was safe to speak. At least his fists were no longer clenched and white-knuckled. “I think I figured out why my bail was higher than yours.”

Lucky sighed. He suddenly looked tired to his very soul. Maybe he was. She had no idea why, but her Nephylum powers were more suited to fighting than empathy. She’d have killed to be able to read people the way the Gabriel Nephylum did.

Lucky seemed resigned to conversation. “Why is that?”

She drew a deep breath to fortify herself to reveal even this tiny sliver of her secret dream. Like it or not, her face heated up, and she begged her eyes not to well up with tears. It was her goal, dammit. No one wanted to share her aspirations of philanthropy, so she hugged the wish to her like the blanket she’d been given the day she walked into her adoptive parents’ lives. “Well, that JR guy is the son of a bitch who keeps hounding me to sell the house I’m renovating. I think he pulled some strings to make my bail higher to get me out of the way.”

As she expected, Lucky snorted. “Charm, don’t be ridiculous. JR isn’t that kind of guy. Yes, he’s an asshole, but he’s a legitimate businessman. He wouldn’t bring himself to that level.” Lucky turned back to look out the front window of the cab.

Charm turned around to face front and set her hands in her lap. Very few people understood her ability to see patterns in the behavior of those around her that spelled Trouble. JR was Trouble -- the kind you ran away from, very fast and very far. Some stubborn part of her insisted on trying to make Lucky see things her way. “How do you know what he’s capable of? Look at how he threw your inability to shift in your face.”

Lucky didn’t say a word, but his face turned red, and his fists clenched and unclenched. The muscles in his jaw twitched.

Damn. She’d pissed him off again. Charm gave up and sat in silence for the rest of the cab ride.

Back at the bar, Lucky cut wood to replace the legs on the stool she’d broken over the obnoxious werewolf’s back. He handled the noisy saw he’d pulled from his truck with a skill she could only envy.

Charm picked up the splinters and salvaged what she could of the rungs, as well as the seat itself, to help him out. Lucky hadn’t spoken a word to her since they got out of the cab. She couldn’t understand his silent anger. Was it because the bar would now legally remain closed until Monday when the owner returned? Was it something she’d done? Something JR had said? Hell, something the cab driver had said? Charm finally had enough. She couldn’t take the silence anymore. “Lucky, what the hell is your problem?”

He stopped what he was doing and turned off the saw. “Excuse me? I couldn’t hear you.”

Charm cocked a hip to the side and stuck her chin out defiantly. Silence drove her nuts. Silence to her meant things were wrong or something was left undone. Or worse. She shouldered aside unpleasant memories. The past was the past. “I asked you what the hell your problem is.”

Lucky straightened up and walked behind the bar, his delicious ass tempting her the entire time. He grabbed a beer, twisted off the top and placed it on the bar, presumably for her. Then he opened another one and took a giant swig. “There’s nothing wrong. What is it with women always thinking there’s something wrong?”

She took a sip of her beer. “A person just doesn’t turn as red as an apple and look like their jaw muscles are going to break when there’s nothing wrong.” Charm sat down on a stool and stared at him. “Is this about the asshole at the police station?”

Lucky’s face looked like it would melt from the heat his anger generated. “You had better watch what you say about JR.”

Charm blinked in total shock. She took a swig of the ice-cold microbrew. Now that she’d proven she didn’t need a dour knight in chrome, had Lucky found someone else to defend? Who was this guy? Don Quixote reincarnated? “Why? He’s an asshole who doesn’t take no for an answer, and he obviously doesn’t have any respect for you.”

He leaned over the bar until he was nose to nose with her. “Of course he doesn’t. Familiarity breeds contempt.” He hesitated and picked up a yellow tool resembling a gun and loaded it with a long string of nails. “You might say JR and I have a past.”

Chapter Three

Lucky swallowed the urge to smack the rudeness out of his unwanted companion. She was beautiful and weird enough to be a distraction, not to mention the fact that his libido went into overdrive every time she bent over. She’d been the only thing that smelled pleasant in the holding cell. Still, he didn’t need another painful relationship, and Charm was trouble literally on the wing.

Worse, he saw no reason to add to her contempt of him by explaining JR was his brother. Lucky, Enrique, Chester, and JR were his parents’ first and only litter. Funny -- after them, their mother went back to implants. Not that Lucky blamed her much.

Charm’s peridot green eyes blinked three times, and her hand reached up to close her own slack jaw. “Well, I still won’t sell to him, and you can tell him I said so.”

He shrugged and laid the new trim on the side of the bar. His air hammer snapped three times to secure the wood in place. Each time he placed a nail, his lovely distraction winced. “It’s not a gun, Angel Face. Relax.”

“Sorry. I don’t know much about tools.” Charm bent and picked up her purse, which happened to be a suitcase-sized tote. She drew out a book titled The Idiot’s Guide to Home Renovation and removed a sheaf of papers from inside. “Tools, tools. Where are the friggin’ illustrations in this thing?”

Lucky bit his lip to keep from laughing. Her determined attempts to learn about what came automatically to him were the first really charming thing he’d seen in her. He lifted the yellow machine. “It’s an air hammer. You use it to secure two objects together with nails.”

“Oh.” Charm bent to study his air hammer like a bug under a microscope. She turned his hand so she could see every angle of the machine. Her brow knit together. “Just nails? No glue or screws?”

Lucky permitted her to use his arm and strength to examine his air hammer. At least she had the good sense not to touch it herself if she was so clueless about tools. Those purple-nailed hands saw a manicurist too regularly to know manual labor. The stray thought lingered about how soft they would feel wrapped around his cock. He shoved the lusty thought onward. “Why do you want to know about tools?”

She dropped his hand like she’d been burnt. Her face reddened, and she bit her lip hard enough to make it whiten. When she tried to put the overloaded book back into the tote, small notes fell out. “Told you.” Her mumble was barely audible. “I’m fixing up my house.”

Lucky picked up two paint chip samples and a note, which read, “Call Home Inspector. What’s HVAC stand for?” He had a more difficult time choking back the snicker than before. She really was completely clueless. “HVAC means heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.” He handed the chips and note back to Charm.

Oddly, her eyes welled up with tears. “Thanks.” Charm’s gaze drifted to the floor, the bar, the broken stool, anywhere but him. “Know someone who can repair an outdated H… V… whatever? Oh, and that reminds me. I need to write you a credit note, don’t I?” She dug into her purse again.

Lucky belatedly put two and two together. An outdated heating system meant she was freezing in this wintry weather, poor kid. She didn’t even own a coat apparently, and used her wings for warmth. Maybe he could kick-start the heater until he could make some phone calls to his favorite subcontractors. Several owed him some blue chip favors.

He laid a hand over her purse, effectively stopping her rummaging. “We can worry about that later. Why don’t you show me what’s up with the heater?”

Charm hesitated, her hand still trapped in her purse. She visibly got her moxie back and shrugged carelessly. “It’s an old house, and the last renters trashed the place. I bought tools and stuff, but…” Her voice trailed off.

He hefted his air hammer and smiled encouragingly. This little bird needed a lot more help than her pride would let on. Nothing got his attention and his time more than someone with the guts to try even when they were outclassed. “I’m not a bartender. I was just helping Enrique while he was on vacation. I’m in construction by trade. I’m very good with tools.”

Her glittering smile and deliberate glance at his trousers showed how much backbone she had. Her cute pointed chin went up. “I can well imagine you are. Okay.” She let the insinuation hang in the air like a challenge.

Lucky deliberately kept his expression neutral. He’d won a small victory against the wall of her pride, but he’d lose the war of wills if he gloated too soon. “Have tools, will travel. My truck’s out back.”

Charm followed him out the door meekly enough, but she definitely wasn’t a doormat. She tossed her short purple hair in the classic female gesture of disdain, spread her wings and flew the fifteen feet from the small platform to the other side of his truck. Graceful as a dove, she landed and waited for him to unlock the door with a playful grin on her face.

Not to be outdone, Lucky did a handstand on the rails before he vaulted over the side to land beside the driver’s door. He ignored the impressed widening of those incredible green eyes and keyed in the code to unlock his Ford Hydro350.

When Charm’s wings were carefully folded against the seat, Lucky engaged the special safety belt system designed not to damage a Nephylum’s fragile wings.

Charm’s eyebrows flew up at the expensive addition to an already pricey truck. “Got a thing for Nephs or something?”

Lucky laughed and set the navigation system to the address he remembered from her license. Jeff and Dan would spit their beers if they thought Lucky had “a thing” for them. “Nope. Two coworkers are Nephylum. I give them a ride home when the weather’s too nasty for flight, that’s all. You ought to hear them bitch about riding elevators like human mudsuckers.”

The joke earned him a snort before Charm dove into his stereo system with happy squeals. “Ohmigod! You have recordings of the classics like Metallica! You fiend! Promise you’ll share where you got them!” She punched buttons like a veteran electronics freak.

Lucky sang along with her and beat his steering wheel, imitating Lars Ulrich’s style on the drums. Were it not for the automated speed governors on all modern cars, his truck would have undoubtedly raced down the highway at a breakneck pace. After all, it was a tradition to scream down the road with eardrum bursting sound while playing classic Metallica music, and Lucky wasn’t one to break the rules.

Charm grabbed an old claw hammer off the floor and used the black bottom as a pretend microphone, bouncing on the pleather seat as much as the restraints and crowding of her wings allowed. She could head bang well enough to make her grandmothers proud. Who knew she was such an old-fashioned girl?

Regrettably, the truck’s navigation system was efficient. The Ford turned off the highway after only two songs, and Lucky quickly turned down the sound so as not to break peace laws.

Charm’s hand landed on top of his, intent also on lowering the volume. The little white palm was even softer than it looked, and more than a little cold.

Lucky shivered at the chilly touch even as his mind provided an alternative to fixing her heater to warm her up. He wanted this crazy Neph like he wanted to breathe. Chagrin flooded him and he winced. She was cold, and he hadn’t even offered her his jacket or turned on the heater like a gentleman. In fact, he had one of Dan’s spare jackets in the back behind the driver’s seat. “Want to borrow one of my coworker’s jackets? Dan keeps a spare in here.”

She waved refusal and pointed at the lonely house in the middle of what had once been a vast forested area. Construction zones surrounded her sanctum, but work had apparently halted once the trees were cleared. “My heater does work -- it’s just not very modern. That’s my home there. See what JR has done?”

For at least a quarter mile in all directions, there was nothing but dirt and piles of scrub forest trees stacked for recycling. Not far to the west stood the usual collection of construction company trailers bearing the Thornburn Construction logo emblazoned on the side. The only exception to the devastation was Charm’s house, standing in isolation amid a few trees inside the property line.

Lucky didn’t bother to hide his growl. What had his brother done? Clearing a forest for a shopping mall was close to sacrilege to a werewolf. Lucky’s hands clenched the steering wheel just like he wanted to strangle JR. Lucky vowed to have words with his dear brother and grandfather as soon as he was back at work on Monday. “He’d better have a good reason for this.” Lucky slammed the shifter into park with more force than necessary.

Clearly anxious to be out, Charm fought with the restraints and shoved open the door. She yelped at the icy blast of wind and cursed JR with fluency. “This place used to be cozy until JR cut down all the trees. Now it’s cold and desolate. Mom would have a litter of kittens if she knew.” She grabbed her tote and ran for the front porch like demons chased her.

Maybe he wasn’t a hound of Hell, but Lucky wanted to chase her. Simply because he couldn’t shift didn’t change his nature. He was still a predator with a sexy female he wanted -- what an inadequate word -- running in front of him. Belatedly, he remembered she was waiting for him on the porch and got out. He needed to stop daydreaming and get his head on straight. To hide his erection, Lucky took his time getting his tools out of the back.

The front door slammed. Charm undoubtedly had gotten a brain and went inside to get warm. Courteously waiting for your guest so you could let them in was one thing and freezing unnecessarily was another. Maybe he could con her into putting on a pot of coffee to warm them both up.

The place was halfway to shack status, but he could see the former glory of the old circa 1970 rancher’s sturdy construction. Many vampires loved the homes of the era because there were few windows and the décor often included dark wood trim. From the look of the place, he’d find original stick framing and -- heavens help him -- a heat pump furnace. No wonder Charm was cold. Lucky bet himself he’d even find an antique tank water heater. He could hardly wait to bring the house up to code and twenty-first century comfort. Eagerly, he climbed the porch and knocked politely. Privacy was a real issue with him, and he’d prefer if she let him in.

One white hand reached out around the barely open door, grabbed the front of Lucky’s shirt, and dragged him in. Charm’s hot mouth locked onto his with the same strength and urgency as her hands. Speaking of her hands, they were bent on getting Lucky out of his clothes by popping buttons and ripping seams.

Not that he planned on arguing. Lucky’s brain snapped and popped like bad circuitry before going blank. His hands loosened on his toolboxes and they hit the uncarpeted floor with loud bangs and rattles. Thankfully, the heater worked well enough to chug out a fair dose of heat, and Charm must have set the thermostat to “tropical.” Freed of their burdens, Lucky’s hands developed minds of their own and sought ways to get Charm out of her laced bodice.

One of her booted feet wrapped around his leg and kicked the door shut. The heat of the room instantly climbed up a notch, and the scent of brewing coffee mixed with the musty odor of old houses. Charm was no slouch about her attempts to relieve him of his white bartending shirt and black jeans. The girl practically whimpered with need, and the clear urgency was a boost to his ego.

He sighed with relief. Apparently, the attraction was mutual, and not the “thank you” fuck he’d first assumed. Her stiff leather bodice laces finally gave way and tender tits softer than clouds fell into his hand. His other hand crept around back to where her long black skirt covered her little round ass, careful not to hurt her wings. Apparently she was naked beneath the thin gauze layers of the skirt.

Good thing Charm was equally dexterous. His jeans hit his ankles, freeing his cock, and her fingers wrapped around the length of him without breaking their mutual tongue tonsillectomy. Her hum of delight heralded long strokes with those delicate fingers and made his head swim.

Meanwhile, Lucky’s fingers had finally solved the mystery of her skirt closure, and the gauze joined his jeans on the floor, pooling at their feet. His fingertips then located an incredible second set of lacings. He broke the kiss. “What the…?”

Charm’s green eyes glowed in the light of the single working track lamp in the beams above them. She grinned and shinnied up his body like a tree nymph, wrapping her long legs around his waist. Before he could blink, she nibbled on his earlobe. “Leather thong panties. Pull the side strings.”

One of his hands automatically reached behind to cup her firm round ass and support her weight on his body. Not that she weighed nearly what he thought. Nephylum had flight bones, pocked with holes to make them lighter and more delicate. Lucky chided himself to remember Nephylum bones broke easily. He’d have to find a way to fuck her without killing her or damaging her wings. Still, he managed to pull one set of the side strings as asked. The leather fell away from her flesh.

Charm wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned backwards until her shoulders touched the scarred wall paneling. The parted leather bodice, resembling the remains of a black jewelry box, held her pearly white breasts. The rose vine tattoos circling her nipples were enough to make his mouth water for a taste. She arched her back upward and presented her breasts like a feast. Two matching pearl nipple rings gleamed in the low light.

Suddenly, Lucky was very hungry for breast meat. Decorated like high-class art, they were a confection he didn’t even try to resist. He’d never seen nipple rings on anyone, and surprisingly they were warm to the touch of his tongue. Well, duh! They were attached to a warm body. He flicked them each like a toy for a moment, fascinated, until he couldn’t resist the hardened pink nipple beneath the ring.

Charm shivered and gasped. Her hips wriggled until she sank down enough for the head of his cock to caress something hot and hard.

Lucky froze, his lips wrapped around a nipple and ring. His cock twitched, rubbing on the heated substance, which definitely was not part of normal female anatomy. What the hell was it? He let go of the ring and nipple. “Charm? What is my cock rubbing?”

She giggled and moved her hips until the object caressed the head of his cock. “Clit ring.”

“You’re full of surprises.” Lucky resumed his explorations of how Charm’s nipple ring and nipple felt in his mouth. “I’ll have to see it later. If your clit ring tastes as great as your nipple rings, I could get addicted to body jewelry.”

Charm moaned and grabbed a curvy wall sconce above her head. “We’ll discuss body jewelry fantasies later, hmm? Right now, I want your cock buried in me and I don’t want to wait any longer.” She jerked her body away from his hands and fell onto his cock in one smooth motion. Her black wings flared out in an instinctive move to hold her upright, but all they did was flatten themselves against the dusty paneling.

Lucky blessed his construction job which kept his arms and legs firmly muscled while he lifted heavy loads all day long. Thrusting upward with his hips while his hands grabbed and supported a horny Nephylum bent on impaling herself on him was all he could manage. Usually, he preferred a horizontal tango, but then again he’d never had a partner with wings before.

Charm didn’t seem to care, and matched him stroke for stroke, using the creaking wall sconce above her head to perform a pull-up maneuver in time with his thrusts. Her decorated nipples hypnotically winked and flashed in the light.

Insanely, he envisioned his cock caressing the sexy clit ring with every stroke up or down, and how the warm metal became slick with her juices. He felt each of their frenzied, intense strokes in slow motion.

Charm, too, moved in slow motion. Her half-shut green eyes bored into his, conveying honest, happy lust. Her lips were red from his kisses, and her mouth parted slightly as she panted. Even the sheen of her wings flicked in fiery colors in the half-light on the wall. All in all, she looked like one of the butterfly specimens JR kept in his collection, displayed like art objects instead of beautiful living things.

His heart resolved to protect her from his brother. JR could be horribly ruthless when he decided on a path, and Lucky had been in his way often enough to know how easy it was to get mowed down by JR’s single-minded drive to his goals. If, as Charm said, JR had been harassing her, he wanted her home for some as yet undetermined reason. Lucky wouldn’t let it happen to Charm.

Charm shrieked and arched her back, her pussy pulsing and squeezing his cock in her orgasmic throes. She bounced so hard on him, he feared she’d break her delicate pelvic bones.

Her internal squeezes sent him flying over the edge of the cliff he’d not even seen coming. Was this how the Greek guy Icarus felt before the sun melted his wax and feather wings? If Icarus had experienced even a portion of the heat and joy of flight, knowing he didn’t belong but not caring, then Lucky was sure he’d died happy. He emptied everything into Charm and knew if he fell over with a stroke from the pleasure, he’d die happy, too.

The wall sconce, however, was not so joyous at the abuse. The screws holding it into the studs screamed at their own release and let go from the wall. Charm’s eyes flew open wide with fear. She started to slide down the wall, her wings flapping helplessly on their way to being crushed into a thousand bits of bone and feathers on the floor. The slow motion enhanced the whole scene and every sensation.

One chance. Lucky had one golden moment of orgasm left, and he prayed it would hold him through the pain. He yanked Charm to him and held her while he fell on his back to the hardwood floor. He hit with nothing to slow his fall. He hoped the boots would prevent Charm from having crushed ankles. Dust poofed up from the floorboards in a cloud. The toolboxes rattled, but thankfully they’d both missed them.

Like a stutter on a broken vid, time shot forward to normal speed.

Chapter Four

“Ooof!” Charm’s forward motion continued, popping her right off his cock. Her leather-covered belly landed on Lucky’s face. The wall sconce still in her hand clanged on the floor above his head.

Lucky lay on the floor, stunned for a moment, and did an assessment of possible injuries. His ass would have a bruise, but Charm’s legs had saved him from a serious back or head injury.

A soft whimper escaped from Charm’s lips. She managed to squirm onto her hands and knees. Then she winced and reached for her left ankle. “Ow. That hurt.”

Awkwardly, Lucky inched out from under his injured angel. He slid out from between her legs and treated himself to a view of her clit ring with its tiny ruby red bead before he was able to roll away and sit up. He was fully prepared to hustle her off to the local Doc in a Box clinic for a scan and treatment. “How bad is the ankle?”

Charm managed a sitting position with her bare butt on the dusty hardwood. She coolly assessed her booted ankle with probing fingers. “I think I just twisted it, that’s all. I don’t think it’s broken. Med kit is in the bathroom closet.” She pointed behind Lucky and curved her finger to indicate it was on the other side of the wall.

Gingerly, Lucky stood and pulled up his jeans. He’d be a pile of aches in the morning and his back hurt but he, too, had escaped worse damage. He limped around the corner and found the med kit in a neat but outdated bathroom. Wincing at the age and abuse the house had seen, he pulled out the distinctive orange case and shuffled back to Charm.

She bore up well while he wrapped her swelling ankle in a compression bandage. However, she did rummage in the med kit for mild analgesics and shared the bottle with Lucky. Her face twisted like a little girl about to cry, but she stuck out her chin defiantly. “Looks like there’ll be a short delay on fixing up my house, anyway. JR gets his temporary reprieve, sort of.”

Lucky handed Charm her skirt and let the prideful Neph struggle to put on the gauze skirt. She was a porcupine of stubbornness, ready to lash out at anyone who got too close to her tender underbelly. The never-say-die attitude was more alluring than any physical beauty, but he’d better watch his step. “Will you allow me to carry you to the couch and save your ankle the strain?”

The graceless and grudging “Yeah” was all Lucky expected. He studied the problem of how to get his arms under her back without damaging her wings. “Put your arms around my neck, Charm. You’ve ruffled your feathers enough for one night, right?” Lucky got his arms under her icy butt. “Damn, Charm! Are you ever going to have a bit of skin that doesn’t feel like a frozen turkey?”

“No, but I’m sort of used to being cold. Don’t sweat the small stuff.” She snickered against his neck and helpfully wrapped her legs around his waist again. This time, his cock only managed a tired twitch instead of homing in on willing female flesh. “Put me on the armless chair, please. I’ve got my preening tool over there.”

“What? You don’t use your beak?” Lucky received a playful slap on his arm and got her situated comfortably on the triangular cushion then plopped his own butt on the threadbare sofa. The evening sun filtered through the dirty window, bathing him in warm light.

He’d never seen a Neph preen before, and the task was apparently not as delicate as he’d thought. She snapped a clamp-like device near the shaft of one feather, flipped a switch, and the thing hummed as she pulled it down each one of her black feathers in succession. His mother brushed her hair with the same intense look of concentration.

She moved the device to another feather. “Well, at least I don’t have to stand up to do my job.”

A frown creased his forehead. Looking like she did, Lucky couldn’t imagine she carried a dataport and worked in an office. The current fashions for the executive types were unrelieved monochromatic colored jumpsuits, not Gothic revival. “What do you do?”

Charm blithely shrugged and grinned like a mischievous child, but she never took her eyes off the humming preener. “It’s sort of a secret, but you seem like the kind to keep quiet. I run Rumor Has It, the talk show. I doubt you’ve heard of it.”

His jaw hit the carpet, figuratively speaking. Every female who could manage the time listened to Rumor Has It and watched the vidcasts. No one ever saw the face of the hostess or knew her name. She was simply and deliberately referred to as Rumor, keeping her guests entirely in the spotlight. Rumor Has It had revolutionized the ubiquitous talk show by keeping the host anonymous and allowing anyone who wished to access the show and ask text questions of the guest via the guest’s vid screen. There were many speculations about Rumor, but even former guests had no clue what she looked like. Her ruthless questioning hovered perfectly between psychologist, reporter and sex therapist. Naturally, he said the first stupid thing to drop out of his mouth. “Thanks for trusting me with the info. You won some awards recently.”

Again, she carelessly shrugged. “Big deal. I won a popularity contest. Who gets serious about a red carpet and a fucking brass statue? Not me. That is so Miss America.” She put a vapid, wide-eyed smile on her face and waved from the wrist. “Spare me.”

Lucky had to think about the revelation for a moment. “Doesn’t your show make massive money?” He glanced at the dilapidated state of the house in shock.

A rude noise issued from those red lips. “Not as much as it could if I accepted corporate sponsors, but that would mean they’d have a say in my show. Nope, sorry about your luck, boys. My show, my rules.” She flipped off the preening tool, her feathers gleaming and smooth. “Do me a favor and carry me to my office? I’ve got to mix and assemble a few ’casts for next month. The interviews were all done last week, so today’s one of the easy days.”

Dutifully, Lucky carried her through the door she indicated. The bare wood floor desperately needed refinishing, but the rest of the room was covered floor to ceiling in state-of-the-art electronics, storage, and one dusty antique barrister’s bookcase full of her award statues. He settled her in the rolling executive chair. “Mind if I hang around to kick your heater and make some minor repairs?”

Charm snapped a microphone headset on and carelessly waved a hand. Her eyes were already scanning a variety of files on the screen. “Yeah, yeah. Go for it. If you have a pile of friends to help you move the monster furnace or something, order up some beer and pizza with my blessing.” She gave him a wink. “I like thick, meaty and bad for you. That’s why I like you, too.”

Lucky clamped down on his feelings of triumph and anticipation. She’d just given him permission to do any repairs Lucky saw fit, and he could bring in friends. Which to him meant he had carte blanche -- within reason, of course -- and he could guiltlessly call in those blue chip favors. The house was worth saving, and he loved the idea of a challenge. “Right. I’ll try to keep the noise down to a dull roar.” Lucky shut the door and started dialing for his favorite inspectors and his right-hand man in charge of demolition. “Shawn? Yeah, I know, it’s kind of late. Are you up to a little challenge? How’s a renovation of a 70’s monster sound?” Lucky gave him the address and kept dialing.

Within two hours Lucky had Shawn in the dining room -- such as it was -- and their list of “Must Be Repaired” items, along with the “Optional Repairs” list, waiting. They’d changed the ancient filter and arranged for a full duct cleaning the next day. Shawn tapped the optional list. “I’m hoping she goes for the replacement. The fucking thing belongs in a museum, Lucky.” He yawned and checked his watch. “Holy shit. Midnight. I’m calling it a night. See you back here at 9 AM?”

Lucky stretched and popped his back. “If the lady lets me stay overnight, I’ll be here before you.”

“The lady will be happy to let you stay.” Charm lounged in the doorway, probably pretending she didn’t have a twisted ankle because of the untrusted stranger.

“Good.” Shawn smacked his hat on his head and shrugged into his coat. “Saves time and trouble for me. I’m Shawn. Hi and bye. See you tomorrow.” He was out the door before she could answer, probably anxious to get home to his new spouse.

Lucky went quickly to Charm’s side and helped her to her preening chair. She looked a little pale and worn. He checked her cheek and found it warm. Casual affection seemed to be the way she preferred to be treated. “Need another analgesic, babe?”

She tossed her purple hair out of her eyes. “Yeah. Might help me sleep, since I kind of invited a big flea-bitten canine in my bed. You might snore, too.”

Lucky pretended he was offended and ignored the leap in his chest. She accepted effortlessly he was a werefolk, not some primate throwback. “Hey, I had my flea inoculations last month. Want to see the ideas Shawn and I had?” Lucky shook out two more pills for her.

Charm’s eyelids drooped, and she sighed. “Nah. Not tonight. My brain’s fried. Can we go to sleep now, and you can tell me all about it in the morning?”

She fell asleep in his arms on the way to the bed, so Lucky simply pulled her on top of him as soon as he arranged the blankets over them both. He fervently hoped she wouldn’t scream in the morning over his plans. Lucky was going to be damned if JR ran over another angel with his cold-hearted manipulations.

* * *

Lucky must have reached into her tired brain and pulled out every fantasy she’d ever had about the place. Charm knew soon enough she’d have to tell him the house wasn’t for her, per se, but for the kids. For now, though, the sexy were-critter sure didn’t need much from her. What a relief.

Charm handed Lucky a pastry and coffee, her mind more on the plans for her house than breakfast or the delightfully naked were-dog propped up on pillows in the middle of her rumpled bed. She startled him with a hug, bouncing so hard in her enthusiasm drops from the mug spattered all over Lucky. “I love it, love it, love it! All I want is control over colors and crap like that. Fair deal?”

Lucky wiped the coffee off his chest with a napkin from their shared breakfast in bed and grinned. “You’re the nuttiest klutz I’ve ever met. I’m not letting you anywhere near my power tools. Fair deal.” He leaned in to get a kiss to seal the bargain.

Lust sizzled between them like the bacon he’d wolfed -- ooops! Consumed. Charm had to learn to be polite -- like a starving kid. Mom and Dad had taught her to keep a few meats around in case of carnivorous visitors, and boy was she grateful now. She’d call Mom later while Lucky played with power tools and made grunting male noises. Damn, Charm wanted to roll the guy on his back and fuck him silly all over again, but her bedside terminal blinked, warning his pal Shawn would be back any time. Damn. Still, she couldn’t resist giving his hardening cock a stroke or two through his jeans. “Can I take a rain check on this for tonight after you’ve gotten dirty and made a mess of my house?”

Lucky stopped his progress of working down her jaw toward her throat. For a moment, Charm could have sworn his eyes turned golden and lupine, but such a change was impossible. He was a Faux Paws, after all. Still, his lips were hot enough to fan some serious flames of desire. He chuckled. “I’ll stay for the duration, until your house is exactly the way you want it. Mind if I take over the den for supplies and storage?”

“Like you’re not going to rape and pillage the rest of the house anyway? Go ahead. Will it be safe to take a shower?” Charm desperately wanted a bath. She smelled like a fish factory. Yuk. Seriously yuk. Not sexy. She vowed that before she started her postproduction wrap up in the office, she would order some sexy nightclothes and -- she couldn’t believe she was thinking this -- girly smelling stuff. If she were going to get laid regularly, she’d need a quick shot of something that smelled decent for afterwards.

“Long as you stay off the swollen ankle. If it’s not better tomorrow, we’ll pop into the med clinic for a fast scan. Promise?” He scooped her up and carried her into the bathroom, plopped her ass on the ancient commode, and turned on the water.

The doorbell rang before Charm could protest she was fully fledged and could take care of herself. Lucky beat feet to go meet Shawn at the door. She gave up and shut the bathroom door to strip.

When Charm got out of the bathroom, she couldn’t hear any tools, hammering, or the sound of the house falling down. In fact, it was eerily quiet. Charm yanked on a skirt and her favorite wrapped tee before peeking out the bedroom door.

With his nose in the air, JR had a not-so-quiet chat with Lucky. Judging by his frown and tone of voice, he wasn’t a happy camper. “What the hell do you mean by helping her, Lucky? Are you that much of a congenital throwback?”

While Charm fisted her hands and wanted to punch JR’s classic face in, Lucky carelessly shrugged and sipped his coffee. “You and I have never agreed on what constitutes smart moves, Jays. I was happy to move out and let you think you were ruling like some feudal lord over the rest of the pack. Why don’t you back out while you’re breaking even on this one? Charm’s not going to cave in like the rest of those whining bitches who fawn over you.”

Charm unclenched her fists and pulled her head back in where she wouldn’t be seen. A smug smile spread over her face. How about that? Lucky wasn’t defending her. He was simply warning JR she didn’t need anyone at all. Charm leaned up against the doorjamb and listened shamelessly from the shadows, daring a peep now and then.

JR straightened his already perfect black executive’s jumpsuit and flicked a bit of lint off his coat. “Contrary to what you may believe, I enjoyed our years together in the pack. Someday you may come to realize I do have the best interests of you and the beings of our area in mind. My methods may seem high-handed at times, but trust me now and then. Sure, I tease you, but I assure you, I do care a great deal for you.”

Lucky’s snort was just as bitter as his next words. “You have a bad way of showing your… affections, JR. Beat it before Charm gets out of her bath. She won’t be as courteous as I was to let you in. Go scheme somewhere else.”

JR’s audible sigh echoed around the half-empty living room. Strangely, his voice sounded sad and defeated. “I am not scheming, as you put it. I have goals. You should try it sometime. You don’t have to be a general contractor all the time, Lucky. I’d share my office with you if you’d only ask.”

Footsteps echoed on the bare floors and Charm risked a longer look. JR’s black coat flapped out the front door and Lucky slammed the door on his heels.

Shawn, his arms loaded with papers, appeared from the dining room. “JR never stops being an asshole, does he?”

Lucky took some of the papers from Shawn. “He may be an asshole, but he’s my asshole. Don’t forget that, Shawn.” He steered Shawn toward the kitchen. “So, what’s your assessment on the bulkhead above the stove? Old copper plumbing, right? Let’s call in Dan for a full assessment. This place could keep him busy for a month, and his wife has a nestfull to feed.”

She retreated unseen back into the shadows of her room to ponder while she hobbled to her bed and put on her boots. JR was Lucky’s asshole? What was that supposed to mean? Were they lovers? Ex-lovers? Lucky had said something about moving out on JR. They were obviously more than just acquaintances, especially since Shawn seemed to know JR as well. Werewolves were notoriously polyamorous, with everyone loving everyone, sexually and soulfully.

JR had “affection” for Lucky? How was she supposed to compete with a guy? And why did she want to?

Chapter Five

Charm slapped herself on the cheeks. The sting of the light blows did much to clear her head, but didn’t ease the ache in her heart one damn bit. She’d best write Lucky off the list of “good for long range plans” guys. Charm straightened her shoulders. What the hell? She did not need some testosterone poisoned, beer-swilling bartender with a cute ass to live. What was she thinking? Point was, she hadn’t been. The dangerous dependency would change right fucking now.

The guys still discussed some arcane man language about ducks and plumbing. Oh, wait. Ducts. Charm took a deep breath and casually hobbled into the kitchen. “Excuse me!”

Lucky and his pal moved aside and let her get to the coffee door of the cooking wall. They didn’t even break the rhythm of their Neanderthal grunts about retrofitting her plumbing. Fine. Charm didn’t give a rip about how she got hot water as long as it came out of the faucets when she needed and at the temperature she wanted.

She punched in her preferences and deliberately ignored the men while she rummaged in the ancient cabinets for a meal she could take into her office. Weenies and Beans seemed appropriate. Charm popped the seal and waited for the packet chemicals to heat it up.

“Charm?” Lucky stood next to her and laid a paper on the cheap, scarred countertop.

Drawings in blue and red covered the paper in lines and hash marks, but she puzzled out the picture. “Is that my kitchen?”

He grinned, as proud of her as a parent whose kid made a good academic credit. Her dad still smiled like that sometimes, like when she’d won the stupid Tony Award. “It’s what your kitchen will be, with your permission. We just have a couple of questions, like if you’re planning on upgrading your kitchen appliances.” He waved at her cooktop. “I mean, really. Who uses open flame anymore?”

“Me, actually. I even know how to bake bread.” Charm sighed and looked at Shawn, pondering whether to be honest or not. Was it time to let her secret out? Maybe so. After all, Lucky’s partner would have to know sooner or later.

“Real bread? Hot out of the oven?” Shawn’s large dark eyes widened, and his jaw nearly hit his chest. The large brown man hit his knees. “Will you marry me?”

Lucky’s fists inexplicably curled up and his eyes blazed. Then he shut those gorgeous blue peepers and visibly calmed. Had he actually been jealous? “You’re already married, you twit. Besides, I saw her first. Don’t be greedy.”

Laughter bubbled out of her. How ridiculous the very masculine Shawn looked on his knees. “No.” Charm turned to Lucky. “Actually, I want you to make this the best in industrial kitchens, like you’d have in a restaurant. You know, where I can easily prepare meals for a large group of people?”

Now both males stared at her open-mouthed. “Huh?” Shawn got off his knees. “Why? You have a nest of fledglings hidden away or something?”

Charm stalled for a minute and got her coffee. Her face heated up. “Um, no. See, the house isn’t for me. I’m just living here temporarily until I fix it up.” She dug in the drawer for a spoon. “I… I…” Oh, shit. Spilling her dream to others was harder than she thought. She didn’t want to get laughed at again.

Lucky gathered her close. “Is this part of why the house is so important to you that you’d fight JR? You want the house for someone who means something to you?”

Charm nodded violently into his chest. Damn, she felt so safe and warm there. Why couldn’t she find a nice guy like him with no strings attached -- though she could do without the Don Quixote routine. “Yeah. A few young someones.”

Shawn snatched up her food and held it out like bait. “Let’s take this into the dining room and you can tell us about it so we can match the house to the new residents, okay?” His voice was soft and coaxing.

Charm sniffed but allowed herself to be led. She did not need to be treated like a baby. She was perfectly capable of telling them her plans, though she doubted they’d believe her. Everyone seemed to think she was just another airheaded Neph with a whole lot of screwball plans and no follow-through. She’d show them. She’d show them all, starting with Lucky and his pals.

They steered her to the table and planted her where she could see all the drawings on the wall, similar to the one Lucky had shown her. While she ate, they gave her a fast rundown of what rooms went with what drawing. At least they didn’t talk to her like she was a congenital defective.

Lucky sat down across from her, and Shawn next to him on the right. Lucky tapped the drawing of the kitchen he’d placed on the table. “Okay, so you said you wanted heavy duty storage and appliances, like for a large group. How many?”

Charm scratched her head. “I don’t know, exactly. One or two adults in residence, and maybe four younglings, if I can get them.” She bit her lip. “Can I have that many in one house?”

Lucky lifted his shoulders, his face conveying a complete lack of knowledge on the subject. So not helpful, but Charm couldn’t blame him when she didn’t know herself, and it was her project. “Depends on the ages of the pups, um, I mean younglings. My brothers and I shared a room until we were school age, according to my Mom.” His wry smile was heart wrenching. “Mom kept hoping associating with my brothers would help me learn to shift. It didn’t work.”

Shawn held up his hands, palm out. “I’m an only child. Humans don’t have many at once.” He frowned. “Wait. Neither do Nephylum. You guys rarely have more than twins.”

Charm sipped her coffee and scalded her tongue. She stuck it out of her mouth to cool it and panted. Damn. She’d made it too hot again. “Ah wouldn’th know. I wasth adopted and raised by vampirth.”

Both guys snickered at how silly she looked. Good. They were distracted by her antics and might ignore the meaning of her words.

She didn’t want to talk about her Dad being a turned Neph. There weren’t that many, and pretty soon someone would figure out she was the daughter of the famed surgeon. Not cool for Dad’s rep. Besides, this was her own project. Charm took a deep breath and plunged in. “I want this place to be a foster home for… for… kids like me. Older kids don’t get adopted so easily. It’s not a pretty life. Just take my word for it.” She didn’t want to remember just how ugly life could be for an unwanted kid, but the memories acted like a ghost rider, applying the spurs to her sides.

“Huh. Okay.” Shawn got up and pulled his phone from his pocket. “Let me call Social and see if they have specific requirements for group homes.” He snatched up a pad and stylus. “I’ll be on the deck out back. I need some sun.” The last had to be a joke. The guy was a perfect shade of dark chocolate.

Lucky rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his gaze trained on the kitchen drawing. “Yeah, you’re right. You’ll need heavy-duty appliances. I’ll upgrade the order for a full size of everything, if your credit can stand it.” He smiled and begged shamelessly. “I hope so. But if it can’t, I’ll chip in. This is a cause worth getting behind that’s even better than defying old JR just because he’s an ass.”

Charm blinked, and a cold place in her stomach warmed up. Could it be someone understood her needs? No. He was doing this to piss off his ex-lover. Wasn’t he? “You like this idea? But… but… you said JR was your asshole.” The words were out of her mouth before she thought about it.

Lucky grinned and reached across the table to lightly clip her jaw with a gentle fist. “Eavesdropper. Well, he’s my brother, actually. We don’t like each other very much, but family is family. I can talk bad about him, but I don’t like it when anyone else does. Even when they’re right.” He stole her coffee and made a face when he sipped. “Like a little coffee with your cream and sugar, babe? Anyway, I know JR is a bully sometimes, but he often does have his reasons. Sometimes even good ones.” He curled his lip and shook his head in clear rejection of his brother’s ways. “This time, I think your idea has got to be better than whatever he’s planning, since his idea included wiping out forest land.”

A whoop sounded out from the kitchen, and Shawn came tearing into the dining room. “Okay, I got the specs from Social. Four kids, two adults max for this square footage. The rep also made suggestions for fencing and play equipment. She’s sending the necessary docs to me.” He waved his phone. “So, let’s hash out the renovations so I can run for the permits.” He plopped down on the chair he’d vacated earlier.

Hours later, her house was a war zone in the late afternoon light. The main bath was no longer functional and missing all fixtures. A plumber whistled tunelessly while fishing red and blue water lines through the walls. A Dumpster labeled “Bin There, Dump That, Inc.” snuggled up to what was left of the deck, and she watched her appliances being loaded out to a big portable storage unit along with all of her food. An electrician the size of the legendary Paul Bunyan had disconnected the main electrical panel of her house and portable generators chugged in every room. Over the din, he roared that he’d be back in the morning with a newer panel and a pony. What the hell was a pony? She didn’t need a miniature horse, so it had to be something arcanely construction.

Charm felt so ignorant about the controlled chaos around her. Worse, everyone kept staring at her as they shut down equipment and packed up tools. The attention was unnerving. She preferred the safety of anonymity. That was why “Rumor” never showed her face.

Charm held her suitcase with one hand and debated going to a hotel or crashing at her parents’ place across town. The noise was incredible, and the dust was worse. Had she been nuts to agree to all this? Obviously, yes.

Lucky appeared beside her, so dusty Charm almost didn’t recognize him behind the white paper mask over his nose and mouth. Without a word, he hustled her out the door to his truck. As soon as the front door slammed behind him, he took off the mask. “Come on, Charm. There’s no sense in your being there with no water and no electricity.” He nuzzled her neck. “Besides, you’re distracting the workers. Pretty Nephs in leather bodices and black skinsuits belong out of sight of lusty construction crews. It’s tradition.”

“Oh.” Maybe not the most intelligent thing on the planet to say, but an answer nonetheless. The wind bit into her skin and ruffled her feathers, but the breeze promised spring in another month or two. The flight to her parents’ looked less and less appealing. “I’ll see if there’s room at one of the hotels.”

“There won’t be. Two conventions rolled into town for the weekend. Would you be willing to make love with me until Monday?” Lucky wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and stroked his knuckles along her cheek.

She’d had time to reconcile herself to Lucky being JR’s brother, not his lover, while they’d planned the demolition and reconstruction of her house. Fear and relief had mellowed quite a bit. After all, Lucky and Shawn had enthusiastically dived into helping her with her dream without so much as a tear of sympathy, mushy platitudes, or contemptuous disbelief. “What girl in her right mind wouldn’t want a weekend of wild sex with a male who wears jeans like a coat of paint and a tool belt slung low on his hips? Not this feather-wit.” Charm jumped into his arms and ignored the whistles and wolf howls from the crew as they got into their own vehicles.

Lucky conveniently wrapped his arms around her, and his “Mmmph!” of surprise amused her greatly. Charm loved keeping him off balance, but she didn’t mean literally. His butt hit the open door of his truck, and he half-sat on the edge of the doorway. His adorable butt on the cold metal probably wasn’t comfortable.

Charm shivered uncontrollably, and she wrapped her wings around them both. The things might be a bulky mess to take care of, but they were bitchin’ warm once the insulating air between their bodies and her feathers heated up. Heating up as well was her aching pussy. Charm wanted more. “Take me home and fuck me until I scream, willya?”

Lucky practically threw her in the truck and drove as fast as the road governors allowed to get them to his place, a nice gated condo complex. He keyed in his code while she snuggled close and looked around.

Out of a habit to look for escape routes, she got a fix on the complex’s position in the city thanks to a distinctive tall building three blocks east. If she and Lucky kept the relationship, she’d be able to fly back and forth once she’d finished her very first philanthropic project. There’d be more projects, and she hoped Lucky would help her with all of them.

Lucky yanked her inside and slammed the door with one kick. He stripped her clothes off and tossed them around the living room where they lay like flags announcing “Lucky’s getting laid!”

Charm was just as eagerly popping his buttons and cursing at his tool belt’s buckle, so fair was fair. At least there were no neighbors below to hear the thunk when the heavy leather belt full of tools hit the tiles beneath their feet. She was proud to say one of her tosses left his shirt hanging like a drunken sailor over the lampshade. “Hope you don’t have roommates, pal. We’re announcing our intentions all over this living room.” Their boots hit the floor like a marching band’s stomp.

Her skinsuit’s obscene pose over the sofa was laughable, with one arm pointing in the direction of the bedroom and the huge bed beyond it. Lucky carried her into the bedroom like some sort of medieval knight carrying a captive.

There was no need for niceties, and Charm didn’t want them. After a day of watching him stalk like a hunter after prey, going from worker to worker to give a hand when needed, Charm was pretty worked up already. Who needed fancy words and flowers? She got them, anyway. The room was strewn with rose petals, and candles flickered in the dim light. Lucky smiled like a mischievous boy and flicked a rose petal at her. “I asked for the concierge to deliver them. She’s got a romantic heart, I see. I kind of hoped I could talk you into a weekend with me.”

Charm frowned a moment at the high-handedness, but she had as much of a mushy heart as the next Neph. The scents of real flowers and vanilla candles did her in. “I’ll let you get away with it this time.” She knelt on the bed’s edge and faced the headboard so her butt was presented to Lucky. “Come and get me.”

Lucky stepped forward so his cock rubbed between her ass cheeks at full mast. His work-roughened hands stroked the place where her butt met her thighs. “I’ll just have to make it up to you all weekend, won’t I?”

Charm was so hot, she moaned his name and ground her hips into him, letting her wetness slick him up before he even entered. Still, she gasped when she felt his thick cock head slide in, but not move further. “Bastard!”

He chuckled and shoved in all the way. “Patience is a virtue.”

Charm wriggled and fluttered her wings like a caught bird. The heat of him filled her up completely. She put her face into his mattress and whimpered. “Not right now it isn’t.”

Lucky laughed, but the sound was also a bit of a growl as he started to pump in and out of her in a rapid rhythm. Short, hot thrusts beat into her in primal waves, and his strong hands gripped her hips tightly to keep her from falling forward.

Growl? Charm flattened her wings as much as she could on the bed and looked over her shoulder to behold a wonder. Brown fur dusted Lucky’s entire body. His blue eyes had changed to lupine gold, but his expression was one of intense concentration. He was so into what he was doing, he was shifting!

Fascinated as she was, the erotic sensations overwhelmed her. There was something exciting about being fucked by a predator who could tear her apart, and the implication of danger increased when his claws dug into her flesh enough to hurt a little. Charm yelped and came, exploding like a boiling teakettle, even while her heart screamed denial of what had happened. Werefolk shifted during sex only when they claimed a mate. Her heart broke for Lucky, because she obviously wasn’t good mate material. Talk about ruining a perfectly good screaming orgasm.

Lucky thrust even faster and harder, his breathing harsh and ragged between soft growls as her pussy milked his cock. Charm didn’t think he wanted the pleasure to end, either. He howled and shoved in deeply, singing his orgasm to the moon they could see rising out the bedroom window.

Charm remained in position, waiting for her body to subside, even as the tiny thrusts of Lucky spilling his seed deep inside her rocked her body with more orgasmic waves. Finally, she fell forward on the bed, exhausted. Unfortunately, the movement meant she lost the wonderful feeling of fulfillment, and Charm whimpered at the loss.

Still shuddering, Lucky crawled forward to join her on the pillows. His breathing slowly returned to normal, and he gathered her to him to snuggle in the protected hollow of his arms. “Girl, you could wear out a satyr.”

Charm sniggered. Obviously, he was unaware of his halfway shift to furry, and she didn’t want to tell him just yet. “I don’t know any satyrs to find out, so you’ll just have to do, fur-boy.”

Lucky mumbled sleepily, “Ask Shawn. He’s married to one.” His next breath snored just a little. His arms slowly relaxed and fell away from her.

Most girls might have been pissed off to have their lovers fall asleep on them. Not her, and not this time. As much as Charm wanted to remain with Lucky and be his mate, she was on a mission. She had to make good on the promise she’d made so long ago. She couldn’t be his wife, not now. Best to go before he got around to asking for what she couldn’t give.

One tear slid out of her eye, and Charm let it roll to the pillowcase. Maybe his sensitive were-critter nose would smell the sorrow in the tiny drop. She had to leave now, before her heart ruled her head and she welched on her debt to the others. Charm kissed his forehead, deliberately leaving all the lipstick she had left where he’d see it in the morning. It was her promise to return, someday.

Careful not to disturb him, Charm sneaked into the living room, dressed, and flew away before she changed her mind.

Chapter Six

Lucky slammed the phone down on its charger and suppressed the urge to bay like a hound dog. He crossed another lead off his list. One week since he’d awakened alone in his bed, with only a feather on the floor and lipstick on his forehead as a souvenir. When Lucky wasn’t at Charm’s house supervising repairs and meeting inspectors, he’d harass whomever it took to get her back.

She’d been thorough in her moving out process. All her equipment was gone by the time he’d awakened and driven back to the house. Wherever she’d gone, she intended to be there awhile. Worse, privacy laws meant Lucky couldn’t trace her without a legal reason, like non-payment of bills. Somehow, she’d even managed to send the entire amount of her bail money to him via the pack accountant and set up a fund for him to draw on to pay the subcontractors for all the work done on her house.

Lucky’d received one word -- literally -- from his calls to her show’s offices in New York. Some admin type had forwarded the word “Patience” to him, again through the pack accountant. The prim old werewolf bitch wasn’t giving an inch of information. Screw patience. Lucky gnawed on the word like a puppy teethes on a rawhide bone.

Shawn looked up from his desk, where he had been ordering the tiles and shower enclosure for the new master bath. An ecstatic Social Services worker had provided the kid wranglers -- as Shawn had dubbed the live-in foster parents -- and all three had toured the renovations with increasing enthusiasm. Apparently, there was a long list of kids waiting for a decent home. Shawn’s dark eyes were full of sympathy. “No luck finding our angel, huh?”

“None.” Lucky winced at his barking tone. “Sorry. Dammit, Shawn. Somehow she’s got an in with my pack, and wherever she’s flown to she’s deeply hidden.” He ran frustrated hands through his hair. “She helped me shift. For the first time in my life, I achieved a partial shift.”

Shawn tapped a stylus against his lips. “Excuse the human ignorance pal, but doesn’t that mean she’s your life mate?”

Lucky put his face in his hands. “Yes. I’m a Faux Paws. Without her, I can’t shift. I found my life mate, and she ran like a scared rabbit, probably because she doesn’t like her sex on the furry side.”

Shawn was the kind of partner who knew just what to do when a were-creature was in pain. “Come on, Lucky. A little hard work will get out a few frustrations. She’ll have to surface eventually for the closing when she donates the house to Social Services. Let’s finish so we can flush your bird out of hiding.” He pulled the flash key out of the port and stowed it safely away. “Let’s go make sawdust.”

“You’re right. I need to pound a few nails or something.” Lucky opened the door to the RV they’d parked right on Charm’s weedy lawn, to the dismay of the landscape designer.

“You do have one other problem, Lucky.” Shawn closed the door and punched in the locking sequence. “Charm’s not exactly the kind of mate your pack is going to favor, is she?”

Lucky curled his lip a bit before he realized Shawn spoke from experience. When he’d brought home a satyr for a mate, his mother had fainted. “Your mother wanted grandchildren.”

“Sorry about her luck.” Shawn shrugged and laughed. “I don’t have an entire pack crawling all over my private life, either. Makes me glad I’m human. Don’t they normally have to accept her into the pack with a mating hunt?”

Lucky snickered at the vision of Charm ensconced happily in a tree with the entire pack baying and howling around the trunk while she made obscene gestures. “Somehow, I just don’t see Charm putting up with the rituals.”

“That’s my point, Fur Boy.” Shawn ducked out from under Lucky’s half-hearted swing at his head. He opened the door to the kitchen. “You’ve gained your fur face, but you may lose the pack’s esteem.”

“Like he ever had it.” JR stood upright from where he leaned against a freshly studded wall with the kitchen plans in his hands. “So, you’ve learned to shift after all these years, little brother? Congratulations.”

JR’s smile seemed genuine enough, so Lucky warily shook his hand. For once the clasp was warm and not a test of strength. “You’re older by less than an hour, Jays. What brings you here, as if I didn’t know?”

Shawn pulled the plans JR had out of his fingers. “Pardon me, but I need those.” Then he departed, yelling for Frank.

JR swept over to the small makeshift coffee area they’d built out of scrap lumber and poured two cups. He handed Lucky his, his smile amused and even -- was the world about to end? -- cheerful. “Believe it or not, I’m playing messenger boy. I have another message from Miss Merrill, since you’ve harassed the company accountant to the point she refuses to call you.”

His jaw dropped. “Merrill? Charm’s last name is Merrill? As in, Dr. Jon Merrill? As in, Ana Merrill, our vampire Pack Guardian?” Holy batshit. Had Lucky been sleeping with a girl who was practically his cousin and an honorary pack member? Lucky reached for his phone.

JR’s hand grabbed Lucky’s before it moved one inch toward his pocket. “The same. I had a long conversation with Aunt Ana by phone, so stop reaching for yours. Charm has been conducting interviews like a madwoman for the past few days. Your angel has been hopping intercontinental jets and sends this message.” He handed him a printout.

Completely flabbergasted, Lucky read the note aloud. “Stop hunting me like a bloodhound, you mangy bastard. I’ll be back. Go make sawdust.” Relief washed over him. She didn’t hate him if she was insulting him.

JR sniggered into his coffee. “That’s a quote, by the way. I didn’t add or subtract anything.” His mouth twisted into a half-grin. “I wonder if she’s got any sisters.”

A feminine voice snarled from the kitchen door behind them. “Not that I know of. You’re shit out of luck, JR.”

Charm attempted to lounge casually against the doorjamb, but the two werewolves holding her arms prevented her from her illusion of aloof calm. She jerked her arms to dislodge Josh’s and Kent’s grips. She gave her captors a filthy look that should have had them six feet under with lilies in their hands. “Would you mind calling off your low-life henchmen? They reek.”

Lucky growled and felt heat flush his whole body. Fur and claws sprouted from his hands, and his coffee cup shattered, splashing the hot liquid on the bare subfloor. His mate was in danger and being touched by other males. He’d have no other touch her.

JR put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from freeing his mate. “Easy there, Lucky. She’s in no danger. I asked Kent and Josh to keep an eye out for her return. Gentlemen, release the lady and return to the car.” JR dismissed his two accomplices with a negligent wave of his hand.

Both of JR’s lame-brained servants’ jaws dropped at Lucky’s shift, and they let go of Charm like they’d been burned. “Yessir!” The two idiots fled. Lucky was pleased to note Kent still limped from his previous encounter.

“If they ever touch her again, I’ll send you their body parts in a box, JR.” His shift was nearly complete, and if Charm hadn’t still blocked his way, there’d be blood on the lawn.

“The hell with that!” Charm proved she was a full Michael Neph by whipping out a flaming sword from nowhere, her wings flared to the bright fiery colors Lucky’d seen that first night, and advancing on JR with her eyes hot and red. “I’ll leave them alive so they remember to treat a female with respect. You, however…” She backed JR up against the wall. “Only your status as Lucky’s brother keeps this place from stinking of burned fur. Got it?”

JR’s smile didn’t waver, even with the heat of her sword close enough to singe his white jumpsuit. “Urk. Yes, dear sister-in-law. Welcome to the family.”

Lucky choked back a snigger. He poured another cup of coffee before he broke up laughing. His mate was an Alpha Bitch with feathers, and Lucky wasn’t about to interfere with her proving the point to his brother. “Try not to hurt him too much, Angel. He’s heir to the pack.”

Charm snorted and backed up one step. “A few singed hairs might improve his manners, but I’ve made my point.” The sword disappeared into thin air. “However, I haven’t married Lucky yet, so I won’t kick JR’s ass. This time.”

Yet. Lucky liked the yet. It implied a future. He relaxed and felt his fur receding.

JR straightened his coat and brushed at where the heat had left a discoloration on his suit. “You’re already a pack member, Miss Merrill. Therefore, from the moment Lucky shifted, you were his mate.”

Charm stole his coffee and drank half of it in one gulp. “I got that part. Look, I really enjoyed the skanky werecritter sex, but screaming ‘oh God, I’m coming’ isn’t exactly what I’d call a marriage vow, if you know what I mean. I do plan on the white dress, the cake, the car, and the honeymoon in Aruba.”

Lucky reached for his cell to call a travel agent and the pack wedding planner, who just happened to be his mother. “I’ll get right on fulfilling your wishes.”

His avenging angel mate flung out a hand, palm up. A small flicker of flame sparked in the center of her hand. Belatedly, Lucky remembered Michael Nephs could fling fire around like tossing confetti. “Don’t touch that dial. You haven’t heard my list of wedding presents.”

JR barked out a laugh. “Somehow, I doubt it has anything to do with diamonds and other useless trinkets. A toaster, maybe?” He sat on a pile of flooring waiting for installation.

“I’ll buy my own damn kitchen appliances, asshole. What I want from you is to back off on my house.” Charm tossed her purple hair out of her eyes, which were returning to their normal coloration, Lucky noted.

“Done.” JR stood and brushed construction dust off his formerly immaculate suit. “Anything else?”

Lucky had to ask. His brother didn’t normally give up so easily. “Why the change of heart, JR?”

Charm’s jaw was on its way to the subfloor. Her hand slowly lowered to her side. All the piss and vinegar remained, smoldering in her green eyes, but she frowned warily. “Yeah. Why? I know it isn’t out of love or respect for either of us.”

His dear brother, known more for his steely expression and hard-assed attitude, actually winked and grinned. “Surprised you both, haven’t I? Truth be known, I’ve a similar goal to Charm’s, even if our path on the hunt is different.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” Charm’s pithy comment only got her a warm and charming smile. She folded her arms across her chest and sidestepped closer to Lucky. “I really doubt you’ve got the interests of children and families at heart, you mangy scoundrel.”

Lucky narrowed his eyes suspiciously. JR was well known for coming in the back door when the front was locked. “Cutting down a forest and leveling an entire -- if blighted -- subdivision doesn’t sound all that people friendly to me, pal.”

JR leveled a finger at him. “Bingo, brother mine. Blighted. This whole area was blighted, even the trees. I had a study done. Wood beetles and Dutch elm disease were destroying the forest anyway, not to mention the remains of the homes in this area were in just as bad a shape. Fully half of the homes had termites and carpenter ants.”

Charm actually shuddered. “Yuk. I hate bugs. I had this house termite proofed before I moved here.”

JR nodded. “I know. I was inspecting the progress of my workmen when your pest control company tented the house.” He poured himself more coffee. “I intended to buy your house last because of that. It’s in a corner of an area that was not scheduled for urban renewal in my plans for another year or two anyway.”

Lucky opened his mouth to say more, but was stopped by JR’s open-palmed gesture. Okay, he was willing to hear him out.

“Let me finish, please. I think you’ll find our plans do agree, to a certain extent, with minor modifications if we can compromise.” He sipped his coffee, confident as ever, but his brown eyes held a certain appeal in them directed straight at Charm.

His mate didn’t budge from her pose of casual indifference, but if she’d been related to his grandfather Eduardo, her ears would have been perked forward. “Okay, JR. Why don’t you tell me -- us -- your plans?”

Well, finally. Lucky was glad to see Charm was getting used to the idea of being his teammate as well as his love mate. Including him in her statement was a good start on breaking through her shell of tough independence.

JR nodded acknowledgment of the pair-bond. “We both want to make this a safe place for families to live and work, right?” He waited for their nods. “Good. My idea was to build a new shopping complex, park, and multi-family housing to do so. Your home, dear sister-in-law, sits in one corner of the housing complex.”

Charm snorted. “New shit means expensive shit. I wasn’t doing up this place for the rich bitches to perambulate down perfect suburban sidewalks on their way to shop at exclusive stores and get their nails done at spas, buddy boy.” Her voice dripped with contempt. “This house is for kids who don’t have homes, JR. Not the sort of foster parents who take in children so they can live high on the money the government gives them. That’s low, though I know it happens.”

Lucky closed his eyes, remembering a friend in his high school who’d been the foster child in such a situation. He’d lived in the back of the house in what had been designed to be the butler’s quarters, with bare minimums of furniture and clothes while his foster parents lived a lavish lifestyle and showed him off like an investment portfolio. It had been sickening to see, but Jeff had earned himself a scholarship on his own and was now a successful businessman.

Charm stared at Lucky like he’d just said something really profound. Her green eyes welled up with tears, and she wiped them away with a quick, furious swipe of her hand. “You do understand.”

“Heavens forbid. Such uses of children are nauseating.” JR nodded at him with new respect in his eyes. “No, I want the housing to be what is politely termed low income for our unwashed masses presently crammed into the inner city. Kids deserve green grass, yards, and trees to climb in. Their parents need plots of land to grow gardens if they want to supplement subsistence food supplies, and low-cost education centers to improve themselves if they desire. If planned correctly, all this could be within reasonable walking distance or short transit rides.” He drew a breath. “I’ve even incorporated plans for tram transport to many major work and manufacturing locations for jobs.”

Impressed, Lucky put his arm around Charm. He gave her a sideways squeeze to let her know he was still on her side. “So, where’s the compromise Charm needs to make? All I see is that we’re in the way of your grand scheme, good though it sounds.”

“No, I see what he wants from me. He wants my kids in his workforce, sort of like the vanguard of proving to the poor that this area is for them, not the locust-like middle income folks who’d buy up the housing for investment rentals.” Charm’s voice was awed for a moment, and then hardened. “I won’t allow exploitation. The kids have been through enough. Give them jobs and a chance at a better life, JR. They don’t want handouts -- they want the right to make their own way.”

JR knuckled her chin in a caress. “Just like you did? I had a long talk with Aunt Ana, Charm. Yes, I know who you are. You’ve been there in those foster homes and used like a trophy until providence brought you to the Merrill home. You are uniquely suited to ensure the children are never used as sex toys or displays of charitable works for tax relief. Will you help me?”

Lucky’s brave angel crumpled in his arms and sobbed. “I guess this means I’m getting married to a former Faux Paws. Who’da thunk it?”

Chapter Seven

Slung over Lucky’s shoulder, Charm giggled and clung tighter with one hand to her overpriced stuffed mouse she’d gotten from the theme park and grabbed her mouse ears hat before it fell from her head. She playfully bit Lucky’s butt and tucked her wings in as tightly as she could. “You know, I could have sworn carrying your bride over the threshold was supposed to be slightly more romantic!”

Lucky keyed in the passcode to their hotel room and laughed. “Tradition, Angel! Tradition must be followed. Since I couldn’t figure out any other way to carry you, you’ll just have to put up with a little indignity.” He kicked open the door with one foot. “Be grateful JR gave us this honeymoon in Eden’s theme park grand opening.”

She whooshed out a breath of air and staggered backwards a step to regain her balance as Lucky set her down gently. “Hey, I’m not knocking a wedding in Florida with all the trimmings.”

Lucky’s face turned red, and he stared at something over her shoulder. “You aren’t just whistling Dixie, baby. Turn around.” A slow grin spread across his face.

“Uh-oh.” Charm did a smart about face, and her jaw dropped. A massive, steel-framed open box dominated the far end of a hotel room the size of her whole house. Chains hung from the top bars, ending in a wide leather seat, like an oversized swing. A big white bow with orange blossom bouquets decorated the top. “Holy crapola! A pleasure swing. Custom job, from the look of it.” Charm stepped reverently over to run a hand along the black steel upright supports. Absently, she set her mouse down on the tooled I-shaped seat so she could finger the fur-lined cuffs clipped to the chains. “Fully adjustable. Wow. I haven’t seen one of these things in years, and this is the best of the lot.”

Lucky snatched up the doll from the seat, his face still as cherry red as her wedding dress. He cuddled the mouse like a baby. “Sorry, bud. I don’t care if you are over a hundred years old, there’s just something wrong about you sitting in an adult toy.” He studied the frame, and his eyes lit up. “Besides, this toy is mine.”

Charm put her hands on her hips, grinning. Lucky, wearing a mouse ear hat to match hers, a tee shirt with a singing hermit crab on his chest, and talking to a mouse doll, was incongruous to say the least. “Who says it’s yours? Ours, remember? All my worldly goods I thee endow and all that crap?”

Lucky pointed to a tag hanging from one corner with his name spelled out in huge black letters. “That says it’s mine. What’s more, that’s JR’s handwriting.” He dropped the doll on the bureau next to him and turned the mouse’s face until it was buried in a large spray of white roses. “You can’t watch this, old boy. You’re too young at heart.”

Laughter bubbled up from Charm’s toes. She lovingly stroked the tooled leather seat and noted it had a four-leaf clover design hammered into the center. “Okay, I guess it is yours.”

Lucky bent to explore the contents of a rolling tray cart full of bottles and pots, including a small wax heater and drawers full of clamps, feathers and other toys. A full surgical autoclave stood in the corner near the frame, concealed by an elegant screen. “Baby? What’s all this stuff for?”

A secretive smile crept around Charm’s mouth. Her fingers itched to use the implements on Lucky’s willing body. That was if he were truly willing. They’d never actually said those famous three words, even if they’d intoned their marriage vows. The omission bugged her a little, but she’d yet to work up the courage. Somehow, the wedding words came easier than a simple “I love you.” Apparently, Lucky felt the same, but that didn’t mean she didn’t need to hear them. “Do you trust me enough to show you?”

“Oh, hell, yeah. After spending a day chasing you around that damned park, then you giving me a blow job while in a haunted house ride? I’m about to explode.” He threw off his hat and flung off his shirt, grinning like a kid let loose with a full magno-card in one of the candy shops. “I’ve wanted to rip that red bodice off you and flip up your skirts all damn day.”

Charm threw her hands over her wedding dress, laughing. She was wetter than the ocean surrounding Florida at the thought of Lucky tearing her dress from her body and throwing her into a certain landscaped mound behind tiki statues she’d eyed speculatively on their way past. Still, she had hopes of passing her dress down in the traditional manner to her daughters like any other bride. “Nuh-uh! You aren’t touching one thread of this. I’m saving my dress for posterity.”

Lucky advanced on her mock threateningly. “Posterity my ass. I’m going to paddle your pretty posterior unless you get out of those protective layers.” He stopped and grinned proudly. “How’s that for alliteration?”

Sniggering, Charm unbuckled the skirt portion and let it fall to her ankles. “Terrible. I’ll stick to Longfellow and Dylan.” She evaded his hands and sauntered into the kitchenette wearing only her red bustier, red thong, and high-heeled boots. “Hang on, handsome. If we’re going to play with the new toy, I want to make some tea to go with my fun.”

One of Lucky’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. He folded his arms across his naked chest, and his erection tented his khaki shorts. No fur yet, but she knew that would change in two shakes of his as-yet-nonexistent tail. “Tea? Shouldn’t you wait a few months before you start ignoring me?”

“Har-har!” Charm dropped tea bags in two separately colored mugs and stuffed them in the heating unit on Warm Only. “These, my dear innocent husband, are for your pleasure, not to drink. And now, gorgeous…” She came around the breakfast bar and pretended to stalk him like a hunting cat. “I’m going to lock you into the seat.”

His eyes widened in surprise and he backed up with his hands out in front of him like he was really scared. “Oh. No. My. Wife. Is. Going. To. Attack. Me!” He lowered his voice to a mere whisper. “Help! Help! Umm… baby?” He backpedaled toward the pleasure swing. “You seem to know a lot about this particular contraption.”

Charm grinned and continued her stalk. Her mouth watered, and her thong was thoroughly soaked at the mental image of her husband at his furry best, locked in the swing with his arms above his head and at her mercy. He had no idea of what he was getting into, but she did. “Yeah, I do. I’ve been in one, and I’ve been the one using all those creams and feathers. You’re gonna like this.” She reached her target, conveniently now standing with his butt against the leather seat.

“Uh… why do I have to be the one in the swing?” He gulped, but allowed her to take his right hand and buckle it in the cuff. The trust in his eyes spoke more to her of love than a simple romp in the hay. Anyone could do the horizontal tango with a willing partner, but love required more. Lucky gave her more simply by allowing himself to be restrained.

“Simple, gorgeous.” Charm reached for his other hand and took her time buckling him into the cuff. She assessed the position of the cuffs, deciding they were close enough to the right height on the chain to allow Lucky some movement so his circulation wouldn’t be cut off. “You have the tail, I have the wings. You can sit in this thing easily. Getting me into it would require you to lift me enough for my wings to fit. It can be done, but it’s more of a bother.” She allowed a sensual smile to slowly replace her previous happy grin. “Besides, I know how to make you go all furry in this thing, and you’re clueless. Let me show you how it’s done, and next time I’ll be the victim.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, and then with one swift movement, she flipped open the snap of his shorts and yanked them down.

Her husband gasped. “Aren’t I supposed to be sitting down?” He pulled experimentally at the cuffs, testing their security. “I feel pretty silly.”

“No, you don’t. You feel vulnerable and out of control, right?” Charm got up and went for the two mugs of tea. The green mug she set nearby to cool, the red mug she brought right to the rolling trolley and filled one of the empty spray bottles with the warm contents.

Lucky eyed the bottle speculatively. “What’s that for?”

Charm brought him the remains in the mug. “Mint tea. Smell.” She let him sniff and waited for his nod. “I’m going to spray you with this.” She licked her lips. “Tastes great. Trust me.”

He allowed her to spray his nipples and body, and only grunted when she sprayed his cock liberally. “At least it’s warm. Hey! My skin is tingling. The mint?”

“Yup.” Charm put the spray bottle on the trolley and licked Lucky’s left nipple. The minty taste zinged on her tongue, increasing sensation in the nerve endings. That was the reason she’d sprayed it on her husband’s body. Now he’d feel twice as much with every touch she gave him. She wanted like her body craved food and drink to uncuff him and fuck him silly on the floor, but that wasn’t good enough for a honeymoon.

As expected, he moaned, and his cock twitched. His whole body trembled, but no brown fur appeared. Not good enough yet. “Oy, baby.”

Charm reached behind him and pulled the seat close. To make him more willing, she licked the other nipple. “Slide into the seat, Lucky Love. Relax. Let me suck your cock a bit.”

“Tease.” He leaned back and let the seat cradle him along his spine, lying almost horizontally. The T-bar of leather at the top supported his neck, but the bottom one forced him to spread his legs, just like she wanted.

To distract him from her next move, Charm bent down to suck all of his cock into her mouth and waited for his eyes to shut. Surreptitiously, she slid the thigh band under his left thigh and smoothly locked the Velcro together.

Lucky didn’t appear to notice. His eyes remained closed, and his breathing came in gulps of air. Without opening his eyes, he moaned again. “Oh, damn. My body feels like it’s just short of on fire. I can feel every bump on your tongue. This is great.”

The empowerment coursed through her veins like a drug. Charm increased the suction and drew upwards, giving him the full measure of her abilities. This man was under her control by her will as well as his own. No one was there calling the shots but her. She reveled in the glory of making Lucky happy because she wanted to, and for no other reason than their mutual pleasure. She secured the right thigh band in between upward strokes to the music of her husband’s panting gasps for air. Only when her jaw grew tired did she stop and release his cock with a soft pop.

To her delight, a soft brown dusting of fur covered Lucky’s skin, like the sheen of fine suede. The real stuff, soft as a baby’s butt. She’d called it puppy fur to herself every time she’d made it appear during the few short months of their engagement until the house had been completed. Tonight, she’d make werefolk puppies, if she had her way.

She reached for the next toy -- her own personal gift from JR, judging by the secret place he’d left it, hidden in the drawer for her to notice. Her fingers closed around the shaft of one of her own feathers, now useful as a toy to tickle Lucky with. What a thoughtful secret present from JR! How he’d gotten hold of one, she had no clue, but that was a question to be answered another day.

Lucky’s ice-blue eyes flew open the second she stroked his cock with the long, black feather. Now she knew he’d inherited those stunning eyes from his elegant grandmother, a Siberian Husky were-dog who ruled the Thornburn pack with an iron fist in a white velvet glove. “Oh, hell, no! I’m ticklish.” He chuckled. “Stop. Evil Neph.”

“Okay.” Charm put the feather aside. She was so wet with need, she could have screamed, anyway. Her bustier was suddenly too tight. She unzipped it and flung it away across the generous room, where it collided with a wall and slithered out of sight. Then, she peeled off the thong but left her boots on. Undoing all those laces was too much like work when she wanted a hot, sweaty ride on Lucky’s rigid cock. “Prepare to be tamed, were-critter!”

Lucky laughed, just as she’d meant for him to do. He batted his eyes and stuck out his chin. He drawled out his words, panting like a virgin. “Oh, help! I’m about to be ravished by my wife. Mercy! Mercy!” Then, in his normal voice, he growled, his eyes turning golden. “Let’s see if we can break this thing, huh, baby?”

Charm performed a perfect chin-up on the bar and lowered herself inch by agonizing inch onto Lucky’s cock, supporting her weight with the bar until he was firmly seated inside. Then she let go and grabbed the chains supporting his wrists for balance.

The swing earned its name, rocking backward and forward in an arc, jamming Lucky’s full length inside her. He struggled with the cuffs, clearly wanting to support her with his hands, but he was too fully trapped by the leather straps on his wrists and thighs. A half-growl and half-howl escaped his lips. “Rowr-rowr-rowrrr!”

Elated at her success, Charm lifted herself up and down, continuing to use the chains to swing them in the full arc, allowing the motion to give her a slow, sensuous fucking from the helplessly -- or so she thought -- restrained Lucky. She could imagine his tail sweeping the ground with every swing.

The ripping sound of Velcro startled her out of her happy trance. Lucky’s strong legs freed themselves from the thigh bands like the leather was made of steamed noodles. His hands, clawed and sleek, slid out from the cuffs. She’d forgotten the preternatural strength of shifters in moments of great passion or anger. The clawed hands clamped down on her arms like iron bands. With one leap, somehow Lucky carried them both out of the swing with her still riding his cock, until he stood bent from the need to shift fully. His growl was so guttural, she barely understood the words. “Now my angel will pay for teasing a wolf-dog. The better to eat you with, my dear!”

Charm shrieked playfully and pretended to struggle. Like she really could have done anything. Not. “Fuck me! Fuck me instead!”

Lucky growled for a moment, his lupine gold eyes flashing in the evening light. His gaze fell on something behind her. His face elongated slightly, and his mouth opened to reveal sharp predator’s teeth. “As you wish. Spread.”

Her butt connected with the table, and she winced when Lucky swept the tabletop’s flowers and damask table runner aside with careless swipes of his paws. Obediently, Charm spread her legs and wrapped them around his waist. Balanced precariously on the edge of the table, she put her arms back on the tabletop behind her for support.

Lucky leaned in a little bit, his arched back allowing him access to her breasts while he fucked her madly and passionately. He lavished attention to each nipple in its turn, with nips from his sharp teeth.

Charm was in heaven. She was sure of it. Each nip yanked a squeaking gasp from her, immediately soothed by a hot lick from his mobile tongue. Her wings flapped uselessly, pinned against the table edge as she was. Her control of the fire element slipped, and the scent of scorched wood from the burning table filled her nose. She’d leave a permanent imprint of her hand in the wood, and she didn’t care.

“How do you like being the one out of control, hmm?” Lucky’s growl accompanied a nip on her neck. His thrusts rubbed his nest of pubic curls over her clit, driving her to the edge of the cliff of a screaming orgasm. Her whole body alternately trembled and stiffened, each thrust shoving her closer and closer to either bursting into flame or -- what, she didn’t know or care.

Lucky’s willpower to remain in the half-canine and half-human state awed her. The head of his cock bumped her cervix and became so swollen she thought she’d split. Lucky’s orgasm loomed with hers. His self-control had improved immeasurably since his first shift with her. He threw back his head and howled to the coffered ceiling. Even so, his hand moved to expertly thumb her clit.

Now Charm howled in turn, her fingers clutching convulsively at the edge of the table, and barely hung on to her sanity. Her pussy tried to turn inside out, with Charm along for the ride. She let it try, glorying in the truth to the axiom that honeymoon sex was the best romp in the world.

The table wobbled ominously, and they ignored the warning, too caught up to care if the whole hotel collapsed. Lucky grabbed the sculpted edges, right over Charm’s hands, panting. His lupine gold eyes were hazed, but returning slowly to their usual crystalline blue. “Oh -- pant -- my -- pant -- God. I love you.” He pulled out, but couldn’t seem to do more than that.

He’d slain her. By the simple act of taking over and showing her his love via his nearly complete transformation, he’d proven it without words. Then he’d given her the words as a bonus. Charm’s heart exploded with joy, even while she tried to regain enough breath to return the endearment. “I…”

The phone rang, playing a jaunty tune. Lucky reached the speaker button built into the wall just above her head. His voice was a low, threatening growl. “Yes?”

An audible gulp issued from the speaker, but the male caller persevered. “Hey, this is your next door neighbor in 1203. Um… that sex was so good, we both just popped champagne in your honor. Can we come share it with you?”

A masculine giggle, quite unlike the first voice, protested. “Jeff!”

Completely nonplussed, Lucky just stared at the speaker grille. His elongated jaw fell open as it slowly receded back to its normal chiseled human shape.

Charm snickered. “No!” She reached up to turn off the speaker, but the table gave one final screeching protest, and the legs snapped off, plummeting her to Lucky’s feet. “Ouch!”

“Ooo, that had to hurt! Break the bed?” the caller, presumably Jeff, sympathized.

Lucky regained his aplomb. “No, the table. Excuse me while I pick splinters out of my wife’s butt. Good night.” He jabbed the speaker button.

Charm bounced to her feet, no mean trick in her red boots. Since Lucky hadn’t moved more than a foot, this put her nose to nose with her werefolk mate. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Now, where was I? Oh, yeah. I love you too, Fur Face.”

Lucky chuckled and drew her close. “Thanks to you, I’m a Faux Paws no more.”

His wife snuggled close. “Yeah. Let’s see if we can break the bed next.”