Page 11 of Last But Not Leashed

“Shift to human,” she ordered.

If I shifted back to human, I’d give her a full display, as I hadn’t found any of my clothes in her trailer. “But I have no clothes.”

Both of her brows shot up. “I gave you a full hit of the highest grade of pixie dust available. You really burned it off already?”

“I suppose.”

“I prefer you when you aren’t a mindless slave, so good. I’ve tested your patience—and your virus—for the past six years, ten months, and twenty days. After I get done with my mandatory work for the day, I’m going to call in, make sure everyone is prepared to take care of themselves for once, and make time so we can talk. Most of the talking, if I have my way, will be done in bed. Once we’re done talking, we’re going to discuss how we’re going to track down the lycanthrope that attacked Mr. Jones.”

Since when did I help with investigations? My boss did often enough, something that never failed to make me nervous, but I always filled in for the people unable to do their work because of the CDC—or because they were a victim and the CDC stepped in to provide help. “We are?”

“We are. After you went to bed last night, my boss called me. He thinks you’re the sort of man this lycanthrope wants in his pack. You have a very similar build and appearance to Mr. Jones. Once word spreads you’re an exotic hybrid, he thinks you’ll be targeted. I agree with him.” She smiled, and a glint in her eyes warned me of trouble brewing on the horizon. “Once word spreads I’m claiming you, you’ll be irresistible.”

My fur stood up on end, and I was torn between making a run for it to see if she would chase me, setting aside my need to prove I could be a suitable partner and accepting her offer without question, and testing to see if I could hide under her bed. “You want to claim me?”

“Is that truly so hard to believe?”

“Yes.” I flattened my ears and tried to relax, but tension quivered through me. “I thought I’d have to quit. Then I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. Beg, maybe. Being honest, I hadn’t gotten far into the quitting idea.”

“Well, you don’t need to quit. While I suspected you might be interested, I wasn’t going to push you. You’re very shy, especially around women. I didn’t want to scare you off.”

Shaking out my fur helped me to relax despite my conflicted instincts. “I didn’t want to do anything inappropriate.”

“Trying to stake a claim in public is inappropriate. Staking a claim in private is encouraged and expected. No one cares as long as you maintain your professionalism. As I’ve never seen you be anything other than a cool professional, I don’t anticipate any problems on that front. You don’t have to worry.”

“I hadn’t gotten around to quitting because I wasn’t sure what other work I could do. It was an issue.”

She chuckled. “Once again, not an issue. It’s really not. Now that the CDC is aware you have the hybrid form, I expect you’ll be evaluated and offered training within law enforcement or a higher position in the CDC. You’ll need a lot of training, though. I watched the security footage while you were having the transfusion. While you did a fine job tossing three of those wolves, the rest of your performance was awful. If I hadn’t heard you speak so clearly, I would’ve believed it was your first round in your hybrid form.”

She was kinder about my deficiencies than usual, but I still lowered my head and whined.

“Dale. There’s no reason to be ashamed of your fur. You do need to learn how to protect yourself in all your forms. That’s non-negotiable.”

“I’m bright purple.”

“And? I like it.” My boss patted her bed in invitation. “Come into bed, stretch out, and relax while I take care of my morning rounds. While I expect it’ll take you a long time to accept the truth, I’ll show you how much I like your fur every day if necessary.”

Intrigued by her offer and wondering how she intended to show me how much she liked my fur, I joined her in bed. She scratched under my chin, and I flopped onto the mattress, stretching my neck so my muzzle rested on her pillow. I meant to only close my eyes for a few moments, but her fingers in my fur and my contented virus eased me to sleep.

Jerome’s snickers woke me, and I growled over his interruption of my nap. “He’s just catching up on sleep, Ethel. Between the strain to his virus and having a sense of security, it’s no surprise he’s taking advantage of the chance to rest.” Someone poked my shoulder, and I growled again. “Dale, the average toddler fights better than you do, so stop snarling at me. Allison’s in the kitchen making you breakfast. Up, up. You’re worrying Ethel.”

“He slept through yesterday and the entire night,” my boss complained.

Jerome grabbed my ear and twisted. Yowling, I batted at my alpha, earning a swat across my muzzle. “Up, Dale. You’re worrying Ethel, and when Ethel worries, she finds some way to annoy me. I have been annoyed enough for one week.”

“Jerome.” I bared my teeth and cracked open an eye. My threat of violence didn’t stop him from yanking on my ear again. “I’m awake, damn it.”

“See? Just get rough with him next time. A sharp tug on the ear usually does the trick. Dale, I went to your apartment and brought over some clothes for you. This trailer’s a bit small for you like that, so shift already. How the hell did you get any sleep, Ethel? He’s all but taken over your bed.”

“I improvised. For the record, he has a very thick fur coat and is a quiet sleeper. I don’t think he even noticed my weight.”

“With his ass so fat, I’m not surprised by that at all. Get your act together, Dale. I know you’re having a hell of a week, but you need to resume functioning.”

I yawned, stretched, and considered grabbing my boss’s pillow and shoving it over my head. “It hasn’t been that bad.”

“Really? I find that hard to believe.”

“She said I don’t have to quit.”