There’s a whine, a huff, and then a final tug as the blanket is whipped out from underneath me. Sprawled sideways, I open my eyes just in time to catch Wolf Connor making his way behind my bed with the blanket in his teeth.
Moments later, there’s some heavy breathing, and then, while glaring at Kaleb, a very naked, Human-Connor mutters, “No clothes.”
“It’s not my fault. Nolan grabbed them,” Kaleb insists, lifting his hands up in surrender.
Also dressed in nothing but freaking boxer briefs, Nolan leans up on his elbows and shrugs. “I knew they were clean.”
I have one friend commando in a pair of sweats, two friends in underwear that leaves little to the imagination, and one literally naked all in my bedroom at the same time. How did this become my life?
Groaning, I scrub at my face and, echoing my thoughts from earlier, complain, “Clothes. You all need more clothes.”
Nolan laughs and plays with some of my hair that now fans across his lap. “Oh no. I think we’ve overwhelmed her.”
“Sorry, Angel. Leather pants covered in blood and mud aren’t comfortable to sleep in,” Donovan counters, a teasing smile audible in his voice. “I’ll add change of clothes to my demon hunting kit for next time.”
“Not an asshole,” I insist again. Peeking through my fingers, I see they’re all smirking at me, amused by my discomfort—even Kaleb, the jerk! “That’s it! Come December, giant, ugly Christmas sweaters for all of you, and I’ll spell them so you can’t take them off!”
“You can do that?” Felix inquires, once again poking his head through the ceiling and proving he’s been listening the entire time.
“No idea, but if I can explode a tree, how hard could it be?” I answer, then give him a charming smile. “Felix, guess what?”
“Huh?” he replies, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
“You didn’t laugh at me, so today, you’re Best Boy,” I inform him smugly.
“Really?” he exclaims, as his elfin features open in surprise. At the same time, the others argue how it isn’t fair, because I couldn’t see his face at the time.
Felix bashfully ducks his head, starts rubbing at his neck, and then promptly falls through the ceiling, barely catching himself in time before falling through the floor.
While the others try to cover their snickering, I crawl over to his prone form near my bedroom door, the beige carpet soft under my knees. Kneeling next to his head, I murmur, “You okay?”
He sighs and looks sheepishly up at me. “I’ve been better, but could be worse. Could’ve fell through the floor and exposed myself to K’s parents.”
I laugh and attempt to tuck some of my wild hair behind my ears. “I think I’ve had enough of my friends exposing themselves for one day.”
“That’s too bad,” Nolan teases cheekily, which is followed by a heavy sigh from Kaleb—and I’m sure a thorough examination of my ceiling.
“I’m going to make sure yours is particularly ugly and itchy, Casanova,” I warn, but it sounds more exasperated than angry.
The commotion downstairs increases in volume, and I’m not positive, but it sounds like my aunt just threatened to throw everyone out and make them forget this house even exists.
Felix flashes me one of his sweet, boy next door smiles. “Any chance you could do something about them?”
“I’ll take care of it,” I assure him while gathering my courage, because there’s no way around it. This is going to suck.
“Thanks, pretty girl,” he whispers, then rolls to his feet.
“No problem, Casper.” I stand up, square my shoulders, and announce, “Okay, gang. Time to face the music.”
Chapter 2
Callie
Dread sits like a weighted ball in my stomach as I gaze down the stairs, knowing the demand for me to answer for last night’s actions is gathered in my living room.
At the base of the stairs blocking the way up are Mildred, Sam—Connor’s ex and fellow wolf shifter who’s dressed in nothing but my aunt’s lavender robe—and an unfamiliar sandy-grey colored wolf. On the brown, L-shaped couch in our living room sits five adults, all in various stages of pissed off. Nolan’s parents, still dressed as Morticia and Gomez from the Halloween party last night, who I assume are Kaleb’s parents, an attractive, African-American couple of vaguely, mid-forties looks, and Neva, the local coven’s leader and mother to evil incarnate, aka Nolan’s ex-girlfriend, Gina.
I’m going to need lots of coffee.
