“No worries,” He rumbled in his deep voice.
“Angus and Renee know about us,” Liam interjected. “In fact, they’re Other, too, although they’re not admitting it.”
Angus’ smile was brilliant white against his dark skin. “Admit what?” He winked at Naomi. “You go on up now, so the ladies don’t eat us out of house and home waiting for you to get back.”
Katerina smiled at her, too, looking slightly apologetic. “I know we’ve been a bit much, I promise we’ll behave better when you come back down.”
Naomi managed a smile in return, although weariness was descending on her like a heavy weight. A small overnight bag awaited her at the bottom of the steps, and she gripped the handle. “I’ll be right back down,” she promised.
Upstairs, she located her room easily. Opening the door, she was cheered by the sight of a lovely double poster bed of some kind of polished wood, with a quilt that appeared to be hand-crafted. A carved wardrobe, obviously an antique, stood opposite the bed. Against the far wall was a fireplace with a small basket of wood and an iron stand beside it. A glass-paned door led out onto the balcony, while another, smaller door led into a tiny half-bath containing only a sink and toilet. Probably there was a shared bathroom nearby with a bathtub and shower. At least, she assumed so.
Small as the half-bath was, there were thick, fluffy white towels hanging on the bars beside the sink. Turning the old-fashioned handles, she got the water temperature comfortable, and washed her face. Drying it, she peered into the mirror, perusing her face critically.
She was paler than she remembered, and painfully thin, almost to the point of being gaunt. Her hair hung limp and lifeless about her face, and she grimaced. She felt grimy, too, and it felt odd to be in skin instead of fur after all this time. She hesitated, weighing the advantages of a shower versus keeping her—well, let’s face it, she thought—her rescuers waiting.
On the other hand, she might be better able to face them after a shower. At least she’d be clean. Opening the bag Katerina had provided, she found underwear, a couple pairs of jeans and some long-sleeved tops, in a variety of sizes, as well as some warm socks and a couple pairs of sneakers, also in different sizes. Taking a washcloth and towel from the bathroom, she headed out to find a bathroom with a tub or shower.
This turned out to be at the end of the hallway. Like the rest of the rooms, it was a small, old-fashioned type room, but well-appointed, with an enamel claw-footed tub with a high rod above to hold the shower curtain. She quickly shed her caftan and, after adjusting the water temperature, stepped under the shower with a sigh of utter relief.
Despite the pressure she felt to hurry, she took the time to shampoo her hair thoroughly. She may be no beauty queen, but at least she was clean. That would have to do.
Drying off quickly, she slipped into the caftan, the silky material clinging a little to her still-damp skin. Padded down the hall to her room, she sat on the edge of the bed, her legs trembling a little. She was still weak, her body at its limit even with the short, drug-assisted nap in the van. Her shoulders slumped a little as she looked at the clothes laid out on the bed beside her, ready to be put on. The pillow at the head of the bed beckoned her seductively, and she wanted more than anything to lay her head down. Maybe she could close her eyes just for a minute, then gather her energy to get dressed and go back downstairs.
Just for a minute.
Chapter6
Naomi stirred,her eyes slowly opening. She sat up with a gasp, realizing it was completely dark, both inside the room and outside. She could have cried in her dismay. Everyone had been waiting on her, and she’d fallen asleep! And given the darkness outside, she’d slept for hours! Reaching for the nightstand, she turned on the small table lamp there, only then realizing she’d been covered in a soft, warm comforter. She knew she’d locked her door… one didn’t live in such places as Miami and Manhattan without developing the instinct to always lock one’s doors. She probably should be more disturbed about it, but at the same time, it felt kind of nice that someone actually cared enough to check on her, and to make sure she was warm.
The bedside alarm clock showed it to be close on to eight in the evening, and she winced. Her tummy was rumbling from lack of food. It was too late to go anywhere, even if she had a car, which she didn’t, or money, which she didn’t, either. She remembered someone… Katerina, maybe? … mentioning that there were always cookies in the dining room downstairs. She’d see if she could grab some of them, to hold her over until morning.
Sliding out of bed, she looked for the clothing she’d laid out earlier. Instead of being on the foot of the bed where she’d left them, they were neatly draped over the nearby chair. Well, okay, then. She dressed quickly, and made her way downstairs.
Crossing the lobby to the doorway to the parlor, or lounge, she thought it was called, she came to an abrupt halt. Liam was seated in a chair beside the fireplace, where a cheerful blaze crackled. He’d been reading, but put his book down with a smile when he saw her.
“Well, hello, there.”
She blushed deeply, feeling the color creeping up her cheeks. “I’m so sorry,” she apologized. “I just closed my eyes for a minute…”
“And the next thing you knew it was full dark,” he finished for her. “It’s fine. When you didn’t come back down, we were worried about you, especially as we knew you hadn’t been eating for so long in your cat form. So Renee—that’s Angus’ wife—went upstairs to check on you. She came back down and told us you were fast asleep. She also threatened us with battle, murder, and sudden death if we dared try to wake you.” He paused for effect, grinning. “And threatened to take away the homemade cookies.”
Naomi burst out laughing. “The direst of threats,” she agreed. “Still, I feel bad. Everyone waiting for me, and I just fell asleep.”
“Not to worry. In fact,” and he reached down, lifting a large wide-mouth thermos that sat on the floor beside him. “Katerina brought this over about an hour or so ago. She thought since you’re not used to eating, you might need to start off light, so she made some of her mom’s chicken noodle soup, and…” he lifted a paper bag, “she picked up a baguette to go with it. And there’s butter on the buffet,” he added, nodding toward the dining room.
She found her mouth watering. “That sounds perfect. I thought I was going to have to survive on cookies overnight,” she confessed.
Liam looked offended. “Never! I was waiting up, ready to take you to the all-night Denny’s if I had to. I think you’ve been starved enough, don’t you think?”
Feeling ridiculously guilty, Naomi dropped her gaze to the floor. “It wasn’t like I meant to starve myself on purpose.”
“I know. Shifters don’t do well when they haven’t Changed… in either form. You’ll be fine now, though.”
He stood up, beckoning her to follow him as he went to one of the tables in the adjoining dining room, pulling out a chair for her. “Come on, let’s get you fed.”
She came to an abrupt halt halfway across the floor, as a pile of what looked like laundry in the corner caught her eye. Blinking to focus, she realized it was a large, shaggy white dog laying sprawled on his side. Nestled in the thick fur was a small tabby cat. Both were fast asleep, not so much as twitching at the humans in the room.
“Um.” She peered closer, recognizing the breed of dog. “Is that a Great Pyrenees?”
