“A goner?” Nathan tried to remember the last thing that had happened to him. He hadn’t found what he needed at the first store and had to travel a ways to another one. By the time he located the spring locking mechanism for his door, it was so late he was afraid Sly would clobber him. He had shifted and flown back in the freezing cold with the home improvement bag in his beak. After that…?
Konrad sprang out of bed fully dressed. “Well, I guess you don’t need me anymore, so I’ll head downstairs.” He strode out of the room.
“What happened? How did I get here?” Nathan demanded.
“You are one lucky shapeshifter, Nathan. Konrad found you half frozen on the back steps. He put you over his shoulder and carried you up here for Morgaine and I to heal you.”
“What did you do to me?”
“Well, there was nuthin’ we could do other than warm you up. Morgaine isn’t here, so I asked Konrad to help me by puttin’ his body heat on the other side of you. Then we piled all kindsof quilts and covers over all three of us. You must’ve been toasty warm in the middle.”
“Oh…” The drawn window shade blocked some of the light, but clearly sunrise had already happened.Damn. Sly is gonna be pissed!
Nathan leaped out of bed and realized he was naked. He whirled away from her and covered his privates with his hands. “Yikes. Sorry about the flash.”
Gwyneth sat up and the covers fell away, exposing her naked torso, red curls tumbling over her shoulders. “Don’t apologize for what mother nature gave you. There ain’t no need to be ashamed or embarrassed in front of little ol’ me. I think you have a fine body.”
He took in the view over his shoulder. Hers was mighty fine too but he didn’t have time to stand around and admire it. “Well, um—thanks. And thanks for saving my life, but I have to get downstairs. You don’t happen to have any men’s clothes I could borrow, do you?”
“I’m afraid not, sugar. You can wear my robe, though.” She pointed to a long floral printed dressing gown hung from a hook on the back of the door.
Nathan shrugged. “Better than nuthin’.”
He struggled into the tight garment and pulled it around as far as he could. He’d have to hold it closed over his privates since only an inch overlapped. “I’ll return it as soon as I can. And, uh…” One last look at her unabashed nakedness later, he mumbled, “Thanks again.”
“Stay warm, now.” Gwyneth waved as he took off running.
On his way to the basement, he bypassed his apartment, too worried to stop and throw on some jeans. If Sly hadn’t thought to cover Dottie, she’d be half frozen by now too.
At the bottom of the basement steps, he halted. A workman paused in his effort to wrap the water pipes with heat tapesand glanced over at him. No one besides this man occupied the basement, at least no one he could see. Sly had probably holed up in his wall, but…Where the hell is Dottie?
What could he say?Uh, excuse me. Did you see a gagged woman tied to a chair down here?
The workman and Nathan stared at each other for a few seconds. At last, Nathan cleared his throat. “Sorry to bother you. Has anyone been down here besides you?”
The man shrugged. “Just the landlord, I guess. He’s the one who called me.”
Shit. I’m toast.
“Can I help you?”
Nathan heaved a sigh. “Not unless you have a vacant apartment I can rent.”
The man gave him the once over as Nathan stood there in Gwyneth’s bathrobe and said, “I don’t think so.”
Chapter 16
“I want them out!” Dottie yelled. “All of them! This place is full of dangerous psychotics and nut bags with illegal pets.”
In as soothing a tone as he could manage Jason said, “Aunt Dottie, I know it may seem that way—”
“Seem? Bologna. It is!”
Shaking inwardly, he hoped his voice would help calm himself, even though he doubted it would change her tone. The last thing she needed right now was to watch her nephew shift into one of those feathered predators.
Ralph returned from the kitchen with a glass of Scotch and handed it to her. “Dottie, try to remember who owns the building. If Jason doesn’t want to evict anyone, we don’t have the right to make demands like that.”
She took a giant gulp of the liquor. “Gaaah!” Then she rasped, “That burns all the way down.”
