Page 33 of Were-Geeks Save a Kitten

Yordan snorted. “I don’t think they realize what they’re asking.” He looked back at the screen. “But they’re getting an idea now. I’ve answered a few more of your emails. If they don’t like blunt and a little crude, then they’ll have to demote me.”

Kit got the feeling Yordan was hoping for that exact result. So maybe it was Yordan who didn’t realize what was happening. No one was going to demote him. At least, not if Kit had anything to do with it.

Kit turned back to the bathroom, already knowing the answer to the question but asking it anyway.

“So, are all the fires out for now?”

“Yup. Pee has most of the money collected. I’ve sent a nyah-nyah email to Gummy, telling him the gators were on him this time. And the rest seems to be cleaning up pretty quick. Funny how a fairy debt gets paid off ASAP.”

“Funny that.” Kit chuckled as he started shaving. Damn, this was pleasant. Bantering over morning email. “Any more spin cycles at the motor pool?”

“Not since all eleven of the guys and girls there paid their debts. Coffee’s sister is going to get a sweet sum of money when this is over.”

Kit lifted his chin to shave his neck. He knew from the paperwork that Coffee’s sister was the designated beneficiary. At least until Coffee returned from Fairyland or wherever the hell he might be. He continued shaving, humming a bit as he relived some of the best parts of last night. It took him a moment to realize that Yordan had left the computer to lean against the frame of the bathroom door.

Kit finished with the shaver and turned, his expression softening as he enjoyed the sight of the man lounging so casually with his torso bare and his sweats slung low.

“Hey there,” he said in his best come-hither voice.

Yordan’s hard expression didn’t crack. Instead, he folded his arms over his chest, making his biceps bulge. “So, about your debt,” he began.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

“It’s not important now,” Kit said airily as he turned back to the sink and started cleaning out the electric shaver.

“Really?” Yordan challenged. “Let me see if I have the timing right. You’re climbing the ranks as a badass werewolf. Became alpha of your pack within a few months. Several successful missions later, the brass is grinning, and Gummy’s pack is cursing your name for getting the juiciest missions.”

Kit flashed a pleased grin. “You guys cursed me? How sweet.”

“Not actual curses, just the usual, ‘Fuck you, asshole’ shit.”

Kit nodded. He knew exactly what that meant. “We said the same things about you—”

“Then suddenly,” Yordan interrupted, staying with the hard tone. “The big bad happens in Wisconsin. Instead of helping out up north like every other combat werewolf, you suddenly turn coward and take a desk job.”

Kit stiffened, even though he’d heard the rumor before. “Is that what you think?” he challenged. “That I went into management because I was afraid?”

“I did. The timing was too coincidental, and you gave no other explanation.”

Now his blood was heating as he leaned back against the sink, consciously mimicking Yordan’s pose.

“We’ve already talked about this. I wasn’t being a coward.”

“It was this kitten thing, right? You left your pack in the lurch. They were already one down, and you made it two. In fact, you gave all the signs of someone who had lost his nerve since you refused to shift.”

Kit winced. “I didn’t lose my nerve,” he said, his voice tight with pain.

“But you made it look that way. You gave up leadership of your clan, too. Or future leadership, right? The new McNabb will be your sister.”

Now that was striking close to home. And fuck Yordan for being so well-informed and yet not understanding a damn thing. Tired of standing there naked while Yordan grilled him about things he knew nothing about, Kit pushed off the sink and shouldered his way through the door. All the rooms were stocked with sweats, and he was quick to grab a pair, yanking them on with barely suppressed fury.

“Kit—” Yordan’s voice was gentle, which made everything worse.

“My sister is the better leader. She’s been living there while I’ve been off fighting monsters here. She deserves it.”

“Maybe,” Yordan said. “Or maybe you lost a bet to Coffee. That’s why you change into a kitten, isn’t it? And not just any kitten, but a Scottish Fold kitten. That matches his sense of humor.”

Yeah, it did. And he was an idiot for not realizing that at the time. But with Wisconsin being the flash point to world-ending disaster, he’d had bigger things on his mind than why he was suddenly unable to go wolf.