Read Stray Cats [High-Country Shifters 2] Online

Authors: Melody Snow Monroe

Tags: #Romance

Stray Cats [High-Country Shifters 2] (3 page)

BOOK: Stray Cats [High-Country Shifters 2]
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“I’ll tell my parents that I’m leaving tomorrow. Can I stay with you two until we go through?”

Cavon wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “If you cook and clean for us until we depart, then we’ll consider it.”

She grinned. They wouldn’t turn her down now. “Deal.”

 

* * * *

 

Sella got lucky. On the second day, the alignment point came into lion territory and was actually within her reach. Getting both of those conditions to work in her favor was a real fluke. Not wanting to break that streak, she had Malik retrieve her gear and asked Cavon to gather some
diltha
for settling her head and stomach when she passed to the other side. Most of the healing plant was in wolf territory, and she’d learned her lesson to stay away from those evil creatures.

It wasn’t fair that the men would recover in a matter of hours once they got to Spirit while she’d feel like crap for a day or two if her body was in good shape. This was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, and she was going, no matter how bad she felt afterward.

Cavon stood near a patch of trees that looked like every other copse. “Ready?”

She inhaled a deep breath. The adventure of it all thrilled her. Would it be like the television shows, or would it be just another form of reality—the same but a bit different? She couldn’t see the alignment point, but the men could sense the heat as soon as they shifted. She followed the two lions and stayed close behind. It didn’t take a genius to know she was in a different place. The temperature dropped from balmy to freaking freezing in a matter of seconds.

“Wait. I need to put on some warmer clothes.”

By the time she got out the winter gear her flesh had prickled with bumps. She’d already donned the hot jeans and boots over in Anterra, but now she was glad she’d put them on. She wasn’t sure what to do with the empty trash bag once she emptied it, so she wadded it up and stuffed it in her pocket. While the men might be warmer being lions, if anyone saw them, there would be questions. She had the combination to the storage unit where she could give them clothes, but it was a long way to walk in just a loincloth.

“If we see anyone, you two will have to hide.” If tourists spotted two mountain lions, tame though they were, the people would freak. She wasn’t sure how she’d explain them. No one would believe they were shifters, but they probably wouldn’t believe they were pets either.

“Lara said just to follow the path, and I’ll end up at the ski lift. When we get close you two should head downhill and meet me at the bottom.” It sucked that they couldn’t talk back. They could communicate with each other, just not with her.

Sella continued along the path, but she worried about getting down using the lift. Lara had told her how the ski lift worked, but until she actually saw it running, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to jump on without tumbling forward.

Voices sounded.
Crap
. She turned to tell Malik and Cavon to go, but they were already out of sight. She kept forgetting about their extraordinary sense of smell and hearing.

“Good luck,” she said to the air.

Trusting she remembered all of the instructions, she trekked down the path. When she came to the three-way fork, she smiled. This was where Lara had gone when Taryn and Kellum happened upon her. So far, so good. Two people, a man and a woman, came toward her. To confirm she was on the right path, she stopped them. “Excuse me. Is this the way to the ski lift?”

The woman smiled. “Yes. It’s about an hour walk. You can’t miss it.”

“Thanks.” That was easy. People here were the same as those in Anterra—friendly and helpful.

When she got to the ski lift, Sella stayed on the edge of the forest and watched how people got on and off. Almost everyone got off and then skied downhill.

You can do this
.

She’d come for an adventure, and right here, right now, marked the start of something wonderful.

Chapter Two

 

Sella didn’t know why opening a combination lock had to be so difficult, but she was glad between her and the two men they were able to unlock the storage unit. Inside was a wealth of Earth items. One box contained cash, and two others were labeled either women’s clothing or men’s clothing. Lara had basically given any Anterran who wanted to come to Spirit the chance to visit in comfort. In the past, men would either look through Dumpsters or steal clothes off the clothesline, which meant arriving during the winter months hadn’t been practical.

She almost didn’t want to leave the warmth of the unit, but life beckoned. Both Malik and Cavon had been to Spirit several times and thankfully knew the lay of the land. She had no idea what to do with all these aboveground buildings.

Malik pressed his hands down his jacket and posed in his new outfit. “What do you think?”

“You’re just fishing for a compliment.” She loved his carefree attitude.

“Maybe.”

He sure did look good in Earth clothes. No one would guess he was a shifter. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if a few of the people mistook him for a television actor. “You look very Earthlike.”

“Hmm. I’ll have to remember to thank Lara for the clothes. I hope we can bring some of these back with us. Next time it will be easier to dress before we pass through.”

“Amen.” If she ever wanted to return, any one of the men could escort her and not have to worry about what to wear.

Both men stepped outside of the unit and waved her out. “High-Country Inn is only a few blocks away.”

Sella inhaled and slipped a hand in her pocket to make sure she hadn’t lost the letter of introduction. Lara said that if Amy was busy and couldn’t talk to her right away that she should wait in the lobby and people-watch. She loved that idea.

As soon as they relocked the unit, she bounced up and down, partly to keep warm and partly because she was so damned excited. The cars whizzing by bothered her, and the noise was louder than what she was used to, but with her two bodyguards walking on either side she felt safe.

They’d told her that as soon as she got settled she might not see them for a while. They didn’t have to tell her what they’d be doing. They wanted a mate, at least for a while. For some reason, they’d never found a woman in Anterra who excited them, but perhaps they’d never found a woman who thought she could handle two large men.

Sella barely remembered the walk. Everything fascinated her. The fact people were walking close together in a line down the street was strange but neat. The only thing she’d change was to get rid of the cars. When the mode of transportation went on a rail, it was easier to keep a proper distance.

“This is it. The High-Country Inn.”

The structure was huge, beautiful, and tall. She inhaled, and the three of them walked inside after opening a large glass door. Her breath caught at the grandeur. She wanted to dash around and touch everything, but she forced herself to tamp down her enthusiasm. Inside, it smelled of pine, and the rich scent reminded her of home.

Malik leaned over. “Go do your magic, room wizard.”

She laughed. People stood in front of a counter, and Lara had told her that was where she’d find Amy. Sella slipped off her coat as she was now quite warm and handed it to Malik to hold. After waiting in line for a good five minutes, it was her turn to get waited on.

“I’m looking for Amy Thornton.”

“May I help you with something?”

The girl’s nametag read
Lydia
. “My sister-in-law is a good friend of Amy’s and said I should speak with her personally.” She pulled a letter out of her pocket and handed it to the girl. “Perhaps you could give this to her. It explains everything.”

“Absolutely.” Sella liked her warm smile.

The woman disappeared. A moment later, a short, pretty woman came rushing out from the side. She glanced around.
That must be Amy
. Sella walked over to her. “Amy?”

“Yes.”

“Hi. I’m Sella, Lara’s sister-in-law.”

Amy threw her arms around her as if they’d been the best of friends. “How is Lara?”

“Pregnant.”

Amy squealed. “Oh, my God. Come into my office. I want to hear everything. How is she feeling? Is she happy?”

Sella could hardly catalogue all of the questions. She looked behind her. “I’m with two friends.” She nodded to Malik and Cavon. With the amount of Amy information wanted, she might be an hour, and it wouldn’t be fair to the men to have to stand around.

Amy looked over at them and stared. Sella had forgotten her two friends often had that effect on women. So that she didn’t get the wrong idea, she dropped the S-bomb. “They’re shifters, too, just like Lara’s husbands.” Lara had shared everything with Amy after her first stint in Anterra.

“Shifters?” She fanned herself. “Oh, my. Lara told me how gorgeous her two husbands were, but I bet they don’t compare to these men.”

“My brothers are good looking, too.” She didn’t want to have this conversation out in the open, and Amy seemed too startled to remember she’d offered her office. “Can we talk somewhere more private?”

Amy turned a light shade of pink. “Yes, yes. Please bring your friends with you. We don’t want them to get lonely.” She glanced again at Malik and Cavon. “They are just friends, right?”

Sella laughed. “Yes, and very single.”
And looking for a mate willing to accept their lifestyle.
She waved for the men to follow.

They spent the next half hour catching up, and Cavon and Malik added their story tidbits.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally get some closure on Lara. I’m thrilled she is doing so well. I guess with the baby on the way she wouldn’t be able to get over here anytime soon, right?”

She acted like making the trip was simple. “No. It’s very hard on the body.” Good thing she’d taken her
diltha
or she would have been worse off, she bet. “The baby might be harmed in the process.”

Amy’s eyes widened. “We couldn’t have that.” Amy finally stood. “Let’s get you settled in your room then.”

“I have Lara’s credit card to get the men a room, too.” They’d spoken a bit about her needing a job, but Amy hadn’t committed. As long as she had the credit card, she figured she’d be okay for a while.

“Perfect.” She winked at both men then turned back to her. “While you need to be licensed to bartend, how do you feel about serving drinks? Would that work?”

If Amy was giving her a room, Sella wanted to pull her weight. “I’d love that.”

“The waitresses wear black pants and a High-Country Inn T-shirt that I’ll give you. Oh, and wear comfortable shoes.” She glanced from one side to another. “Do you understand how our money system works?”

“Lara has explained it, but someone will have to show me how to swipe a credit card.” The Anterran system might not be anything like the Earth one. For a moment, her nerves got the best of her. Maybe she was taking this too fast. “Unless it’s too much trouble.”

“Not at all. I’ll instruct our bartender to help. I won’t give him any specifics other than to say you come from abroad.”

She wasn’t sure where that was, but if the bartender believed it, that worked for her. She couldn’t believe how smoothly this transition was going. Without Lara’s connections, she’d have been lost.

 

* * * *

 

By the second day, Sella had gotten the hang of this waitressing gig. The humans were a bit more demanding than the Anterrans, but at least if any customer got pissy, he didn’t shift into a lion and have it out with her or another customer. Sometimes the overabundance of testosterone among the Anterran men got to her.

Her evening was wrapping up when the hair on her neck rose. She spun around, thinking Malik and Cavon had come in, but they weren’t anywhere to be seen. “Whoa.”

Two real-life giants walked in. While she was five foot ten inches barefoot, these men had to be close to seven feet tall. She’d been fascinated with American basketball as well as football and figured these two might be sports stars.

No one seemed to be paying any attention to them once they sat in a booth, so she made a beeline over. “Gentlemen? What can I get you?”

Her body vibrated so hard that she didn’t know what to make of it. Unless she’d lost her touch being on Earth for two days, these were lion shifters. She’d bet her life on it. Yes, she’d been told there were other alignment points and other alternate realities, but to actually meet someone from another reality, besides the Anterran reality, threw her into a spin.

The slightly larger of the two grinned. “I’ll have a Bud.”

The other one looked almost identical, but had a slightly broader smile. “Make that two, sugar.” His gaze lingered on her as if he were trying to figure out if she knew their secret.

“Coming right up.” Even though she wasn’t sure what a Bud was, the bartender would give her the right drink.

Her legs weakened as she turned around. Never had she had such a visceral reaction to a man before. If they’d come from Anterra, she’d have known. If she hadn’t reacted in such a specific way, from their size alone she would have figured them to be bear shifters.

BOOK: Stray Cats [High-Country Shifters 2]
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