Chapter Twelve

Peni

There were times when Peni got overwhelmed in life. His goat was more worldly in a lot of ways. He saw things more simplistically, and that was understandable, given he was an animal at heart. Peni was the one who worried and fretted, and yes, he knew he was prone to overthinking things. But there was so much going on, his brain felt as if it was going to explode, and he now had an extra worry to add to the list—would anything in his life ever be normal again?

There was the unexpected arrival of Mrs. Danials. Peni’s face was still throbbing, and it would take a long time for him to forget the hate in her voice.

And what about the lawsuit she was yelling about? Peni tried to hide his worries from Merihem. Was he going to get served papers because he’d been sleeping in the basement? The threat felt real. Not that he was sleeping down there anymore because of an even bigger change in his life.

Peni was furious, embarrassed, and completely mortified by what his goat had done. He hadn’t even planned to shift. No, his goat just burst out. What was worse was that his animal side took the most serious decision a shifter could make out of his hands and left Peni with a mate to contend with.

A mate who was grinning at him and stroking his face, which was nice, yet… “I should probably clean something. I haven’t finished the kitchen counter.” Peni was doing his best to cling to what he knew.

Only before he’d finished speaking, Merihem was shaking his head. “I need to speak to Dakata, which means calling a special taxi and going to the forest.”

“Yes. You should definitely do that.” Peni needed time to think alone. “I’ll just stay here…”

“You can’t.” Merihem looked aghast.

Peni flinched back as if Merihem had hit him. “I can’t stay here anymore?”

“No, no. You heard me wrong. I mean, you need to be with me right now, sweetheart. Please. Come to the forest with me.”

Frowning, Peni gave Merihem his best “look”. “You said you needed to speak to Mr. Dakata. You said you needed to call a special taxi and go to some unnamed forest. There was nothing in what you said about me. I need to clean.” And put some clothes on, but Peni prayed that thought hadn’t gone through their weird bond. Shifting was not good on his clothes, although he had it easier than bigger shifters.

“I’m sorry.” Merihem looked as if he was having an internal discussion with his demon half. Peni found that easier to spot for some reason. “I am used to… you know what? I should not fob you off with an excuse. Put bluntly, I misspoke. I meant to say it would make me very happy if you would come to the forest with me.”

Peni glanced up at the kitchen counter and then back at his mate. “Are you sure I can’t just stay here?” Cleaning was way easier.

“You got attacked in this house. We can’t let that happen again,” Merihem stressed.

“I don’t think it will be a problem now Mrs. Danials is in hell.” I need to think! My brain has got some serious organizing to do. But Peni didn’t want Merihem to think he was incapable. It was bad enough that his goat had done the unthinkable, but ultimately he and his goat spirit were one. He was going to have to live with his goat’s decision. The thing was, Peni, if asked, couldn’t tell anyone how he felt about what was done. He had absolutely no idea. His whole life had simply spiraled out of control in a matter of hours.

Which meant all Peni could do was focus on the immediate issue. Merihem wanted to go to the forest. Peni didn’t have any clothes on. “Fine. I’ll go to the forest with you. Can you close your eyes, please?”

“Are you going to run away if I do?” Merihem’s hands rested on his shoulders gently, his gaze revealing worry. Something else Peni was getting better at reading.

“No. I won’t leave the room.” Peni wiggled, trying to get free. “I just need you to close your eyes for two minutes.”

“I enjoy looking at you.” Merihem was grinning and probably thought he was teasing, but Peni was close to breaking point.

Reaching up, he grabbed Merihem’s face and squeezed it. Not hard. He’d never hurt his mate, but enough to get his attention. “I want you to do this one thing. Let me up and close your eyes. Please.”

“If you want me to close my eyes, you shouldn’t be sitting on me naked.”

“That wasn’t intentional. I want you to close your eyes so I can get dressed.” Merihem clearly didn’t get it. He probably walked around all day with his cock bouncing from thigh to thigh in his human or his demon form and didn’t care if people looked. Hadn’t that been how they’d met in the first place? The problem was Peni wasn’t like that.

“Properly,” he added as Merihem closed his eyes halfway. “All the way shut.”

“You’re not very trusting for a blissful one,” Merihem grumped, but his eyes finally closed.

Jumping up, Peni grabbed his clothes, thanking the Fates and anyone else he could think of that his goat form was so small. His clothes weren’t ripped, but Peni was all fingers and thumbs trying to get them on. His pants suddenly seemed too tight, and he almost fell over, dancing on one leg, trying to get his other foot through the hole. His shirt was inside out, and Peni had no idea when that happened. That was more time needed, turning it in the right way before tugging it over his head. Shoes. Shoes. I know I had shoes.

Peni saw the edge of one poking out from Merihem’s butt. There was no sign of the other one. He’s probably sitting on it. “I’m dressed,” he said out loud. “You can get up now.”

Merihem stood up with a dancer’s grace. Peni felt something stir in his lower belly, but he squashed it down. His brain was a mass of jellybeans, and none of the colors were sorted.

He darted around his mate and grabbed his shoes, sitting again so he could slide them on. He didn’t want to fall over with Merihem watching. “So, what’s the story with the special taxicab? Is it like Cinderella’s coach and turns into a pumpkin at midnight?”