Chapter 5

5

Sleeping in a strange bed was difficult, even after I transported my comfiest sleep shirts and doggy slippers. I woke every few hours and dreamed of Farley kissing me.

How was it possible to feel drawn to someone I only met yesterday? His biological scientist father had to have dinked with his pheromones. It was the only way I could explain this insta-love stuff.

Farley was great, but I had better control over myself than that. Well, I did normally. What I did to Ethan was me losing my temper. I had no good explanation for lusting for Farley after spending less than an hour with him.

I flinched when loud, obnoxious music began playing outside the inn. Not bothering to dress, I grabbed my wand and stomped to the front door in my gown and doggy slippers. My mouth fell open when I yanked open the door.

There were five handsome male bodies with kangaroo faces dancing in a line facing the house. They wore jeans and red suspenders, which they snapped in time to the loud music.

My wand sparked in my hand as my irritation grew. They danced and snapped until I pointed the wand at their music source and zapped it.

Carol would probably add a few more days to my incarceration time for me doing that, but it was worth it for the blessed silence it brought.

They stopped dancing to stare at me in shock. One of them morphed his head into a human male's. "I'm sorry, luv. Did we wake you up?"

I crossed my arms and made sure my sparking wand showed clearly. "Did you come to work or dance? Because I don't need dancers."

He looked back at the others, who lifted their hands and shrugged.

When he turned back to me, he did the same. "Farley wasn't clear about what you wanted. He's a strange one, that bear is. What do ya need from us, my lovely witch?"

"For starters, I need you to call me Selene… and only Selene."

"Sure. We can do that."

"Good," I said. "I need some renovation work done. Are you free to help me? It's a rush job, and I need it done by the end of the day, Thursday."

"Well, that will cost you extra, Selene ," he said with a wink.

"Fine. I'm not paying for it anyway." She stared at the man. "Where's Farley?"

"Fartley? You don't need Fartley, Harry, and Gary. You have us now. We're all you need, honey."

I narrowed my gaze. "If you call Farley that disgusting name or call me honey again, I'm going to turn you into a kangaroo rat and let Fat Bastard play with you. He's on rodent duty because I don't have time for that kind of nonsense either."

His smile dropped away. "Well, you don't have to be so mean about it. You're a fine-looking woman for a criminal."

"Did they tell you what I did to get arrested? I shrank my cheating boyfriend's dick. So don't mess with me. I've perfected that spell."

The spokesman held up one hand and covered his crotch with the other. "All you had to say was that you were taking a break from men. How about we start over? I'm Paul, and these are my mates."

I uncrossed my arms and sighed. "Nice to meet you, I guess. I didn't sleep well last night, and I'm stressed about the first guest coming. Where's Farley?"

"He said to tell you he'd be here later."

"Okay." The relief I felt at that announcement upset me further because it simply wasn't like me. I waved my wand and repaired his music device. "Gather your stuff and clear my front lawn. I'll be back in five minutes to show you the suite."

"We'll be waiting," Paul said, saluting me. "Are you the innkeeper?"

"Only for the next thirty days," I said and disappeared into the house.

Wishing I had time to find some nicer clothes since Farley was returning, I slipped on yesterday's jeans and dug through what I'd conjured yesterday to find a clean t-shirt. I hadn't been thinking of luring a sexy bear when I chose what to bring here. I was thinking of clothing I wouldn't care about getting ruined.

Sighing, I pulled on the shirt I used for brewing potions. It was stained and threadbare, but it was at least clean. I paid the bathroom a two-minute visit and headed back out to collect Paul and his mates.

Paul and one other of his mates followed me up the stairs. I refused to wonder where their gazes were or to think about Farley yesterday. I showed them the suite that faced the backyard. "I need this place looking perfect by Thursday evening."

"Someone started in here and didn't finish. We need to repair the walls and paint the whole place," Paul said.

"Yes. The furniture is arriving on Thursday as well. I don't know when. Ca— uh —the Baba Yaga didn't give me a delivery time. I'm sure it will just pop in when it's ready."

"Right-O. I think we can improve this place by then. The floor refinishing will have to wait. That will take a week by itself."

I nodded. "Fine. Just... make it presentable, Paul. The Baby Yaga will be taking care of the bills."

Paul whistled, and his second covered his mouth with both hands. I waved off their surprise. "This place is an investment for her. She wants the whole inn to look similar to the kitchen, which has already been redone."

"Fartley—I mean, Farley —said his Dad Chuck did the work."

I shrugged. "Yes. That's what he thinks."

"Can we see that too? We need the inspiration."

"Sure." And down the stairs, we went.

I led the way with the kangaroo shifter construction workers sporting impressive six-packs in tow. Normally, I would have enjoyed the scenery, but worrying about a stupid bear had messed with my womanly enjoyment of life.

I showed everyone to the kitchen and held out my hand. "The Baba Yaga said this was a 1940s design, which Farley said was the decade when the house got converted into an inn."

"Who's going to GC the work?"

"GC?" I asked.

"Be the general contractor," Paul explained.

"I'm going to GC the work," a deep masculine voice said from the doorway.

I turned and smiled at the handsome Viking standing there with a clipboard in his hand.

"Hello," he said, smiling back. He lifted his clipboard. "I made some notes about what supplies will be needed. Could I see the rooms?"

"You saw them yesterday," I said. Good Goddess, had the bear already forgotten that he'd nearly taken me on the worktable? Because I hadn't forgotten a single thing.

I was about to argue and mention yesterday again when another handsome Viking appeared to stand by the first. I was suddenly seeing double. "We never decided for sure that you were going to GC, Garrison."

"Who has the math degree, Harrison? Who has an accounting MBA? Oh, that's right... I do "

My gaze went between them. Then I realized neither of them filled the doorway. But the man who walked up behind them did.

Paul pointed to the back door. "We'll just take a look at the backyard while you guys sort this out." Then he and his workmate bolted.

I looked after them with no idea what was happening.

"Are you two still arguing?" The giant male's gaze went over the heads of what could only be Farley's brothers. "Sweet Goddess," he said in a whisper, pushing his shorter sons aside so he could come into the room.

He looked around and blinked in shock. This one was an older Viking but still damn attractive. Farley would look like this one day. Why hadn't some female snapped him up? He had the body and the moves.

The older bear's expression reflected pride, love, and then sadness. I swallowed the emotional lump in my throat I got from watching and forced myself to smile. "You must be Dad Charlie."

The older bear looked at me and sniffed. "Farley was right. Chuck built this room. He had an engineering degree and could fix anything, but this was what he loved doing. It shows."

"Yes. His work was amazing. I'm sorry for your family's loss."

He nodded with that same sad expression but then pulled himself up even taller. I was a bit surprised when he put out a hand to shake. "You must be Farley's sexy criminal. Nice to meet you."

I looked down at my grubby work shirt and laughed as I met his gaze. "Sure. That's me. Sexy Selene." I peeked around him as I shook his hand. "Are those Farley's brothers?"

"Yes. Why? Didn't they introduce themselves?" He turned and growled at the men in the doorway who had the grace to wince. "Stop being rude."

"I'm Harrison, and this is Garrison," Harrison said.

"Hello," Garrison said, brandishing his clipboard again.

"Garrison will see to it the kangaroo guys do good work and stick to a budget. Harrison will do whatever his brothers tell him to do."

I smiled at the older bear. "Where's Farley?"

"Prepping for the big things, I imagine. Farley is a big-picture bear. These two will take care of you until he gets here. I can't stay because I have to get back to my Petri dishes."

I wanted to ask if he was sure that Farley was coming back to the inn. Every way I phrased the request in my head made me sound as needy as I was. The last thing I wanted to do was make Farley's dad think I was a needy female.

I looked at the clipboard brother. "Garrison the GC, right?"

"You can just call me Garrison," he said.

I grinned at him and then looked at his brother. "If your older brother doesn't come back, do you want to be my executive assistant, Harrison?"

"What would I do as your assistant?" Harrison asked, chuckling in that same deep tone his older brother possessed.

My sigh was loud. They had the looks, the voices, and the charm. But neither was the bear I'd been dreaming about seeing again. What was happening to me?

I looked at them and frowned. "So, is Farley coming back or not?"

"Selene?" A voice called my name from the doorway—a voice I thought I'd never hear again.

My anger instantly shot from zero to a hundred. "I don't believe this. What the holy freak show is that tiny dick bastard doing here?" Both of Farley's brothers jumped a little at my swearing.

I looked up at the ceiling and shook my fist at it. "This is not funny, Carol. I am not amused that you let Ethan come here. You said none of the council or their evil offspring would bother me here."

Garrison turned and looked at Harrison. "Do you think seeing the rest of us sent her over the edge of her sanity? I've read that fear of bears can do that to certain humans."

Harrison shook her head. "I don't think it's us, Garrison."

Rolling my eyes, I headed to the kitchen doorway, which was blocked by a couple of six-foot-two bear bookends.

"Excuse me," I said, moving my hands apart to illustrate that I needed to get through them.

Before they could move, Ethan popped up behind them.

"There you are," he said. "Why are you hiding in the kitchen?" He stood on his toes and peered over the bears. "Oh, I see why. The kitchen is beautiful."

The lying bastard who put me here was nearly the same height as the bear brothers but not nearly as muscular. They turned to look at him. Ethan was too stupid to be afraid of the bears sighting him. I thought they looked ready to charge at any moment.

I crossed my arms. "What in effing hell are you doing here?"

Ethan held up his hands. "I asked for permission to come so I could make you an offer."

I pulled my wand from my jeans and shook it to full size. "I'm not interested in anything you offer. Don't make me say it twice."

"Would you be interested if my offer let you walk out of here today? This was all just a big mistake, Selene."

"Does the Baba Yaga know you're here?"

Ethan winced in a way I once found boyish and charming. Now, I found it weaselly, except that was an insult to weasels. I decided to just call it evil.

I circled my wand in the air. "Stop stalling. Who sent you here, Ethan?"

"I asked my mother if I could come. She gave me permission," Ethan said. "I wanted to apologize."

"Apology not accepted. Be gone," I said firmly.

Farley's brothers turned until they blocked the doorway like a two-bare wall. They stared at Ethan.

"What happened was not all my fault, Selene. If you had just married me when I asked, I would never have strayed."

"Troll crap. I know you're lying. And I'm not fixing you any faster, Ethan. The spell lasts a month, and you'll just have to wait for it to grow back. This inn is my punishment. Sporting a two-inch dick for several weeks is yours. If your squeaking pixie shrinks to her normal size, you two still should be a perfect couple."

"Must you be so crass? You don't show this side of yourself to many people, do you, Selene? I'm almost not sad we didn't work out. And it's bigger than two inches already."

"Well, don't worry, Ethan. It's not the size of the boat that counts. It's the motion of the ocean." She waited for a moment. "Psyche... I'm so totally lying. Size does matter."

Ethan waved both hands in the air. "You're being ridiculous, Selene. Just tell my mother that it was all a misunderstanding, and I'll drop the case against you with the council. Once you inform the Baba Yaga of my change of heart, you'll be free to leave this place. I understand why you cast that spell that spell. I even understand why you would be mad about Harmony and me."

I frowned at him and glared. Carol knew the tramp's name, and so did Ethan. Worse, Ethan's mother knew the tramp as well. Everybody had known her but me.

"You shouldn't be here, Ethan. I've moved on already."

"With these two bears?" Ethan asked, pointing at Harrison and Garrison. "

"What I do is none of your business. Go away, Ethan."

"Selene is not with either of my brothers. She's with me."

My heart did a little leap when I saw my Viking Bear towering over all the males in my kitchen doorway. He didn't seem mad, so maybe I hadn't messed everything up.

Harrison, Garrison, and Ethan looked between Farley and me. I smiled at him over all their heads, especially when he offered me that fanged smile of his.

"Hi, baby. Sorry that I'm so late. It's been a rough morning. I didn't sleep well last night after I left."

Trying to look less joyful than I was, I straightened my t-shirt and patted my hair. "I'm sorry for last night too. I didn't sleep much after you left. Also, the kangaroo strip show early this morning didn't wake me up gently. I zapped their music source. Did you tell Paul and his mates to come do that at the asscrack of dawn?"

"No," Farley said with a laugh. "Didn't you enjoy their dancing?"

I grinned. "It was okay. I'd rather see your naked chest than any of theirs."

Farley put a hand on each of his sighing brothers. "Stop with the compliments, babe. You're making my brothers jealous."

Ethan turned and tilted his head back to look up at Farley. "Selene, that man you're smiling at is a bear."

"Yes," I said with a big smile. "He's my bear . If you mess with me, I'll let him eat you. From now on, when I commit a crime, I'm going to dispose of the body so no evidence will linger."

Farley looked down at the man who spoke to him. "How's it hanging, little dude? I heard she didn't leave you much."

Ethan turned back to glare at me. The bears continued to stare at him.

"Go away, Ethan. I've got work to do before the Baba Yaga comes to check on me."

"I'm coming back, Selene. And I expect you to talk to me reasonably when I do."

"And I expect that I'll have a lot of trouble not simply killing you. You're violating my incarceration. I'm going to report you to the Great One when she visits. Now, go away ."

Three bear heads turned to watch Ethan exit.

"Did you truly shrink his manhood?" Garrison asked.

My sigh was loud. "I did. He defiled my Grandmother's vintage bed with some squeaking pixie. He cheated on other women before me, but I was stupid enough to think he'd change. I couldn't let him get by with doing it to me." I raised my gaze to Farley's. "The only tragic part is that he wasn't worth any of the hurt he caused me."

"When did you decide that?" Harrison asked. "I did a paper on toxic relationships when I was getting my doctorate."

I grinned at Harrison. "Are you curious if I had a textbook epiphany?"

He shrugged. "Bears are naturally curious."

I raised my gaze to Farley's. "I learned the truth about my feelings yesterday. I didn't handle it well. If I could change the spell, I probably would, but it's made to wear off over time. If I try to tamper with it, things might work out worse for Ethan."

"You remind me of our cousin, Zelda," Garrison said. "Her spells don't always work out well, either."

I chuckled at the comparison. I had to meet this Zelda person. "The fact that I understand that sort of frightens me, Garrison. You can let your brother into the kitchen now. Thanks for not letting Ethan in."

I got two short Viking thumbs up as Harrison and Garrison moved out of the way.

Farley walked into the room. "I can see why you liked him. He's handsome, slightly arrogant, and brave enough to try to get you to still see things his way despite his infidelity."

"I refused to marry him, Farley. That's what his cheating was about. His mother got mad at me, and then she got mad at Ethan for not controlling me. Ethan decided to punish me with another woman. It sounds effed-up because it is. If I had loved him, I would have married him when he asked. But I didn't love him. I've never loved anyone. Love isn't something I seem capable of feeling."

Farley smiled at me and shrugged. "Perhaps it's your fatal flaw. Every tragic heroine has one. I guess I must be the hero determined to change your mind."

"I like you, Farley. I like you a lot. Your brothers are interesting, and your Dad Charlie is a sweetie. I wish you could have seen his face this morning. He took one look at the kitchen and just knew."

Farley sighed. "Did he get upset?"

"A little," I said. "He was sad but recovered fast because of his waiting Petri dishes. I did get the impression they were very close."

"They were," Farley said. His focus was sharp as he stepped close. "My self-control was not in a good place when I left. I couldn't risk mistreating you. Were you mad at me for leaving?"

I shook my head and dropped my gaze to his enormous feet. I could have worn his shoes for skis. What was I supposed to do with someone like him? "Why haven't you found a sow to love?"

"Sows don't stay. Grandma tells me that's the bear way. Dad Charlie says it's my human side that wants a life companion. But that doesn't explain Dad Chuck hooking up with Mom Hildy, or that Dad Charlie hides in his work instead of dating any of the women who keep asking him out."

"You look a lot like him, except for the glasses."

"Thanks. People say we all look alike."

I smiled at him. "That's true, but you're still special to me. Your brothers look just like you, but they're not you. I think it's your pointy teeth."

Farley laughed. "My pointy teeth?"

I pointed to my incisors with my fingers to show him. He chuckled and felt the points of his own.

"You're laughing at me, but I think you have sexy teeth."

Farley dropped his hands and sighed. "I'm prepared for you now. I won't be running off again."

His tone was so serious that I burst out laughing and doubled over. I laughed and laughed. I wanted to tell him he was the most prepared of any man I'd ever known based on yesterday's preview, but this wasn't the time for that kind of joke.

I straightened and wiped my eyes. "Sorry. I thought you left yesterday because you were mad at me."

Farley shook his head. "No. I like you, Selene. Maybe I like you a little too much."

"I like you too, Farley. And we have some amazing chemistry between us."

"Wait until you see the physics I have planned."

I giggled and pressed a hand to my mouth to stop it. "I feel like the nerdy girl in school being propositioned by the quarterback. Except actually, it's more like the cheerleader being flirted with by the handsome nerd."

"Don't believe him, Selene. Farley failed physics," a voice said from down the hall.

My eyes widened. "Garrison or Harrison?"

"Harrison," Farley said before yelling down the hall. "And I didn't fail physics. I just knew the theories were wrong. Why should I waste my time learning wrong things?"

I blinked up at him. "So you think the study of physics is wrong?"

"I advanced the study of physics by at least three decades. It upset a few people. Then, a group out of Boston hired me…"

"Because he's a brainiac," the hallway voice interrupted to say.

"That's Dr. Brainiac to you," Farley yelled back.

Then he turned and smiled at me. I looked at his glasses and his pointy teeth. Something leaped inside my chest. It might have been my spirit diving off a cliff because I was falling for a nerdy bear shifter who kissed like a god.