The Coyote Chases The Cat

"Is the popcorn ready, noble one?"

My mate looks up from his prone position on our massive couch. His golden locks are spilling over his shoulders, making him look like Adonis—and boy, does he know it—as he nods. "It is, my love. No need to fret. Come join us. We'll turn the movie on."

"I want to watch something with some action," I grumble, pouting and scrunching up my nose. Watching the lovey-dovey movie Wilde picked didn't feel right at the moment. He could have picked Jane Austen, so it's not the worst-case scenario, but I'm not in the mood for Sabrina. With all the emotional turmoil going on with these two, I'd rather see some rip and tear or explosions. I can't force myself to tolerate sentimental shit like I used to.

"Wilde said Hepburn, so this is what we get. Thank your lucky stars it's not Shakespeare or Austen, woman." Sari grins and flops back against the cushions, turning to face me. "Tell me what's going on with that giant turkey you're associating with."

Sigh.

I can feel my primary in my head, giving me a reassuring pat. We both knew this topic would dominate the conversation just as it did last week. I see Wilde moving into place next to Rafe, poised to distract him while Sari grills me.

This is getting so old, so fast. "Nothing, really."

Liar. I'm a big, fat, hairy liar.

I can't say ‘we finally rounded the corner to third base while you guys were asleep last Friday.' That would go over like a lead balloon. I also can't decide what I can say that won't encourage Sari to keep sniffing around. I'm not ready to share my…whatever it is… with my mates or the public.

"Honey, there is no way that Mr. Stuffed Shirt has meandered out of whatever hole Talia kept him in to be ‘pals.' There's something more to it. Don't leave me hanging, kitty cat."

"Seriously, Sari, we're just hanging out. I'm able to hang out with people and not screw them, you know." I make an annoyed face at her, but in my head, I see a pair of pants set ablaze. Apparently, I can't hang out with someone without screwing them. Woo hoo, me. I love how everything I do with Sari and Wilde seems to make me feel bad about myself.

Here I thought Taurus would do that, but no, it's my mates.

"Look… you know I love you. Wilde loves you. The boys love you. Rhea and Alistair love you. Every clone who's not with you wants to be with you. Forgive me if I don't think it's a stretch that he's contemplating a notch on his bedpost. Given that he has so few, it's a hella good one to collect."

"I'm not a goddamned toy, Sari. People shouldn't be trying to collect me." I bristle, feeling the panic settle in. She will not let this go, and I don't want to fuck up this thing with Taurus before I get the goodies. That would be stupid. My eyes dart to Wilde, hoping like hell that my mate is keeping him from focusing on this conversation. There's a price to pay either way, but mine would steeper tonight.

"Deli, darling, I didn't mean it that way. Talia keeps his leash way too short for him to actually ADD you to his harem. And maybe I'm wrong. It's not like he's touched you outside of that bitching fight I missed, right?"

I have no idea which offensive statement to counter first. First, she likens me to a bloody limited edition Funko and then she acts like Taurus would try to make me some sort of concubine. Maybe I'd want to add him to my harem, huh? Mine's a hell of a lot bigger, that's for damned sure. I take a breath, finding my center before I answer.

Once I do, I realize her idiotic rambling means she has no idea that I've been sneaking out at night. Thank the Goddess and all of her consorts, Sari doesn't know a goddamned thing. If she did, she and Wilde would be pissed. The punishment would be so bad that I'd be lucky to move for a week. I can ignore her bullshit if I just distract her—that's the key.

"It was an amazing fight. It was freaking awesome to let her loose that way. Besides, everyone knows Taurus doesn't fuck people that aren't Talia." See? I avoided the question. No need to lie when you can dance around it like a ballerina.

"He and Rhea bumped uglies a long time ago. Vice that versa with Talia and Alistair. That's what caused her damage about Taurus being a bad, rude man."

Ugh, that is not even something I want to consider, much less picture.

I cannot imagine a titmouse like Rhea with a sexy predator like Taurus. She's likely to say something dirty, then apologize because she got it wrong. "That's what she says. We all know that it's why she has a chip on her shoulder about him. ‘He didn't cuddle' is her arrow to the knee."

"I never got why she was so hurt about that, given the people involved. Neither of them is known for being anything but a sociopath. Besides, who bitches that a hot piece of ass dicked the hell out of you and didn't want to read you poetry afterward? Her priorities are fucked up. You know she has to be brooding over it again now, though. You and the big bird doing the deed are going to make her insane with jealousy."

I see Wilde's body tighten as his head tilts. He stops nibbling on Rafe for a moment and my heart stops. The beast stretches out, watching to see if she'll have to protect me. "We are not doing the deed, woman. We are just hanging out. Friends. Amigos. Buddies. That's it."

"Okay, ostrich woman. You act like I don't remember how you and Alistair started. How was that? Oh yeah, hanging out. Then it was a date. Then it was sex, blood, family…boom! Now he's telling you he doesn't want his brother touching his stuff." She sips her beer, snorting and shaking her head.

She's too close with that analogy. I can't have her and Wilde digging into this. I can't have them riling up Rhea and Alistair. I am balancing everything like a tightrope walker with an entire case of plates, and there is no net. It will all come crashing down.

"Sari, he's bored. I'm sure he'll disappear again and leave me hanging. He hightailed it on Rhea, if you remember. No one has to worry about Taurus putting his hands on me outside of a fistfight."

Liar.

"I think he has a crush. You're going to get Taurus cooties."

I grab the bottle of wine and take a slug, sans glass, as this evening has taken a nosedive into Suckville. She's right; I was like that with Alistair, and she said almost the same thing then that she's saying now. She's a bit off the mark now, but Sari never sees the big picture. For someone who professes free love and sex, she's awfully possessive when the chips come down. This entire conversation is about her figuring whether they have competition. She won't stop until she's satisfied.

"Cooties are for grade schoolers and you're being ridiculous."

"My Darkness, pardon the interruption. My love is accurate in her assessment of the previous situation. That is how all three of our families became entwined."

His strawberry blonde curls are a tumble around his face and his glasses are askew from messing around with Rafe. For one fleeting moment, my heart aches for the time when we were new. Back then, his roguish, yet mannered look and speech made me melt with affection and his soft smiles made my heart skip a beat. He courted me briefly—a novelty meant to gain my allegiance—and he made everything a grand romance as only a writer can do. But Wilde changed since we mated. It started with their family mating and continued with the appearance of his cockney demon side that tortures Rafe and me in equal turns.

"Wilde, she's right about the stud, I admit. Taurus is a whole another bowl of spicy salsa. I have no intention of getting skewered by his mate. Rhea and Alistair managed to not get run through, but they have a past with Talia on the other side."

"I think it would be downright hilarious to watch Alistair and Taurus have a conversation about ‘touching his stuff.' It should be a pay-per-view event." Sari grins and shrugs. "I trust you, so if you say nothing is coming—literally—then I have to believe you. There's an army of people who will stomp him flat if he hurts you."

No shit. The army is what I'm worried about.

They won't just go after him if he hurts me. They'll be out for blood if he threatens their hold on me. "No need for stomping, dear. I'm just exploring my wild side. He's being very Taurus, but not in a bad way. I make fun of him, comparing him to underwear or something, and it sends him over the deep end. Then he calls me a frazzled peahen—whatever the hell that is—and we spar a bit. It's nothing earth shattering."

"A frazzled pelican?"

"I don't know. It's something about how I squawk when I get mad. It's Taurus; he speaks a foreign language."

She opens her mouth as if to say something, but stops, looking pensive. "If you're having fun, that's a good thing." Her brow arches as she turns her head. Wilde and Rafe have absconded elsewhere while we were talking. She sighs, her lips twisting. "Only us gals. Do you still feel like watching an action flick since Mr. Literary Film has spirited the lounger away?"

Thank Goddess. "Yes."

I settle into the blankets, closing my eyes and hoping this conversation hasn't put Rafe in the wringer. I know he allowed Wilde to lead him to privacy as a distraction. My heart aches knowing that he made that decision without knowing what it might entail. It's not fair. My brow furrows in concern and I have to force myself to look relaxed. There's no use poking the bear twice tonight and looking upset will only egg Sari on.

"Time for some action hero, then." She grins and flicks the controller until she finds it, handing me the popcorn bowl.

Yippee ky-yi-yay.