lion did classify as an act of reckless and dangerous fun, something I enjoyed as much as my virus did. It helped I pissed him off enough he didn’t flinch when I came around; he was too worried about controlling his damned temper to care about my face.
Then again, the first time we’d met, he hadn’t flinched, which had been all it had taken to convince my virus he was the only one worthy of me. I believed I needed a crown so I could become the Queen of Unhealthy Relationships. Then again, what I had with Sebastian didn’t classify as a relationship.
Then again, maybe it was healthy. He didn’t flinch around me, and he treated me like a person. Well, mostly. He treated me like a person when I wasn’t out for his roar. When I was out for his roar, he treated me like the annoyance I was.
My virus loved it all, and I appreciated she wanted me to be happy, although if she pushed much harder about Sebastian, she’d have me eating out of the lion’s hand while purring.
Personally, I hoped he fed me barbecue chicken with extra spicy sauce I could lick off his fingers. After I finished with the chicken, a steak might be nice—or a taco. Or some form of pasta covered in cheese. When I thought about it, I didn’t care what he fed me.
I’d even take a stale cookie as long as it was chocolate chip and served with milk.
“If I hadn’t been given upgraded access to your file as of this morning, I would have accused you of being a cat without knowing just how right I was, Miss Murder Mittens. Now that I know what I know, I find your chosen bounty hunter alias to be rather amusing. Knowing other things I happen to know, you’re courting trouble, and I absolutely cannot wait until this blows up in your face in a spectacular and dramatic fashion. You deserve every bit of trouble headed your way.”
Fuck. Sebastian had upgraded access to my file? While my rating as a lycanthrope was in the general file, my species and gender had been locked down at my request due to rarity. I played wolf because everybody assumed wolf despite their noses telling them a cat was around. “Why do you have upgraded access to my file?”
“That’s what I want to talk with you about. In person.”
Fuckity fuck fuck fuck. “You’re a very bad kitty, Sebastian Sumners.”
“What are you going to do about it, Wells?”
Pulling his tail for fun came to mind. If pulling his tail didn’t earn me another roar, I’d tweak at his pride until I accomplished my goal. I needed his best roar to cover my purrs. “I have a list.”
“Of course. Why am I not surprised? A meeting, Wells, not excuses.”
“Can I be excused from this meeting?” I gave the bounty list a quick look and spotted a reference to Battle Lake, which was a short enough detour on the way to Cincinnati.
“Absolutely not.”
I ignored him in favor of the info sheet. According to the bounty, a woman had been infected and mated to a lycanthrope without being told about the infection risk and permanent nature of relationships with lycanthropes. The CDC’s note on the file included angelic verification the victim, Carol, wanted nothing to do with her wolf suitor. She’d even set up a script, where the killer of her nightmare would inquire about sewing shears. She even had a picture of the fucker to go with the hit, and he was the type of man who probably assumed his looks entitled him to any woman he wanted without being even remotely handsome.
Fucking creeper.
With three taps of my trackpad, I claimed the bounty as mine. Twenty-five thousand didn’t count as a whole lot in the grand scheme of scar removal, but it would help cover my deposit and further my cause.
Every penny helped.
The lion waited with admirable patience, so I tossed him a bone. “I have a violent date at a seamstress’s shop in Battle Lake. Can we have our date afterwards?”
“Absolutely not. Meet with me before you pick up any more damned random bounties.”
“Why are you being such a lion, Sebastian? I have a violent date, and I absolutely refuse to miss it. This one infected a woman against her will and is using the virus to hold her hostage. You know I hate creepers who do that. I absolutely enjoy murdering them and being paid for the honor