Damn it. “I purr under very specific conditions. Anticipation on seeing my new car is one of those conditions, although I’m reserving my purrs for once I actually get this stuff off without damaging the paint. A certain lion roaring might result in a purr.”
“Would you like me to roar for you, my little lynx?”
“As I don’t want to get a bucket of water thrown all over me so I become wet and sticky, yes.”
The lion frowned and narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure which side I’m supposed to be on right now. There are a lot of benefits to you being wet and sticky.”
Damn. My lion was a pervert. “I might catch a cold if I get wet.” Lycanthropes rarely got colds, but I had a track record of getting them, although I usually flirted with illness at the end of my mating season. I blamed my inability to hunt men. Would Sebastian put an end to my yearly colds? I hoped so. And if he didn’t, I bet he’d bring me soup so I wouldn’t have to do it myself. “I get one or two every year, and it sucks. You don’t want to deal with that.”
Sebastian looked me over head to toe before he turned to my brothers. “Use a hose. A bucket might not get the job done sufficiently. If she catches a cold, I get to call in and work from home to care for my little lynx, as nobody wants to deal with a moody lion upset he can’t take care of his little lynx at home.”
Traitors surrounded me, although the one roared nicely. “You are such a lion.”
“I am. I really am.”
With a smile and a shrug, my traitor brother shrugged and tossed the bucket my way, hitting me in the face with it. I sighed and took it, spluttering and spitting water out. “Thanks, asshole. I don’t even know which asshole you are, but the entirety of the first litter falls for this, as you bastards are the first litter.”
The asshole with the bucket snickered. “I am Alan, the eldest ruler of the Wells litters, and you will get the hose if you fail to purr for us. One day, you might remember which one I am. One day.”
“You already gave me the bucket. I do not need the hose. And anyway, how am I supposed to tell you three apart? You’re identical triplets. Identical triples. At least I knew which litter you’re from. That’s good for me.”
“Your lion wants to take care of you, and it seemed wrong to deny him of such an opportunity. And anyway, you don’t get catch your colds until the end of your mating season. During it, you’re just a hormonal tyrant. Had we known how serious your lion was about taking you home with him, we would have bought him some presents to show our gratitude.”
My face flushed. “Damn it, Alan.”
“What? It’s only fair to warn him what he’s getting into. He’s not a lynx, but he dresses well. Uncle Henry confirmed he makes his own suits, so basically, he’s perfect for you, and we can’t argue against perfection.”
I eyed my lion. “My brothers seem to have developed a crush on you. What were you doing in the house? How did you seduce them all into adoring you? What dark magic have you been doing to my family?”
Sebastian chuckled. “No dark magic was required. I took videos of you purring in your sleep after I tucked you in at night, and I took pictures of when you were having a good time at the spa. As you have them all wrapped around your finger, I scored some serious future brother-in-law points. I simply planned to dodge a beating, as I’d rather not be beaten. Will I fight? Absolutely. I’m a lion. But if I can avoid the fight and save the fighting for something worth fighting over, I will.”
“We’re not sure about this whole marriage thing, but if his only flaw is a desire to be trapped in unholy matrimony, we can cope with that,” Alan stated in a rather serious tone. “He also came armed with advice on how to approach uninfected women without automatically eliminating ourselves from the dating pool. He’s smart, Harri. You know us. We like smart.”
I could see Sebastian being good at that, and considering how many of my brothers had fancy degrees, they did like smart people. “You do realize you did not