brain, I got in the car and drove to the house. As ordered, I left the car unlocked and the gobag on the passenger seat. Occam was standing at the side door of the barn, haloed in the security light, watching me, a grindylow on his shoulder. I hadn’t seen any of the cute neon green killers since we arrived and I had put the absence down to the were-creature judges and executioners being with Rick LaFleur and Margot Racer in Chattanooga. The black wereleopards were young weres and the ones most likely to make a mistake and spread the were-taint. And need to be killed. I had to wonder why one had returned here, but Occam didn’t seem upset by its presence, one hand stroking along its back and tail as if it were a cat.
As I walked toward Occam, he smiled. A sense of utter well-being fluttered through me as if a thousand butterflies had just taken flight. I followed him inside and slid into his arms, my head on his chest.
“Nell, sugar. I’ve missed you like a fish misses water.” He breathed in my scent and I scrubbed my fist along his jaw.
“I’ve missed you too, cat-man.”
The grindylow leaped away and up, into the rafters of the barn. There was a cat up there already, a gray-striped, green-eyed cat. Behind it were more cats. I tilted my head, my face scraping against Occam’s work shirt, and counted four. I sighed happily. I hadn’t seen cats until now and I had wondered why. Except that cats had a strong sense of self-preservation. It was likely they had smelled death and decay and taken off. It was the same reason there had been few flies. The smell had been evil mixed with rot. Not good to eat; not a good place to lay eggs. But I wondered why the cats weren’t melting. Perhaps the same reason Occam couldn’t feel the death and decay?
The cats accepted the grindy, or perhaps ignored it was the better term. Cats were always welcome at a barn, even the most feral. Most barn owners set traps, got the cats spayed or neutered, gave them shots, and put out dry food in return for the cats keeping pests out of the grain and feed.
Occam propped his chin on my head. “You gonna tell me what happened between you and FireWind out there in the dark?”
I smiled against his shirt, the buttons pressing into my cheek. “You ain’t jealous, are you?”
“Jealous of tall, dark, and deadly? Not any more than I am of anyone who gets to spend time with you. Heck, woman, I’m jealous of your cats, your sister, and your family. I’m jealous of every moment that takes you away from me. And if that sounds a little too much possessive and old-school toxic masculinity, well, I do apologize for saying it.”
“But not for feeling it?”
“A man can’t help what he feels. He can only help what he does about those feelings. And I’ll never hurt you, Nell, sugar. Not ever, in any way, not even by my natural jealousy. I’ll cut off my hand before I let myself harm you. I’ll cut out my tongue before I let myself speak words that hurt you.”
Tears gathered in my eyes as he spoke. “I love you, cat-man.”
“I love you too, plant-woman.”
“You two finished saying hello and rubbing noses?” T. Laine called from the back door of the house. “I need to update Nell.”
“We’re mostly done,” Occam drawled. “Though that might be speciesist, suggesting we rub noses just because I’m a wereleopard.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Write me up. Turn me in to HR.” T. Laine backed into the kitchen. “I’m making fresh coffee,” she called. “Did you bring anything to eat, Nell? I’m starving.”
Occam and I separated. I said, “There’s a bag in the trunk with sandwiches. I forgot to bring it in. And Occam will have to go get it.” At Occam’s odd look, I said, “FireWind’s clothes are in the passenger seat. He turned into a St. Bernard and is chasing scents in the front pasture.”
“You do realize how weird that sounds,” T. Laine said from the house.
“Yes. I do. And when he’s done, he’ll have to shift back to human and he’ll be naked as a jaybird. I already had to see too many coworkers naked. I don’t particularly want to add FireWind to that list of people I’ve seen in their naked glory.”
There was a chuff of amusement, quickly silenced. “Back in a