“Now if I could only teach you to flush afterward,” she sighed, knowing that was a pipe dream that would never happen.
After closing the door and setting Puss on the floor by the bed, she sat in front of the carrier cross-legged and opened the locked gate. It took several minutes of coaxing, but Puss finally stuck her pink nose out. After a few more minutes, she dashed out and onto Melony’s lap. She held the cat to her and stroked her lightly in a soothing manner while humming.
Her kitty would be happier, less overwhelmed by the new surroundings if she let her get used to one small space at a time.
“It’ll be okay, Puss. This is a good change for us. We have people that care about us here.” Well, she did anyways. She wasn’t sure about Puss. After all, weren’t lycans of the canine family?
Hmmm. Are they of the canine family? If they were, it would only be logical that they wouldn’t think much of cats. Was that the reason Knox had warned her to keep kitty out of sight? He promised her the cat would not be harmed, but also said there was no sense in pushing her luck. Puss was the first cat to come to Sanctuary, and she was worried that the feline wouldn’t be a welcome surprise.
“Too bad. You are a beautiful girl, and they will grow to love you just as I have.”
She waited until a light purr vibrated from Puss before she kissed her on the head and set her on the floor to allow her to get acquainted with her new home. The cat gave her a haughty look that said she didn’t believe a word Melony said.
Melony laughed. “You have to give it a chance. We have an opportunity to have a family here. Wait and see. It will all work out.”
She prayed that was so. All through school, her friends had claimed that she was entirely too bubbly and looked on the bright side of things even when a bright side didn’t exist. She didn’t agree. There was something good in everyone, in every situation. Besides, who wanted to go through life a pessimistic crab? Not her. She preferred to believe the best of whatever situation she was in, although she had to admit it was hard to be completely optimistic when she was probably the only human in the midst of a bunch of shape-shifters.
She shrugged before standing and began to unpack the suitcases Knox had set by the bed on the dark hardwood floor. When she’d asked him where she would be able to get groceries and other necessities, he’d instructed her to make a list of anything she needed. Apparently, routine trips were made to town to pick up supplies. She’d also asked him how she’d be able to make money to pay for the things she needed while she lived here. She had some savings, but those wouldn’t last forever.
He’d informed her that Sanctuary would pay for whatever she needed, that all potential mates were taken care of. When she protested, he’d assured her that after she’d settled in and started helping out with newcomers and tasks that needed taken care of, she’d earn wages. She supposed that would be okay. As long as she was contributing to the encampment, she didn’t mind, but until that time came, she’d insist on paying for her own things whether Knox liked it or not.
After all of her clothes were put away, she took her toiletries to the bathroom. The counter space was good sized, and she placed her hair gel, mousse, and hair spray beside her hairdryer. She’d brought several boxes of her favorite pink hair color as well—anticipating that she might have a difficult time finding it out in the sticks of Michigan. She wondered if they had landlines or Internet out here. She could order it online, but it wasn’t anything urgent, as she was sure she had enough to last her a year or more.
“That’s an understatement,” she snorted, trying to get the vanity drawer to close after stuffing the boxes inside.
She was good at cutting hair as well, and wouldn’t have to worry about how she would keep her hair styled in the short, spiky do she preferred.
While some of her fashion choices resembled goth, her pink hair slid her firmly to the punk side. She liked to stand out. Blending in, doing the norm was not her sort of thing.
She didn’t do it to get attention. She simply liked being different, making a statement. And she wasn’t one to fall into what everyone else was doing just because she caused a raised brow here and there. She didn’t go overboard with her style. After all, she had forgone the nose stud she’d wanted, compromised and gotten the belly button piercing instead.
She stretched her arms above her head and stood on tiptoes, then looked at her watch. It was nearing six thirty, which left her plenty of time for a shower before Rose came and got her for the campfire. She looked longingly at the big shower stall that was tiled in what looked to be river rock. God, please let the water be hot. She turned on the tap, happy beyond belief when the water started to steam, and quickly discarded her clothes.
She washed her hair with her favorite jasmine-scented shampoo, and after scrubbing her entire body with a loofah, she stood under the hot water until her skin began to prune. After drying off, she put on pink-and-black checkered leggings, a black skirt that flared at her knees, a black tank top, pink jacket, and black boots with pink laces. Just as she was putting the finishing touches on her hair, she heard a knock at the door.
“You be a good kitty, Puss.” As she walked through the bedroom, she patted the cat that was sprawled on the end of the bed, looking right at home. “I’ll see you later.”
“Are you ready to go?” Rose stood on the other side of the door Melony had just opened. “I’m a little early, so if you need more time—”
“No. I’m ready if you are.” Melony stepped outside and closed the door firmly behind her.
Chapter Three
Lorent had just finished helping Anthony, Brent, Knox, and Raze position the last of the chairs around the blazing fire when her scent hit him.
His gut clenched, and he had to smother a groan. His cock did a happy twitchity-twitch dance in his jeans, and he sucked in a sharp breath.
“You okay, man?” When Raze patted him on the shoulder, he jumped.
“Sorry, um, yeah, I’m all right.” All right? No. Ecstatic, bewildered, confused? Yes.
Her tinkly laughter slid along his spine as she came into view walking beside Rose. Rose was beautiful, but the girl with the pink hair was breathtaking. Every instinct he possessed screamed at him to touch her, kiss her, swoop down and take her away so he could get her alone and claim her.
He’d run away from those urges earlier, but now had no choice but to face them head-on. He struggled to fight them back with an imaginary club.
He watched her, hoping that the hunger that burned inside him for her didn’t show on his face. She was perfect, too perfect for him. Suddenly, it felt as if he’d eaten a brick, and it now lay heavily in his stomach.
Although he’d longed for this woman, this one being who would belong only to him, love only him, he realized that he didn’t deserve her. He wasn’t good enough for her. The things he’d witnessed, the things he’d done when he was a rogue, the things he’d allowed to happen all around him made him unworthy of such a pure, rare gift.
Besides, he had no idea how to treat a woman. Of course, he knew the basic niceties and manners, but he’d never had a girlfriend. The women who had come on to him in the past were no sweet, innocent pink-haired girls.
They’d been prostitutes or girlfriends of other rogues, girlfriends who had about as many morals as the rogues had. Ultimately, not one of the women had sparked a true interest in him. Not one of them had appealed to him strong enough to make him want to fuck her.