“And of course, you know Bane,” Lola pointed to the panther who had his arms folded across his chest as he leaned against a light pole.
“Good to see you again, Bane.”
Bane simply inclined his head to her.
Katy’s eyes narrowed suddenly as she realized someone very important was missing. “Where’s Otto?”
Everyone turned to Lyra. She looked into a large purse hanging off her shoulder. After digging around for a minute, she looked back up and shook her head. “He’s not in here.”
Katy giggled. “He’s been riding around in your purse?”
“Yes,” Lyra answered.
They all turned to see a short figure sprinting awkwardly down the wooden boards toward them, his baggy clothes flapping. As he drew closer, Katy broke into a wide grin. “Otto!” Gage released his hold on her. She glanced at him and gave him a thankful smile.
The little lizard man skidded to a halt in front of her, grabbing her attention. He was breathing heavily. “My Katy! I gift you.” He proudly held up a handful of threaded bracelets.
Katy knelt so she was at his eye level. “These are lovely. Thank you.” She dutifully offered her wrist so he could tie on a bracelet. His small, clawed hands worked with surprising dexterity to knot the strands.
Glancing over, Katy noticed Lola already wore several of Otto’s gifts on her own wrists. She moved her gaze up to Lola’s face. Lola shrugged as if she didn’t really understand the purpose of the gift, either.
When Otto had secured the last bracelet in place, Katy smiled fondly. “I really missed your goofy face.”
He blinked large, round eyes at her. “Duh. Otto miss his Katy Girl, too.” His bluntness drew a laugh from her.
“Not all yours,” Gage spoke up, though his voice didn’t sound threatening. It actually held amusement. Otto waved a hand at her mate as if he weren’t concerned in the least that the huge Dire Wolf could eat him for a snack. Literally.
Impulsively, Katy pulled the little lizard dude into a gentle hug. He tensed briefly before giving her a few soft pats on the back. As she released him, Otto scampered quickly over to climb up Bane’s large frame and perch upon his broad shoulders.
Bane angled a look up at his new passenger but made no move to dislodge Otto. Katy hid a smile. Clearly, they had all bonded some during this strange journey. It seemed Otto was able to win over even the stoic males of the bunch.
She rose and stumbled a bit, feeling all the blood rush to her feet. Gage caught her.
“Katy,” Lola exclaimed, as she leaned forward to try to help.
Gage took her chin in his hand and turned her to look up at him. The worried look in his eyes made her gut clench. She needed more of his blood. She was getting worse. The length of time between necessary feedings was growing shorter.
“Where’s a restroom?” Gage never took his eyes from her face.
“There’s one around the corner.” Lola pointed. “Though Callon sort of destroyed it.”
“You’re going to tell me about that later,” Katy told Lola as Gage scooped her up and began walking in the opposite direction. “This won’t take long,” she said to the group, but unwilling to share what was about to happen. It was too intimate.
“It’s not their business,” Gage muttered.
Katy noticed that Bane had a hand on Otto’s foot as if to hold him in place, and the lizard’s mouth was moving. Otto looked like he wanted to come after her. Katy shook her head at him, hoping he’d understand. His small shoulders slumped forward, but he nodded back to her.
“Let’s make it quick,” Katy told her mate.
He set her down on her feet and cupped her face, a small smile on his handsome face. “You’re the one who likes to drag it out.”
Her face heated with a blush as she smacked his chest. “That may be, but it’s rude to point it out.”
Gage pushed the door open. “It’s also rude to rush your male when he’s trying to take care of you.”
Katy rolled her eyes at his innuendo and then took stock of the interior of the bathroom. “D-a-a-a-m-m-n-n. What did Callon and Lola do in here?”
“I have a few ideas,” Gage said suggestively.
