“Thank you so much. I’ll repay you, just not today.”
“There’s no thanks needed, but your clothes are in the wash. You can hang them out when they’re done.”
It was then I remembered he wasn’t wearing underwear, and it was my turn to look anywhere but at his crotch.
“As soon as I get paid, I’ll be out of here.”
That probably wouldn’t happen for a month. Four weeks was a long time to share my cabin with a guy I didn’t know.
“You must be hungry.” I’d taken a look in his car before he left. Candy wrappers and chip bags littered the floor. The guy likely hadn’t eaten anything that wasn’t brown in a while. “I’ll make you something to eat.”
“That’s so kind of you, but I can cook.”
“Sit.”
He dumped the suitcase and pack in the spare bedroom while I rummaged in the fridge.
“I have leftover chicken and rice, and I’ll make a salad.”
He didn’t protest or say he was vegetarian, so I heated up the food and washed the vegetables. Ford insisted on chopping the vegetables, so I left him to it.
“You’re not eating with me?” Ford was shoveling food into his mouth as he sat at the kitchen table.
“Nah. I don’t usually eat until later.” I could have nibbled on something—food, not Ford—but I was curious about his beast.
“How long since you’ve shifted? Your beast might enjoy a hunt.” I extended an arm. “This is the perfect place. We have forests, lakes, a glacier, and mountains.”
I was giving him an opening to tell me about his beast.
“Mine needs a lot of space.”
He wasn’t any kind of bear, but polar bears couldn’t ramble around an urban area either, so that wasn’t unusual.
“Mine too.” I leaned forward. “You’ve probably scented I’m a bear, a polar bear to be precise.”
If Ford didn’t take the hint and tell me who he was, I’d wonder if he had a problem with shifting.
“Mine is a tad bigger than yours.”
Elephant? How many animals were larger than a polar bear?
Ford cocked his head. “Most shifters are not aware that some so-called mythical animals are part of the community.”
My mind flipped through lists of imaginary beasts. Griffins? Oh, a phoenix. Nah, he said he was bigger than a polar bear. So I ruled that out. Unicorn? That would be so cool.
“I can fly, I have scales, and I breathe fire.”
He was giving me a riddle, but my head was practically rotating. Unless there were other scaly beasts who produced fire, Ford was a dragon. Oh my gods.
“Oh wow. That’s definitely a first for me.” I was eager to see him but didn’t want to appear like a child, begging for a treat.
“Would you like to see him?”
“Would I?” Despite not wanting to appear overeager, I leaped up. I probably looked like a puppy.
Ford grinned and moved to the porch. He pointed about a hundred yards away. “I’ll shift over there.” He strode off, still wearing his clothes.
I shucked off my clothing, and my bear took his fur before I got my underwear off. I wasn’t the only enthusiastic one. But instead of lumbering into the woods, my beast stood on his hind legs, towering above my guest’s car.
