Hot and Badgered. Shelly Laurenston

      “This is still my house and you can’t just come here and act like it’s yours!”

      “Max?” the woman prompted when the other badger didn’t say anything.

      “What are you looking at me for?” the badger demanded. “It was on the list.”

      Livy frowned, nostrils flaring. “What list?”

      “The safe house list. Online.”

      Livy went tense, her entire body vibrating. “My house is on the safe house list?”

      “What’s the safe house list?” Vic asked.

      “It’s where Yangs can go online to find a house to stay in when they’re on the run.”

      Livy closed her eyes. “And my house is on the list?”

      Max the badger shrugged. “Yeah. That’s why we’re here. It’s not like I wanted to see you.”

      “I’ll kill her.” Livy shook her head. “I’ll kill her.”

      “Livy—” Vic began.

      “I will kill her!” Livy jumped up and yanked a phone from her back pocket. She speed-dialed someone and stalked out of the room.

      Max smirked. “Let me guess,” she asked Vic. “Her mother put her on the list just to fuck with her?”

      “Probably.”

      Still dripping from the interrupted shower, Charlie looked around the room, her eyes not even stopping on Berg before moving on to everyone else.

      She didn’t remember him. He helped save her life, gave her his gun, and she didn’t even remember him. Seriously?

      “Where’s Stevie?” she asked.

      Grinning, blood covering her teeth, Max pointed.

      Charlie looked up and sighed. “Could you please come down from there? Now?”

      “I’m quite comfortable right here, thanks.”

      “Stevie MacKilligan!”

      Claws were retracted and Stevie landed back on the couch. “No need to yell,” she mumbled.

      “Wait,” Coop said, suddenly stepping in from the doorway. “Stevie MacKilligan?” he smiled. “Is that you? It’s me. Coop. Cooper Jean-Louis Parker,” he clarified when she only stared. “Remember? We studied under Maestro Raimondi and performed together for Europe’s royal families. Is this ringing any bells at all?”

      “No,” she replied. Then, before Coop could say any more, she raised her hand, palm out, and informed one of the greatest, most-loved musicians in the world, “And to be quite honest, I can’t deal with some obsessive fan right now.”

      “Not a fan,” Coop corrected. “We studied together. We were both prodigies.”

      “Whatever. I’ll get you an autograph later.”

      “No, no. You don’t under—”

      “Sweetie,” Charlie cut in. “I really don’t have time for this right now. Somebody just tell me what’s going on.”

      Livy’s cousin shrugged. “Nothing. Why?”

      “Max.”

      Max grinned. “Sorry, couldn’t stop myself.” She laughed a little and pointed in her cousin’s direction. “Based on the yelling in Cantonese from the other room—”

      “It’s Mandarin,” Vic corrected.

      “Oh, what?” Max suddenly barked at the startled bear hybrid. “You think because I’m half Asian I know Chinese? Because I don’t know Chinese.”

      “Told ya,” Shen chimed in before sliding into the armchair, although Berg had no idea what the giant panda was referring to.

      “But you two are family,” Vic insisted. “How do you not know what dialect your people speak?”

      “Well—” Max began.

      “We don’t have time for that conversation,” Charlie announced. She was still standing there, wet, in only a towel. And she didn’t seem to care. “Max, ignore the bears and talk to me.”

      “They are all bears, aren’t they?” Stevie suddenly looked at each and every male in the room, sizing them up. After she finished, she leaned toward her sister and loudly whispered, “We’re all going to die!”

      “I’m actually a jackal,” Coop corrected.

      “Do you think that matters?” Stevie bellowed hysterically.

      Charlie placed her fingertips against her temples. “We’re not going to die and stop yelling,” she sighed out.

      “They’re all giant man-eating bears except for my stalker.”

      “I’m not a stalker,” Coop argued.

      “Don’t you see, Charlie?” Stevie leaned in, the scent of panic beginning to come off her in big, booming waves. “Bears kill. Bears kill, Charlie! And they’re going to kill all of us!”

      Charlie quickly walked to the couch and grabbed a backpack from the floor. She pulled out a bottle of prescription pills, glanced at the label, then held it out for the other woman.

      “Take this,” she ordered Stevie before focusing on Vic and demanding, “Glass of water.” Vic moved. Rushing out of the room and returning in seconds. He handed the glass to Stevie, and Charlie placed several tablets into the woman’s hand. “Take them.”

      “But—” Stevie tried.

      “Take them.”

      Stevie did as ordered.

      “Now,” Charlie said, facing them all again. “Where were we?”

      “You were trying to justify breaking and entering,” Berg announced, “and you have absolutely no idea who I am!”

      Charlie stared at him across the room and, after a few seconds, said, “Of course I know you! How could I forget . . . you?”

      “Then what’s my name?”

      “Deuteronomy?” She shrugged. “Dude for short?”

      Coop burst out laughing but all Berg could do was shake his head. “Seriously?”

      Max briefly closed her eyes. “She doesn’t know you, Deuteronomy, because she can’t see you.”

      “My name is not Deuteronomy!”

      “Wow,” Shen marveled at Charlie. “You’re really mobile for a blind person.”

      “She’s not blind,” Max said, laughing. “She’s just not wearing her glasses or contacts.”

      “What are you doing?” Stevie screamed at Max. “Why don’t you just announce to the world that we’re defenseless women just waiting to be murdered by bears?”

      “Defenseless?” Berg barked. “I’m bleeding from an artery here!”

      “Don’t be a baby,” Max said, glancing back at him. “I barely grazed that artery.”

      “We’re all going to die here,” Stevie insisted, pointing at Max. “And it’ll be all your—”

      Stevie’s rant abruptly stopped and her head dropped forward. After a few seconds, she began to drool.

      Max looked at Charlie. “What the fuck did you give her?”

      “Her Xanax. To deal with her panic.”

      “Are you sure that’s what you gave her? Because you’re not wearing your glasses and she seems to be having a very . . . intense reaction.”

      Charlie