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handed Jane a pair of sandals. “These will
protect your human feet when you walk on rocks and sticks.”
    Cal watched as Hallie showed her how to slip them on and
buckle them. Jane’s wide eyes were no longer confused and wary. She looked up
into Hallie’s face and did her very best to smile, although it resembled a weak
snarl. His nervousness melted as his heart skipped several beats. Yes…there
were a lot of questions that needed to be answered. Had she never smiled
before?
    But then she looked quickly around and said, “I need to
urinate.” He felt hot color fill his face.
    Hallie practically dragged the Lykos into the bathroom, and
he realized that he was, indeed, taking on a great deal by saying that she
could remain with him. He prayed that Jane was a quick study, because he wasn’t
at all sure how to handle any more intimate emergencies!
     
    She watched Hallie demonstrate the proper place for
relieving herself within the house and she followed suit, feeling as if she
were going to fall into the strange hollow seat. It took her a long time to
relax enough to relieve herself, then she was further confounded by the
explanation of “toilet paper” and “flushing”. She wondered why Hallie turned
red like Cal when she explained how to use the long strip of soft white paper
to dry off her bottom.
    She would be so happy when she could shift again! There were
so many unnecessary, strange things humans did. But if Cal wanted her to do
these things so she wouldn’t disgust him, she would do them.
    I have a new alpha. And she didn’t want to anger him.
She liked the way his mouth curved when he was pleased. Jock never made that
nice face. And for some reason the nice faces these cats made reminded her of
something pleasant. Something buried deep in her memory. Something that
surfaced almost close enough to touch…
    It tantalized and twisted itself into her mind…but she couldn’t
quite figure it out.

Chapter Four
     
    The old Halleran place was only a few blocks away up the
private lane, but Gar drove because of all the supplies they needed. Jane had
refused to climb into the big SUV until Cal had pointed adamantly at the open door
and ordered her inside. He had slipped in beside her and had instantly found
her slim arms wrapped about his body as she had whimpered and shoved her face
against his side. She had shivered uncontrollably as the vehicle had started,
and Gar had wheeled out of the circular drive toward the wrought iron gate that
opened to the lane beyond the property walls.
    Cal drew a shaky breath to calm his inner animal and simply
patted her on the back as one would a nervous puppy. But when he heard her draw
in a couple of deep, sniffing breaths of his scent, his cock came to full red
alert and his pulse leapt. Dear gods…where was Hallie when he needed her?
Hallie had stayed home with the boys, saying, “I wish you luck, Cal.”
    He glanced suspiciously at Gar as he heard a deep chuckle
issue from the driver’s seat, but his sibling ignored him. He swore under his
breath and stifled his body’s reaction to her little murmurs of enjoyment at
the feel of his overheated flesh and his shudder of reaction to her sweet warm
breath through his Polo shirt.
    He was certainly glad that she was happy. But his body was
seriously gearing up for a meltdown, and he fought the involuntary shift he
could feel coming on. He saw the house coming up along the crest of the hill,
and when the SUV pulled into the pitted, unkempt driveway, he leapt out the
door and paced to force his throbbing body to relax.
    Jane stared up at him from the wide-flung door of the
vehicle, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. He walked around slowly for a
minute as Gar slid out from behind the wheel and shook his head at him over the
roof of the SUV.
    “You had better get that under better control if you mean to
be her protector, kid. Otherwise who the hell is there to protect her from
you?”
    Cal inhaled deeply and snarled at