“But we didn’t get to the best part,” Apollonia whined.
“Yeah,” Artemis sighed.
Jim shook his head. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Chloe stared at the two very strange people currently occupying her couch. “I don’t understand.”
Artemis sighed and stood. “Look. You’re the white Fox, right?”
“Yes.” She nodded, wondering what the hell he was getting at. There was something about him that kept drawing her eye, like she knew him from somewhere.
“And there’s a white Bear in town?”
“Julian DuCharme. He’s Kermode, so he’s not unique.” What were they trying to say?
“Don’t count on it.” Apollonia stood, still moving lazily.
Chloe could tell they were both cats, the scent one she hadn’t smelled before. “What are you?”
The two exchanged confused glances. “I’m a boy,” Artemis said slowly, like she was five or something.
“I’m a girl,” Apollonia added. “Are you sure you’re old enough to be mated?”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “What bind of shifter?”
“Bind?” Artemis smirked. “Kinky.” He shot Jim a wicked look. “Lucky bastard.”
Jim snarled. “Her brain has a problem with its autocorrect function. Now answer her question.”
“They’re Tiggers.” Barney smirked back.
“Tigers. Ti-Gers.” Apollonia shook her head sadly. “And they say you’re the smart one.”
“I’d say we should change our last name to Hobbes, but then my mom would kick my ass.” Artemis shivered. “I make it a point not to piss off my momma.”
Apollonia nodded, her expression fearful. “She scares me.”
“You scare me.” Chloe bit her lip, unsure of these strangers.
“Aw, sweetie. Don’t be scared.” Apollonia put her arm around Chloe’s shoulders. “We’ll protect you.”
“From bagels.”
“Donuts.”
“Tuna.”
“Mm, tuna.”
Both brother and sister got faraway looks on their faces.
“Wait.” Jim held up his hands, looking confused. She figured that happened a lot around those two. “You said the white Fox, like there aren’t any others.”
“Ding ding ding! We have a winner!” Artemis held his arms dramatically wide.
“And guess how we know that?” Apollonia held her hand to her ear. “C’mon, guess.”
“You have phenomenal, cosmic powers?”
Chloe giggled at Jim’s droll tone. “Bet me guess. One of you is a white kitty shifter?”
Artemis dropped his arms. “Yup.”
“Him.” Apollonia hitched her thumb toward her brother.
Well. That explained the sense of familiarity.
“So.” He wagged his brows at Chloe. “What does the Fox say?”
“I swear if you make that annoying-as-fuck ring-a-ding-ding noise, mate or no mate I’ll take you over my knee and spank you,” Barney snarled.
She bit her lip, resisting the urge to do just that. Instead, she turned to Artemis. “Show me.”
His eyes turned silver and a white streak appeared in his hair. His muscles bunched, taking the man from hunk to Hulk in seconds. Pale stripes appeared on his skin.
“Whoa.” She tilted her head. “Does that hurt?”
“Nah.” His tone was gravelly, more Tiger than human.
“Chloe?” Jim was staring at Artemis, and he looked both fascinated and horrified. “What is he doing?”
“Have you ever heard of a werewolf being half-man, half-wolf?”
Jim nodded.
“Tigers actually do that.” Chloe remained calm. She instinctively knew Artemis would never hurt her. Her Fox was watching, curious and fascinated, the same as Chloe, but there was no urge to hide or fight the Tiger. “They have a third form, the man-beast. There was a time when they were the fiercest warriors of the shifter world.”
“We still are.” Apollonia walked over to her brother and poked him. “Shift back, show-off.”
Artemis complied. “I’ve shown you mine.” He winked. “Now show me yours.”
Chloe dampened her scent, aware her eyes had gone silver and her hair now had a white streak just like Artemis’s.
“Wow.” Artemis stared at her in admiration. “Now that’s a useful skill.”
“I can’t scent her at all.” Apollonia sniffed the couch. “Not even on the furniture.”
“It’s like mega-Febreeze.” Artemis snapped his fingers. “Oh! Can you do that in my car?”
“It smells like Cheetos and old farts,” Apollonia added.
“And whose fault is that?” Artemis shot back.
“Not mine.”
“You let your ex borrow my car, heifer.” Artemis shuddered. “The guy was a slob.”
Apollonia shrugged nonchalantly. “You were out of the country.”
He glared at his sister. “Cheeto. Farts.”
She glared back. “Betty Lou Hinton in the back of my seventy-six Monte Carlo.”
“She was pretty and oh, so pink,” Artemis sighed.
“Ew. No one should have to clean up their brother’s—”
Barney screamed, startling all of them.
“Um.” Heather stood at the front door, staring at Barney like he’d lost his mind. “Can I come in?”
Without a word Barney turned, flung Heather over his shoulder, and left. They could faintly hear Heather cursing him out before the roar of an engine cut her off.
“Who was that?” The gleam in Artemis’s eye did not bode well for him if Barney caught him lusting after Heather.
“Barney’s late.”
Artemis blinked. “Late for what?”
Chloe sighed, frustrated.
“My mate was beaten and suffered a traumatic brain injury. As a result, she doesn’t always say the word she means.” Jim held her hand tight, letting her know she wasn’t alone. “Her cousin, the redhead Barney just carried out of here? That’s Heather, Barney’s mate.”
“Oh?” Artemis’s gaze turned from hungry to filled with unholy glee. “Oh,” he drawled.