The Cougar's Trade (17 page)

“Unsuccessfully.”

“I think I get to be the final arbiter of what success means.”

“Of course you do. I only mean that you haven’t settled down with anyone. You didn’t get very much cut off, did you?”

“Huh?”

“Your hair.”

She raked her fingers through it. “Oh. I haven’t had time to settle down. I work—
worked
,” she quickly corrected, because she couldn’t exactly go back to the hospital, and remembering that reminded her she still hadn’t figured out what to ask him for in trade—“too much. And no, I’m thinking about growing it out on the top and maybe the rest later. I’ve had short hair since I was twelve. If I don’t like it long, I’ll just cut it again.”

“Hmm.”

“Is that an
I like that plan
hmm, or an
I’m not really listening to you
hmm?”

“Neither. I’m just trying to picture you with more hair.”

“Believe it or not, it’s curly. Hard to tell at this length, but that’s why it stands on end when I roll out of bed. It wants to be wild, but right now it doesn’t have the volume.”

“I can’t imagine there being anything wild about you.”

“Again, you’d be surprised.”

That eyebrow went up again, but this time she could read the curiosity. She leaned in closer and waved him down to her level. She put her lips near his ear and whispered, “Perhaps you shouldn’t make assumptions about me.”

“Perhaps I shouldn’t. You want to tell me a little about that wild streak of yours?”

“Hard to do without telling other people’s business at the same time, but I might be able to come up with some sanitized version of events, if you insist.”

“I do insist.”

“You want me to tell you right now?”

He turned her wrist over and looked at her watch. “I wish. Need to finish cutting the wood for the piece I’m working on. After dinner, though. I’m on demon watch again. Drew the short straw. You can sit in my truck and tell me all about your escapades.”

“And you’ll tell me about yours?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

She took that as a
no
. “That’s fair, right?”

“Fair or not, there are a few things I’d rather you not know.”

The fact that he had some shame was a good thing. It meant he had regrets, and that was such a human characteristic. Having regrets made people relatable. “Does it have to do with a cat’s inability to be civilized?”

“Has a
lot
to do with that.”

“Why not tell me?”

“I can’t think of a single good reason to scandalize you.”

“Are you so sure I would be scandalized?” She’d already committed to staying, to being his mate. She had her hard limits, sure, but the chances were pretty low she’d flee over anything he had to say. If anything, she expected him to be far more surprised at what
she
planned on telling him.

She tried to be kind, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have an edge. Being sweet didn’t exclude her from deviance. Perhaps it was time the Cougar learned a little something about layers. Obviously, he had a few of his own, in spite of his refusal to discuss his past. But, in the meantime, she needed to learn a little more about the new voice in her head.

• • •

The moment Hank turned his back to take a stack of dirty dishes into Glenda’s kitchen, Miles found herself yanked up by the arm and pulled at an unholy clip onto the front porch. Ellery closed the door and put her back to it. “We’ve got maybe three minutes before that Cougar of yours figures out where you went and comes stalking after you. Tell me fast.”

“Oh.” Miles had forgotten just that quickly about the text message she’d sent Ellery from the other end of the dinner table. “First thing, as of this afternoon, there’s an occasional voice in my head that’s not mine. It only seems to pipe up about Cougar issues.”

Ellery made a face and a rolling hand gesture. “Okay, keep it moving. What’s the other thing?”

“The Cougar women told me some things about the local history and politics. Secrets are big in the glaring, and some things aren’t meant to be secrets, but none of the women would speak up about them because they’re generally regarded as hysterical and paranoid. They asked me to hold the fact they said certain things in confidence, so don’t say anything to Mason. I think they’re embarrassed by the reputation.”

Ellery rolled her eyes. “Probably not in their heads, either.”

Footsteps sounded inside the house, coming closer and closer to the doorway.

“Shit.” Ellery moved Miles down the stairs and onto the path. “Okay, back to the first thing. Tell me about the voice.”

“I don’t know what to say, except it’s not mine.”

“Could it be psychic?”

“I wouldn’t even know how to discern that.”

Ellery cringed. “Right. Shit. You wouldn’t. But no one around you seemed to hear it?”

“Not as far as I can tell.”

“What’s the voice saying?”

The inner door swung open and Hank peered through the screen. “There you are.”

“We’re not plotting a getaway,” Ellery said. “Could you give us a minute?”

He folded his arms over his chest.

“Come on, Hank. I’m your brother’s mate. I’m vested in staying put and seeing everyone be happily lovey-dovey.”

He just stared at her. That
lovey-dovey
bit probably wasn’t a huge motivator for him.

“Okay, fine. Be like that. If you want to be ornery, then remember that
technically
, I outrank you in the glaring.”

“You only outrank me on issues having to do with the administration of the glaring and the well-being of the Foye family.”

“And that’s what I’m doing. Administrating and”—she gave a dismissive flick of her hand—“instilling well-being. That’s what I’m doing. Yep.”

He rocked back on his boot heels and snorted.

“You don’t trust me, Cougar?” Miles asked.

He pushed the screen door open and stepped out onto the porch, locking his enigmatic gaze on her. It made her cheeks burn and her thighs clench, but she didn’t look away. “I dunno. I want to, but you two standing out here talking in secret reminds me of just how dangerous the female of the species is, and you two aren’t even Cougars.”

“You think I’m dangerous?”

He leaned against the porch support and made a huffing noise as he shoved his hands into the pockets of those tight jeans.

Miles let her gaze fall below his burnished pewter belt buckle to his powerful legs—legs she imagined being pinned beneath, held captive between.
God
. What was wrong with her?

“Sure, in aggregation.”

“Are we going to have a pissing contest?” Ellery asked. “I’m not wearing the right pants for it. Let me know and I’ll go change.”

“Do you abuse the patients at the hospital as much as you terrorize us?”

Ellery shrugged. “I have glowing references. Take that to mean whatever you wish, but go away. We’re having a grown-up talk. Shoo.” She made another dismissive gesture and went as far as to turn her back. “Now, as I was saying…” She winked at Miles.

Oh!
Miles turned, too, and looked out past the scrubby grazing land that edged toward the mountain range in the distance.

“So, do you think our cycles are going to sync again this month, or—”

The door slammed behind them before Ellery could even finish her sentence.

“Heh, heh.” She pulled Miles down to the steps and tossed her phone from hand to hand. “That always works. How’s it going with you two, by the way?”

Miles stretched her legs and planted her feet on the ground two steps down. “I don’t know. Everything feels muddled. Not simple or straightforward as most new relationships are. Usually, you know what’s supposed to happen next, but I don’t feel that because we’ve done everything out of order. I don’t know if I’m doing this right. He’s so hard to read.”

“Definitely the hardest of the brothers. He has a few tells, though. I wouldn’t want to play poker with Hank, but I can usually figure out his mood before he opens his mouth. The fact that he’s following you around like a hungry tomcat is a good thing.”

“I hoped it was.”

“Just keep on doing what you’ve been doing. I’m sure Mason will shake some sense into Hank if he needs to. Tell us if you think that should happen, and don’t wait too long.”

“Hungry tomcats just need to be fed, right?” For the life of her, she couldn’t tell what Hank hungered for or what he wanted—what his goals and ambitions were beyond making furniture and chasing demons. They’d done everything out of order. Normally, she would have known those things. She didn’t really need to know them, given the businesslike nature of their acquaintance, but she didn’t just want to be some cat’s mate in title when she could have an actual relationship. She wanted what Ellery and Mason had—genuine affection and mutual trust. The first had come more easily than the second, but Miles knew they both had to work hard for that trust. Miles had always been willing to work.

“
Of course you are. That’s why you’re his.
”

That voice again. Mile clapped her hands to her ears and stood, ogling Ellery. “Did you hear it?”

Ellery gave her head a slow shake. “No. You’re on your own with that. Tell me something, though. Are you hearing congealed, complete thoughts, or just snippets?”

“Full sentences. Clear as day.”

“And it’s not a ghost, because the Cougars can sense those from a half mile away. Give me a second. I need a little breeze.” They waited a while for one. The air had been so still all throughout the blistering hot day. “You around, Agatha?” Ellery said when the tiniest gust came from the east. “Can you pop over?”

Ten seconds later, the wind goddess arrived in a flash of light and brought a cold gust with her that nearly dried the sweat on Miles’s neck. Having Agatha around was almost better than air-conditioning.

“Hi, Mee-Maw.” Ellery gave her great-great-
whatever
a little wave.

“Hello, precious.” Agatha pushed a button through the hole on her gray linen blazer and patted her silver hair back into place. “Hello, Miles.”

“Uh…” Miles cleared her throat. “Hi?” She was never quite sure how to comport herself in the presence of a goddess—a minor one or not. There wasn’t an entry for such an event in the
Southern Girl’s Do Anything
Handbook
. She didn’t want to inadvertently offend the woman, after all.

“Nice to see you’re out and about. The Cougars finally let you out of the mate holding cell?”

“They didn’t have a choice,” Ellery said. “I don’t think Glenda thought initially they would take so long to figure out who
La Bella Dama
intended for them. They were all supposed to take their mates at the same time. Hank and Sean didn’t get the big neon sign of a hint Mason got. You would have thought they would have just taken their chances from the get-go. Once they went for it, it seemed obvious what the pairings were.”

“
That they were. I made it so easy for them to choose. They would have known if they had tried sooner
.”

Miles plugged her ears again. “There it was again.”

“I didn’t hear anything,” Ellery said.

“What, you mean Lola?” Agatha asked.

“Lola?”

Agatha pinched the bridge of her nose. “Damn. What do the Cougars call her? It’s so hard to keep up with all these names and honorifics, especially for gods who aren’t in my pantheon.”

“
La Bella Dama
?” Miles asked.

Agatha snapped her fingers. “That’s right. That’s her.”

“You hear her?”

“Of course.” Agatha scanned around her, but obviously saw nothing. If she did, she certainly didn’t give it away. “Don’t want to come say hello in person, Lola?”

“
My body is needed elsewhere at the moment.
”

“You’re frightening this poor child. You should have at least given her some warning.”

“
I shouldn’t have needed to. They should not have forgotten my lore.
”

Agatha sighed. “And I always thought she was one of the ones with a smaller ego.”

“Y’all, fill me in here,” Ellery said. “You’re obviously hearing something I’m not, so I’m only catching one side of the conversation.”

“If memory serves me correctly,” Agatha said, “Lola—which is the name she goes by commonly at the moment—generally communicates her wishes through one of the women in the glaring. Someone close to the alpha.”

“
Assuming I trust the alpha
.”

Agatha cringed and relayed her statement to Ellery. “I imagine useless alphas have been a problem for you. I’m glad it’s not a problem I share. I’m benefactress to very few people,” she said, obviously for Miles’s benefit. “Lola, on the other hand, not only has her own line of descendants somewhere or other—”

“
Still in Mexico
.”

“But she’s also the patron goddess of all the rest of the Cougars she originated in Mexico who later made their way north and south. If there are other Were-cougars, and I’m sure there are, their gene pool was initiated by someone else.”

“Got it,” Miles said. Or at least, she
thought
she did. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be a pop quiz later. She might have to cheat off Ellery’s paper. Ellery seemed to be processing the information on a much faster level than Miles was at the moment. “But shouldn’t Ellery be the one she talks to?”

“
She has enough on her plate, does she not? She can’t be everywhere at once. She can’t serve the alpha and be my emissary, as well
.”

“Why me?”

“
Why not you?
”

“I could think of some reasons.”

Agatha caught Ellery up. Ellery gave Miles a side hug. “Come on, girlie. People like you. They talk to you, and you make them feel comfortable.”

Agatha nodded. “As far as the glaring goes, you don’t have any self-serving motives. You’re not enmeshed in the history and the politics that existed before you girls came here. You have nothing at stake.”

“Besides Hank.” If she had to stay, she was going to make the most of it. Unless she was interpreting his touches wrong, there was potential for something more than a mating of convenience. She was certainly interested in seeing where things went—about learning what made him tick and figuring out how to soften him. But how would he feel about the role that had been hoisted onto her? Would he even care? Was she even supposed to tell him?