Cat Class (Trick Or Treat) by Megan Slayer Page B

over to her. She glanced at the legs connected to the feet. The man squatted down in front of her. The mystery man who claimed to be her cat. Tears blurred in her eyes. What else could she do? Laugh or cry?
    “Hayden, honey, shifting destroys my clothes.” He tipped his head to look her in the eye. “Let’s go home. I’ll explain everything there. I’ll show you what I am.”
    “Show me. That’s a terrible come-on line, especially in front of a restaurant full of people who can see you. How do I know you’re not another creep like the one I went on the date with?” God help her, she wanted to go home with him. But what the hell? Was he really her cat? She stood and shrugged out of her coat. Might as well help him since Cole wasn’t answering. “You know what? After the day I’ve had, I’m numb. Take this. It’s girly, but it will keep you from getting arrested.”
    “I’m supposed to save you,” he said with a smirk. “My name is Joel.”
    “Nice to meet you, Joel.”
    * * *
    Joel strode in time with Hayden. Shifting in front of her hadn’t been his brightest move, but he needed her safe. He padded beside her. She’d done her hair for her date, and some of the honey-colored curls had lost their spring. He didn’t care. No matter what she looked like, she turned him on. The walk to her townhouse only took fifteen minutes, but he refused to leave her alone. If Branker found out Joel had been able to shift…
    He refused to give Branker the chance to hurt her. Joel followed her onto the porch of her townhouse. At least the configuration of the building meant only one door to guard. Still, if Branker wanted to attack her, he’d be ready.
    Hayden unlocked the door and ushered him into the townhouse. He sniffed the air. Nothing smelled out of place. He tipped his head. Silence.
    “What are you doing?” Hayden tossed her keys onto the table and kicked out of her high heels. “The creep from my date didn’t show up, did he?” She dug through her purse for an elastic. Once she found what she needed, she bound her hair into a ponytail. “The guy was a jerk. All grabby hands.”
    Joel frowned. Who the fuck had touched her? “Let me get dressed. Then we can talk.”
    “You have clothes here?” She followed him into the hallway. “When did you get clothes?”
    “I’m a shifter. Hildy showed us what we needed to do to survive once we could shift -- where to go and who to talk to.” Joel knelt in front of the worn leather trunk. “I bought this while you were out. I also kept an eye on you.” He withdrew a cotton T-shirt and jeans. “Can’t exactly carry cash, but I do have some clout. Seems Hildy opened an account for us all. The woman is goofy as all get-out, but she’s a good person.” He shook out the pants and then stepped into the soft denim. “According to the shop girl, no one’s heard from my brothers.”
    Hayden leaned on the doorframe. “Hildy? The shop girl? Don’t you get around?”
    “I’m a cat shifter. What do you think I did when I went outside?” Not the best thing he could’ve said. “Why don’t we talk now?” He left the jeans unfastened, but yanked the shirt over his head. “I’ll try not to stick my foot in my mouth.”
    “We’ll talk once you button your pants.” Hayden ducked around him and scurried into the living room.
    Joel sighed. He felt her fear as if it were his own. And what else did he expect? He’d shifted in front of her! Goddess. He strolled into the living room where Hayden had perched on the edge of the black leather couch, hugging her arms. He settled at her feet. Touch her? Hell, yes, he wanted to. She belonged to him. But he refused to scare her even more than he already had.
    “So.” Her blue eyes glistened with fresh tears. “Can you do any other tricks? Anything else I need to know about in case I have to get a bigger litter box or something?”
    “No, babe.” Joel threaded his fingers with hers. “I shift into a house cat. That’s