Free Biting Oz: Biting Love, Book 5 by Mary Hughes

sucker as she spoke.
    Besides wolf-dogs and Rocky’s strange reaction? “What counts as nothing?”
    Nixie sucked on her reed a long time, seriously thinking, which worried me. I’d wanted a wart, but Nixie doing serious meant a plague.
    Finally she drew a breath. “Knowing how dedicated you are to your folks, I shouldn’t worry. But if there’s even a chance of you and Glynn coupling up, you need the 4-1-1. He’s not what you think, Junior. He’s a—”
    Clapping hands cut her off. “Places, people.”
    Hot pink, lime green and saffron yellow sashayed onto the stage, making my eyes water. Director Dumas. He called, “Places for warm-up. Last night was a disaster, so we’re going to do mirrors. Everyone up-up-up.” He glared into the pit. “Including musicians.”
    Takashi waved his baton as if it could parry Dumas. “We need to run the overture and entr’acte.”
    “Later. Get your asses onstage for the warm-up. Stage crew.” Dumas whirled, waved to the hesitating, black-clad figures. “Everyone means ev-ry-one.”
    Mishela glided into view in the wings, Dorothy braids swaying. Glynn was a dark, faithful shadow behind her. Near her, Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man also poked their heads around the side curtains.
    “Everyone! Actors, crew, musicians. Now-now-now, what are you waiting for? Yes, even you stars.” Dumas pointed at Dorothy and her companions.
    Scarecrow shrugged his bony shoulders. “Let’s do this.”
    “Parents and sitters too. You, skulking there.” Dumas jerked two fingers at Glynn. “Let’s go!”
    Glynn edged back into the wings, ready to bolt. Smart boy. Acting exercises held as much appeal as flossing with barbed wire.
    Dumas simply strode into the curtain legs, latched on to Glynn and pulled. The director was surprisingly forceful, but Glynn was a Welsh mountain, obstinately not going anywhere.
    Until Mishela gave him a pleading look. Glowering, Glynn came.
    Whoa. She wasn’t the boss of him. Which meant not only did he not pick his teeth with a knife, he was the rare male who set aside his own desires just to be nice.
    A primitive need flared in me, an elemental me want .
    Glynn’s big, dangerous body hit a pool of light. Dumas’s glare shattered into an agog stare. I sympathized. No matter how many times I saw that man candy, I went into hyperglycemic shock too.  
    But here was an opportunity marked obvious. I’d never want to throw anyone to the sharks, but if Glynn had diverted Dumbass, I was taking advantage of it. I hunkered down, disaster narrowly averted. Julian and Nixie exchanged a relieved glance.
    Until— “Musishuns up here. Nowsh .” Dumbass’s diction was a little off, but drool will do that.
    With a sigh, Takashi clicked baton onto stand. “We’ll get done sooner if we cooperate.” He gave us all a look of apology. “Please?”
    Grumbling, we moved out like nonflossers lining up for Jill “The Drill” Schmerz (MC dental hygienist and WWII reenactment enthusiast), nobody wanting to be first. Takashi grabbed my elbow and marched me to the stage. He certainly would be successful, doing what needed to be done. Ass hat.
    “Everyone pair up. Quickly now.” Dumas tried to tug Glynn onto center stage, but Glynn was doing his Welsh mountain thing again. He didn’t move an inch, which wasn’t surprising considering he probably had a good fifty pounds of pure muscle on Dumas. Dumas glared, found himself glaring at strong throat, shifted up.
    I saw the exact instant Dumas intercepted Glynn’s sapphire Scowl of Dismemberment. Dumas fell back a step. “You then.” He pointed indiscriminately, his eyes still locked on Glynn. “You, come here.”
    Unfortunately, he pointed straight at me.
    I pretended I hadn’t seen his Judas finger, but Takashi oh-so-helpfully shoved me forward. Somebody was so getting a gumwad under his stand at break.
    But Business Truth #3 is “If you can’t run, gut it out”. I went.
    Dumas snatched my wrist, twirled me and shoved me