Free Mr. Muse by Kelly Ethan Page B

witches, wizards and werewolves. More’s the pity.
    What was Eric hiding? She’d check out the kennel the next time his back was turned. Just because she’d made love—no, make that sex — with him didn’t mean he was trustworthy. Even if he did make love like a God and was a nice, if a tad domineering, man.
    The phone to the guesthouse rang and Eric picked it up. “Is it important? All right, I’ll come.”
    He slammed the phone down and scowled. “I have to go to the casino for a while. There’s a problem with one of the other Muses. I won’t be long and you’re safe here. But don’t go wandering about. Those wild dogs I mentioned—the ones that need training—wouldn’t realize you’re a friend yet. Okay?”
    Missy held back an anticipatory smile. She’d have a chance to go the kennels sooner than she’d thought. She wasn’t a dumb blonde and she knew how to handle animals. “Fine. Whatever you say. Could you bring some food back? I’m starving and there’s not much other than steak here.”
    Eric nodded and left. At least this time he didn’t lock her in. Even so, the guards wouldn’t be as gullible here as the casino maintenance had been. She’d have to be careful. Tiptoeing to the door, she peered out through the curtains. Most of the guards seemed to be out here at the front. Good, considering the kennels were out the back.
     
    * * * *
     
    The kennels were housed in a solid, gray building, which lacked imagination. A plain square box with doors and windows that screamed ‘paint me’. Poking her head in the door, Missy eased inside. All she saw were bunks and the odd dog bed. Where were the cages, the kennels, to hold the new arrivals?
    A small yip bought her mind back to the job at hand—finding those puppies. A flash of brown caught her attention and she turned to follow. She grinned at what greeted her. A pile of bedding and four wriggling puppies.
    “Oh, aren’t you guys cute? Here…” Missy extended her wrist for the puppies to catch her scent. “See, I’m not scary, am I? That silly Eric has no clue.”
    She settled on the ground next to the dogs and laughed when they clambered over her. One settled at her feet and immediately rolled over for pats on his stomach that Missy swiftly obliged with.
    The other puppies nosed on and around her, each getting more and more curious. Suddenly they swarmed her and noses and paws went everywhere. A cold nose sniffed at her breast and another near her crotch. “Whoa there, kiddies. If there’s any slobber marks on me, it will give the game away to Eric. Cool it, all right?”
    Funny, that! The puppies refused to listen, forcing her onto her back. “Hey, frisky boys. Calm. There’s lots of pats for all.”
    Missy sniggered. All males were the same. Whether human or dog, they still didn’t listen. She forced herself to a sitting position when the swarm of dogs shifted and grew heavier. Either they’d suddenly put on weight—or something was going on here.
    “Ah, off me now, please. Come on, I…”
    She stared in shock. The wriggling pile of animals started to lengthen, grow wider, heavier. Appendages dogs shouldn’t have started to sprout and emerge. Naked arms and legs formed with a popping noise, hair raced with a whoosh. Missy stared, gob-smacked, at four naked, panting teenagers, two of which had their noses still at her crotch and breasts.
    “Holy, shit. Not puppies. Not puppies. Not puppies.”
    Eyes wide, she dragged in a shuddering breath, heart going pat-a-pat. “First puppies…now boys? Oh, my God, not puppies. Wolves. ’Cause they have to be—oh, my God, they— They’re werewolves. Oh, my God, Eric is going to kill me if I get bitten,” she wailed and imagined having a litter of puppies with Eric. A shiver rushed through her. Talk about a mood killer.
    “Oh my God, I have to stop saying oh my God.”
    She dragged in another deep breath and tried to regulate her pulse rate. An old cliché came to mind. Look before