Free The Men of Otherworld: Collection One by Yasmine Galenorn

first, he thought maybe he was right, but then he saw the playpen, tipped over. Delilah was struggling to drag one of the toys out from it. She loved the soft cloth balls the gargoyle played with, and apparently, she was determined to steal one. Apparently, she’d miscalculated her jump and caught the edge of the playpen, turning it on its side.  
    Shade righted the playpen and, with a sigh, tossed one of the balls into the hallway for Delilah to chase. As his girlfriend streaked out of the room, he muttered, “Damned cat,” under his breath and finished tidying up the mess she’d made. But as he was replacing the last toy in the playpen, another crash sounded, this time from the living room.  
    “Delilah! What the hell are you getting into now?”  
    As Shade made a beeline for the noise, Camille’s image raced through his mind. I hope she falls in a patch of poison ivy , he thought uncharitably. But the wish slipped away as yet another loud thud caught his attention.

    Two hours later, Shade had cleaned up the harvest decorations twice, swept up a broken vase, spot-cleaned a hairball off the sofa, and had wrestled his turkey sandwich—which he’d finally managed to slap together—away from a very determined feline. Finally, he gave up and opened the back door as Delilah howled to go outside.
    “Fine, go. Play. Don’t get yourself in any trouble.”  
    She bounded out to the back porch and down the steps.
    “So much for a romantic evening in front of the fire. Damn it, this is all Camille’s fault.” But inside, Shade knew he couldn’t blame the witch. Delilah was the one who asked her to try it. And when you got down to the core of the matter, if Delilah hadn’t been torn about wanting to go to the barrow with the rest of the family, if Shade had given in and gone with them, this wouldn’t have happened. They could easily be taking an evening stroll through the woods right now.
    Turning back to the kitchen, Shade opened a can of cat food and set it down, then dashed up stairs to sift the litter box. They were in this situation together, so he’d do what he could. Maybe they could salvage part of the weekend. It was still only Friday night.
    Friday night! Why hadn’t he thought of it before? Shade stepped into the back yard and, standing in the rain, called for Delilah. After a few minutes, she came racing up, wild eyed but happy. He scooped her up and carried her inside. Her heart was thudding from the run, but when she reached up and excitedly licked his nose, purring, Shade couldn’t help but laugh.  
    “Come on, Minx. Time for Jerry Springer and Cheetos.”  
    He knew the way to her heart. As he grabbed the bag of snacks off the counter and carried her into the living room where the TV was tuned into the Talk Show Channel, he hoped this would be enough to coax her back to her regular form. He settled down, trying not to grimace as the crowd began to shout, “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!”  
    Delilah curled up beside him. He held out a Cheeto and she sniffed it, then bit into it, smearing her cheek fur with the bright orange powder.  
    “You love this show, don’t you, Kitten? I don’t see what’s so hot about Springer, but hey, whatever floats your boat. Or squeaks your mouse, as the case may be.”  
    She sprawled out, draping over his lap, and he softly stroked her fur, smiling as she purred loud enough to rival a motorboat. But, by the end of the show, she was still in cat form. Shade let out a sigh and glanced at the clock. It was only eleven, but who knew? Maybe a good night’s sleep would do the trick, and he could use sleep, as well.
    “To bed, pumpkin?”  
    She purped , gazing up at him with wide emerald eyes. Making certain the house was locked, he draped her over his shoulder and headed upstairs. As he settled down in bed, missing her soft skin beneath his fingers, Delilah slowly padded across the covers. She crawled on his side, curled up, and promptly fell asleep.

    Around 4:00