“Kith,” I announce, even though I know the word for this lip-stretching.

“What?” Dakotah’s voice raises high and she turns to stare at me and her daughter, horror on her face.

“No, silly,” Ribbit giggles, delighted at my response. “SMILE.”

“Smiiih,” I try, glancing over at her mother. “No kith.”

Ribbit just gives me a sly look. “Murr kith Dakota cheek.”

Good, she wants to know more about why I put my lips on her mother, too. This is a topic I wish to discuss as well.

Dakotah calls out sharply, storming over to her daughter’s side. “Rabbit!”

“Yes kith,” I agree and pat my jaw. “Kith face.”

“Mouth kiss better,” she continues. “Murr should kiss Mom on the mouth. Big happy.”

I put my hands on my hips, trying to decipher what Ribbit’s goal is. Dakotah is watching us, her expression one of mortification, not excitement. She does not want my mouth kith. There is something I am missing here. I lean in so only Ribbit can hear me. “Mouth kith…bad?”

Ribbit puts her hands in the air. “Immalet Mom hannel dis un.”

Dakotah just crosses her arms and scowls at the two of us.

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OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 31

DAKOTA

My sweet daughter is selling me out. Here I am, trying to help Aggie and Dottie move their gear to our home, and she’s trying to distract me. All day I’ve been watching the two women, looking for clues that they might be misleading us, or telling half-truths to hide something. I haven’t been paying much attention to Murr because I’m fuzzy with lack of sleep and getting a headache from Aggie’s voice. She has two volumes—loud and really damn loud.

How am I supposed to focus on those two women when Rabbit is bringing up kissing? Now everyone’s staring at me, expectation in their eyes, as if I should fling my arms around Murr’s neck and just plant my mouth to his to satisfy their curiosity.

The worst thing about it? Now I’m imagining what would happen if I did. How would he react? Does he know what kisses lead to, or is he just the most intimidating clueless virgin left on the planet? He’s naked more often than he’s not, and while he’s not been walking around with his cock erect, what if kisses lead to that?

What if I’m in the process of scarring my poor daughter for life?

“Kissing is no one’s business,” I say sharply. “Let’s just pack this stuff and go.”

Rabbit ignores my tone. She skips over to me. “He kissed you on the cheek earlier, Mom. We all saw it. I think he thinks you guys are together.” Judging by the eagerness on her face, she loves this idea, probably because it involves a belly full of red meat and all the cats she can cuddle for the rest of her days.

She doesn’t see how very thorny the situation can be.

“I think this is a fantastic love story,” says Aggie. Dottie says nothing, but she looks as unsure as I feel.

I shake my head. “He’s just learning the language from me. Nothing else.”

“Uh huh,” says Aggie. I glance at Dottie and Rabbit, and it doesn’t seem as if anyone believes my answer.

“We’re packing,” I say determinedly, “not grilling me about my private life.”

“So you admit there’s a private life?” Dottie chimes in.

There’s a pillow in my hands, and right now I want to put it over someone’s face and smother them with it. “Stop it already.”

“It’s okay, Mom,” Rabbit says. “We all know Murr likes you. It’s sweet.”

“It’s sweet right now, but I can’t forget that he’s a dragon. I’m not sure if it’s safe for him to be around all the time.”

This elicits a response from Aggie and Dottie both. Dottie gestures at him. “He’s a dragon! This is the safest place to be.”

“Yes, well, what if he asks for more than just a kiss?”

“Who’s he asking?” Aggie counters. “I’d say yes.”

Dottie snorts and nudges her buddy. “Thanks for that mental image, Aggie. No one thinks he’s gonna be asking you.”

“Just volunteering,” Aggie replies cheerfully.

I’m torn between laughing at their banter and wanting to shake them for not seeing how serious this is. Rabbit’s watching me carefully and I shake my head. “I’m not saying that Murr is a bad guy, but kisses can lead to other expectations. Powerful men in charge that give their protection in exchange for a woman’s body doesn’t make things safe for us.”

Dottie looks chagrined. “You have a very good point.”

Rabbit moves to my side, touching my arm. She looks almost offended I would say such a thing. “Murr is a good guy. He’s different from the others. You know he wouldn’t do that, Mom.”

I want to believe her. I do. But I’ve seen how much “good guys” change their tune once they get a bit of power. “We need to get to know him better. That’s all.”

“Then we’ll keep teaching him words.” My daughter is determined. “And he can tell us exactly what he thinks of everything.”

That’s the hope.

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OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 32

DAKOTA

As we tie pillows onto my backpack, there’s a rustle in the bushes. I look up just in time to see a trio of deer bounding away.

Aggie immediately points at them. “Look, Murr! Big meat!”

It’s like he’s been waiting for this moment. With a growl low in his throat, Murr flings himself bodily into the air. A split second later, he’s switched to his dragon form and pushes off the hood of a nearby car with massive claws. He’s in the air and chasing after the deer before I even have time to breathe.

We all stare up at the big golden dragon in the sky, and Aggie laughs with delight. “Well damn, that’s impressive.”

Dottie just huffs, the sound one of amusement as she folds an old sweatshirt. “You just wanted to see him drop his kilt again.”

Oh dear. I don’t know whether to laugh or be alarmed at how randy Aggie is. My grandmother was never like this, and I suspect Rabbit’s wasn’t either. Aggie seems to be her own person for sure.

“Are we taking this?” Rabbit asks, holding up a styrofoam mannequin head. Atop it is a long wig with flowing blonde curls.

“That one is Shakira,” Aggie says. “We don’t leave her behind. She’s for when I’m feeling frisky.”

“When are you not feeling frisky?” Dottie retorts. “And we don’t need Shakira. You haven’t worn her once.”

“But I like the thought of wearing her,” Aggie says. “You never know.”

“I know.”

There’s a lot more crap in the van than I’d expected. The women made it sound as if they were staying there temporarily, but there’s more blankets and pillows and clothing (and wigs) than can fit in our backpacks. I’m contemplating how we’re going to take it all back with us. “I’m not sure this is all going to make it in one trip,” I say. “Maybe we should just get the necessities today and come back some other time for the rest.”

“How did you guys get this all here anyhow?” Rabbit asks, handing the wig over to Aggie.

“Couple of trunks with wheels and some creative rope work,” Dottie says. “At one point we had our bikes practically set up like rickshaws. You can carry a lot like that.”

“Where are they now?” I ask.

“They broke. I think there’s one over on the far side of the parking lot,” Aggie says with a wave of her hand. “Wheels went flat.”

If it rolls, we might still be able to use it, though. I set down my overloaded pack and head off in the direction Aggie gestured, looking for something that resembles a wheeled cart. I pass by Murr’s discarded kilt and pick it up, smiling as I do. He sure loves to feed us. Straightening, I put my hand to my brow and scan the skies for the big dragon. I see his big form in the distance, dipping low over the area where the bookstore is. He might be feeding the cats before he returns to us, or maybe the deer gave him more of a chase than I realized.