The gun clicked. The chamber was empty. My heart tried to beat itself out of my chest. A slow smile spread across Edward’s face. “Shall we try that again?” he asked.
“No.” I took a careful step forward. Nothing happened. “Edward, put down the gun.”
He blinked. “Give me a good reason to and I will.”
There had to be something he’d listen to. Logic maybe. “If you shoot yourself here not only will I not be happy, but just think of what the police would say. At least shoot yourself where it won’t create problems for too many people.” I held my breath.
Edward laughed. He fucking laughed. He laughed so hard he cried. “Damn, Anita. Trust you to make me feel guilty about creating more paperwork for you and the cops.” To my relief, he tucked his Beretta back into his waistband. He even walked into the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee. When he sat back down it was all I could do to keep from strangling him.
“What the hell was all that?” I demanded. “You do not come into my home, threaten to shoot yourself, and then make yourself a fucking cup of coffee!”
That raised his eyebrow. “I wanted to see how much you really cared,” he said. “I need to know I can trust you to take care of this…problem, should it get out of hand.” Setting down his mug on the table, he leaned forward. “I’m not like you, Anita. I can’t get along with the monsters. I need you to teach me.”
“Or die trying?” I added dryly. “Why the theatrics, Edward? You could have outright asked for my help. You didn’t have to go through all this trouble, really.” I sipped my forgotten coffee. Damn, cold already. Oh well. “So tell me what you want. Exactly what you want.”
“I need to know what being a shifter means. How it affects me. If I’ll be able to carry on with my life with a few slight adjustments. I need,” he stated bluntly, “to know if I can handle it. If I can be one of the monsters for real. You had your brush with that reality. You’re the only one who can help.”
It was exact. I gave him that much. Why couldn’t I know normal people with normal problems? “One of the things about the leopards, at least, is a sense of community.” I began. “They’re like one big family. In fact, they’re closer than family sometimes. That means,” I added, watching his face closely, “that they share everything. Emotions, thoughts. They get touchy-feely sometimes because it’s how they bond.”
“And neither of us is keen on that part,” Edward finished for me. His _expression was grim. “That is what bothers me the most, I think.”
“Yeah. You can’t be a secretive bastard anymore.”
That earned me Edward’s patented cold stare. “Which really won’t go over well with my clients. Word gets out that I’m a lycanthrope…” He didn’t need to finish. We both knew he’d probably get hunted down once someone got a whiff of fur. You couldn’t be a monster and hunt them. It was against the bounty hunter code. Something to that effect.
I spread my hands. “What do you want me to do, Edward? Most of the pard is wary of you as it is. Telling then you’ll be joining us won’t help.” I stopped to think. There was no good way to do this. The pard trusted me; they didn’t trust him. That would involve a lot of handholding and maybe even bribes. “First things first. You need to hang around here more if you want everyone to get adjusted to you…and for you to adjust to them.”
“Okay. Do I have to move in or can I pop in from time to time?”
Edward living in the same house as me and the leopards. “You can pop in. They might get suspicious if you made yourself too much at home.”
He nodded. “Not to mention the fuss your…boyfriends would raise.”
I frowned at him. “And who are you referring to when you say boyfriends?”
“The vampire, the wolf, the leopard…take your pick.”
“Keep it up and, carpet be damned, I’ll shoot you.”
“When can I stop by?”
“Changing the subject, Edward?” My hand was itching to go for my gun, but I kept my gaze locked on my guest.
“Anita.” He said it like he knew I wanted to shoot him. He was that good, or he knew me too well. Maybe it was both.
“Fine. Do you want me to be here or are you okay alone with the gang?”
He thought about that for a moment. “It would probably go over better with you here.”
“I agree. I’ll call you when I can get an idea of everyone’s schedule.”
“Okay.” Edward stood. “I’ll let you enjoy your coffee in peace.” He walked toward the door. I stayed seated but turned to watch him. Hand on the knob, he paused. “You can tell them about what happened. Just leave out the part about what I asked you to do.”
I nodded. “Done. See you, Edward.” With that he left.