Born to Be Badger (Honey Badger Chronicles #5)(49)

What started as a quick early lunch in the middle of the day to make sure Tock wouldn’t pass out had turned into an early evening feast while the sun slowly lowered. Charlie’s dogs finally came out to play in the yard, Mads’s illegally harbored coyote came over to steal a loaf of the garlic bread, Stevie’s kitten hung from a tree limb, and all those predators feeding nearby managed not to scare any of the domesticated pets.

It was heaven. And Tock didn’t believe in heaven.

Halfway through the meal, Stevie returned from her lab with Shen and Zé. The look on her face made it clear that Max’s kid sister hadn’t made a breakthrough on whatever toxin had been used on Tock. But Stevie wouldn’t stop until she’d figured out what was going on. In fact, she could be obsessive over that sort of thing. As it was, she only sat down to eat because Charlie and Max forced her. Well, Charlie got her a plate and filled it with pasta and sauce and some salad, while Max physically forced Stevie into a chair as they fought like two cats in a bag. But the scuffle led to Stevie actually eating, which was all any of them wanted. Whether she was honey badger or tiger, she was still way too thin to be either. Picking her up was like picking up a bag of chips.

If it weren’t for her shifted form, Tock would have been much more worried about Stevie’s daily safety. They didn’t discuss her shifted form, though. It was better for Charlie to believe that “Max’s friends” didn’t know what Stevie actually turned into when she became animal. They did know, of course, and it was horrifying; but not in a scary movie way, just in the size of what she became. Like a mini-Godzilla. While Charlie couldn’t shift at all.

Maybe Charlie was right. Her father did have fucked-up genes that had affected his offspring.

Once Stevie was eating her spaghetti while still managing to continue arguing with Max, everything seemed to calm down. Tock and Mads relaxed, too, and took a few minutes to just eat the remainder of their meal in silence. Mistake, because when Charlie suddenly put her arms around their shoulders and leaned in, she startled them. Both females let out loud snarls.

“Whoa.” Charlie leaned back a bit. “You guys okay?”

“Uh-huh,” Tock and Mads replied, trying not to sound as panicked as she always made them feel. It wasn’t her fault, really. Other than that she was naturally terrifying, and over the years they’d seen her do some really horrifying things.

Charlie leaned back in, her arms around their shoulders again. Tock had to fight hard not to spin away and back up, hissing in warning. A reaction appropriate for a pride of hungry lions, but not for a friendly Charlie MacKilligan.

“Do me a favor,” Charlie said. “Before you guys head out for the night, grab the others and meet me at Mads’s house for a quick chat. Okay?”

“It was Max,” Mads abruptly announced. “She did it.”

Charlie shook her head at the sudden statement. “What are you talking about?”

Mads scratched her forehead, eyes downcast. “Nothing. I’m not talking about anything.”

“Okay.” Charlie frowned a little, confused. “Anyway, give me a heads-up when you guys decide to go and we’ll meet at Mads’s.”

When Charlie had gone back inside the house, Tock turned to Mads and hissed, “You rat.”

“I know!” Mads whispered back, briefly covering her face with her hands. “But I just panicked! She’s my same height, size. But she terrifies me.”

“Some Viking you are.”

“Oh, shut up! You panicked, too.”

“Yeah,” Tock said with a wink and a smile, “but my people hide it better.”

*

Shay packed up the duffel bag with Dani’s wet swimsuit and towel, which he would toss in the washer when he got home. His daughter handled the puppies, looking them over before she’d put them back into the SUV along with their mother.

“Daddy . . . we’re missing a pup.”

“We are?”

“I counted and we’re—”

“Here you go.” Charlie’s bear, Berg, placed the puppy into the crate with the others. He nodded at Dani. “Sorry about that. The woman I love has a hoarding problem.”

“I am not a hoarder!” Charlie yelled from the kitchen.

The bear looked at Shay. “Do me a favor, cat. Don’t bring any more dogs here. I have enough trouble keeping her away from Mads’s damn coyote.”

“That coyote comes to me!” came the kitchen retort. “I was the one who sent him back to Mads’s house!”

The bear rolled his eyes. “I’m going home. Do not take another puppy!” he barked toward the house before lumbering off the porch. A few seconds later, the house shook a bit as the other two triplets followed their brother. Even the female lumbered, but she was way cuter than the males, smiling and waving goodbye to Dani before going down the steps and heading to their house across the street.

Keane passed the bears without saying a word, despite having spent nearly a whole day with them. He came onto the porch and said to Shay, “The SUV is packed up. You two ready to go?”

“Will be in thirty seconds.”

“Okay. Wait with Finn. I need to go talk to Charlie before we leave.”

Shay immediately stood up straight and gazed at his brother. “Talk to her about what?”