Melina

“I want out. I’m bored.” Mr. Whiskers’ complaints were getting louder and more insistent by the time I neared my parents’ house. I was actually impressed his patience had lasted as long as it had. He hadn’t started complaining until I’d hung up with Ravie. Mr. Whiskers didn’t like riding in the car. He hated being crated, but it was the safest way to transport him.

“We’re almost there, baby,” I crooned, hating how upset he sounded.

“Why couldn’t I stay with Trevor?” There was no missing his pout. Mr. Whiskers had been enjoying staying home with Trevor on the nights I worked. Trevor even set him up with a movie and snacks before he came to bring me dinner so my familiar wouldn’t have to ride in the car. That was great, except it meant my familiar was crankier on car rides now, and I couldn’t always wait to leave for work until Trevor got home.

“Do you remember where we’re going?” I asked, figuring he must have forgotten if he was asking about staying home with Trevor.

He gave me the condor version of a long-suffering sigh before responding. “Work. Always work. I hate work.”

“Nope. Today is Amelia’s baby shower. Most of your friends will be there,” I told him. Mr. Whiskers loved hanging out with the other familiars. The baby shower would be like a big play date for him.

“Will Sam be there?” he asked excitedly.

Mr. Whiskers had hit it off with Allie’s new familiar, Sam, right away. Since Allie’s mom was a succubus, there hadn’t been a female relative to get her a familiar, so she’d only recently gotten Sam, a very needy kitten, thanks to Dylan.

“Not today,” I told him. “We’ll plan a play date with Sam soon.”

“My other friends will be there?”

“Most of them,” I assured him.

I had to park pretty far down the street and walk to my parents’ house, which wouldn’t have been so annoying if they didn’t live in Mesa freakin’ Arizona. When it’s well over a hundred degrees outside, the last thing I want to do is walk with a condor tugging at the back of my skirt. Since my parents live in a witch neighborhood, I don’t have to worry about anyone seeing me with my familiar. Now, I was only worried about everyone seeing my granny panties. It was bad enough Trevor had already seen them.

“Stop, or you’ll end up pulling my skirt down,” I told him.

He ignored me, and by the time I rang the bell, my skirt was down around my hips. I tugged to try to get it out of Mr. Whiskers’ beak, but he wasn’t letting go, so when the front door opened, my skirt was halfway down my ass.

Maddie took one look at me and started laughing and trying to scold Mr. Whiskers. “Let go of Mel’s skirt, you naughty condor.”

He ignored her and continued to pull on my skirt.

“We are not going in the house until you let go of my skirt!” I said in a firm tone, and he immediately let go. I started to try to fix my skirt before heading into the house.

Maddie’s giggles stopped, and she suddenly looked more than a little green. Having seen this enough times with Amelia during both pregnancies, I knew Maddie was about to suffer the effects of the inappropriately named morning sickness.

Forgetting the fact that my granny panties were exposed, I grabbed Maddie’s arm and worked to clear a path through the living room to the nearest bathroom. These were the things I was willing to do for the love of my sister. Once I had Maddie in the bathroom, I turned to pull my skirt up as I smiled at the room full of annoying gawkers, most of them family members.

“I’m going to take Mr. Whiskers back and get him settled in with the other familiars,” I said, but my mom stopped me.

“I’ll do it, sweetie,” my mom insisted. “Why don’t you grab something to eat?”

“Thanks, Mom,” I said with a tight smile, knowing she’d intentionally thwarted my plan to hide.

The aunts descended on me.

“Melina!” Aunt Lil greeted me with a hug and a warm smile.

“Hi, Aunt Lil and Aunt Muri,” I greeted them both. “Sorry, I’m late.”

“We understand,” Muri assured me. “That job of yours keeps you much too busy.”

“Actually, I was trying to leave on time, but a sexy warlock used a spell to tie me to his bed so he could spank me with a riding crop and pleasure me multiple times.”

“If you took some time off from work to find a man, you wouldn’t have to joke about something like that,” Lil scolded me.

“I dare say a good spanking would do you some good, young lady,” Muri added.

“Don’t look so shocked, Melina Blackwood,” Lil said. “It can add a lot to a woman’s sexual experience.”

“And the man’s,” Muri pointed out.

It’s not often that I’m speechless, but my aunts are usually to blame for those rare occasions. Retreating from this conversation seemed like my best option. The last thing I wanted was for my aunts to start talking about sex with my uncles. I’d been in that position before and preferred to avoid it.

“I’m going to get something to eat,” I told them to excuse myself, and I almost groaned at what my aunts said as I was walking off.

“It’s a shame she doesn’t have a warlock yet,” Lil lamented.

“Yes, at the rate she’s going, she’ll end up with cobwebs up there,” Muri said with a sigh.

Conversations like this were the biggest reason I preferred to avoid these types of events. Cobwebs? Where the hell did my aunts come up with this stuff?