Maudlin's Mayhem (Bewitching Bedlam #2)(21)

I knelt as he turned over, groaning and reaching for his groin. “That hurt, Maddy. I hurt myself.”

“I know, Bub. And yeah, somehow you’ve been turned into human form. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll find out. Meanwhile, let’s get you up and get some pants on you—don’t protest. You can’t walk around with your dick hanging out for everybody to see.”

Bubba sat up, looking terribly forlorn. He glanced up over at me, then rubbed his head against my arm. “I’m scared. I’ve never changed shapes before. I don’t like it.”

I held his head, comforting him. “I know, Bub. I know.”





THORNTON RETURNED, BRINGING with him a robe and some underpants. They had to be his, because Aegis usually went commando. “Here, I brought a couple things for him to wear. Both Aegis and Sandy are on the way.”

“Pet me?” Bubba’s head butted my leg. He was lying down, and he reached out to grab hold of my ankle.

“Bubba, you need to let go. Come on, stand up. Pretty please?” I cajoled him to his feet and, with Thornton’s help, got him into the underwear and the robe, neither of which he liked.

“This binds. This is stupid. Why do you wear this? I want pets. I want my belly rubbed.” He continued to grumble, tugging at the legs of the briefs, until we got him back to the bed.

I motioned for him to sit down. “Just rest for a moment, Bub. I need to think.”

What could cause a cjinn to turn into a human? And how was I going to return him to his regular form? This was going to take some doing. I ran through any number of spells that could turn an animal into a human, but they didn’t quite fit. For one thing, Bubba was a cjinn. Any typical spell that worked on animals wouldn’t be able to affect a magical creature. For another, even if it was a spell, who the hell had cast it—and how?

“Snow.”

“What?” Thornton asked.

“The only stranger I’ve had in this house in the past twenty-four hours has been Snow and her dwarves. Damn it, I knew better than let them stay here. You watch Bubba. Don’t let him leave this room—and no matter how much he begs, do not rub his stomach!” I headed for the door, slamming it behind me. As I rounded the corner of the second-story hall, I was ready to wipe my feet on the first person to cross me.

I came to Snow’s door. There was a lot of whispered giggling inside and the sudden belief that they were rehearsing a scene under my roof filled me with rage. I slammed open the door, ready to order the entire lot outside. But instead of an orgy, the eight of them were sitting around on the bed and chairs, eating pizza and playing poker. A pile of pennies and nickels sat between them, and they all looked startled when I came barging into the room.

“Maudlin? Is everything all right?” Snow frowned, standing.

“You’re all clothed.”

“We tend to wear clothes when we play poker. Why, what’s going on? Do you want us to get naked for you?”

One of the dwarves—I had no clue which one, except he was the most gorgeous of the group—winked at me.

“No! I don’t want you naked! And I don’t want my cjinn naked either, especially in human form. Who’s the wiseass who turned him into a human? I want you to reverse the spell immediately.” I ran out of breath at the same time I ran out of steam.

Snow shook her head. “What are you talking about? None of us work magic. I’m a princess. These guys are dwarves and you know very well just how well dwarves and magic get along. As in, not so much.”

I held her gaze. Her eyes were clear and she was telling the truth.

“You really didn’t do it,” I said.

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about, but no. I didn’t do anything to you or whoever it is you’re worried about.” She gave me a cool stare. “The only one I’d like to do something to is Ralph. And it’s not what he’s been begging for.”

I paused, thinking. “I might be able to help you on that, but first I have to take care of a problem.”

“Listen, hon,” Snow said in a waitress-friendly voice, “if you can help me exact some revenge on him, then I’m forever in your debt.”

“Right. I’ll think about what we can do. Meanwhile, sorry for barging in on you.” I hurried out the door, closing it softly behind me. As I headed downstairs, I stopped at my room and motioned to Bubba. “Come on, Bubba. We’re going to the kitchen.”

“Food? Time to eat?” He jumped up, his eyes bright, and shot past me, out of the room, thundering down the stairs.

I facepalmed, shaking my head. “What am I going to do, Thornton?”

“Feed him?” Thornton gave me a blank look.

“Wiseass. Come on, help me corral him before he damages anything.” I froze. “What do I do if he still has his powers?”

“Might I suggest Valium?” And with that, Thornton motioned to the door. “Go.”

By the time we got to the kitchen, Bubba was sitting on the counter, opening his third can of cat food. “I’ve got thumbs!” He hadn’t eaten any of them, yet, but seemed entranced with the idea of being able to open his own breakfast.

I quickly took the cans away. “Hold on now, Bubs. You’re in human form now. We don’t eat cat food.”