Fatal Delay (Uncollected Anthology : Were-Creatures and Conundrums 33)

By Bonnie Elizabeth

Lora kept a secret from her husband.  Her husband kept a secret from her.

 

When a hurricane extends her honeymoon cruise, Lora must seek a hiding place to shield the passengers and crew from herself. As a were-cheetah she could wreak havoc on the ship.

 

Complicating matters, Lora's husband remains blissfully unaware of her dual nature.

 

Meanwhile, he harbors secrets of his own, one of which could shatter Lora's world.

 

Get ready to sail into the heart of mystery and danger aboard a luxurious cruise ship, where painful secrets lurk beneath the surface.

 

Part of The Uncollected Anthology, Were-Creatures and Conundrums

• Language: English
• Publisher: My Big Fat Orange Cat Publishing
• Release date: Apr 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9798223613510

Bonnie Elizabeth

Bonnie Elizabeth could never decide what to do, so she wrote stories about amazing things and sometimes she even finished them. While rejection stung her so badly in person, she spent most of her young life talking to cats and dogs rather than people, she was unusually resilient when it came to rejections on her writing, racking up a good number of them. Floating through a variety of jobs, including veterinary receptionist, cemetery administrator, and finally acupuncturist, she continued to write stories. When the internet came along (yes, she’s old), she started blogging as her cat, because we all know cats don’t notice rejection. Then she started publishing. Bonnie writes in a variety of genres. Her popular Whisper series is contemporary fantasy and her Teenage Fairy Godmother series is written for teens. She has published in a number of anthologies and is working on expanding her writing repertoire. She lives with her husband (who talks less than she does) and her three cats, who always talk back. You can find out more about her books at her publisher, My Big Fat Orange Cat Publishing.

Book preview

1

There are some secrets you shouldn’t keep from your husband and I was keeping one of them. I mean, how often does it come up that you’re not exactly human? That you change into a cheetah on the full moon. No choice there. Other times, I can force the change, or not, but there’s no choice at the full moon. It’s like when the moon pulls the tides, it pulls something in my cells and I move into cheetah mode.

My husband and I had been dating for two years before we married. He had yet to notice that I always had something going on when the moon was full. We were married shortly after the full moon but he wanted a cruise, a particular cruise that ended practically on the full moon. We were supposed to be off the first day the moon would be full and force the change. I’d suggested a hotel before heading home, just in case of airline delays.

I could get a separate room, knock him out. I’d lock myself in the hotel room. Or, I could talk to him. Get a separate room.

But no. Hurricane season put that to rest. We were going to be stuck for an extra two days—at least—while the storm decided to hover over Fort Lauderdale. And I was stuck.

We’d been on the ship for five days and I’d found no little cubbyholes where I could hide out when I changed. There were bathrooms, sure, but at some point, if I managed to put an out of order sign on a door, a staff person would come by and check. And that would be that.

Cats and all. We are so good at playing with things. As a cheetah, playing meant swatting and swiping and my claws were long.

So, there I was, trying to think of what to say to my husband. He could lock me into the cabin. I probably wouldn’t be able to get out. The glass door to the balcony could be broken but I usually had a little control over the cat. Not much, but some. If I could get Wes to stay out, I could use the room.

In a way, it seemed only fair. He insisted not only on a cruise, but this one, the one that pressed so close to the full moon, it was almost like he wanted to see what happened.

Breakfast the morning we were supposed to get off the ship wasn’t busy. The buffet had a long stainless-steel section where hot foods waited under glowing orange lights and then two smaller round sections towards the back. The smaller sections held things like donuts and fruit at breakfast.

While the main dining room was lined in royal blue carpeting—a daring choice considering this ship sailed to sunny climates and there were plenty of windows which would fade the color quickly—the buffet was lined in blue and gray tiles. It bumped up near the main pool and I’d noticed that there were people coming in and out in just bathing suit coverups and flip flops during the day, often with their suits still damp from their time in the pool.

I’d learned to check the cream padding on the faux-rattan chairs to be sure it was dry. I mean the padding was covered in a slippery waterproof cloth, but it could still get wet and I’d stand up looking like