Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 138334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 692(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 692(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Timur looked around the room at the unmated shifters. “We should have talks with our men, Fyodor. You’re head of the lair and they follow your lead.”
“I never led a woman on in my life,” Fyodor declared. “My leopard wouldn’t have allowed it even if I was that kind of man.”
“But the men don’t know that. You never talked about that with them. The only talk you ever had with them was that you would never tolerate the abuse of women in this lair. You never wanted what went on in our home lairs to happen here. What happened to Atwater, or nearly happened to him, is a lesson for all of us,” Timur pushed. “We don’t want any woman to suffer what Lola suffered or to carry out a murderous plot of revenge because we didn’t want to have an uncomfortable talk with our males.”
“It isn’t just the males who should be talked to,” Meiling spoke up. “You’re head of your lair, Fyodor. That means you or Evangeline should speak to every female before there is a chance her leopard goes into heat, so the female knows what to expect and no male has the opportunity to trick her.” She switched her gaze to Elijah.
“Siena is sweet, but getting anything past her is nearly impossible. She has built-in radar for bullshit. And if I opt not to say anything about what is going on, she suddenly asks me. If there were a woman somewhere, she’d know in a heartbeat. I think it would be intuitive with her.”
“She doesn’t even bother to try to hide the way she feels about you. If you betrayed her, how would she react? She’s passionate. Her leopard is passionate, what would happen if she caught you betraying her?” Timur persisted.
Elijah looked as if he paled under his olive skin. “I wouldn’t want to think about that too much. She isn’t the kind to plot out something like Lola did, and she wouldn’t involve her friends in something illegal, but there would be consequences.”
“Ashe would cut off Timur’s balls,” Fyodor announced. There was some satisfaction in his voice when he made the announcement.
Elijah and Timur both nodded in agreement. “No doubt she would,” Timur added, real curiosity in his voice. “What about Evangeline, Fyodor? There isn’t anyone sweeter. As much as I’d like to say I know her, I honestly have no idea how she would react to betrayal of that type.”
Fyodor sighed and shook his head, both hands going up to rake his fingers through his hair in a continual motion, betraying agitation. “It wouldn’t happen. I would never hurt her like that. I just wouldn’t. My leopard would go insane if I didn’t first.”
“Everyone knows that,” Timur persisted, waving his brother’s obvious discomfort away. “This isn’t about your reaction. We’re talking a woman’s reaction to betrayal. What would someone as sweet as Evangeline do if she caught you red-handed going at it with another woman?”
Gedeon thought about the woman he’d met multiple times over the last few years when he’d visited San Antonio. He always made a point of making his presence known to the heads of the crime families in the area if he wasn’t investigating anything to do with them. He’d stumbled across the little bakery before it had become so wildly popular. Evangeline was just getting started. There wasn’t so much space back then—but she’d always been the same welcoming, warm, kind, considerate person. It was impossible not to be drawn to her. He hadn’t known she was leopard when he first met her. He honestly couldn’t imagine Evangeline’s reaction to betrayal. He could imagine his.
Gedeon’s gaze slid to the woman beside him. He would strangle her with his bare hands, but not before he tore apart the man she betrayed him with right in front of her. Could he kill her? To his shock, his heart accelerated, rejecting the idea. Every cell in his body rejected the idea.
Meiling suddenly turned her head, those dark chocolate eyes drifting over him. He swore he felt her touching him, almost like a physical caress. She rubbed her palm over the back of his hand, reminding him that he was still gripping her thigh—hanging on to her—maybe a little too tight. Still, he didn’t let loose, turning his attention back to the conversation about Evangeline.
“Fyodor?” Timur prompted.
Fyodor shook his head. “I have no idea what Evangeline would do. She’s a fierce protector when she feels her family is threatened, and that includes my brother and Ashe. Also my cousins.” He rubbed his chin in the palm of his hand. “Her leopard is a fierce little thing. I don’t know what she would do—anything to protect Evangeline, including killing me.”
He raised his head to look directly at Timur. “You’re right, we need to talk to the men. Being head of a lair sucks. I much prefer to be an enforcer. No talking, just cracking heads.”