Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 129756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
A soda can hissed as Taryn popped it open. “I should probably be up front about this, Mila, and say I’m so jealous of you.”
Blinking, Mila tilted her head. “Why?”
“Because I really want to be a pallas cat.” And the Alpha female sounded amazingly put out that that wasn’t the case.
Jaime chuckled. “Taryn’s been saying that ever since she saw the video footage of Madisyn kicking the asses of three sows in the restroom at Enigma.”
“Speaking of clubs, we were at the Velvet Lounge a couple of weeks ago when you were performing there,” said Frankie. “Can I just say, you have a beautiful voice.”
Mila smiled. “Thank you.”
“On another note,” began Tao, roasting marshmallows, “is your father an art thief, Mila? Because you’re a total masterpiece.”
Chuckling along with the others, Trick said, “I was wondering if your father was an alien, because there’s nothing like you on Earth.”
Another round of chuckles.
“I was thinking of calling God and telling him I found his missing angel,” said Marcus. “Seriously, Mila, is that a ladder in your pants or a stairway to heaven?”
Dominic glared at his laughing pack mates. “I knew you’d all be assholes.”
Marcus shrugged a shoulder. “We’re just getting some payback.”
Mila turned to Dominic with a sigh. “You hit their mates with cheesy lines, don’t you? Honestly, GQ, I don’t know how you’re still breathing.”
Dominic smiled. “I save all the lines for you now.”
“Lucky me, I guess,” Mila muttered. He just laughed.
Standing near the picnic table with Dante and Trey, Dominic drank his beer as he watched Mila help Dexter pile things inside a plastic bucket that was tied to a rope. Kye and Lilah then pulled the rope, hauling the bucket up to the tree house. Dexter was a playful kid but not much for chatting. Right then, though, the cheetah cub was jabbering on and on about something to Mila, who he’d led over there by her pinkie finger the moment she’d finished her food.
Highly protective of Dexter, little Savannah had spent a full five minutes watching Mila with a death glare that spooked most adults. Dominic had tensed when Mila’s eyes went cat as she glared right back at Savannah. But that show of strength seemed to have settled the viper, because Savannah was now twined around one of Mila’s legs while tugging on Sienna’s foot. Yep, the pup also seemed drawn to Mila—Sienna had demanded to be picked up and had been perched on Mila’s hip for at least the past half hour.
Someone else might have been annoyed at having kids crowd them like that. Mila wasn’t fazed. Nor did she seem overwhelmed having all these people trying to commandeer her time—and they really were trying to. She talked easily with his pack mates, not looking awkward or socially uncomfortable. Maybe that came from dealing with a stream of strangers at the barbershop, day in and day out.
Seeing how well she got along with the females of his pack settled him. It wasn’t that she fit in; it was more like she’d slotted into the space as if she’d been there countless times before.
“You know, it’s lucky that Pierson didn’t notice Mila’s mark when he spoke to her the other day,” said Trey. “That would have sent him into a full-blown rage—he’s convinced a bite means an automatic mating bond.”
Taking another swig of his beer, Dominic turned to the Alpha. “She dabs a little concealer over it when she’s at work to avoid questions from human clients—but not so much concealer that a shifter with their advanced eyesight wouldn’t notice it.”
“It doesn’t bother you that she covers it?” Dante asked him.
Dominic twisted his mouth. “It does a little, but I get her reasoning. Humans believe she’s one of them, and they aren’t always nice to people they perceive to be ‘shifter groupies.’ She doesn’t want the barbershop to lose clients or deal with hassle from the kind of religious zealots that turned up outside the Velvet Lounge a few weeks back. Archie conceals his claiming mark while at work for the same reason. Pallas cats like to fly under the radar of humans. So long as other shifters will spot her brand and know she’s taken, I can deal with it.”
“On the subject of the club, I spoke to Jesse earlier,” said Trey. “He mentioned there’s something weird going on with Charlene. You never said anything about it. What happened?”
Dominic told him about the fox’s warnings to Mila, how Charlene had acted at the club that night, and Jesse’s theory about it. “I don’t know if he’s right, but I know she wasn’t happy when she realized I’d marked Mila. She tried hiding it. Smiled as she served us drinks. But she didn’t mention the brand.”
Dante pursed his lips. “I would have thought Charlene would be happy for you. Maybe she doesn’t like pallas cats. But Jesse’s theory makes sense too. With any luck, the fox will get over herself quick enough.”