Текст книги "Cynful"

Автор книги: Dana Bell

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Chapter Eight

“So.”

Julian smirked into his coffee cup. “So?”

The cousins exchanged an amused glance. Gabe had caught up with them outside LA and declared he would watch the shop while the three of them grabbed a quick breakfast. It had been either that or watch while Glory eviscerated her mate with a tattoo needle. As entertaining as the second would’ve been, they’d all agreed pancakes were the better option.

Julian shrugged. “She’s mine.” Did he really need to say anything else?

Ryan snorted. “Tell me you didn’t actually say that to Cyn.”

Julian shrugged. Hell no, he wasn’t that stupid, but there was no way he was saying that in front of two Grizzlies. A man had some pride after all.

“And you lived to tell the tale?” Ryan shook his head. “Damn. Maybe I should just bare fang on Glory and see what happens.”

Julian almost choked on his coffee. “Your gonads would wind up dangling from one of her charm bracelets.”

“Ouch.” Alex grabbed the cantaloupe, smacking Ryan’s hands away. “You get the green melon thingies.”

“I like the yellow melon thingies better.”

The cousins glared at each other.

“If you two start bitch slapping each other over cantaloupe I’m not going to tell you what I learned from Chloe.”

They immediately focused on him. Alex immediately scowled, the mere mention of his cousin causing the big Grizzly’s protective instincts to go into overdrive. “Tell us what?”

Ryan’s expression turned grim. “Someone’s going to attack Glory, aren’t they?”

Julian shook his head. “If I knew why they’d gone after Cyn, I’d be able to say whether or not Glory is in danger as well.”

“Then we assume all three of them are in danger and go with that.” Alex picked at the fruit. “I won’t lose either of them; it would kill Tabby. She’s already telling the baby stories about Aunt Glory and Aunt Cyn. Some of them are even rated PG.”

“Agreed.” Ryan sat back with a grunt. He ignored the huge stack of waffles in front of him turning limp in the sea of syrup he’d poured over them. “I need to claim my mate.”

“Yeah, you do.” Alex pointed at Julian. “So do you. And you need to tell us what you learned.”

Julian sighed. He had no idea how the two of them would react to Bear’s message. “Two becomes one, one becomes three. Bear knows the way, but Fox holds the key.”

They sat there and stared at him expectantly.

Julian shrugged and drank his coffee. He didn’t have to wait long before Ryan lost patience. “That’s it? That’s why you had us get up at the ass-crack of dawn?”

He glared at Ryan, his eyes flashing silver. “You mean other than the attack on my mate?”

“Well, yeah, but… It’s eight a.m.!”

“Let me guess, long night sitting outside Glory’s window?”

“Exactly.” Ryan looked horrified. “You could have emailed me that.”

“But then I wouldn’t see your lovely face so bright and early.” Julian batted his lashes at Ryan, grinning when the Grizzly grumbled and finally attacked his waffles. “Seriously, when Bear delivers a message like that, it means he wants us to pay attention. You have syrup on your cheek, by the way.”

“How did I get stuck sitting next to you?” Ryan scrubbed the syrup away, but Julian could tell his heart really wasn’t in it. The threat to his mate was scrambling his good humor.

Alex’s focus remained on Julian. “What do you think it means? The message was meant for you, right?”

“I’m not sure.” Julian tapped his finger on the rim of his coffee cup. “But Chloe got the same message from Fox.”

“She did? She didn’t mention it to me.” Ryan put his napkin down and picked his fork back up.

“Maybe because someone’s been a Crappy Chris lately.”

This time Ryan snorted, but didn’t respond, due to his mouth being full of waffles. But his death glare was pretty good.

“Don’t you mean Grumpy Gus?” Alex’s brows rose as he stared at the two of them in confusion.

“If I did, I would’ve said that.” Alex rolled his eyes, but let it go. “Chloe made it a point to mention that Fox was specific in that two becomesone, not two become one.”

Alex froze. “Two becomes one, with an s?”

“Yes.” Julian was worried. Alex’s eyes had turned dark brown. “Why?”

“When two becomes one, what does that mean?”

Ryan cursed softly. “Someone loses a mate.”

Julian shook his head. “The loss of a mate would mean the death of the remaining mate, remember?”

Alex grimaced. “Unless the shifter either has more than one mate, or it wasn’t a true mating.”

“There aren’t that many shifters who have more than one mate.” Ryan shoved what looked like half a Belgian waffle in his mouth.

“Wolves, Lions and Coyotes can have more than one mate. Other than that, I can’t think of any.” Julian waved their waitress over. He needed more caffeine before he dealt with everything going on. He’d have to call and leave Tai a message again. The Kermode hadn’t called him back yet. Julian was beginning to worry. Could Cyn have really ticked Tai off that much?

“You say Chloe got the message too?” Alex grinned, and it wasn’t a nice one. “Perhaps that means she’s the one who will get two mates?”

Julian shook his head. “No. I’m pretty sure Chloe isn’t the one. Neither am I.” And thank Bear for that. Julian had no need for a second mate. His Cyn was more than enough for him. Besides, once she was marked and changed her mating instinct would kick in and she’d eat anyone who came between them.

“Then who?” Ryan’s voice was beginning to rumble, his Grizzly close to surfacing.

“Two becomes one. It might not have anything to do with mates. We could be completely off base.” Alex ate the last bit of cantaloupe, rolling his eyes when his cousin snarled. “It could mean anything, really. When two becomes one, it means they join, right? So that means that when two becomes one, they separate. So what separates?”

“Eggs. Old mayonnaise. The Schwarzeneggers.” Ryan blinked as they stared at him. “What?”

“But then one becomes three.” Julian poured sugar into his coffee, ignoring the grimaces of distaste on their faces. So he liked it on the sweet side. Did Ryan really have to gag like that?

“Could it be chemistry? Or atoms, or something like that?” Ryan picked up his own mug of pure black coffee and took a sip, sighing in satisfaction.

“It could.” But Julian didn’t think so. Something told him this had to do with shifters somehow. He just couldn’t see the connection yet. “By the way, Gabe wants us to think about the possibility that whoever is after Cyn could be associated with the people who were originally after Tabby.”

“Well, isn’t that just fucking great? I’d hoped I was wrong about that.” Alex shoved his empty plates away with a rough sigh. “Who the hell stood over my cradle and cursed me to live in interesting times?”

Ryan’s expression was distracted, as if he hadn’t heard a word they’d said. “So what else separates then rejoins, other than people and chemicals?” Ryan shoved the last of the waffles into his mouth. He’d decimated a stack that would choke a horse in four bites. Julian wasn’t sure if he should be impressed or horrified.

“Seriously, Ryan, you have mating on the brain.” Alex grabbed his own plate and attacked the scrambled eggs. “Just bite her already. It worked for me, didn’t it?”

Ryan’s eyes darted to something just over Alex’s shoulder. “You think so?” Julian smothered his laughter as he saw what, or rather who, Ryan was staring at, a bag filled with take-out boxes in her hand.

“Oh, yeah.” Alex sat back with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. “I haven’t heard a single complaint yet. Tabby recognizes who’s the boss.”

“Really?” A soft, feminine voice with a deep southern drawl caused Alex’s face to freeze. “You think you’re the boss of me, sugar?”

“Shit.” Alex dropped his fork, paling at the sound of boot heels tapping on linoleum.

“Busted,” Ryan snickered, stealing Alex’s last bit of bacon as the big Grizzly turned to face his mate.

“Hey, baby.” Alex was out of his seat so fast Julian could’ve blinked and missed it.

“Don’t ‘hey baby’ me, Alex.”

“Aw, come on, don’t be that way.” Alex reached for Tabby, but she danced out of the way. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I think you meant it exactly the way you said it.” Tabby batted at Alex’s hands. “Don’t think you’re going to get out of this by being cute.”

Alex pouted. Even Julian had to agree that Alex was damn cute when he pouted. He really did look like a giant teddy bear. “Aw, come on.”

Tabby turned on her heel and started to walk out of the restaurant. “Hmph.”

“Tabby!” Alex ran after his mate, leaving his cousin and Julian to pay the bill.

“That was almost worth how much this is going to cost me.” Julian waved the waitress over as Ryan doubled over and laughed his ass off. “Check, please!”

“Thinks he’s the boss of me, huh?” Tabby was damn near growling, her eyes flickering back and forth between their normal deep brown and her Wolf’s gold. “Just kidding, my ass.”

Glory tilted her head. She looked completely innocent, so Cyn knew something outrageous was about to pop out of her mouth. “But I thought non-Alpha Wolves liked being submissive and stuff like that.”

Tabby snarled, and—

–were those fangs? Someone was cranky today.

Cyn rolled her eyes and pointed to a chair. “Down, girl. Sit. Stay.”

“Yeah, no eating the coworkers,” Glory snickered. “It’s bad for business.”

“Glory? Shut the hell up.” Seriously. What was she going to do with these two? They had been rubbing each other the wrong way all day. Cyn was ready to boot both their asses out the door.

“You know what we need?” Glory spun in her chair, her head tilted back as she stared up at the ceiling.

“New shoes?” Tabby’s expression lightened at the thought of going shopping.

“Only if they’re dancing shoes.” Glory’s expression was positively wicked as she stared at Cyn and Tabby. “When was the last time we drove into Harrisburg for a night out on the town?”

“Do we dare?” Tabby nibbled her thumbnail, a sure sign she was tempted to do something she probably shouldn’t. “With everything that’s going on it might not be the safest thing to do.”

“We could always ask the boys to join us.” Cyn wouldn’t mind dancing the night away in Julian’s arms. Just the way the boy walkedmade her drool. Being on the dance floor was a whole other experience, one that should probably be illegal in several states.

Glory was already shaking her head. “Oh hellno. There is no way Ryan is horning in on my girls’ night out.”

Cyn had an idea. She began rubbing her finger on the glass counter. Something had to be done about Ryan and Glory before they drove her completely insane. “It’s the perfect opportunity to make him crazy.”

“He already is crazy.” Glory was mumbling, but that evil pixie sparkle was starting to appear in her eyes. She probably had a clue where Cyn was going with this, or at least thoughtshe did.

Tabby coughed, hiding a grin behind her fist. “It could be fun. Think about it. You in a short skirt and a teeny top, out on the dance floor, surrounded by men. Dancing with everyone but him.” Thank God Tabby had caught on quickly. She, too, was getting tired of the way Glory was dancing around her attraction to Ryan. She never gave anyone this level of shit unless she was interested. “I don’t think he’s ever seen you in a club, has he? Every time he’s been around you you’ve been in your mystic geek gear.”

Glory frowned and picked at the beads on her skirt. Her head was down, but Cyn could just make out the evil little smirk on her face. “You’re right. I don’t think he has.”

“And nobody says we have to tell him where we’re going.”

Tabby shared a grin with Cyn. “Just because we tell Julian and Alex…” She left it like that, knowing full well neither Julian nor Alex would leave Ryan in the dark about this little expedition.

“Nocturne?” Cyn named their favorite hangout in Harrisburg. It had been months since they’d been there.

Glory looked up through her bangs, her expression at once both innocent and sinister. Glory was the only one Cyn had ever met who could pull that look off and have it be totally believable. “Doesn’t Cyn’s ex-boyfriend bartend there now? The really hot one with the ripped abs and the to-die-for blue eyes?”

Cyn waved her hand dismissively. Her ex-boyfriend wasn’t an issue. He wouldn’t bother trying to start anything with her. And if Glory tried to start something with him Ryan would take care of it. “Old news. I’ll be bringing the latest headline along, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Tabby was practically gnawing her finger through. “You think we should check with Gabe, make sure this is safe?”

“Good idea. Why don’t you give him a call and tell him what we’re thinking of doing.” The bell over the door jangled, and Cyn turned with a smile to greet the customer. “Welcome to Living Art Tattoos. What can we help you with?”

Ryan and Alex escorted Chloe and Heather into the shop, and Cyn grinned. From the chastised look on Alex’s face, it was going to be an interesting visit.

She smiled at the ladies, hiding her wince at Chloe’s shorn hair. When it grew in it would be like a really cute pixie cut, but until it did the thin trace of her scars would be obvious. “What can I do for you ladies?”

Heather and Chloe exchanged a glance and both began talking at once. Cyn leaned back and enjoyed the vivacious chatter of the cousins as both girls became excited over the thought of matching, two-tailed kitsune tattoos.

At least her life was never boring.

Julian stared at the phone as if it was going to reach out and bite him in the ass. “You want to do what where now?”

“Dancing.” The duhtone of Cyn’s voice was obvious. “It’s that thing you do when you move your body to music and pray you don’t look like a total spaz like that woman on the Seinfeldreruns.”

He sighed heavily and brought the phone back to his ear. “Sweetheart, did you clear this with Gabe?”

“I had the Stupidtattoo removed from my forehead a long time ago, Jules. He says we should be all right as long as we bring you guys with us and keep him informed if anything happens.”

He thought over his schedule for the following day and realized he didn’t have to be in work until the afternoon. “Sounds fun then. I’m in.”

“Excellent.”

“I don’t suppose you could wear the Sailor Mars outfit just for me?”

“I’m planning on wearing something even better.”

His heart nearly stopped even as his cock sprang to attention. “There’s something better?” Man, his voice hadn’t cracked like that since he was thirteen.

“Think leather. Tightleather.” She chuckled, low and rough and so very Cyn. “Don’t whimper like that, you’ll get to see it tonight.”

Damn. She’d heard. “But tonight is so very far away.”

“Don’t pout, Care Bear. Maybe tonight I’ll rub your tummy symbol.”

If he were a canine he’d have been panting. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

“You might get to hold something else if you’re reallygood.”

Did he just whimper again? He was dyingto get to second and third base. He figured he really would die if he ever slid home. “Did you tell Alex and Ryan where we’re going?”

“Nope. Tabby might tell Alex, but we’re leaving it up to you to tell Ryan. You’ve never seen Glory in club clothes, have you?”

He groaned. “I’m not going to like this, am I?” If Glory was going to flirt with danger, she was going to get her cute little ass bit. If Ryan caught another man’s scent on her, he’d go ballistic. They’d be lucky if he didn’t kill the man.

It was never a good idea to taunt a Grizzly.

Then again, he might have a way to keep Ryan occupied. “What do you think about bringing Chloe with us? Poor girl hasn’t been out of her apartment for weeks except for doctor trips and physical therapy.”

“Can she handle that level of noise and light?”

Julian was touched by the level of concern in Cyn’s voice. “I can ask her. If she can go it might just cheer her up and keep Ryan distracted at the same time.”

“Much as I might like having her there, the whole point of inviting you guys along is to protect us. If Chloe is there, Ryan will be too busy taking care of his sister.”

Julian laughed. “I don’t think you understand exactly how strong the mate bond is. If he thinks for even one second that someone else is trying to steal his mate that person will be twisted into a pretzel so fast not even Bear himself could stop it. He’s already on red alert thanks to the attack on you. Trust me, he’s going to notice every move she makes.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then we’ve entered some sort of freaky alternate reality where shifters don’t exist, ’cause that’s the only way that’s going to happen.”

“If you say so.” He could practically see her shrugging, dismissing Glory and Ryan’s budding mating. “Will you be noticing every move I make?”

Damn. He really needed to stop whimpering. It was so…unmanly.

Chapter Nine

A woman’s figure caught Julian’s eye before he’d taken two steps into Nocturne. He found himself fascinated by her movements. The skin-tight black leather pants showed off a well-rounded derriere. The tight pink tank top she wore showcased slim, strong shoulders and lean, lightly muscled arms. On one wrist was a thick leather band, a huge gleaming turquoise decorating the center. Perched on her head was a black fedora with a silver band. The fedora was just the accessory she needed to showcase her multihued hair.

She danced like a woman who knew who she was and challenged every man on the dance floor to dare to take her on. One tried, and was dismissed with the wave of one slender hand and a derisive toss of her head. It was a miracle that hat didn’t fly off and hit the guy, not that Julian would’ve minded. No one should be sliding up to his woman like that, eager to touch her. He was the only one who got that privilege, thank you. Her hair swung gently as she moved to the beat, her body twisting and writhing in a primitive rhythm that had every nerve in Julian’s body standing at attention. He found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the sight of his mate as she danced with her friends.

“Holy shit. Is that—?” The shock in Alex’s voice had him turning to look at the Grizzly. Alex’s mouth was hanging open, his expression full of unholy glee.

“Oh fuckno. No, she didn’t.” Even over the pounding music Julian could hear that Ryan was growling. His hands fisted and his blue eyes darkened to near black.

Julian turned back to the dance floor to see what the two of them were staring at. His own jaw dropped at the sight that met his eyes. “Holy crap, is that Glory?”

And he’d thought the Sailor Mars skirt was short. She’d be more covered up wearing a bikini bottom. He might be nearly mated, but even he could admit she had a damn fine ass. He tilted his head as he stared at far more of Glory than he’d ever thought to see. That pale blue mane of hers was playing an interesting game of peek-a-boo between her butt and the men dancing around her. She’d somehow straightened the curly mass, causing it to fall nearly to her knees. Thigh high boots gave the outfit the illusion of decency. “I thought people weren’t allowed to go out dancing in just their underwear.”

Ryan’s low growl showed the man was not amused.

“She’s wearing a corset.” Alex’s gaze drifted over to his own mate, dressed in her own pair of skintight jeans and one of the lacy tops Tabby tended to favor.

“I noticed.” If the Grizzly clenched his jaw any harder his teeth would snap.

Alex tilted his head, a slow smile drifting across his face. “Do you think she’ll tell me where she got that? I’d like to get one for Tabby.”

Julian eyed the corset. It was one of those strapless thingies that turned Glory’s molehills into mountains. He could just imagine what it would do to Cyn’s glorious breasts. “Ditto.”

From the way Ryan’s chest was heaving Julian figured he was two seconds away from storming the dance floor.

But then he forgot all about Ryan as Cyn caught sight of him. She crooked her finger at him with a wicked grin, daring him to join her. Julian knew his eyes had gone silver, but he didn’t care. He stepped out onto the dance floor and grabbed his mate, pulling her close. He could practically smell the disappointment in the men around him as he showed that Cyn belonged to him. “Having fun?”

“Always.” She glanced behind him. “Where’s Chloe?”

“She decided not to come. She still tires easily.”

She shimmied and he damn near moaned. Cyn looped her arms around his neck and tugged on his braid. “I should have asked you to wear your hair down.”

He rolled his eyes. She had the strange obsession with his hair. “Should I have put it in curlers first?”

“Sure. I was also thinking of scheduling us for matching facials and mani-pedis.”

There was only one response to that. “The one with the cucumbers over the eyes? Sign me up! I hear they do wonders for your pores.”

Cyn shook her head. “I am so tattooing a purple fairy on your ass.”

“I’d rather have your name.” It was an ongoing argument between them, because for some strange reason she thought he was joking. He’d been trying to get her to tattoo Property of Cynon his ass for weeks now, but she blocked him at every turn. Perhaps it was time he had a chat with Tabby. She might do it for him. He’d just have to make sure she didn’t laugh her way through the whole tattoo. He’d hate it if it looked like it was done by a five-year-old.

They settled into an easy rhythm, moving and swaying together as if they danced with each other a thousand times before. It wasn’t long before her head was resting against his chest, her hat perched on his head. Her fingers stroked through his loosened hair, combing it for him. She’d shoved the rubber band into his back pocket, copping a feel before stroking his hair once more. He let his own fingers do the walking down her back. When his hands landed on her ass he squeezed. Damn, he liked these pants. He’d have to see if he could get her to wear them on their next date night.

She tilted her head back and looked at him through her lashes. It didn’t take him long to find out what she was up to. She began to nibble on the exposed skin of his throat, licking and tasting him. He shivered and tilted his head when she found an especially sensitive spot.

“Somebody likes that,” she whispered, her warm breath tickling the moist spots she’d left behind.

“Oh, yeah, somebody definitely does.”

He felt a tug on his hair and allowed his head to be pulled back. He was rewarded for his obedience by more warm, wet kisses. He closed his eyes, savoring the touch of his mate and the fact that she wanted him. It was hot as hell to have her taking the lead. Normally he was the one who instigated any touches or kisses. To have Cyn take the initiative made him weak in the knees. He was so hard he could probably drill holes in granite.

“Shit.” She caressed the back of his head gently, and his hair swung free once more. “Imminent Grizzly attack at two o’clock.”

Julian opened his eyes to find Ryan pulling a cave bear routine. He was close to shifting, he was so agitated. Glory was doing her best to ignore him, dancing with her back to him, surrounded by men who kept reaching out to touch what they shouldn’t be.

Glory had no idea what she was unleashing, and if Julian didn’t do something fast someone was going to die.

He allowed his other power to flow through him, the power he rarely tapped. He stepped out of Cyn’s arms toward Ryan. “Calm down.” He tapped in to that part of Ryan where his rage lived, soothing the beast before he could savage the humans. Ryan’s back straightened, his hands unclenched and his dark brown eyes turned blue again. Julian wasn’t certain how long he’d be able to hold the Grizzly, so he did the only thing he could think of. He had to get Ryan out of here. “Follow me.”

He backed slowly out of the dancing crowd, his gaze never leaving Ryan’s. Occasionally he would restate the command to follow, keeping the Grizzly under his control until they were out of the building and in the parking lot. He pointed to the seat of Ryan’s motorcycle. “Sit.”

Ryan sat, and Julian allowed his power to go back to sleep.

“What the fuck was that?” Ryan’s expression was part awed, part terrified.

“The other reason Kermode stay separate from all of you.” Julian joined Ryan on the seat and stared at the club, kicking one heel against the asphalt.

“Holy shit. You’re Alphas. Allof you.”

Julian winced. He hated it when somebody used that title. It wasn’t accurate, not in the way they meant it. “Not…exactly.”

“So what are you then?” Cyn was standing before them, her arms crossed over her chest, her foot tapping to the beat they could all clearly hear. She didn’t look nervous or scared, just curious. This was good, because hopefully she’d be just like him.

Julian took a deep breath. “Spirit Bears are Shamans, notAlphas. We have no desire to rule others, only to help them and guide them when needed.” He laughed, but even he could hear the lack of humor in it. “What would I do with the whole pack of Bears?”

“Rule the world?” Ryan’s tone was thoughtful. Perhaps he did have a clue what Spirit Bears could truly do if they ever set their minds to it.

One of Cyn’s dark brows quirked upwards. “Steal the world’s honey supply?”

Great. He’d gone from being a Care Bear to Winnie The Pooh.

Ryan darted a quick glance at him. His shoulders relaxed for the first time since they’d entered the club. “Turn salmon into an endangered species?”

“Demand toilet paper in every forest in the land?”

“Ooh, that’s a good one. Because Bears do shit in the woods.”

“I bet those pinecones are scratchy as hell.” Cyn’s expression was solemn, but Julian could see the grin trying to break free.

“You have no idea. And God forbid if you haven’t figured out what poison oak looks like yet.” Ryan shuddered melodramatically.

“I sense a story there.”

“Not one I’m willing to tell.”

Julian rolled his eyes. “Children, behave please.”

Cyn batted her lashes at him. “Yes, Daddy.”

“Say that again when we’re alone.” He heard Ryan’s sigh even over Cyn’s quickly muffled giggle. “Stay here and guard Cyn. I’ll go fetch Glory.”

Cyn’s brow rose. “How are you going to get her to leave? She was having a pretty good time, and Glory loves to close the club down.”

From the way Ryan’s shoulders tensed once more the club would be permanently closed if they didn’t get Glory out of there soon. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got this one covered.” He patted Ryan’s shoulder sympathetically. Honestly, if his mate had pulled half the stuff Glory had he wouldn’t be handling it nearly as well.

He stepped once more into the club and scanned the sea of dancers looking for pale blue hair. He spotted Glory quickly and cursed under his breath. She was at the bar and flirting outrageously with the bartender. She brushed his hand and shot him a coy look, a look that clearly stated she was ready, willing and available.

She might be ready and willing, but she certainly wasn’t available no matter what she thought. Julian plastered on his most innocent smile and sauntered to the bar. “Glory! I’ve been looking all over for you.”

He could see Glory’s teeth clenching as she shot him a dirty look. “Go away, Julian.”

The bartender scowled. “Is this man bothering you?”

Only the genuine concern Julian could sense pouring from the man kept him from fetching Ryan. “She’s a friend of my girlfriend, Cyn. We were worried about her.”

The man’s smile dimmed. “Cyn is here? And you’re dating her?”

Now it was Julian’s turn to clench his teeth. Who the hell was this guy? “I most definitely am.”

Pain flashed across the bartender’s features, but was quickly masked by resignation. “Oh. Well, I hope things go better for you than they did for me.”

“Thanks. I’m planning on making it permanent.” While Julian felt some sympathy for him, there was no way in hell he wouldn’t stake his claim to Cyn. But right now he had other things to worry about. He placed his hand on Glory’s shoulder, and smiled. “Time to go!”

“Ugh. I don’t think so.” She tried to brush his hand away but he wasn’t budging. “Rude much?”

“Aren’t you feeling tired? Maybe even a little dizzy?”

She wobbled on the stool, her eyes going wide with horror and suspicion. “You son of a—”

“Like I said, time to go. You’ll be fine once we get a few carbs in you.” He tsked and shared a look with the bartender. “She was so excited to come out tonight she forgot to eat.”

He could tell the bartender wasn’t buying it, but when Julian waved to Tabby and got a wave back the bartender backed down. Julian helped Glory down from the stool, wrapping one arm around her waist when it was obvious she couldn’t stand on her own. When they were far enough away from the friendly bartender she growled at him. “When I get changed into a Puma I’m going to eat your face off.”

Was she still going on about that? Ryan would never allow anyone, not even Emma, to change his mate, no matter how many times the Puma Curana offered. “Aw, you’re so cute. Sort of like a rabid weevil. With anthrax.”

She tried to stomp on his foot but missed horribly, nearly sending them both to the pavement. “I hateBears.”

“Is that any way to speak to your future pseudo-brother-in-law?” She growled again and Julian laughed. By the time they reached Ryan she was beating him with tiny, ineffectual fists. He deposited her on Ryan’s lap. “Yours, I believe.”

“Whether she likes it or not.” Ryan’s eyes had begun to take on chocolaty tones again, sort of like a half-melted blue M&M.

“Not!” Glory struggled to get out of Ryan’s arms, but he wasn’t letting go of his prize any time soon.

Julian watched her wriggle, and nearly burst into laughter. Now he remembered who she reminded him of. “By the ancestors, I get it now.”

Cyn wrapped an arm around his waist and Julian pulled her close, cuddling her up against his side. “Get what?”

“The blue hair.”

“What about it?”

They both watched as Glory slumped over Ryan’s arms and panted for a few seconds before renewing her struggles.

“She’s Super Grover.”

Glory snarled at them both as he and Cyn collapsed together in a cackling heap of oh-shit-you’re-right.

How in the hell had she wound up here?

Marie Howard held out the wicker basket. “Breadstick?”

She stared from the basket to the woman and back again. “Why the hell not?” She picked up one of the garlicky, buttery pieces of heaven and bit in. Noah’s had the bestfood, but it wasn’t exactly what she’d expected to eat for lunch today. Cyn’s salami and provolone sandwich was currently sitting in the fridge back at Living Art Tattoos, “stinking up the place” as Tabby put it. When the invitation for lunch had arrived from Marie she’d been startled, but intrigued.