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 I guess he isn t your true mate, Smokie said flatly.
 Barkley can only tell if he sees true mates together. Since we don t go to rituals, he
hasn t had much opportunity to see me.
 I m sure your time will come.
She put her hand on his arm and leaned in so her breasts almost brushed his chest.
 So what do you think? Me and you?
 I have a true mate. I should value that.
 Should?
He swallowed.  Will. I guess I should thank you for making me realize even I think
it s important.
 She s human. Daisy made a face.
 I ll tell her what I am. If she can t accept it, well, I don t know the consequences of
that exactly, but I ll be honest.
Her features screwed together.  She s older than you.
54
Fire Wolf
 What s your point?
The girl sighed.  You know who I am now, if you want me.
 I won t.
 That s really rude, she huffed.
 So is making unwanted advances toward someone in a relationship, he
responded.  Try your wiles on someone your own age.
 There isn t anyone. It s not like there s tons of us. The largest group is the guys
your age you and Shamsky and Duke.
 And Krypto. He s less than two years younger than us.
 He s in college.
 Maybe you can follow him to school next year. He could only hope.
She rolled her eyes.
 Or you can go after a Legion shifter.
Her expression didn t change.
 That s it then. I m out of here. I ll have to tell King who was roaming around. I
suggest you don t break the rules again.
Daisy grabbed his arm. This time the gesture wasn t seductive.  What if he tells my
father?
 I ll ask him not to, but you d better promise you re going to behave.
 I don t have a reason to hang out around here if you ve chosen the human.
 In the future, you might want to reconsider stalking, he advised.  Not the best
way to get a date.
She crossed her arms over her breasts and turned away, her walk jerky now instead
of seductive.
 I didn t mean to make you cry, he called.  Just some advice.
 I m not crying, I m mad, she yelled back.
55
Anh Leod
 Krypto is home on break, he shouted.  I just saw him last week.
She stopped moving and her head turned to her shoulder.  Really?
 And he s single. Probably willing too, if a girl like Daisy went after him. For a
shifter, Krypto was a nerd.
 Thanks.
He lifted a hand and moved into the trees.  Any time. Now for the important stuff.
He shifted and returned to his clothes. He fired off a text to King then jogged toward
Olivia s house. On second thought, he slowed to a walk. He could use a little time to
consider what he would say to his true mate. A little time to reconcile himself to the
idea that his bachelorhood was all but over. Why didn t it bug him more? Maybe the
true mate magic worked on him already.
Still, her house came into view much too quickly and he knew she waited for him
there, to see if he d found anything. She d be concerned too, worried about his safety in
the woods, though no worry was necessary. She needed to know the truth.
He scrubbed his hands over his face and pushed a branch out of his way so he
could admire her house. The green-and-blue paint scheme both blended her house into
the parklike setting and made it stand out from other nearby houses. Kind of like her.
She blended into the background of the town, yet when you got closer, she stood out
with her beauty and vibrant personality.
He squared his shoulders and crossed the street then knocked on her door.
 Your shirt! The cry burst from Olivia s lips when she appeared. She put her
hands to his face, his chest.  Are you hurt?
He looked down, confused, then saw he d caught the collar of his T-shirt on a
branch and torn it away from the rest of the fabric.  No, I m fine. I didn t even notice
the tear. He noticed muddy paw prints on his jeans, as if something had stepped on his
clothes where he d left them. An animal should have scented the wolf on his clothes
and stayed away. He licked his lips.
56
Fire Wolf
She let out a breath.  Did you see anything?
He froze, realizing he hadn t prepared what to say. A coyote? Had he called
Wildlife Patrol? No, he needed to tell her the exact truth.  Can I come in?
She pulled her headband from her hair and massaged her scalp.  Sure, but I m
covered in ink. I could clean up, make us some dinner.
He took one of her hands in his and saw it was smudged with black ink.  What
were you doing?
 Calligraphy. It s a side job slash hobby. I have a commission for wedding
invitations for a former governor s daughter.
 You have a studio in the house?
 Yes, in one of the extra bedrooms. You can check it out if you want while I clean
up.
All the bedrooms were upstairs so Smokie climbed the steps and peeked in the
rooms. The one with the best light was lined with tables on two sides and a huge
storage unit that rested against the wall with no windows. It was filled with paper, inks
and other tools of Olivia s work. The wall with the door was covered with framed pen
and ink sketches as well as the letter O in various fancy styles. He peered closer and
saw the sketches were all signed  O. Bilson . She was a talented artist. The fact that at
least three of the drawings were of wolves made him wonder. Wasn t that one King?
Another could be Bijou Pompey.
 How did I not know you did this? he asked when she entered the room.  You
must have your work displayed around town.
 Not really. I ve done some local weddings, of course. Invitations, place settings.
But I don t sell my drawings.
 You like to draw wildlife, he noted.
 It s a thing I do, she said, shoving her hands into the pockets of her cutoffs.
57
Anh Leod
Very short cutoffs, he saw. She had spectacular legs and certainly couldn t get away
with wearing a skirt this short, so he was happy to see jeans at last.  You still swim?
She nodded.  A friend of mine has an indoor pool. I go there a couple times a
week.
 Nice.
She smiled.  What do you want for dinner, Smokie?
 We could go out, he said doubtfully.
 You can t think I m going to poison you. Owen s my cousin. He was talking about
something from when we were kids.
 You fed me before and I didn t croak, but you weren t expecting to cook for me
now.
 How about we compromise? I have a good frozen pizza and salad fixings. You
could open a bottle of wine.
 Deal. He followed her back downstairs, and checked her small wine rack. He
found a bottle of fruity red wine that he d had before and liked then placed it in her
refrigerator so it would chill. After he d done that, he leaned against Olivia s kitchen
counter and watched her doctor a frozen cheese pizza with mushrooms, onions, green
peppers and more cheese.
 No meat, I m afraid.
 No problem, he said, hungry after his trek through the forest but feeling the
telltale signs of a churning gut. Nerves, he supposed. He d never shared his
shapeshifter status with a human before.
She slid her round pizza pan into the oven and pulled out a plastic box of peppery
arugula out the fridge. She sliced in carrots and a tomato before bringing out olive oil,
vinegar and herbs.
 You should invite Owen over for dinner. He might be pleasantly surprised. He d
never known anyone to make their own salad dressing before.
58
Fire Wolf
Olivia snorted.  A box of pizza and a salad would not impress Mister Grill Expert.
 He does make a mean burger, Smokie admitted.
 That s the least of it. I m not a red meat fan but even I like his ribs. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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