by Dannika Dark
My eyes widened and I quietly squealed. “When?”
Her lips made a funny sound as she blew out a breath. “Jesus, don’t get your panties in a riot. I’m not pregnant.”
“What’s this about then?”
“You know how humans have a biological clock that ticks near menopause? Well, mine ticks every time I go into heat. Not to mention Izzy found out last week that she’s pregnant again. All of a sudden, my wolf wants babies. That bitch. Here I am about to start up a bakery, and I can’t stop thinking about having babies with Austin.”
“I bet lots of women think about having babies with Austin.”
She grinned in agreement. “He said we should wait. He said it’s too soon, and he wants to make sure the pack will stay together and strengthen before we bring kids into the equation. I didn’t think kids were a math problem. The last time I was in heat, I was all over him and he nearly buckled. After that, he built that damn heat house out back. So the next time I hit my cycle, I have to stay locked up in there. Do you know how embarrassing that is? It would be one thing if I were single, but I feel like I’m in the doghouse with my own mate.”
I circled my finger around the rim of my glass. “So this is what goes on in packs.”
“Austin is the best lover I’ve ever had, and I really want to feel that with him while I’m in heat. Izzy said it’s intense—like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I’m getting the tingles just sitting here thinking about it.”
“Me too,” I said with a wicked laugh.
We resumed eating and I poked at my salad.
“Anyhow,” Lexi continued, “it’s been on my mind. Jericho is an amazing dad. When he found out she was pregnant, he came home that night with a stuffed guitar to put in the crib. It plays a little lullaby when you wind the key in the back; it’s so sweet,” she said wistfully.
Jericho was also doing well with his music from what Lexi had told me. His band, Heat, had gained such a following from Internet downloads that the demand for them to perform had grown exponentially.
My tilapia was so good that it took me a minute to respond. “Enjoy their baby until you’re ready for your own. You have hundreds of years ahead of you to start a family. The bakery is your time to shine, and you don’t get chances like these too often, especially if you’re taking care of a bunch of kids. Enjoy Izzy’s baby, enjoy selling your cookies, and then think about a family. This is one instance where I agree with your wolfman.”
“You’re probably right. Sometimes I forget I’m going to live for centuries; it’s still hard to get used to the fact I’m a Shifter. Austin said it’s just my instincts kicking in, but I’m serious… I really want children with him. It has nothing to do with hormones or anyone’s expectations—I just want something in this world that’s ours. To look at a little baby and see Austin’s beautiful eyes and my mouth.”
“Your big mouth?”
She snorted. “That too. I’m sure he or she would inherit my laugh and Austin’s deranged sense of humor. Poor thing.”
“Well, as often as Austin runs around shirtless, let’s pray for a boy.”
Lexi smirked and turned her plate in a circle. “He can’t help it. He’s hot-blooded.”
“You can say that again.”
“More wine?” the handsome waiter asked, tilting the bottle toward my glass.
I smiled fiendishly and sat back, watching his gaze shift direction when I crossed my legs. He poured the wine so slowly that I thought it might turn back into grapes. I had to admit, I loved putting a rosy blush on a man’s cheek. That was in my nature. My instincts ran a different course than Lexi’s, and I didn’t try to fight them.
“Thank you, darling.”
He blushed. “My pleasure.”
Damn, those humans were so sweet I could just eat them up.
He walked off with a skip in his step, and Lexi shook her head with a private smile. “I still don’t get why you’re single. You could have any man you set your sights on, including one with money. Is it because of your animal?”
Sly. Lexi was always trying to get me to slip up and reveal my animal in conversation. I didn’t as a means to protect myself.
“Maybe it’s because of their animal. Ever think of that?”
Shifters weren’t all united. Quite a few would stand in line to cut my throat if they discovered I was a panther. Centuries ago, even though other Breeds treated us as slaves and outcasts, Shifters had a hierarchy. They would use panthers for entertainment, like the untamed lions in the Roman arenas who would savagely feast upon the soldiers. When a Shifter displeased his owner or committed a crime against another Breed, they were thrown in a pit with a starving panther. Some shifted and fought for their lives. Others tried to escape.
None survived.
I loved Lexi to bits, but she had an intimate bond with Austin that complicated matters. She would eventually disclose my secret if I told her, and then the pack would find out. Denver worked at Howlers and might say something to a customer. In life, you have to look out for yourself because no one else will.
I simply didn’t trust a man not to open his big yapper.
“I don’t know why you keep it a secret,” Lexi said, twirling noodles on her fork. “You should be proud of your animal. I feel a little insulted you’re keeping things from me when I tell you everything. I thought we were friends.”
Whenever she insinuated it had something to do with me not valuing our friendship, it made me stir in my seat. “You know how much I adore you, but Shifters are private creatures. You didn’t grow up in our world, and you haven’t experienced some of the hardships we have. What happened a few years back with that crazy second-in-command going after Ivy was just a small taste of some of the dangers in our world. People turn up missing all the time, and show me where the Breed version of the FBI is? Austin doesn’t reveal what his animal is, even though anyone with a brain cell can sense an alpha wolf up close. This isn’t a safe world like the one you grew up in.”
“The human world isn’t so safe either,” she said, averting her eyes.
I reached across the table and touched her hand, sympathizing with her tumultuous past. “I just want you to get a little seasoned before we go to the next level.”
Lexi nodded and lifted her glass of wine. “Are you still coming to Maizy’s birthday party? It’s tomorrow at noon.”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” I said, sitting back in my seat. “I put my foot down this time and told Dean I had something important going on and needed the full day off. I’ve only been to your birthday parties, and we all know how much fun those were.”
Lexi laughed and her cheeks flushed. “There will be no alcoholic beverages at this one, Naya. We don’t celebrate children’s birthdays quite the same way. And I only passed out once.” She held up one finger, which should have been three.
“I have the perfect present for the baby.”
She tilted her head to the side. “A dress?”
I buttoned my lips. In the past, I had lavished Maizy with princess outfits and costume jewelry. But time marches on, and soon Lexi’s little sister would outgrow her love of fairy tales and realize no such thing existed in the real world. The days of dressing up in pretty gowns were ending, but I still loved indulging that sweet girl.
“It’s a secret. You’ll find out when everyone else does,” I sang.
“That worries me.”
I nibbled on my breadstick carefully so as not to smudge my red lipstick. “Worry when she’s twenty and comes to Auntie Naya for her first sexy outfit. Run for the hills, because her auntie will deliver.”
“Over my mother’s dead body. That’s another thing I haven’t mentioned,” she said solemnly, setting down her fork and leaning back. “My mom is sending Maizy away.”
“What?” I gasped.
“Not now—she’s much too young. I think the attack on our home a few years ago really made my mom think twice about the influence we were having on Maizy. She wants to send her off to
a boarding school when she’s a teen so she can also be around other kids her age. Affluent people do this all the time, and Austin has the money. It’s an opportunity for her to get a better education than she is with the homeschooling, and Mom wants to prepare her to live in the human world, not ours. I suggested we just send her to public school, but Maizy’s so smart, and Austin thinks it’ll do more harm than good. I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about it when the time comes, but I know how I feel about it now. It’s not right. She should stay with us until—”
“Until when? She’s not a wolf, Lexi. She’s not going to grow up, mate with a wolf, and move in with his pack. What if she wants to be a doctor or a lawyer? What kind of education can you give her at home that’s going to prepare her for that dream? At some point, you’re going to have to let her go. She needs to be with her own kind and go to college, get married, have children, and move away. That’s what humans do, and no matter how much you want her to live in this world, this isn’t where she belongs. You almost gave me a heart attack. I thought you meant she was leaving any day now.”
“It might as well be,” Lexi grumbled, picking at her breadstick. “Mom is afraid if Maizy stays with us too long, we’ll make an impression that can never be undone.”
“Lynn is making plenty of money for herself freelancing as an interior designer. Why doesn’t she just move out with the little one and buy a nice house in the suburbs?”
That seemed like the logical thing to do, but by the look in Lexi’s eyes, I could see she wanted her family close. Pack instinct.
“Mom had no idea what she was getting into with a pack of wolves—especially the men. It’s gotten easier with Izzy and April around, and we’re a growing family. Mom loves it, and I think part of it is she doesn’t feel alone anymore like she did when she lived at home with Maizy. She knew someday Maizy would move away and she’d end up the little old lady living in my father’s house by herself. We love having her; she keeps the boat afloat. But my mom’s afraid that Maizy will get too comfortable with our way of life. She wants her to fall in love with a regular guy and have a normal life. She accepts me for who I am and realizes this is where I need to be, but I guess I can see her point of view.”
I finished my meal and lifted a piece of ice from my water glass, sucking on it while getting lost in my thoughts. “How are you going to handle watching her grow old? And your mama…”
She tapped her fingernails on the edge of her plate. “I try not to think about it, but it’s always in the back of my mind. Every time Maizy reads that Peter Pan book, certain scenes just make me cry thinking about how they’re going to grow old one day and leave me. I once asked Reno how he feels being with April since she’s a human, and he told me that life doesn’t make promises. Just because he’s biologically supposed to outlive her doesn’t mean he will. He has a dangerous job, and there’s always a chance he might not come home.” Lexi glanced at an elderly couple at a nearby table. “I’ve never taken him for a poet, but he once called her his shooting star. He said you’ll never enjoy the moments unless you learn to let go of the fears. I can’t argue with that logic because it applies for humans too. You never know when it’ll be your time, and maybe that’s why I worry. It’s not so much watching her grow old, but what if something were to happen and I didn’t get all those years with Maizy promised to me? Life just isn’t fair.”
No, it isn’t, I thought to myself. “I’ll be at the little one’s party tomorrow with bells on.”
“Knowing you, you’ll literally have bells on.”
“Just on my lady parts.”
Lexi broke out in her silly laugh that Austin dubbed “the Beaker.” After she wrapped it up with a snort and a blush on her cheeks, we decided to order dessert.
“Naya, do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“No drama. I mean with Wheeler. He always bails whenever you show up. I don’t know why you two hate each other so much, but I don’t want anything to spoil Maizy’s party. It’s not every day she turns eleven, and I feel like we’re losing that little girl.”
“You have nothing to worry your pretty little head about. This is her special day, and I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it. I’m going to bring balloons, presents, and her favorite treat.”
Lexi arched her brow. “What’s that?”
“Auntie Naya’s famous bag of pretzels. I’ll leave it to her big sister to bake the most fantastic birthday cake in the entire world. Now how about we order another bottle of red and do a little gossiping before I go to work? I want to hear all about this heat house.”
Chapter 2
“I should have never had the fourth glass of wine,” I said regretfully on a long sigh. After finishing my first shift, I’d retreated to the dressing room to cool down and change clothes. Club Sin had more action on the floor than I’d seen in weeks.
“Serves you right,” Daphne said with a cackle, flipping her bright red hair back. Although calling it red would be stretching the truth since it resembled the color of a sweet potato.
“I made five hundred dollars on one dance alone from the men at the tip rail. They really like it when I wear these panties,” I said, shaking my hips and creating a ripple of movement from the beads strung along them.
I never got all the way nude onstage, and I earned higher tips when I wore a semisheer top or bra instead of going topless, which I never did anymore. For me, it was more about the performance than the act of nudity. Let the other girls get down and dirty, but I left the men wanting more. A few years ago, I bought a full latex suit that didn’t show any skin outside of my face, hands, and feet. The men could barely stay seated and paid extra to touch the material. You learn things as you go—that sometimes you don’t have to give all of yourself away to get what you need in life.
I dabbed my face with a towel and sat down in front of the mirror to count out my money. “Whoever let the Chitahs in tonight should be fired.”
“They’re usually our best customers,” Daphne said, her voice raucous. She put out her cigarette in a black ashtray. “They have more respect for women than most of those nimrods.”
I waved a dollar bill. “One guy tipped me a Washington and told me to get another job.”
“Oh, baby. I’m so glad you said something. I’ve got zero tolerance for cheapskates.” Daphne blotted her lips with more Extreme Red and fluffed her short hair.
The dancers were a mix of different Breeds, but the majority were Shifters like me. In the Breed world, our only talent was shifting into an animal, which couldn’t earn us money in any practical way. Relics were born with innate knowledge, which meant job security from birth as a healer, advisor, or researcher. They earned an exceptional income and often worked for the same immortals as their parents had, establishing clientele that were passed down through each generation. Sensors were like a vending machine of sorts where a person paid them for an emotional experience. Some customers wanted to relive emotions from a time in their life, while others lived vicariously through the experiences of others. Most Chitahs worked as investigators because of their keen sense of smell, and they had the good sense not to allow their sisters to sling beer or strip on a pole. The Chitah strippers I’d known never got high tips from Chitah males, and in some cases their routines would start a fight in the club. Chitahs didn’t like to see their women degrading themselves, as they put it.
I called it paying the bills.
No one had forced me into this lifestyle, and to be honest, I was good at it. Most dance clubs had high standards and expected the girls to be exceptional dancers, performers, and actresses. I didn’t want to do it forever, but I had serpentine moves that men had been ogling for years. Why not charge them to look? High-paying jobs weren’t easy to come by for Shifters, and sometimes a girl has to make tough choices. I lived a respectable life otherwise—probably one of the most celibate girls in the club. I was very selective of my men; that’s one piece of me I didn’t give away to just anyone.
“Ugh! Fawn is bleeding their wallets dry,” a bright voice exclaimed from the doorway.
Skye still had on her street clothes and slung her purse in a metal locker.
“What’s going on?” Daphne asked, her voice edged with concern. “I’m next, and you’re freaking me the hell out, girl.”
“She’s pulling out all the stops with an old Pussycat Dolls song. I think she stole Naya’s lollipop theme that was so popular two years ago. Remember that, Naya?”
Boy, did I! The men had eaten it up.
Literally.
“Well, good for her,” I said, sorting my tips.
“Easy for you to say. You’ve already been up.” Daphne wrinkled her nose. “Hellfire! Now I have to come up with something good.”
I tucked my money away in my silver clutch. “The nurse act is getting a little old, Daph. These men don’t want to be taken care of like an invalid. You should stop visiting the human clubs for ideas.”
I knew what turned Breed men on. They all had a touch of hero syndrome due to their natural instinct to protect women. Strictly speaking of certain Breeds, of course. A Mage couldn’t care less, and the same went for most Vampires. But Shifters and Chitahs? Those men responded to a damsel in distress and ate up any routine that ventured into hero territory. On my next theatrical dance, I planned to bring in chains and play captive.
Daphne slipped on a shiny red skirt that matched her lipstick. “What about a schoolteacher? I could get one of those long rulers…”
Skye sounded like a chimpanzee when she laughed. “Are you kidding me? Most of those men have never been inside a school. And I can guarantee you that they have no desire to be spanked with a ruler.”
“On the contrary,” I muttered with a surreptitious smile.
“Do tell.” Skye gasped, scooting beside me on the bench. Her brown hair swished above her fanny, and eyes as blue as the Texas sky beamed at me.
“Some of these tough men are turned on by an assertive female in the bedroom—even the baddest of the bad. It’s the one place they’re allowed to give up power.”