“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.”