The electronic tickers on the screen rolled past in imitation of the old-fashioned one-armed bandits. Odds of making any money were low—she’d have gone with blackjack if she’d wanted to win. Black-box technology definitely put the odds in the house’s favour.
All most people would notice were the spinning colours, which she ignored, slipping another coin into the slot as she cautiously examined the machines on either side of her. Her nearest neighbours didn’t even glance her way, they were so obsessed with their games.
Lillie caught a flash of her reflection, biting back a snarky comment at her stupidity. She jerked up the hoodie on her top. If anything was going to give her away, it would be her distinctive hair colour.
She continued to feed coins into the machine, the bells and whistles seeming to grow louder every time she pressed the button, but she was too busy trying to peer around without looking as if she was frantically peering around to see if anyone was about to pounce.
Her bear grumbled uneasily. According to that side of Lillie’s psyche, this entire trip was just plain nasty.
Nap soon? her bear suggested. Somewhere quiet?
Why the human side had insisted on making a trip in February in the first place was beyond the animal’s comprehension. As a shifter, she didn’t have to do something silly like hibernate, but it took a whole lot more to convince her bear to come out during the winter.
Add in voluntarily tossing herself into a crowded room with all sorts of humans and shifters milling around? Her bear did the equivalent of wrapping its furry arms around itself, and hunkered down to pout.
Lillie didn’t have time at the moment to deal with herself. Her heart still pounded, the grumbly action in her belly now caused more from nerves than from hunger.
But it appeared she might be out of the woods, stalker-wise.
Another push on the button.
Another coin.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, glancing over her shoulder for a last check. Could it be she was safe? She was ready to head to the safety and quiet of somewhere far, far away.
Without another peek at the game, she turned, gaze darting from side to side to ensure she was in the clear.
And then it happened. At her back, a siren began to wail.
She whirled in time to see flashing lights erupt from the top of her machine. She reached out, frantic to turn off whatever she had triggered. Desperate to stop the loud and obtrusive noises that were drawing attention from all over the casino, but there were no control keys to use—no computer override to access.
Simply the word JACKPOT flashing off and on in glowing neon colours.
Oh dear. This was terrible, this was horrible. Lillie backed away from the machine as if it were made of scorpions.
“Woohoo, good for you,” the woman on her left said, rising from her stool and patting Lillie on the shoulder.
“Holy cow. One hundred thousand dollars?” The man on her right moved in as well, clapping his hands and cheering loudly.
They weren’t the only two. It seemed everyone in the area was abandoning their machines and coming forward, closing in around her. Blocking off all of her escape routes and sucking the oxygen from the air.
She couldn’t breathe. Her bear rumbled upward, clawing at her to demand they run. Every move Lillie made bumped her into someone, helpful hands pushing her back toward the impossibly loud and frightening machine.
Maybe if she closed her eyes that would make things better. Stars hovered against the blackness of the insides of her eyelids as she tried desperately to keep a full-blown panic attack from overwhelming her.
She was no longer worried about being discovered in the wrong place. Now all she wanted was to put space between her and the people crowding far too close.
Her bear pushed to the surface as she cried in fear, and Lillie covered her face with her hands, fighting the urge to shift right then and there. That was the last thing she needed, but it was close to becoming her only choice.
Lillie trembled on the edge of disaster when a commanding voice broke through the chaos, ordering the crowds away. She found herself wrapped in strong arms, a hand holding her face to a solid wall of muscle.
“Everyone back to what you were doing. She’s fine.”
“She’s better than fine,” someone called. “She won the jackpot.”
“So she did.” Her mysterious savior’s voice rumbled up from his chest, soothing over her like a warm blanket. Lillie snuck her arms around her rescuer and clung tightly. The heat from his chest—that solid wall she’d hidden against—soothed her human panic.
Her bear, however, was agitated beyond belief. Lillie struggled to keep her other side from taking over, but the beast wasn’t ready to give up the fight.
Another low rumble struck her like a command, and her bear froze. Strong fingers continued to cradle the back of her head, holding her motionless. “Relax, sweetheart. I’ll take care of things.”