Vera puffed air out of her cheeks and pushed off the truck, determined to go window shopping instead of standing here looking pathetic. Unfortunately, she couldn’t muster the fortitude to go more than a few stores down before Link came out of the feed store, trailing two women and a tall man who looked eerily similar to Tobias. When she narrowed her eyes and studied him, she could see the slight differences, though. Different haircut, blue eyes instead of green. This must be Ian Silver.
Another tendril of ache unfurled in her chest as she watched them talk easily to each other. Feeling extra pitiful, she pulled her gaze away from them and stared at a row of flyers outside a realtor station advertising cabins for sale.
“Shopping for a place for us already?” a familiar voice murmured as a set of strong arms wrapped around her waist.
She startled violently in her mate’s arms and spun around. “Tobias!” Her cheeks blazed with molten heat, and even her ears were burning at being busted in her moment of vulnerability.
He frowned and gripped her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“Uuuh.” She cast a quick glance over at the others and searched for the right words to make her sound more like a badass and less like a sniveling ninny-weevil.
Tobias followed her gaze. “Have you met them yet?”
“No! I thought we were keeping me a secret.”
Tobias straightened and lowered his voice. “We’re keeping the cure a secret. I’m not trying to hide you from my family, woman.” He lifted her hand, and the diamond in her ring glinted in the sun. “You’re my fiancé,” he said, both his voice and his deep green eyes baffled.
“Oh. Well kiss me and tell me ‘hi’ properly. I brought you a bunny after all.” She tried her best not to look ill.
He laughed and picked her up until her hiking boots dangled in the air. “I thought you wouldn’t remember that.”
“Oh, I was there. She let me in for the gross parts. The hunting and the pissing all over Link’s property, like she was claiming his dadgummed land for herself. I was dehydrated.”
Tobias was grinning from ear to ear now, looking like a tall glass of water on a hot day with those straight white teeth and faint dimples bracketing his lips. He’d shaved this morning, so she could see every glorious angle of his face, and his eyes were a vibrant, happy green. “Damn, Thistle, it’s good to see you again. Three days!” He looked so damned proud, her cheeks flushed all over again.
With an excited noise, she flutter-kicked her feet, leaned down, and kissed him thoroughly.
“Tobias?” a woman’s voice asked from faraway.
Vera giggled and nipped his bottom lip, then shimmed down until her boots made a hollow sound on the storefront porch.
Tobias waved to his approaching family and wrapped his giant hand around Vera’s, then grinned down at her as he pulled her toward the others. “Are you excited?”
“Mmm hmmm,” she said, nodding vigorously.
“One thing, though,” he said, worry slashing through his eyes. “Don’t judge me and Ian.”
“Why would I judge—”
Tobias locked his legs at the same time Ian did, too far away from each other, and too formal. A low rumble blasted from both of the men as Tobias and Ian bent at the waist and reached out for a faraway handshake.
“Ooooh,” she murmured sympathetically. She recalled this from her research. Male grizzly shifters didn’t do well in the same territory.
Tobias cleared his throat and yanked his hand out of Ian’s grasp, then gestured to the two women. “Elyse,” he murmured, side-hugging the woman with honey colored hair, a stark scar down her cheek bone and strange gold-green eyes. “Lena,” he said, giving the same greeting to the dark-haired woman who wore a camera around her neck.
Link was looking much better and was rocking his weight from front to back with a smirk on his face.
Tobias cleared his throat. “This is Vera Masterson.”
Too excited to hold it in any longer, Vera pulled up her hand and showed them her ring. “Soon to be Vera Silver,” she said, barely avoiding a squeak of excitement. “And I’ve heard so much about you two I feel like I know you, and I’m so excited to finally meet you, and oh my gosh, I love your hair,” she said, lifting a tress of Lena’s dark hair dyed auburn on the ends.
Both of the women were still staring at her ring finger with matching shocked faces, and Ian was looking at Tobias like he’d never seen him before.
“But you’re so grumpy,” Elyse said on a soft breath, dragging a slow blink up to Tobias.
A soft snarl rattled Vera’s throat, and she allowed it. Fox was right. “He’s not grumpy with me,” she said, defending her mate.
Lena’s mouth fell open. “Did you just growl?”
“Lena,” Ian warned, looking around.
“Are you a shifter?” Lena whisper-screamed.
Great, she’d been going for normal, and already the other two Silver mates were looking at her like she was an exotic bug. “Yes?”
“Holy shit on a stick,” Elyse said, eyes round as the full moon. “Wait, what are you two doing in Galena?”
“They’re staying with me,” Link said. His half-crazy growl was gone, and his eyes looked clear and focused again. Huh.
“You knew about her?” Elyse asked, sounding hurt.
Link lifted up his arm, covered in tiny, pink, healed puncture wounds. “We are acquainted.”