Chapter 9

A fter packing a small bag, Noah left for Austin.

Joy arrived shortly before he left. She stayed clear of him while he gathered his things, not her usual talkative self. I had changed the sheets and offered her our bed to make her comfortable. Because of the late hour, we hardly said a word before going to sleep.

In the dark living room, I stared at the blank wall that would be the perfect place for a television. The sofa was comfortable, but there wasn't a lot of room to move around. In the quietness, I tucked the thin blanket up to my chin and closed my eyes.

The first image that flashed in my mind was the conversation I'd had with Archer—his genuine interest in my life and past. Talking to him was so easy and natural.

I remembered the loud motor of the oncoming car and how he had ushered me off the road, protecting me with his body. Even the way we walked, with him putting himself between me and the road. It was strange to think, but Noah had never done anything like that.

I felt a tight pulse between my legs when my thoughts drifted back to the bookstore. How we toppled onto the floor with all the paint.

In my fantasies, there were never any fears or worries. Noah didn't have to exist. I'd often fantasized about the men in the novels I read. Different scenarios, different storylines. I didn't always live in a tiny house in the woods. Sometimes I was me, and other times I was someone else.

What might have happened if Archer and I had kissed? There was a fleeting moment when it crossed my mind—when I could have gripped his face in my hands and pulled him to me. When his hand was between my legs.

The thought was incendiary, and my hand slid down to my panties.

The kiss grows hotter.

Wetter.

Deeper.

He pulls my panties off, smears of yellow paint coloring my leg. Then he's inside me. Our bodies clash, colors blending like paints on a palette.

I can't stop touching myself, and it's better than the other times.

Archer rips my shirt open as he keeps driving into me. His mouth is on my nipple, sucking hard enough that I claw at his back.

My fantasy shifts to the scene with us walking alongside the road. Him pushing me into the grass and lifting my skirt in the shadows. Then I think of how itchy that would be and go back to the bookstore scene. Only, instead of us on the floor, there is a sturdy table in the back.

I have my legs spread open to him, and he's pumping his hips, his eyes on mine. It's fierce, wild, and every nerve ending in my body is alive.

I circled my fingers faster, thoughts of his seasoned kiss entering my mind like forbidden desire.

Bending my right knee, I imagine him in the room with me. Standing in the corner and emerging from the shadows. Asking me to take off my panties, kneeling on the floor so he can slide his tongue up my thigh.

When a needy moan escaped my lips, my eyes widened with fright.

Oh my God, Joy's here. How loud was I? Did she hear me? I could just die.

Embarrassed, I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes. All I could think about was her lying in bed, wide-eyed and laughing. Would she tell everyone at home? Would Archer find out?

As my heartbeat slowed down, I pondered what Archer was really like with other women. Did he cuddle with them, or did he put on his pants and leave right after? Noah always rolled off me and went to sleep. Everything about what we did felt procedural for his benefit, and once he got what he needed, I got the cold shoulder. But we were in a relationship, and that's probably what couples did.

A guy like Archer could have anyone, so he likely didn't want to settle. There was too much fruit out there to taste—too many temptations. If he was half as attentive to a mate as he was to me, she would be a lucky woman.

Stop thinking about Archer.

That morning, I showered early, anxious about my store opening. After putting on a blue maxi dress, I noticed the presence of a stranger in the house.

Joy was standing in the kitchen with a glass of water, already dressed in grey leggings and a purple poncho tunic. Her champagne-colored hair was beautifully styled, but I knew it must have taken work to get her big curls not to frizz .

I could barely bring myself to look her in the eye, afraid she'd overheard me the previous night.

"I slept like the dead." After a yawn, Joy flicked her blue eyes up and smiled. "Are we ready?"

"For what?"

"Breakfast!"

My tummy did a nervous dip as I entered the kitchen. "I'm sorry we don't have juice or coffee."

"Nonsense."

What do people talk about in the morning who barely know each other?

"Did you sleep okay?"

She set her glass in the sink. "Oh, honey, you don't have to worry about me. I could have slept on the couch. This is your house."

After getting a drink of water, I searched our food cabinet with apprehension. "Do you like oatmeal?"

She hooked her arm in mine. "I like sausages and pancakes much better. It's early. Let's have breakfast out this morning. It's going to be a beautiful day, and I think it'll be fun to help you with the store."

"That's sweet, but you can just drop me off. It'll be boring around there."

She flashed a bright smile and ushered me out of the kitchen. "Nonsense. I'd to love help however I can. Besides, breakfast is on me. You'll need all the energy you can get with a busy day ahead."

I gave a downhearted smile as we gathered our purses and keys. "I'm sorry you had to be the one to stay here."

"Well, I, for one, am not. It's lovely to escape and do something different. We had such a good time the other day, so I'm excited to be here and get to know you better." After slipping on her shoes, she opened the door. "Breakfast awaits!"

Breakfast awaited, all right. I'd never eaten so much in all my life.

Joy insisted on treating and told me to order anything I wanted. While we didn't have any diners nearby, Dragonfly's never closed. I'd never been, and it was very quiet, which I preferred. Joy ordered sausages, a tall stack of pancakes, and fresh cantaloupe on the side.

Stomach full, I sat back and stared at my empty plate.

"Isn't a big breakfast the absolute best?" She tapped her lavender fingernail against a glass. "How was your french toast?"

"Divine. I can't get over how thick the bread was. And the bacon was exactly the way I like it."

She winked. "There's always room for more."

"No!" I laughed when I realized she was only teasing.

"Our inner animals know where to put it," she said around a mouthful of cantaloupe. "Trust me. Mine likes to eat like a horse."

I chuckled. "Did I ever mention what my animal is?"

Joy paled, and her eyes turned saucer wide. "I didn't mean to be offensive."

"It's okay."

Our conversation had been light but interesting. Joy reminisced over her worldly travels and exploits across the globe. I didn't have captivating stories to entertain her with, but she listened in earnest when I spoke about my childhood home, our flower garden, and some of the adventures I had while exploring the city. Since we hadn't owned a large piece of land, I'd always had to shift in the backyard. My mare had never been free to roam. And that applied even now.

Joy glanced around. "This is the first time I've been here without the pack, and we've never come for breakfast. We should do this more often. It's peaceful at this hour. We could get the girls together and have breakfast once a week. Wouldn't that be fun?"

I soaked in the opulence of the underground restaurant. A stucco wall with high archways ran through the center of the gold room. Wood flooring, pendant lights, leather seating—it was like something out of one of my romance novels. Some of the booths along the wall offered privacy because they were inside faux gold carriages. Joy and I had chosen a regular booth in the back.

"I can only imagine what it looks like at night," I said in awe.

"They light candles and dim the lights. It's stunning, and the music is soft. But the other rooms are loud and the customers obnoxious. That's why I prefer going to the Rabbit Lounge, but only during their lunch hour since the evening crowd is too rowdy." Joy wiped her mouth. "We should get going so you're not late for your grand opening."

As she searched for the waiter, a scruffy man chewing on a cigar approached the table.

He placed his fingertips on the edge and half smiled. "What are you dolls doing in here at this unseemly hour?"

"Having a private business meeting," Joy replied. "If you don't mind…"

He cackled. "Business meeting, huh? I don't recall seeing either of you around here before. Are you new in town?" He flattened his hands on the table and leaned in, smelling like old cigars and bad cologne. "If you want to make dough, I need girls for a lucrative business I'm starting up. Excellent pay."

"I'm sure," Joy said with derision.

"What's your Breed?"

"I'm asking you to leave."

He puffed his cigar. "You didn't say ‘please.'"

"Don't be crass." She narrowed her eyes. "I never beg when I make demands. You're intruding on our conversation without invitation, without common decency, and soliciting for what I can only presume are nefarious acts." When she raised her hand to flag the waiter, he gripped her wrist.

"Look here, you little cunt, you better get off that high horse of yours and show a little respect. Nobody talks to me like that. Certainly not a dime-store knockoff, has-been starlet who thinks she's got a bigger dick to swing than me."

She reeled back, but he didn't loosen his grip. Without so much as flinching, Joy slapped him, her eyes wild with panic. "Get your hands off me! Don't you touch me!"

When he jerked her forward, the table bumped and knocked a glass over. Two waiters appeared from out of nowhere.

"Not in here, you don't," one strapping waiter boomed as he severed the man's grip. When the waiter held his arm, the man jolted as if electrocuted.

The cigar fell to the floor, and a waitress swooped in to pick it up. "I'm so sorry about that." She took out her phone and made a call.

As I replayed those last few seconds in my head, I kept wondering why I'd just sat there in stunned silence. Why hadn't I smashed a plate over his head or done something?

Deep down, a voice quietly answered, Because you don't know how to fight back .

Joy scooted out of her seat and rubbed the mark on her arm. "We'd just like the bill."

"Hold on a moment, please." The woman smiled at us before speaking quietly into her phone.

"Are you okay?" I asked Joy.

Rubbing her arm, she blew out a breath. "I'm just rattled is all. The entitlement some people have is disgraceful. He could have really hurt me."

After another minute, the petite brunette slid the phone in her pocket and faced us. "Your meal is complimentary. Please accept our deepest apologies for that incident. The owner has a zero-tolerance policy for violence against women in his establishment. Can I offer you anything to go? Coffee? More fruit?"

I shook my head at Joy.

After a deep breath, she replied, "You're a darling for offering. Everything was delicious. And thank your friends for stepping in and doing something."

The woman gave a curt nod as we crossed the room toward the staircase. Joy and I made it upstairs as fast as we could. When we entered the kitchen area and crossed to the front, several of the waitstaff opened the door and then escorted us to our vehicle. They even guarded our doors when we got into the green sedan, which worried me that the man might be lurking nearby.

She reached over and patted my hand. "I'm okay. I want you to promise me you'll always be careful around men like that—ones who promise you money and success. They always want something in return, and you never see what's coming."

My heart slowed to a steady beat. "I'm nervous about running the store. What if I have to deal with customers like him? I haven't spent much time around other Breeds, and some of them are aggressive."

"Some of them are old farts," she said while pulling out of the parking lot. "I haven't met a Mage or a Vampire yet whom I liked. Anyone who chooses immortality doesn't do it for nobility. They want power. Centuries ago, they built armies and tried to erect kingdoms. Now they're scavengers. They weren't born into it like we were, and since they can't have families, there's nothing to ground them."

This didn't sound like the Joy I'd spent the past hour talking to—the one who had a maternal aura and was bubbly and kind. I realized there was more to this lady than met the eye.

"I don't mean to scare you." She glanced at the feathers swinging from the rearview mirror. "You just need to stand up for yourself, that's all. Don't let people push you around. It's your store, and that means you make the rules. Look at me, all wound up over a silly man. Well, he's not going to spoil your special day."

After a brief drive up the road, we turned left into a parking lot. I blinked a few times, uncertain if she'd made a wrong turn.

"Who are all those people?" I counted eight cars in the parking lot.

Robyn and Mercy were standing with their backs to the building and waved when we pulled in.

I got out, recognizing a few faces from their pack. But then I noticed someone I hadn't seen in a while. "Milly?"

The short old Relic walked over, her bobbed hair barely moving. "If I knew what was good for me, I wouldn't wake up this early on a hot day. But here I am." She gave me a tight smile. "Where are all these books I keep hearing about? I wanted to stop by before the vultures picked over everything. These people wouldn't know valuable knowledge if it hit them over the head."

I unlocked the door and opened it for her. "You go in first. It's the least I can do."

She gave my arm a squeeze before heading in.

Milly had done a lot to help me, and I owed her a debt of gratitude.

I stepped to the right to greet Robyn and Mercy, and then they backed away from the building, revealing a black sign that had Book Haven in white block letters.

"I know you had a design," Robyn began, "but this'll make it easier for people to see you from the road. You had a cute idea, and I can still sketch up something to hang over the counter. What do you think?"

Mercy beamed. "It was easy. We had everything but the alphabet cutouts, and Montana picked those up at the hardware store."

I blinked away the tears misting my eyes. Seeing the sign made it feel like a tangible dream—not an impermanence that loomed over my head. "It's beautiful."

Mercy gave me a quick hug. "It's not much, but I think it looks real purty out here from the road. If you really wanted to attract customers, you could hang another sign by the road so it's facing traffic."

Lucian stood with his arms crossed, wearing all black. The sun blazed down on his head, reminding me that these people were probably hot.

"Please come inside, everyone."

Rapturous applause erupted as I opened the door, and I jumped from the unexpected exuberance.

While I adjusted the thermostat, the crowd filed in. Joy's mate, Salem, was a nice-looking man who tied his hair back in a knot. Unlike her, he was quiet but distinguished, and I could relate to that. He perused the aisles, pulling several books out until he couldn't hold them anymore.

"Perhaps I should buy little baskets," I said to Joy as we hung out behind the counter. Her pack had brought padded stools for us to sit on.

Ready to check out, Lucian set two books on the counter. He ran his hand over the bristly black stubble on his scalp. I'd never seen a Chitah with dark hair and knew how their own kind shunned them. I wondered if that was why he was living in a wolf pack.

He drummed his fingers on the counter. "You don't have prices listed."

That's where it got tricky. I had no idea what my father had paid for these books, only that some of them were invaluable. Which ones were worth more? I didn't know.

I glanced through them. "This one is information about the first Chitah clan recorded in Norway. I've read it, and it's really compelling. There're a lot of unique details about traits in the elders that aren't seen anymore. The other is"—I swiftly thumbed through the pages—"an autobiography about a Mage pirate." I flicked a glance up.

He arched an eyebrow at me. "One of my brothers is mated to a Mage, and her former Ghuardian collects this kind of crap."

Joy blithely chuckled as she gathered the books and placed them into sacks Mercy had brought. "How thoughtful of you, Lucian. If I ever meet him, I'd love to ask him what he thought of this crap ."

Lucian produced his wallet. "How much?"

I chewed on my lip. "Two hundred for the Chitah book, and how does twenty-five sound for the other?"

"It sounds like you're getting taken to the cleaners," Milly said as she joined his side. While short, she was still able to rest her arms on the counter. "Believe it or not, my talents aren't only in medicine. I have a lot of Chitah knowledge that came down from my father's side, but we've been working in medicine for the past three generations." She tapped her finger on the counter. "That book you have is highly sought-after in certain circles. I wouldn't price it under a thousand. And that's a low estimate."

An uncomfortable silence followed.

"I appreciate your advice," I said in all honesty, desperate not to lose a sale. "But I'll never recoup what my father probably paid. I just need to let them go."

Lucian set a bunch of large bills on the counter, his gaze so penetrating that I blinked. "For your information, I'm not here for the bargain bin. This interests me."

Joy handed him the bag. "So does watching cartoons and reading fantasy books about dragons."

He collected the bag and growled.

Filing her nails, Joy said, "Your surly vocalizations don't intimidate me, Lucian Cross. Thanks for coming by. See you tomorrow when you come back for more. "

He inclined his head at me and stalked out.

"He'll be back." Joy selected a grape-flavored sucker from the jar on the counter. "He only browsed one section, but he's always reading since he's an insomniac. Don't let his cold demeanor fool you. He's all bark and no bite."

Salem gingerly placed his hefty collection on the counter.

Instead of checking out first, Milly vetted every single purchase and offered insight on familiar subject matter that would make those books especially valuable. I trusted her judgment, and while I offered each customer a lower price, every single one paid Milly's suggested offer. Not just the Arrowhead pack but also locals I'd never met. I guessed it must have been a pride thing and nobody wanted to look cheap.

In the span of one hour, I'd made three thousand dollars.

When the customers thinned, Milly finally set her books on the counter and cracked a smile. "What kind of discount can I get for these?"