Page 29 of Shark 2

“Kass,” I replied and shook her hand. Her skin was incredibly soft and delicate and as I inhaled, I quickly realized they were human. Definitely needed to keep my teeth away from view.

“Guys?” red dress, Tiffany, asked. “You lucky bitch.”

I laughed and nodded. “I am pretty lucky.”

“Are you a shifter?” Lana asked.

I nodded.

“That’s so cool!” she shouted.

The bartender shushed her and she quickly dropped her head.

“Are your guys shifters, too?” Tiffany asked.

I nodded. “Yep. What about you two?”

“Vampires,” they said simultaneously and giggled like it was something that happened often.

My heart beat faster, but I lifted my lips in a smile. “Well, I’d wish you luck, but since my guys are competing against yours, it wouldn’t really be true.”

They laughed and started talking to each other about someone they saw far away.

I continued sipping on my drink and watching Jong-min. he always looked cool and composed, but playing poker, he was a textbook definition of it. There was still so much for me to learn about these men.

“So, you’re the infamous Kassidy, huh?” a woman asked as she sat on my right.

I glanced over at her, but didn’t recognize her. She had long, wavy blonde hair, thick lashes that framed brilliant blue eyes, and a fit body shown off in a black bodycon dress. I was definitely underdressed for this event. “Sorry, I don’t think we’ve met.”

She flipped her long hair over her shoulder and held her hand up to the bartender, who was at the other end, to get his attention. “No, but I’ve heard all about you from Preston.”

My proverbial hackles were immediately raised. “Preston knows nothing about me,” I said, “and you should be careful who you take information from.”

“You’re a shark shifter, one of the few still alive, and an Atlantean at that, but a banished one. That’s probably why Reed even gave you the time of day, he felt bad for you, just like he feels bad for those other rejects he calls ‘pack’ … for now.”

“Who are you?” I asked. “And why are you sitting near me like I won’t bite your head off, literally, if you don’t stop talking poorly about my men?”

The bartender finally came over and she ordered a gin and tonic before turning to face me. “My name is Samantha. I’m Reed’s mate.”

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“Assigned mate,” I corrected Samantha and finished off my drink. I held up the empty glass to the bartender and he nodded, understanding I wanted a refill.

She shrugged. “Same thing.”

“No, it’s really not. You see, he chose me,” I said, feeling extremely defensive and petty.

I barely heard her growl, but her lips twitched in a snarl and I felt it rumble through the bar top where our hands rested. Yep, that made her mad.

“You’re keeping him from performing his duty,” she said. “Don’t you have any conscience?”

“If you really want to get fucked, there are plenty of men around here,” I said and waved my hand around at the hundreds of men in our vicinity.

“You’re no match for me, shark, so just give it up. Tonight, I’m going to convince him to leave you and the pathetic losers he calls friends. So, enjoy your last few hours with him.” She tossed money on the bar top, grabbed her drink, and sauntered away.

I did have to admit, she looked good, but I wasn’t going down without a fight. Plus, one pretty face wouldn’t steal him away. There were lots of gorgeous women in our city that he barely spared a glance for.

Jong-hyun stepped up next to me, scowling. “Who was that? Why are you upset?”

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