Page 83 of Primal Mirror

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AFTER getting the hack of Auden’s own account and biomonitors underway, Remi turned to the specifics of Auden’s security detail. It would have to be at least two people—Remi could catnap with the best of them, but he wouldn’t be at full strength if he wasn’t getting good chunks of sleep.

At first, he considered that his partner should be male—leopard females could be deadly opponents, but Psy could be stupid about changelings. And this was about making a big visual impact from the start.

Then again…Auden’s mother had been the alpha half of the Scott pair. Auden hadn’t said that to him, but he had eyes—and even though he hadn’t been too interested in Psy politics before becoming an alpha himself, he’d seen enough news reports over the years to come to his own conclusions.

Shoshanna had been smart and vicious—behind a veneer of elegance. A slender brunette, she also hadn’t been imposing on a physical level. So yeah, maybe he could play on that. It was with that thought in mind that he called a meeting of his sentinels after Lark had had time to get a few hours of sleep.

It wasn’t that the pack kept putting her on night shift—it was that she loved the night shift and requested it more than any other person in RainFire.

“Why be born a leopard if I can’t slink about like a shadow?” she’d whispered while wiggling her fingers as if casting a magic spell. “Try to spot me in the dark. I dare you.”

Remi could of course spot her—but he was her alpha. She truly was a ghost to most people, even most cats, had made an art form out of using her leopard coloring to meld into the shadows. Now, she walked into their meeting in his aerie bright-eyed and freshly showered—and dressed in an adult version of Jojo’s purple overalls paired with a sparkly pink T-shirt.

“Hello, people!” She threw out her arms. “Alpha man, I need food.”

He groaned and threw her a croissant. “I told you I’d strip your fur if you called me that one more time. Also, where did you even get that outfit?”

Unrepentant, she blew him a kiss and slumped down in one of the large cushions on the floor that comprised most of his furniture in this section of his open-plan aerie. He did, however, have a small sofa for anyone who didn’t feel like doing the leopard sprawl.

“Online bargain—Jojo likes me best now.” She smirked, striking out her hand and making clutching motions. “We did a twinsies photoshoot.”

Her hand motions should’ve been nonsensical, but he’d known her too long. He put the mug of coffee he’d already doctored to her requirements in her hand. “Here you go, Madame Purple Queen.”

A wicked grin and a salute just as Theo flowed into the aerie in leopard form. The biggest leopard in RainFire was light on his feet when he wanted to be. He brushed his body against Remi’s before wandering off into the bathroom where Remi had already put a change of clothes for him after the sentinel mentioned he was going for a run in leopard form before their meeting.

Changelings weren’t shy about nudity, but neither were they exhibitionists, and every one of them had a different comfort level. Theo could be as pragmatic about wearing his skin as the rest of them—but he didn’t like getting naked in front of Lark when he could as well change out of sight.

“Too weird, since she’s basically like my sister,” he’d said of his cousin.

Meanwhile, other changelings were never more comfortable in just their human skin than with family.

When Theo walked out after shifting, he wore jeans and a black sweatshirt, his feet bare. “Are you being a brat again?” he said to Lark after grabbing coffee and a sandwich for himself.

“I am beloved, never a brat.” She chomped down on her croissant.

Used to their sibling-like bickering that never amounted to anything—touch one and the other would gut you—he nodded at the tiger in human form who’d just jumped onto the balcony from above. Eyes of deep ultramarine met his, the color reflected in the short-sleeve shirt that had been a gift to Angel from Finn.

That Angel actually wore it was a testament to Finn’s ability to read his packmates.

“Thanks,” the tiger said when Remi handed him a black coffee, before serving himself from the tray of food.

“Um, I could do with a sandwich.” Lark batted her lashes at the tiger, her croissant long gone.

Angel, as quiet as Lark was not, rolled his eyes at her, but his lips twitched as he passed her the sandwich with her preferred filling.

Lark beamed. “You’re my favorite, Stripes.”

Twitching lips curving into a rare deep smile, Angel just shook his head before he went to sit in the window seat, long legs sprawled out in front of him. “How was it last night?” he asked, his voice a quiet rumble. “Any surprises?”

“Nope. Borders were quiet. Auden’s cabin, too, with no new scents anywhere in the vicinity.” Lark paused. “Though I suppose they could’ve teleported inside…”

Remi considered that. “Not a big risk. We can sniff it out if Auden needs to go in there for any reason.”

A sound on the balcony, then in walked Rina.

The blond sentinel grinned at seeing how Lark reclined on her cushion, Theo on the one next to her. Her nod at Angel was more muted, but that didn’t mean anything when it came to their work together. On the whole, Rina had melded into RainFire as if she’d been part of their pack from the beginning.

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