Page 19 of Shifters in the Night

“Over the years, I’ve met several murderers, learned from it, and I’ve developed a good sense for people. And you’re good people,” Zed said.

“You know that’s the second murder reference I’ve heard today?” she said as Dani came bustling out of the house.

“OK, I know where I’m not wanted,” Zed said, kissing Dani’s cheek and rubbing a hand over her belly – without clarifying the murder thing. “I’ll be at Bael’s, abeille. See ya, Lia.”

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Dani cried, gently taking Lia’s arm and leading her through the door. Lia intentionally shut off her deeper sight, determined to approach these potential new friends without the advantage of seeing how they felt about her.

The inside of the house was definitely more along the lines of what Lia expected – rough stone walls and floors lined every room. Oversized couches occupied most of the living room, with brightly colored cushions breaking up the otherwise gray interior. Through the open plan, she could see granite countertops in the kitchen that completed the “natural” look. Sonja and Jillian were standing at the counter, dropping fruit and ice into several different blenders.

“It’s a cave,” Lia noted, remembering that Zed was a bear shifter.

“It’s taken a little getting used to,” Dani confessed. “But it’s pretty comfortable.”

“It’s a lot more fun than my place,” Lia said. “Zed’s been very kind, since we met.”

Dani’s face lit up with delight. “He’s such a sweetheart. But I did give him grief for announcing that he thought you needed friends in front of everybody.”

“I think he meant well,” Lia said.

“There are two Zed-isms at work there,” Sonja told her. “Zed always wanted a big family growing up, but he’s an only child. And he has this protective instinct that has led to him literally running through walls when the people he loves are in danger or even vaguely uncomfortable.”

Lia grinned. Sonja paused and added, “If he licks your forehead, don’t be alarmed. It’s just how he adopts people.”

Lia’s mouth dropped open. “I’m sorry, what?”

Without explaining that comment at all, Sonja nodded to a stunning blonde who was unpacking pint cartons from a cooler marked The Ice Cream Depot, and a petite brunette, who was holding a baby who looked to be a few months old. Well, Lia supposed that made it three new faces, and the baby’s face was absolutely darling – all big blue eyes, chubby cheeks and wisps of blonde hair. The brunette holding the infant was listening intently as the baby squealed and clumsily batted around a small stuffed green dragon.

“Is that right?” the woman asked as the baby chattered. “You don’t say!”

“You do know that the infant doesn’t understand a word that you’re saying, yes?” the blonde asked in a strange European accent, shaking her head.

“You would prefer I baby talk?” the brunette asked archly.

The blonde shook her head. “No. No, I would not.”

“This is Ingrid Asher,” Dani said. “You might have guessed she owns the ice cream shop in town. You met her partner, Rob, earlier today. And this is Charlotte McBee and the newest addition to our little circle. She’s the midwife who delivered Dalinda. She’s dating Sonja’s assistant, Leonard.”

“Aw, the sweet guy that was juggling coffee cups before the meeting?” Lia asked. “He’s a riot.”

“You know, sometimes, I think he takes the whole post-curse removal freedom thing a little too far?” Charlotte muttered to Jillian, who merely shrugged. “Nice to meet you.”

“Cordelia wanted to come, but she and Brendan are so busy setting up the new storage facility. They’re both exhausted,” Jillian told Dani. “She says she’ll catch up with us next week.”

Ingrid’s icy blue eyes narrowed at Lia, while she cradled a pint of something labeled Brendan’s Irish Scream. “You’re not a non-dairy type person, are you?”

“Nope, I was very much looking forward to sampling your products. You’ve saved me the trip into town.”

Ingrid nodded sharply and slid a bowl with multiple flavors of ice cream scooped into it across the gray stone counter. “Then you can have this.”

Lia spooned up some sort of raspberry rippled concoction. The tart-sweet flavor exploded on her tongue and she went almost weak in the knees. What was it with the desserts here in the Bayou? Did they have some sort of special local ingredient? Like the water that made pizza crust better in New York?

“That’s the usual response,” Sonja assured her, placing a pink frozen cocktail next to Lia’s bowl. It was just as sweet and delicious as anything a mixologist could have produced for her at a five-star hotel and for a moment, Lia wondered if she could call someone to drive her home. There was no way she was going to be able to drink just one.

“I know, it seems like bad parenting to have your child around during a cocktail party,” Jillian said, nodding towards Charlotte. “But technically, I do have medical supervision.”

“We have a virgin cocktail selection for the pregnant and nursing people,” Dani protested. “That’s incredibly responsible.”

“Besides, my parents had a lot of cocktail parties when I was growing up,” Lia told them. “I knew how to mix a pretty passable Manhattan by the time I was eleven. Of course, things were different back then.”

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