Page 38 of Fastlander Fallen

“All right, pouty pants, here’s the deal,” he said as he pulled out a stool at the bar for her. “I’m not in this to date you.”

Corey rolled her eyes closed and sighed. “Okay.” This was a lot.

“I don’t date humans either.”

“Then why were you trying to dance with me?”

“To rile up Ace. Fucker is just floating into the Crew with no effort. I wanted him to slip up.”

“So you wanted to dance with me to get to him.”

“Yeah, kind of like you said yes to a drink with me to get to him.”

Touché.

“You’re safe from getting flowers from me,” he said. “What are you drinking?”

“I kind of want to go home.”

“Don’t be a party pooper.”

She frowned. “I’ve never heard that come from a grown man’s mouth.”

Owen lifted a finger to the bartender as she passed, and she veered toward him. “Hey gorgeous, can I get a Banquet for me, and for the lady…” He arched his blond brows in question.

Owen was handsome and built, for sure, and would’ve totally been her type, but apparently now she liked dark hair and blue eyes. “Margarita.”

“Nice,” Owen told her. “And a top-shelf margarita on the rocks.” He turned to her. “They can do a flavor. You want strawberry? Raspberry? Mango?”

“Mango,” she answered, perking up. “With sugar on the rim?”

“I’ve got you,” the bartender said.

“You also don’t have to worry about getting flowers from me,” she said.

“Good. I like the upfront stuff too. I only fuck shifters. Humans are too fragile. Ace is right, you know. You two can’t be dating without the actual conversation about you Turning. Just so you are aware of what that entails, depending on what he is, he has to rip into your skin bad enough to bleed you to near death, and the venom on his teeth has to take over your immune system enough to kick in that super-healing. Not all humans make it.”

Her heart thudded against her breastbone. “So…Hallie will have to be bitten by Gunner?”

“Yep. And it will hurt and be awful. If she survives it, she will need people to take care of her body while her bear fights for space inside of her. And then if she gets through all of that, her bear will be unmanageable for a while. Maybe forever. Some new Turns have to be put down.”

“Geez,” she murmured, traumatized.

“That’s not to scare you. It’s just honesty. If you ever want it laid out honest, you come to me, okay?”

“Sure. Who are you?”

“What do you mean?” Owen asked.

“You asked me if I knew who you are, like you are important. Who are you?”

“Aaah, yeah, no one that important, but I do all right. I’ve worked in Kong’s sawmill for the last few years, and moved up the ladder. I couldn’t go anywhere, and I was getting bored. Well, not me so much as my animal. He feels caged easily.”

“Who is Kong?”

“He’s a silverback. He and his mate have their hands in a lot of businesses. That family is building a legacy around these parts. He has owned the sawmill up near Saratoga for years, and started expanding to logging teams ten years back to cut out the middlemen. He has Gunner as the foreman of a new crew on one of the mountains close to here, and he put me in his logging crew to get me out of the mill. Let me stretch my wings a little.”

“Wings. So you’re a flight shifter?”

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