Page 18 of Betrayed Pregnant Mate

Maisie flushes from head to toe, glancing down her full-figured body to her shoes.

“Well,” she says, clearing her throat, “that’s what it’s like for me. I guess I can’t speak for everyone.”

“That sounds nice,” I say, realizing I repeat what Percy said more. It makes me want to find him even more, and my heart skips when I think about the fact that he could be experiencing symptoms again already. I take a few blood-letting kits from Maisie, then hurry out of the clinic, carrying the tote bag.

I’m just turning the corner to leave the compound when I smack into someone, and we both stumble backward.

“Oh, Gods,” they say, “I’m so sorry.”

When I look up and see Linnea, she has her hand on her forehead, where we cracked our heads together. When her eyes land on me, she sniffs and pulls her head back, a look of incredulity falling over her face.

“What the—” she says, coming closer and taking a deep breath, her mouth falling open. “Veronica, what—how—”

When her eyes meet mine again, I realize I’m going to have to pull this off for Maisie and Percy’s sake. I think back to what Maisie said in the clinic and try to sound convincing.

“Oh,” I say, nodding and shrugging like what can you do? “Yeah, I—uh, I had my first shift just now. I guess, I guess that I’m a shifter. I am a shifter. I just—the vampire bite triggered it, I guess. It was latent.”

Linnea continues staring at me, shaking her head slightly, sniffing again.

“…it felt like stepping into the right skin for the first time,” I say, quietly, and Linnea’s eyes widen before brimming with tears.

“Oh, Gods,” she says, reaching forward and pulling me close to her. “Welcome to the pack, Veronica. We are so, so happy to have you. I never would have guessed—I didn’t even know that was possible, for someone to smell like a human. Even my kids smell like shifters,” she laughs quickly, “but what do I know? What did Maisie say about it? Oh—just wait until Rosa hears about this one! She is going to be tickled.”

“Yeah,” I say, the word breaking off into an awkward laugh at the end. “Well, I was just looking for…Percy, actually. Have you seen him?”

Linnea has a knowing look on her face.

“That makes sense,” she says, giving me a wry smile. “I just saw him leave here—his apartment is on the square, right above the bakery. Knock on the green door. That’s my best bet for where to find him.”

I thank her and hurry away before she can take too deep of a whiff and realize I’m all smoke and mirrors.

***

The door to Percy’s apartment is painted in the same color as the bakery right beside it, which is closed. The sign out front indicates that it will open up at an ungodly time the next morning and close in the early evening.

I take a deep breath and knock on his door, desperately hoping he answers. A full minute goes by, and I take a step back, catching the shifting of a curtain in the window. Surprisingly, a little bit of anger pushes through me, and I step forward again, pounding on the door as hard as possible.

“Percy Veroux!” I shout. “You’d better let me inside right now!”

When the door opens a moment later, I almost get him in the nose with my fist, which is still mid-swing from the knocking. As soon as I see him, I let my eyes wander over him, taking in the rosy cheeks, bright eyes, and the fact that he’s standing upright and breathing just fine.

“Veronica,” he says, as though I’m the last person he expected to see.

“Percy,” I say, clearing my throat. “Can I come in? I think we need to talk.”

“Right,” he says, blinking and rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, turning and making like he’s going to walk inside.

“Excuse me?” I laugh, from my place on the sidewalk. He turns back to me, bewildered. “Did your mother not teach you any manners?”

“Oh,” he laughs, rolling his eyes. “Veronica, would you please do me the favor of coming inside?”

“I would,” I say, stepping over the threshold and closing the door behind me. I climb up after him, eyes strictly on the stairs beneath my feet so I’m not tempted to look at his ass. Curiosity burns inside me, and I desperately want to know if it’s as good as I remember.

“Oh honey,” I can remember Ms. Pearl saying, after meeting him for the first time. “That boy does squats.”

“Some people also say I have a great personality,” Percy had called from the porch, apparently not out of earshot yet.

“Oh my god,” I’d said, covering my face with my hands, mortification searing over my face.

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