Page 233 of Secret Shifters Next Door

“You look good. I’m glad to see you’re still in one piece,” Felicity said.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Celina asked, and she sounded truly confused.

“Well, it’s been almost a week since I saw you last. I’d have thought Miles would have tried to ravage and take advantage of you by now.”

I clenched my jaws, anger flooding through me. I could hear the insinuation in her words. Was she talking about sex? Sure, but also the bestial side of me. Like I was some animal that would devour her.

“Miles is a gentleman. He’s patient with me. I don’t really understand why you feel the way you do about him.”

Felicity snorted a laugh. “Sweetie, he’s still a man. All men are the same. They want to shove their dick in all your holes, get what they want, and then leave you out to dry. They’re dogs, plain and simple.”

Celina didn’t respond to that. A deep breath hissed out of her nose. I could almost see her trying to keep her anger hidden. I hoped she was successful. We needed Felicity to think nothing was wrong.

“So, how was your time with your mom?” Celina asked. Her voice was wooden and clipped, but I could tell she was trying to sound as normal as possible.

“Oh, it was fantastic. We went and shopped downtown. Prada, Louis Vuitton, all the high-end places. Honestly, I can’t believe you don’t treat yourself to more nice things. The money you make with those books is more than enough to get some designer clothes or luggage or something.”

“Money isn’t the main thing in life. I guess when you grow up with basically nothing, you go one of two ways. Make up forit by doing everything you can to buy the things you never had, or you decide the things you didn’t have weren’t that important and don’t bother with them. That’s kind of where I am, I think. It’s fun to be able to afford what you need and not have to worry if you have to decide between paying your heating bill or buying ramen for dinner. I work hard for my money, and I think I should spend it on more meaningful things.”

I widened my eyes in surprise. Tate glanced over at me. “Your girl can be feisty.”

I nodded and wanted to grin, but I couldn’t. I was too engrossed in the conversation. Felicity didn’t seem to have a response to that. It would have been nice to have a camera. I’d have loved to see the bitch’s face.

“I guess we see things differently,” Felicity finally said.

The tone of her voice was all wrong. Something had changed. My wolf and I both tensed, and I could tell the others heard it, too. Blayne slid to the edge of his chair and frowned—Tate and Steff reacted similarly.

“I really hoped we’d be more like-minded, Celina. I guess you’ve already been swayed,” Felicity said. Her whole voice changed. She was being hostile and cold now. The real Felicity was coming out now or, more accurately, the real Mariana.

“What do you mean?” Celina asked.

“I mean, the people you’ve surrounded yourselves with are nuisances. You may not want to believe it, but you’re keeping bad company. There’s no reason to associate with people like that. If you let me, I could introduce you to people who really understand the world. Who could show you the way things really are. People with connections, power, and influence. You shouldn’t be thinking small. Lilly Valley is a shit hole. A dead-end town that doesn’t deserve you.”

“Really?” Celina asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “And where the hell do you see me going?”

“Denver, first of all. That way, you can meet the people who will tell you the truth. People who know what kind of person Miles and his filthy fucking friends really are. They can lift the veil from your eyes. Denver. That’s where this story starts for you.”

Blayne and I locked eyes. “Denver? It was that close the whole time?” he asked.

“I guess so,” I said, pulling my headset off.

“I’m on it. I’ll see what I can find.” Blayne spun around and began typing furiously on his laptop.

I couldn’t help but grin. It wasn’t a big hint, but it was a hint nonetheless. Felicity had possibly given us the info we needed to narrow our search. It was a little disconcerting that the organization was just an hour down the road. Tate waved at me frantically to put my headset back on. I jammed it onto my head.

“...the city’s great. All my guys love it there. Real men. Men who understand the world. I bet I could find one of them for you.”

I gritted my teeth. I wanted to reach through my headset and strangle the woman with my bare hands.

“Your guys?” Celina said. “What exactly does that mean, Felicity?”

She was silent before laughing the question off. “Oh, you know. Friends. They’re like family. More than family, since we all have a common goal.”

“And that is?” Celina asked, her voice now quiet and hesitant.

“Ridding the world of scum, of course. I thought it was obvious. Are we still playing some game here, Celina?”

Things were going sideways fast. My wolf growled, and my own lips peeled back in a snarl. For obvious reasons, Terry wasn’t included on the audio feed from Celina. He was a great guy, but like the rest of our team, he had no idea about me and the guys’ secret. I clicked over to his channel to give him anupdate. “Terry? Things are getting a little weird. Be ready. Are we still all clear?”

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