Page 134 of Warlords, Witches & Wolves

Her gaze flicked to the lake, but she didn’t see him. That was a good thing. She needed to forget him. She’d gotten her old crush naked, and it had been good, and that was it. She needed to keep her gaze on the vampires and find a new pack. Then Owen surfaced, all gleaming wet skin.

Her sister, Maddy, elbowed her. “You shouldn’t be staring at wolves. You should be with the other biters.”

Macey’s glare went unnoticed, as Maddy’s attention was on the wolves. “I don’t need you to remind me what I should be doing.”

Maddy pressed her lips together like she’d bitten a lemon. They’d never been close, but now Maddy was actively trying to push her aside. Sure Macey was smarter, but she was no longer the golden child because she lacked fur.

“You don’t have to babysit me, just because Mom asked,” Maddy snapped.

“I do.” That was another excellent reason to move away. She’d no longer be responsible for looking out for her three younger siblings. Her parents had breathed easy when Maddy had shifted early and properly. They’d thought all their pups would be vampires. “This is your first gathering. I’m supposed to look out for you where I can.”

Macey was sure that if Maddy knew what she’d gotten up to there’d be hell to pay. She’d dob before Macey got a word in.

“I’m going swimming. Did you want to hold my hand and make sure I don’t drown?”

Go ahead, breathe some water.“Practice your dog paddle.”

Macey returned her gaze to her book while her younger sister flounced off. She didn’t flounce toward Owen and his friends, of which there were now at least six. He looked over and caught her watching. The heat on her cheeks wasn’t super-fast sunburn brought on by being a vampire.

A shadow fell across her, and Macey squinted up at the figure. Talia.

“You shouldn’t be sunbathing.” Talia had on a wide-brimmed hat and a sundress. No other vampires were in the sun, they had picked shady spots.

“I want to make the most of it.” One day she’d be like those vampires who only ventured out at night. She wasn’t looking forward to hiding from the sun forever.

“You’ll hasten your sun sensitivity.”

“What?” Macey slammed the book closed.

Talia nodded. “Sorry to bust your bubble. We aren’t sitting in the shade to be different. We’re hoping that by limiting direct exposure we can prolong our resistance.”

Macey sighed. She should move and go and sit with the vampires, but that felt like defeat. Like publicly admitting that she was different. She wouldn’t be able to watch Owen as easily if she was surrounded by vampires. “I’m supposed to be watching my sister.”

“You can do that from there.” Talia pointed to the shady piece of shore where the other vampires sat.

Macey took another glance at Owen. This time he waved. They could be friends. “I might go for a swim first.”

Talia’s gaze skimmed the lake. There were plenty of wolves in there. No vampires, not during daylight anyway. All the fun in her life was being sucked out, drop by drop.

“You can’t play with them anymore.”

“I didn’t realize you were such a stickler for tradition.”

“I’m not, but some of them are.”

“What do you mean?”

Talia squatted down. “See the two blonds. They’re cousins and traditionalists. The others aren’t much better, and they are all leader’s sons. Future pack leaders. They hang out together, for a reason, and even in a progressive pack, the leader will never take a vampire as a partner. They don’t even like us mating in case we make more vampire babies instead of wolves.” Talia leaned in closer. “They fear us, Macey.”

“Why would they, we aren’t proper wolves?”

“We don’t suffer from shifting lust. We’re faster and stronger than them even in wolf form. They worry that if there are too many of us, we’ll walk away and leave them unguarded. Or worse, take over.” She stood. “Have your swim, then join us. But forget about wolves.”

Macey watched Talia leave. She didn’t feel like swimming now. And she couldn’t go out there and flirt with Owen even if he did keep glancing her way. He was the son of a leader and from a traditional family.

And she was his dirty secret.

She packed up her things and moved to the shade. Her sister waved but stayed in the sun. Macey wanted to melt away and disappear into the shadows.

Around her other vampires talked. They gossiped about the run and who’d gotten with who. Who was going to ask to change packs because they had a partner or wanted a new job. Or just because. Vampires seemed to have more freedom to move than wolves. That was something that was never talked about. All she’d ever heard were the whispered condolences to her parents as though she was dead.

Owen waded out of the lake, water streaming off his skin and glistening in the sunlight. His gaze flicked to where she sat…he didn’t look like a man who was ready to move on and forget.

She forced her gaze back to her book. She wouldn’t be anything more than a secret with him. Her lips curved. Some secrets were worth keeping. She glanced up and risked a smile.

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