Page 691 of Love Bites

CHAPTER15

“So,” my supposed BFFfor life, walk through fire, always have my back, girls before squirrels, best friend said. “Let me get this straight, and stop me if I go off track. A spirit guardian, a god-like creature, for lack of a better term, gave you the ability to possess his big, black bad ass wolf form, and you chugged back a serial killer like he was a two-dollar shot on ladies’ night at the Gin and Bear It?”

I pursed my lips and wiggled them back and forth before answering. “That’s about the truth of it.” The eight-point star, it turned out, was a conduit right to theaether. At least, for a spirit-talker. Billy Bob and I planned to play around with it in his sweat lodge, and no, that wasn’t a euphemism. Apparently, I was an unnatural phenomenon when it came to matters of the spirit.

“It’s a pretty tall tale, Chav. Are you taking lessons from the Johnson twins?” Ruth Thompson said.

“I believe you,” Willy Boden said. “It’s too crazy not to be real.”

“That and four bucks will buy you a cup of coffee,” Sunny said.

“I don’t know where you buy your coffee,” Ruth said, “but you’re getting ripped off.

“I miss a good gourmet double mocha cinnamon cappuccino with extra froth and a sprinkle of cardamom,” I said, visualizing the extra froth.

“Mmmm,” Sunny agreed. The mmm sound always meant consensus. “I could really go for a soy chai latte mega venti.” She thwapped me with the back of her hand. “Damn it, Chav. Now I’m going to crave that the whole time I’m pregnant.”

I grinned. “I’ll order the ingredients and make them special just for you.”

She patted her still flat belly. “Thank you. Your new niece will thank you, too.” She wiggled her brows.

Ruth and Willy squealed with delight. Ruth said, “I can’t wait to shop for her. There are so many cute baby clothes for girls. Not like when my girls were little.” A wistful expression made her princess features even more fairytale-like.

“Oh, you have to invite me back when the baby is born,” Willy said.

I liked her so much, which is why I didn’t tell her that I had suspected her brother of being one of the killers. I wanted to get this friendship off to a healthy start. It turned out that Hans had been surly and contemptuous because he’d been dating Bethany Hilliard off and on for a year, and he made a business deal with her on the side to supply sassafras for the Jubilee. She’d made a side deal with several furniture crafters, including Elton Brown for the wood.

Which explained why Elton was able to make all those awesome pieces.

Still, I think Hans would have been okay getting screwed over in the deal if she hadn’t dropped him like a rock to pursue Billy Bob. Oh, and the tattoo on his arm was a five-point star, not an eight.

I put my hand on Ruth’s knee. “How’s Michele doing today?”

Ruth shook her head. “Oh, she’s fine. I think it’s going to be a while before Ed lets her out of his sight.” She cast her eyes down to her piece of peach cobbler. “I can’t believe how close we came…”

Sunny took her hand in sympathy. “Poor Michele,” she said. A wicked grin played on her lips. “Jo Jo’s going to have to become a second-story man to court her.”

“Don’t even start with that,” Ruth said, but she laughed. “He’s not a bad kid.”

“A man,” Willy said.

All three of us gave her side-eye.

She shrugged. “He’s nineteen isn’t he, and a cutie at that.”

“He’s too young for you,” I told the vivacious redhead.

“And he’s taken at the moment,” Ruth said protectively.

We all laughed then. For the first time in days, I could breathe. The first night of the full moon was over, the Tri-Council was having their meeting, and I got to spend the afternoon with friends. Willy had known Dom was undercover FBI because he used to work security for the council with her until he decided to integrate. That’s why they’d had a falling out. I personally think his integration had more to do with tracking those of our kind who threatened to expose us to the world. With the FBI, he had more resources and was better able to follow what might be shifter related versus human related.

Jacob Lowry resigned as President of the Council when he found out what his sons had been doing with their free time. Bethany Hilliard was named the new president. Yuck. The news had left a real bad taste in my mouth.

“Oh,” Sunny said. She reached down to the play blanket and picked up Jude. “Guess who turned into the cutest little coyote pup last night?”

“Oh. My. God. Sunny! Way to bury the lead!” I grabbed Jude from her arms and cuddled him. “What a little genius. You are a bright and shining star, Jude.”

He put his hand in my mouth and giggled in response.

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