Page 34 of Shadows of the Soul

“If she says you’re not mated, then you’re not mated,” Sebastian ground out.

I arched a brow at my best friend. What was his problem?

Hudson moved closer to me so his chest was brushing against my back. He narrowed his eyes at Sebastian. “You are going to need to find another woman to placate your parents with. Cora is officially off the market and everyone will know. You can no longer use her.”

“I am not using her,” Sebastian snapped.

“Really?”

I rolled my eyes. “Stop it,” I said to them both. “I am not a piece of meat to be fought over.”

“Correct, because I’ve already licked and claimed you—everywhere,” Hudson responded. My cheeks flamed. He spun me around, then cupped my face in his hands and dropped a panty-melting kiss onto my lips that made everything female in me sit up in awareness. We could forgo the judgment and skip to the good part, I thought. He grinned like he’d heard me.

“I need to check in with the pack. Stay out of trouble until I get back,” Hudson stated.

I blinked. “I don’t get into trouble. It’s all of you involving me in your supernatural drama that lands me in trouble. My life was peaceful before I met you.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

“Do you remember the day you phoned me because of Roberto and Julia?” Dave started. “They’d decided to experiment and things got a little wild. So wild they called a doctor who couldn’t get access to–”

“Yes, that’s enough, Dave.”

“Or how about the time Beatrice shifted mid-labor, and you called me to come and persuade her to turn back?”

“Both examples of shifter situations, proving my point that I am dragged into supernatural shenanigans, not welcoming them.” My lips tilted up in a wicked smile. “Which brings me to the night the pack’s head of security called me to assess a bunch of tripping wolves in a club that caters to a particular brand of sexual activity.”

“I was responding to a call from a friend,” Dave growled.

Rebecca sniggered as I nodded. “Sure, while dressed in leather trousers and carrying a whip around as an accessory?”

“I’d confiscated it from a couple.”

“Does Aunt Liz know what you like to do under the glow of the full moon? She’s a bit of a prude my aunt, you might scare her off.”

This time, it was Dave’s turn to grin wickedly. “She may act like a prude, Cora, but she knows what I like under the full moon, half moon, or no damn moon.”

“Ew.”

“As enlightening as this was,” Hudson began, “we need to check in on the pack.” He turned, grabbed Dave by the arm and pulled him toward the stables. I glared at his retreating back. That’s right, leave me to the wolves. Well, I mean, he was technically taking the wolf with him.

I sighed and spun to face the firing squad. “I have no intention of dissecting my relationship status on the stoop. It’s uncouth.”

Sebastian snorted. “Uncouth was sucking face with the Principal in view of your family and friends.”

I glared at him and refused to blush. “If I wanted to have wild monkey sex on the lawn in the middle of the day, there isn’t a damn thing you could do about it.”

“I’ll be there waiting,” Hudson shouted over his shoulder.

“It might scare off the guests,” Sebastian mused.

Rebecca smiled. “Or attract them.”

“They would be the wrong sort of guests,” I pointed out. “The point being, I’m not discussing my love life out here.”

Rebecca clapped her hands. “Okay, that settles it, all vampires, shifters, and elementals inside. Maggie, put the kettle on. Cora needs tea and cake in order to spill the beans.”

Harry peered at me as we climbed the steps. “You are positively glowing, Miss. Roberts. I approve.”

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