Page 80 of The Demon's Pet

Tears bit my eyes as I remembered how hard it had been to find things like this in our haven. How often my dad had torn my clothes and told me to dress modestly in dresses, like other omegas.

I changed into my clothes, picking out a shirt that read:Danger: Uncaffeinatedand noted that Sam had even gotten the size of my underwear and bra right.

Weird.

I looked in the mirror and noticed how much better my face looked.

My skin, normally pale, was flushed with health. My blue eyes were extra luminous, and my hair was still wet but long and shiny.

My features had never been of much interest to me. The alphas seemed to like my face until I opened my mouth, but I wasn’t sure what the fuss was.

My eyes were too round, too easily startled-looking. My lips were full, my cheekbones high, my jaw a bit stronger than average.

Nothing I’d ever cared about much.

Besides, making myself as ugly as possible had always served me well, at least in deterring sexual attention from alphas.

But right now, I felt like I didn’t have to hide anymore. Not like I was some great beauty, but I didn’t need to hide behind straggly hair, like a girl emerging from a well in a horror movie, to keep unruly alphas from getting ideas.

My hair was tangled, and it took a while to finger-comb it since I had no brush. It looked like it would dry in long, dark waves.

I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. Would Sam notice the difference?

A knock on the door interrupted me, and my heart leapt in my chest. Had he changed his mind? Was he back?

I walked over to the door, fully changed and hair only damp, and looked through the tiny stained-glass window.

I didn’t recognize the man standing there. He was tall and built, with long black hair, pale olive skin, and blazing green eyes. His features were so delicate as to almost be pretty, but his strong, stubborn chin and straight jaw counteracted them.

“Hello?” He stepped up to knock again, maybe seeing me through the window.

I wasn’t sure what to do. Whether to answer without Sam.

But then indignant frustration welled up in me. Samleft. He didn’t have any say in what I did.

I might have left my pack to be with him, because I had no other choice, but he didn’t own me.

I opened the door and stood in the doorframe with my arms crossed, hoping I looked intimidating.

After all, I was still a wolf shifter, and nothing was stopping me from transforming.

The man was taller than me by half a foot, but a smile lit his face as he looked me over.

“A real wolf shifter,” he said, looking at me like I belonged in a museum. He cocked his head and took a step back to appraise me. Then his eyes landed on my collar. “You are suppressed?”

“No.” It was the truth, at least about my wolf form.

“I am Zadis,” he said, putting out a hand to shake mine. His grip was warm and strong, and he released me slightly slower than might have been proper.

“Careful,” said a blond fae passing by, arms linked with a brunette friend. “Zadis has a thing for shifters.” The pair disappeared between cottages, and I looked back at Zadis.

“So you’re Zarris’s half-brother?” I asked. I supposed there was some resemblance in the delicate features.

Zadis nodded. “Fae and other supernaturals have intermixed with humans for centuries, here where America used to be. We come in all colors. We share a mother, whom I favor. Zarris favors his father.”

“I see.” I folded my arms again nervously. “Look, Sam isn’t here, so—”

“I know,” Zadis said. “He will be busy conducting interviews, pursuing his investigation. I thought, in the meantime, we could get to know each other.”

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