Page 12 of All for the Beast

His voice was silky and ran like honey. She was just starting to wonder what he would taste like when Gerri made her perfectly-timed return.

“Getting along, I see?”

She stood next to them as they sat on the bench, having removed her pin-striped blazer and sporting the soft-looking cotton beneath it. She gave them both a cunning look as if she could see through them like a crystal ball.

“We are now,” V said, leaning back on the bench. “How did you find us so quickly?”

Gerri tapped the side of her nose, then winked.

“I have my ways, V.”

Katy stood, trying to conceal her shaky legs. She started to go back on her original thought about putting V off because he had suddenly become so reasonable. How long that was going to last remained a mystery.

“Well, I am afraid I must depart now, ladies,” V said, getting up and placing his hands behind his back once more. “I have a dinner arrangement with my parents tonight that I must prepare for. I hope to see you both very soon.”

Gerri bowed her head as he regarded her, so Katy did the same. Their eyes lingered like there was still something left to say.

“Katy,” he whispered.

She smiled, and he turned away, retreating down the pier like he was in a race. Katy sighed, forgetting that Gerri was standing there with a smirk on her face.

“Come,” she said. “Let me show you the things I’ve purchased for you.”

They walked at an even pace to the inn where Katy was staying. Katy felt like she was moving through a dream, the inn seeming farther away than it was earlier.

“Gerri,” Katy said.

“Yes, darling?”

“Can you tell me what a fated mate is?”

Gerri flashed her a mischievous smile. It made Katy’s heart flutter in her chest.

“It’s like a soul mate in Earth terms,” Gerri said. “But with shifters, it's taken a lot more seriously. As I’ve said to you before, they are an intense kind, so when one finds their mate, it means that they are set for life.”

Katy felt herself break out into a cold sweat. Gerri, ever the mindful one, noticed instantly.

“Did he tell you that you were his mate?”

Katy nodded silently.

Gerri didn’t give her a reaction whatsoever. She simply sported her knowing smile and continued along the pier.

When Katy spoke out, it sounded like a harsh bark.

“What will that mean for V when I go back home? To Earth?”

They had finally arrived at the inn, and Gerri stopped outside. She placed a hand on Katy’s shoulders, staring deep into her very heart with those shiny gray eyes.

“It might be best for you to keep an open mind about things that are beyond what you believed your life was before coming to Nova Aurora. I promise you, it’s worthwhile.”

Katy let out a long, heaving sigh. The idea of being called anyone’s mate, especially after only meeting the person once, filled her with a kind of inconsolable rage. She hated it when her parents told her what to do, so hearing commands from some wolf shifter she’d just met made her feel prickly.

But Gerri was like human incense. She calmed Katy, helping her let go of any emotions that may have been standing in the way.

“I will do my best,” Katy replied.

SIX

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