Page 6 of All for the Beast

“And his name is?” Katy asked inquisitively.

One side of Gerri’s mouth curled into a smirk. “Vharlk,” she said. “He is a rather handsome wolf shifter, and I have a feeling you two will get along swimmingly.”

It was Katy’s turn to flash a smirk.

“Is that so?” She giggled. “That will certainly make the job a hell of a lot easier for me then.”

Gerri abruptly became serious and placed her free hand on Katy’s knee. For a second, Katy thought she had missed something.

“I am a matchmaker, after all,” Gerri said, face stoic. “Make sure you keep that in mind.”

Katy felt her entire body blush, and just as she opened her mouth, they arrived at the place where she would be staying. She got out of the car while the driver heaved her bags up the stairs of the cute inn where she had planned to stay for at least six weeks.

She thanked the driver and then set her things inside her room.

The inn looked over the dazzling waters, which smelled of salt and sage. Katy stood in front of the inn, which sat on the pier where the cruise ship was being put together.

It was hard not to be intimidated by Gerri, yet she felt oddly comforted also. It was the same with the alien surroundings. Everything looked like she was on an acid trip, but there was a sense of belonging that she felt as she pulled on her sun hat and walked along the pier with Gerri at her side.

“This is the change of seasons on the planet,” Gerri began, sporting her own sunglasses. “And it is the time of year when the area looks like a ghost town.”

Katy gazed around at the various shops along the pier. There were only a few people walking about who she assumed were locals due to their height and thick bodies. Some were likely owners of the shops or people who worked on the fishing boats. Gerri hadn’t been joking about the lack of presence around town, so it made sense why she was needed.

“I can see him coming now,” Gerri said, pointing ahead of them. “That is Vharlk. He must be coming from the shipyard.”

Katy squinted her eyes as both suns were sitting high in the sky, painting the distant stranger in a double-washed silhouette. Like everyone on the planet, he was ridiculously tall, possibly over seven feet.

As they walked on, Gerri snapped her fingers suddenly.

“Shoot, I’ve got to pop into the shops for a minute,” Gerri said, turning. “You should get to know him and his procedures. I’ll be right back.”

Katy’s heart pounded in her chest, her mouth hanging open. Gerri gave her a devilish grin as she retreated up the pier. She was left alone to meet this hulk of a man, which in itself was intimidating.

But she sensed something as she held onto her sun hat and adjusted her sunglasses. As he got near, she started to make out his appearance, and then she knew Gerri hadn't been joking at all. She may have even undersold him a bit.

Beyond his height, the stranger was built like a tank. His biceps rippled like watermelons beneath his tight shirt, along with trunk-like legs draped in ill-fitting jeans on the verge of bursting into a thousand little threads.

When it came to his face, Katy felt like the man was carved from stone. He had prominent and sharp features that looked like they could cut glass and a jawline rimmed with dark stubble that had likely emerged that very day.

And then, his eyes, the shade of Earth’s oceans, shining like the jewels of the Caribbean that Katy had woken to for nearly three whole months. She thought his eyes were a sight that she would love to wake to and had to bite her lip to keep from groaning.

He walked briskly in her direction, and her legs began to shake. She turned her gaze to the pink waters crashing lightly on the shore, pretending to be a common Earth visitor, ignorant of the customs of the planet. She knew she should have greeted him as he jetted by, but her mouth was as dry as the Vegas desert. There was no moisture she could drag up to form a single sentence.

She stared off into the glistening water as she caught his glorious, musky scent, then somehow found the courage and voice in the very depths of her nervous soul. She turned to his back, which looked like a hovering mountain as he stomped by.

“Vharlk?”

She nearly barked the foreign name, feeling her face go as hot as the Nova Aurora suns as his fetching gaze fell upon her.

“Speaking,” he responded.

He was smiling, which was a good sign. But it wasn’t a good sign for business. Katy was thankful she was wearing a skirt and could press her thighs together without anyone noticing.

“My name is Katy Jacobson,” she said, clearing her throat. “I’m from Earth, and I’ve been sent to help you with the operations of that cruise ship you’ve got there.”

She motioned toward the vessel, causing him to look away for a split second, which gave her a second to catch her breath.

“Ah, yes,” he responded, voice low and gravelly. “Gerri informed me that you would be arriving today.”

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