Page 25 of Hera

“Isn’t that rather soon for babies?” Hera asked, surprised.

Heidi wavered her hand. “Ehh, not really. They’re just over six months old, you know. And wolf shifters crawl early, so I’ve been told. Canines, and all that.”

“Ah,” Hera said in understanding.

Chloe waddled back into the room. “You haven’t been telling any juicy tidbits without me, have you? What’s he like in bed? Is he a good kisser? What’s his name?”

“His name is Augustine,” Hera said. She bit her lip. “And we’ve been taking it slow.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped. “Ex-cuuuse me?” She stuck a finger in her ear and twisted it. “I think my ears were blocked. I could have sworn that I heard you say you’retaking it slow?”

“That is what I said, yes.” Hera rolled her eyes at her friend. “He’s old-fashioned in a lot of ways, one of them being around the topic of sex. He kissed my hand and the top of my head. His lips are very soft...” She trailed off, staring into the distance. “He gives me goosebumps every time he brushes against me,” she whispered, more to herself than to the other two sitting at her table.

“Sounds like you’ve already caught the love bug,” Heidi said, interrupting Hera’s thoughts.

“Maybe I have,” Hera replied softly. “Would that be so bad?”

“Only if he’s on the same page,” Chloe said, frowning. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I won’t. Aphrodite and Eve wouldn’t let that happen.” Hera clapped her hands together and picked up her pen again. “Shall we get started?”

“One last thing,” Chloe said, putting a hand over Hera’s. “If hedoeshurt you in any way, I’m here for you, okay?”

Hera smiled at her. “Thank you. I’m really not worried.”

“Okay.”

“You want this to be in a couple weeks, right? What do you have in mind for the theme?” Hera asked, and wrote quickly as the two women started talking over each other, bubbling with ideas and concepts.

* * *

They were going topside againfor their date that week.

Hera rubbed her hands over her hips, hoping that she wasn’t sweating too much. On Chloe’s suggestion, they were trying out a nearby paintball arena. Chloe had said that it was popular amongst her co-workers.

Hera had forgotten that Chloe worked as a detective and most of her colleagues were cops.

Now, facing the other people who were waiting to be let into the arena, she couldn’t help but be aware of it.

She adjusted her coveralls—white, shapeless things that were covering her cute turquoise and black tank top and leggings—and rolled her shoulders under the used-to-be-heavy pack filled with paint balls. The instant she’d put it on, she had spared a bit of power to lighten her load.

But she couldn’t do anything about the serious-faced warriors in camouflage fatigues that were huddling in two groups on the far side of the entry.

“Do not worry about them,” Augustine whispered to her.

She looked up at him. “How can you be so calm?”

“They will not bother you. You are not wearing their colors.” He nodded at them again. “They are here for their own game. There is no sport in ganging up on a new player.”

“You sure?”

Augustine chuckled quietly, making her shiver at the low rumble. “Quite sure. Now,thatgroup you need to worry about.” He gestured past the soldiers to the others in the white coveralls given by the paintball organizers.

“Why?” Hera was enjoying listening to his explanations. He’d clearly done this activity before.

“They are here as individual players, or as a large group intending to make more friends. They will target anyone in white because they do not really know each other.” Augustine tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “See how they are not conversing? They are clearly a new group of friends that do not know how to talk to each other yet.”

“You are an excellent people-watching partner,” Hera said playfully. “And what about you? Do I have to worry about you?”

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