Page 3 of Nita's Redemption

“Bucky, stop fucking around and get back to your mate. You don’t want to rattle this cage today.”

“Oh, I like it when you talk dirty to me, Nita. Come on, why don’t you slow down so we can have a conversation?” Bucky grabbed her arm, his hand squeezing hard which would’ve left a bruise had she been...normal.

The feel of his dirty paws touching her arm had her freezing for less than a second. She snapped into action less than a breath later, grabbing the hand he’d dare touch her with. The howl he let loose made her grin. She was aware that most males were scared of her when she showed too many teeth at once, in fact many of the males in her pack, and even fully grown human males tended to run in the opposite direction when she grinned like she was. Bakra called it her feral face. Not that she gave two shits about how the males in the pack looked at her or the humans. Nita preferred they didn’t notice her, and if they did, she would rather be respected as if she was one of them instead of the mutt that her sperm donor had called her.

“Let me go, bitch or I’ll—” Bucky’s howl cut off into a whimper the harder she squeezed.

Sure, she could’ve ignored him like she normally did him and the others. However, she was already on edge after her talk with Lorna. Plus he needed to learn a lesson. All the fidiots like him needed to be taught they couldn’t go around fucking with whoever they wanted whenever they wanted. School was in session, and teacher Nita B was ready to teach.

“I need you to listen and hear me well, Bucky, because I dislike having to repeat myself, nor do I appreciate when my pupils disobey. P.S. From this point forward, you’re considered a pupil. If you want to continue humping your hand, I suggest you never put it on me or any other female who hasn’t given you express permission. Just a heads up, you never have permission to touch me, ever. Now do I need to go into the definition of what permission is?” Nita held up her free hand and gave a dramatic sigh. “Wait, I better spell it out for you since you’re obviously a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic. Permission is when the female in question says or gives the impression of wanting another to enter their personal space. You probably have never experienced such a phenomenon, so when in doubt, just ask. Got it?” She tightened her grip almost to the point of shattering his bones. Goddess, he’s lucky she wasn’t a meaner bitch.

“Still waiting for an answer. My hand is getting a little twitchy. FYI, boy, that means I won’t be able to hold myself back from crushing your wee little bones.” Nita could totally control herself, probably; more than likely. Okay, she could, but she hated the fucker with a burning passion. Since the moment she’d been brought into Jaklyn’s pack, most of the others had treated her as if she were a pariah.

“Fucking hell, bit... Nita. Yes, I got it,” he gritted out, stopping what he was going to say when she narrowed her eyes. It obviously occurred to him it would be bad for him to call her a bitch.

She released him with one last squeeze, stepping back in order to avoid touching him inadvertently as he fell forward. Pussy.

Nita turned her back on the worthless male, knowing the action was a clear sign of disrespect. The only males she felt she owed anything other than disdain for were, well the Ravens who called Jaklyn their Fated, and the other males that were demi-gods like Jaklyn’s males, plus a few other shifters close to Jaklyn. It was strange to think of the gorgeous red-haired shifter as her sister when they were completely opposite. Jaklyn had long, wavy, red hair while she had extremely curly black hair thanks to her mama’s genes. Her sister also had fair skin with freckles and was slim, almost petite. Nita was so far opposite to her elder sister, with caramel colored skin, definitely no freckles in sight, and thin hadn’t been in her makeup. Curvy girl was her thing for sure, with hips and ass for days. She also blamed that on her mama since Jaklyn and she shared a sperm donor. Seamus had been a red haired bastard while Nita’s mama had been a beautiful dark skinned female.

She inhaled deep, banishing thoughts of her poor mama. Seamus had taken her off the streets and claimed her as his. Her mama had whispered to Nita when she’d been no bigger than a toddler, that she’d fallen for his charms like an idiot without learning more about the man. Nita could remember the sadness that engulfed her mother in that moment and many more when she’d confess her true feelings. Not that anyone would believe Nita could remember those stolen moments, but she did. She remembered everything. Every moment, every beating, every single bruise and cut the bastard had given her mama. Until the very last night he’d taken his punishment too far, and her mama had taken her last breath. A shudder wracked her frame.

“He can’t hurt me or anyone anymore.” Nita said the words out loud, the need to hear them more important than keeping her feelings locked internally. Luckily for her, she had already left the trailer park behind, so there were no prying eyes or big ears to overhear her. The walk into town was shorter than she’d have liked. More than likely because of her angry strides. Before she reached Main St, she slowed her strides and took several calming breaths. The last thing she’d need was to scare the humans with her glowing eyes. That was another thing she could thank the bastard for, her bright blue eyes. So many nights, she’d wished for brown like her mama’s instead of the electric blue of Seamus’s. There were times she could remember the female with a sweet disposition, and others where she was like a zombie, obeying Seamus without fail.

When she was angry, her eyes had a red tinge to them, which frightened her more than the male who was supposed to be her protector but was an abuser, ever had. She had seen the fear in others anytime Seamus got angry. His eyes would flash from the alpha blue to the demon red. Since she recognized her own doing the same, she’d learned to hide the changing colors from everyone. Well aside from the two Ravens who’d swooped in when she’d been nine years old and offered to shelter her from the death and destruction of her sperm donor. Dimitri and Silis were like Jaklyn’s mates, two of the twelve Ravens of War created by Zeus eons ago. They were also magnificent males who hadn’t made her recoil in fear, unlike the many others she’d come into contact with thanks to Seamus. Both males had seen her eyes flash red, and not once had they judged her. No, the two Ravens had only hunkered down to her level and held out a hand each, offering her support without making her take what she didn’t want to freely. They patiently waited for her to place her trust in them, and she had. There was an odd sense of belonging when she was in their presence, sort of like what she’d felt with Jaklyn. Of course, the rumbling in the pack had been immediate. Like she, a child would be with two ancient males like Silis and Dimitri. Gross.

Her lips tilted up into a grin as she thought of the males who’d been like father figures throughout the past fifteen years. They would surely be offended if they heard her refer to them as gross, no matter the reason. Males were so weird. She passed by a shop selling video games, her stride halting at the display window. Three enormous males were there, shoving one another back and forth. Nita looked at the shop owner, who appeared as if he was ready to dial the number for the police or have cardiac arrest at any moment, a clear tossup, which it could be. Through the thick pane of glass, she could still hear what was being said. Just as she assumed, they were arguing over who was the leader of their alien assassin crew and threatening to beat one another’s asses for real. They were beyond ridiculous. It was kind of... cute. For crying out loud, the males had gamer handles that rivaled one another from insane to certifiably crazy. Tank’s was something like Sparkly Pinkie Cupcake, while Abe was Ninja Fluffy Purple something, and Link, who was Abe’s brother, was Captain Freaking Sparkle. She may have added the Freaking, but her word still stands. They were insane... and dammit, gorgeous.

Before any of them could see her, she moved swiftly past the store and hurried around the corner. The last thing she needed was to run into the trio of idiots. Her body heated just thinking of the three of them. “Get your head on straight, girl,” she muttered to herself, dodging around a group of women who came out of a coffee shop.

“Excuse me, are you okay?”

Nita stopped and stared at the woman, nearly swallowing her tongue. The female was a dead ringer for an older version of her mama. Nita inhaled, taking in the scents, and cataloguing the females, especially the oldest who certainly looked like family but smelled nothing like Nita or her mama. The woman was human, unlike Nita’s mama, who had been more. No, her mama hadn’t been a shifter like Seamus and his pack, but the innate power she’d held was what Seamus had wanted. Voodoo, witchcraft, or whatever you want to call it had been a natural part of Mohini, Nita’s mama. Nita thought nothing, or anyone, could kill her mama, until Seamus became darker, needing more than her mama could give him. She had bound Nita’s abilities, hiding her from Seamus, which Nita feared might’ve weakened her. Finally, the bastard male dug out all that made up her mama until she was nothing but a shell who did what he wanted, when and how he wanted, except to harm Nita. She pushed the disturbing memories away, hating them and how they made her vulnerable.

“Child, are you alright?” Another woman asked the longer Nita stood without speaking.

“Yep,” Nita said, nodding her head. She gave a brief smile while keeping her answer short and sweet and easing around the gathering of females. Her sense of smell was much better than a human’s, making it easy for her to discern that most of the women were related, and human. One hundred percent human... except there was an odd smell surrounding them. Nita couldn’t delve too deep without alerting them she was doing so since she’d already ran into them, physically that was. What she didn’t feel was a sense of familial connection, so clearly they were not related to her or her mama, Mohini.

“Chloe, you need to be more careful where you lumber, child. Excuse my niece, if you will.”

Nita’s breath froze in her lungs as power clung to the elder female. There was a sliver of something inexplicable reaching from inside the woman, searching. For what Nita didn’t know and had no inclination to find out. She slammed wards down like Silas and Dimitri had taught her to do, ensuring there was no outward sign that she was anything but a human woman in her early twenties. Her first impression of humans must’ve been wrong. What these females were was something other. Not shifters and not like the Ravens. She needed to be careful to keep her truth hidden. If these females were looking for her or one of her people, they’d find out the hard way just how bad that choice was.

“It was my fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going and nearly knocked into them.” Nita banked her alpha bitch attitude, though pretending to be timid went against all that she was. She was proud that she’d been able to pull off something opposite of her true being.

“Ignore Antoinette. She’s crabby or hangry, whichever you want to call it. Are you from around here? We’re looking for a place to eat that isn’t quite so... stuffy,” the one named Chloe said.

The coffeeshop they’d just walked out of was upper class. The owner came from New York and liked to think her shit didn’t stink. Ain’t nobody ever heard their shit smells like roses, and it be true. Nita almost smirked as she remembered the little chat she and Chelsea, the owner, had the first and last time she’d dined there.

‘Do you like coffee? I’m sure the grill down the street is more your... type of establishment,’ Chelsea said.

‘I actually enjoy a good cup of coffee more than other beverages. What do you have to offer for choices?’ Nita asked, while waiting for the menu to be handed to her. The smell of coffee grounds had tempted her to stop into the newly opened business.

‘Listen, while I appreciate you coming in—I think you should mosey on out the same as you entered. We serve specialty coffee, not the stuff you get at the franchised coffeeshops.’ Chelsea took a step back, waving her arm toward the door.

It was then that Nita realized this bitch didn’t think Nita was good enough to drink her shit or be in her place of business. Her eyes narrowed, anger making her beast want to rip the human’s throat out. She forced calm through her system, getting to her feet. “Okay, first, I would bet money that I know more about wonderful coffee than some stuck-up bitch from out East. Second, I agree, there are a lot better places to go than this—establishment. Now, let me offer you some advice. Stop acting like your shit doesn’t stink. No one will ever say any different from that, because never in the world's history has anyone ever said that about anyone, and it sure as shit will not start with the likes of you. So get over yourself, Chelsea, because newsflash your shit stinks. In fact, to everyone else, if we go by the looks of you, I’d bet everything about you smells horrid.’

She’d walked around the human without touching her, knowing she was liable to push her a little too hard and possibly harm the bitch. Nita came back to the present, thinking about where to tell these females to go, other than back to where they came from.

“There’s a few bars and grills I highly recommend, or even a couple of pubs that have great food. As for stuffy, I’d stay away from anything that has a wait to be seated sign.” Nita didn’t like to stand around and wait for anyone to tell her when and where she had to sit.

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