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He huffed a laugh and nodded, then handed his credit card to the attendant and glanced back to see Jenna cutting up with Captain. The Goliath was just as big as he remembered, same smile and everything. He wore an apron, and a smile for Jenna. He was Gunner’s oldest brother, and the son of Haydan and Cassie.
Damn, today had been a roller coaster. Captain looked up and waved, and Lucas waved back.
“I know you, don’t I?” the twenty-something behind the counter said. “You’re Lucas, right? Son of the Boarlander Silverback?”
“Just Lucas, man,” he said, offering his hand for a shake.
The guy was grinning from ear to ear. “Do you know how many of us moved to the area because of you guys?”
Lucas frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The Boarlanders made a safe place for us.”
And now he used his senses. He scented the air and yep, sure enough, the guy was a shifter. Smelled like fur but not dominance. Middle-of-the-road probably, not a monster but not submissive. Lucas had most of the local registered shifters memorized, but he couldn’t recall this one. “Good to meet you,” he said carefully.
“You too.” The guy—Ace, his name tag read—nodded respectfully to Kru, and murmured his name. “Kru. Good to see you again.”
“How’s the pops?” Kru asked, as he crunched down on a bag of potato chips he hadn’t even paid for yet.
“He’s hanging in there, thank you for asking.”
“You going to the fights tonight?”
“Aw man, it’ll be cutting it close. I’m working the late shift tonight.”
Kru tilted his head toward Lucas. “Just go straight after this place closes.”
“Wait,” Ace muttered, “are you fighting tonight?”
“Hell no,” Lucas said simultaneously as Kru said, “Hell yes.”
“Who?” Ace asked excitedly.
“Silverback on silverback.”
“Fuuuuuck! Torren?”
Lucas growled out a sigh and asked, “How much?”
“On me, man,” Ace said, putting his own credit card in the machine. “I owe you and your family. Your mom helped me and my dad when we settled here.”
Lucas frowned. “Who’s your dad?”
“No one you would know. Just a shifter looking for a safe place to raise an only son when they started requiring us to register. Your mom is Sheriff here. She has bailed us out of registering a half a dozen times.”
“Which means you are something the humans would find interesting. You’re something special.”
“Aren’t we all special?” Ace asked, seriousness in his tone and bright-blue eyes.
Hmm. Well played. If he was a rare shifter, Ace would be a pro at avoiding the conversations that exposed his shifter animal. Fair enough. If Ma had care for this man and his father, he must be good people. Lucas nodded respectfully. “You have a good night, Ace.”
Ace smiled and it was genuine. “Tell your parents I say hi.”
“Will do. It was nice to meet you.”
“It was nice to meet you too…Lucas.”
The way he said his name was reverent, and Lucas didn’t understand the dynamics. “It’s different here,” he admitted to Kru as they walked toward the Moosey’s sign at the back of the gas station.
