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She shifted slowly, almost lazily — a process I’d never actually witnessed. Not even now, because Nash shifted at the same time, drawing all my attention. In dragon form, he was so different, yet instantly recognizable. Same fiery eyes,same strong shoulders. Same aura of vulnerability mixed with invincibility.
“Nash,” I whispered, taking his hand.
He gripped mine tightly, and when he spoke, his voice was deep and scratchy. “You okay?”
I nodded. Yes. So far.
He nodded grimly, then nodded at Edwards. Clearly, someone he knew — like the dark-haired man over on the left Nash made brief eye contact with.
“Ingo,” Pippa whispered at the dark-haired man in disbelief.
I stared. Huh?
Then it hit me.ThatIngo? Pippa’s ex?
Ingo went bug-eyed at her, then straightened. Neither he nor Nash acknowledged each other, which made me wonder. Where did Ingo’s allegiance lie — with his friend or the agency? And how did he feel about seeing my sister?
Lots of questions. No time for answers.
When I glanced back at my mother, she was human, naked, and in no rush whatsoever. In fact, she held up the plain gray jumpsuit and contemplated it with disdain. Finally, she sighed and pulled it on, leaving the front zip low enough to reveal her cleavage despite the winter chill. Next, she cinched the belt tightly, showing off her curves.
Then she cleared her throat, signalingYou may turnto the others as if they were her lowly subjects.
“Hello, girls,” she murmured, barely giving us a second glance. “Nice to see you.” Then she frowned. “Good God, Erin. Fix your hair, will you?”
My jaw fell open. By the time I opened my mouth to respond, she’d turned her attention, such as it was, to Captain Edwards.
“Virginia,” he breathed again.
Pippa and I exchanged pained glances. Oh, they definitely knew each other. And as for howintimately… I really, really didn’t want to know.
I sighed and did my best to untangle my storm-blasted hair.
Mom only acknowledged Edwards after checking her nails. “Good to see you again…” She paused, thinking. Finally, she added, “Tim.”
His face clouded. “Tom.”
My mother didn’t actually say,Whatever, but her gesture did. Then she looked at Nash, who wore a matching jumpsuit. On him, it looked like a badassTop-Gun-type uniform, while my mother looked ready for a fashion show. And she hadn’t even had time to accessorize.
She threw Nash an appraising look. The kind of look she’d probably once thrown at Tom — er, Captain Edwards — shortly before taking him to bed, only to disappear without a word the next morning.
Normally, I would have sighed. But since it was Nash she was checking out, I ground my teeth.
Nash leveled a look at her, then slid an arm across my shoulders and nodded at Edwards. “Captain.”
The guy nodded gruffly. “Nash.”
My mother shuffled, displeased at not being the center of attention.
“What are you doing here?” Pippa asked.
Our mother replied in a long-suffering,Is this what I get for sacrificing everything for you?tone she had no right to use.
“Your father called me.” Then she frowned, turning to me. “Or was it your father? Maybe Abby’s?” She shrugged. “It was late. I could barely think straight.” Then she yawned. “God. It’s still late. Or early. I need a coffee.” She looked around, and though she didn’t actually stick out a hand for someone to press a steaming Arabica blend into, the expectation was clear.
Sure enough, two agents practically stumbled over each other to reach the back of the SUV. The winner returned a moment later with a thermos and a paper cup.
And here I’d been thinking the BDSM would pack their trunks with weapons, radios, and magic-tinged restraints. But so far, they’d only produced jumpsuits and coffee. Did they carry doughnuts too?
