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Annie told herself to breathe. "That's okay." Realizing he couldn't see her, she stopped fighting herself and allowed her face to suffuse with the pleasure she got from simply listening to him. She'd never before met a man with a voice like Zach's—so masculine, but with that delectable hint of play. As if while he might be a honed blade of a soldier, he knew how to laugh, too. "Was there a problem with Bryan?"
"No, JB's fine. No runs with the other kids for a week for him."
Annie frowned. "I thought he'd have
entertainment privileges suspended."
Zach chuckled, and it rippled through her like living fire. "That is his favorite form of entertainment. Leopard changel-ings, especially boys his age, hate being trapped inside."
"Of course." She remembered one of the other parents saying something along those lines during a parent-teacher conference. "Was that what you called to tell me?"
"That, and I wanted to warn you about the cold up in the higher elevations. We might even hit some snow. Dress in layers."
"Okay." She bit down on her lower lip, wanting to keep him on the phone but not knowing what to say to achieve that goal. "So, 9:00 a.m. tomorrow?"
"Hmm." He sounded distracted to her ears.
"I should let you go," she began.
"Tired of me already?"
She really didn't know how to deal with him. "No." Another male chuckle. "Tell me something about you, Annie."
"What do you want to know?" Why did he want to know?
"How long have you been a teacher?"
"Five years," she said with a smile. "I started teaching new entrants, but for the past couple of years, it's been kids Bryan's age."
"You like it."
"I love it." She found she'd relaxed again, soothed by the timbre of his voice, so easy, so deliciously male. "What do you do?"
"I'm a forest ranger, specializing in the predatory species that call Yosemite home."
The work fitted him better than anything she could've imagined. "Do you like what you do?"
"It's in my blood." He paused. "Someone's at the door. I'll pick you up at nine on the dot. Sweet dreams." The last was a husky murmur laced with temptation.
"Bye." She ended the call and just sat there, flushing alternately hot and cold. Surely she was reading too much into the conversation. He'd called to make sure she dressed right. The way his voice had felt like a caress over her most sensitive skin . . »-that was the result of her pulse-pounding susceptibility to him. It didn't mean he wanted her, too.
But she couldn't quite stop herself from hoping.
Zach pulled open the door to his small home, already aware of his visitor's identity. He'd picked up the scent the instant the other changeling stepped out of his vehicle.
"Luc." He welcomed his alpha inside. "What's up?" Lucas walked in, dressed in a dark gray suit that said he'd come straight from DarkRiver's business HQ.
"Nice place."
"Nice suit." Opening the cooler, he threw Lucas a sleek glass bottle before taking one for himself.
"What the hell is this?" Lucas scowled at the pale blue liquid inside. "And the suit's camouflage."
"It's some new energy drink Joe's come up with." He twisted off the top. "We're supposed to give him feedback."
Lucas took a pull. "Not bad—for something that looks like it glows in the dark."
Zach grinned. "So, why the camouflage?"
