Page 29 of Violet

“You bought him a toy?” My heart melts as Stacks takes off, his little paws zooming across the carpet.

“I picked up a ball of yarn, too, but the little guy went right for the dog toy.” Nole grins when Stacks returns with the rubber bone between his teeth. “Wanna give it a go?”

“Sure... dear.” Five points. Nice save. Because for a second there, I almost forgot who I was... or who I was supposed to be.

Nole and Stacks play tug-of-war with the chew toy for a bit, and then the bear shifter hands it to me. Our fingers touch briefly during the exchange, and tingles shoot up my arm.

Why do I keep reacting this way to him? He’s not even my mate! That and the feeling is definitely not mutual. Because. I. Look. Eighty!

I wind back my arm and toss the rubber bone with all the frustration I feel... only to watch it land a foot in front of me with a hollow plop while my shoulder throbs. Stacks pounces on it, seems to remember he’s supposed to be a dog, not a cat, and attacks the toy with his teeth instead of claws. Then he carries the chew toy back to me, tail wagging, and drops it off at my feet.

“Try again?” Nole asks, like that wasn’t absolutely embarrassing.

I shake my head. “No, you go ahead, dear.” Five points.

Nole throws the toy. Then he looks me over, and my heart skips a beat.

“Are you feeling better today, Violet?” he asks, because I still look eighty and he’s just a nice guy who’s worried about my health. Obviously.

“Much. Thank you for asking.” I nod. “How did the rest of your shift go yesterday?”

“It got really busy in the afternoon, but nothing I couldn’t handle.” Nole grins. “I had to kick out that angel from Stone Hill High again for causing trouble. Helped a moose shifter start on his family tree.” He pauses to think. “Oh, and lots of high school kids were asking for books about outer space.”

“I’ll make sure to put a bunch of astronomy books on display.”

“Already done.” Nole winks at me and I feel a bit weak in the knees.

“Y-you’d make an amazing librarian, you know,” I tell him, trying hard not to blush.

“I’ll think about it.” Nole picks up the toy Stacks just brought back and tosses it again. Watching him play with the library cat warms my heart. I can’t help chuckling at Stacks’s antics and noticing how adorable Nole looks with his long hair tied back and his gray shirt and white plaid shorts tinted pink.

“Did the hair growth formula work?” I ask, hoping he managed to get his brothers back for what they did to his clothes.

“Not yet. I poured it into the body wash this morning while they were asleep.” Nole throws the chew toy for Stacks one more time and we watch him run off.

“I really hope it works,” I tell him, wondering if I’ll ever get to see for myself.

“So do I.” Nole grins up at me, and my heart flutters in my chest.

When it’s five to nine, Nole volunteers to open the library, leaving me to sit at the desk and greet patrons. There’s no sign of Betty this morning, but I keep waiting for her to storm in, shouting at me to leave her grandson alone. Any time I see a figure with broad shoulders, I think it’s Liam here to ‘talk’ or mention my supposed twin to Nole. When I see a flash of black and white, I think it’s Cash, and my heart races at the thought of him in his skunk suit—does that make me a furry?

All I know is that by the time we lock the doors at six, I’m a mess of nerves and frustration. Working side-by-side with Nole all day wasn’t easy, and neither was being on the constant lookout for Cash and Liam. Plus, for some reason that makes no logical sense, I’m actually hurt that neither of my mates showed up.

Did they change their minds about being with me? Did they already lose interest? And why do I care when I plan to pack my bags and leave them behind?

I feel pretty dejected as I wave goodbye to Nole, who’s busy turning off all the computers on the main floor, and step outside.

The sun doesn’t set for a few more hours, so the streets of Silver Springs are overflowing with people. Supes—shifters, vampires, demons, trolls, goblins, you name it—walk past, along with humans who are oblivious to it all. Cat shifters race between their feet, tripping them up, and bird shifters fly overhead.

I turn toward home and merge with the crowd. My walker wobbles against the hard concrete, and people pass me left and right. I let out a frustrated sigh and nearly jump out of my skin when a man throws an arm casually over my shoulder. Cash!

“Hello, little furry.” He smirks down at me.

“Don’t call me that! And don’t sneak up on me. You nearly gave me a heart attack, and that can’t be good at my age.” Ten points.

At my words, Cash turns a little pale. Which is when I also realize how different he looks from the last time I saw him. Instead of a skunk costume, he’s wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt—which also somehow reminds me of a skunk.

Is he doing it on purpose? Trying to seduce me by dressing in skunk colors, like some fancy version of a skunk mascot? If he is, it’s definitely working.