Page 56 of Minnie

I nod. “Remember the gorgon who was in here a few days ago?”

Amber’s eyes widen further. “He shifted into the gorgon? And kept up the form for hours?!”

I nod.

“What does he really look like? Is he hot? Are you attracted to him? Of course you are! He’s your mate! Do you want to marry him and have his babies?”

“He wants to marry me.” I blurt it out before I can think better of it.

Amber’s jaw drops. “But you just met.” She shakes her head. “No, that doesn’t matter. You’re fated mates! How did he ask? What did you say?”

My heart starts to pound quadruple-time, and I have to remind myself to breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe.

“Minnie?”

Oh right. “I said no.”

She gasps. “You did not.”

“I did. But he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“Oh my.” She fans herself. “When are you going to see him again?”

“This weekend.” Which is an outright lie. A part of me hopes Damien packs up and leaves town. Another hopes he actually refuses to take no for an answer… and professes his undying love… and tells me he’s sorry, he made a mistake, and he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about me since the day he ditched me for a better life.

Amber claps her hands and starts grilling me about details. What he wore: leather jacket, hot. Combat boots, yum. Where we talked: narrow alley, promising. With my back pinned against the wall, whoa.

“Okay, next time he proposes, you’ve got to say yes,” Amber practically shouts.

I nod, even though I know it’s not happening.

She grins. “You better. That man sounds smoking hot.”

“Do I have competition?” Wes opens the door and peeks inside. “Sorry, shifter hearing. And Minnie, your phone’s ringing.”

He holds it up.

I shrug. It’s not like anyone ever calls me. “It’s probably spam.”

“It’s the prison.”

I gasp. “Pick it up. Pick it up!”

Wes taps the screen. “Hello? Just a moment.” He hands me my cell. “It’s Natty’s dad.”

“Zachariah?” I ask in surprise.

“Who the fuck was that?” he demands.

His angry, possessive tone does something funny to me, and I sound breathless when I reply. “Amber’s mate, Wes. I’m with Amber right now.”

“Hi, Zachariah,” she calls out.

“Oh…” Zachariah says.