Page 47 of Shifter Situations

Sloane was standing between Briggs and myself, leaning over to rest her elbows on the roof of the cab, but she pulled back to stick her head in the window.

“You’ll handle me, huh? You and who?”

“I’m sure I could talk Palmer into helping me, or any of the guys, really.”

She hummed, not agreeing or disagreeing with him, then turned around to sit between me and the shifter.

“I’m not gonna get a boner over orcs. I’m just curious,” the mage muttered.

“It always starts with mild curiosity,” Lo mused, grinning. “Then you won’t be able to stop yourself. Before you know it, you’ll be face-to-face with an orc dick or four, wondering how you got there in the first place.”

“That’s three, Love,” Palmer called, and her nostrils flared. “I’m not sure how else I'm supposed to take that statement.”

I chuckled as she rolled her eyes. “I think I’d take it as a warning. She could be foretelling your future, so maybe you should stay away from orc dicks.”

“Ya know what? That’s one for you too, Fae.”

Novak and Stone were sitting on the tailgate, legs dangling as they glanced back at Sloane and me. She arched a brow at them, sliding into my mind with a whispered warning.

“The demon is counting too, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the others start adding to it for fun.”

Stone had gone back to his conversation with Novak. He’d been telling the vampire about our mate using a new power and how I’d compared it to a djinn.

“Palmer and I know a genie. Blaire and I met him when we were teens and then introduced him to the mage at a club one night. Turned out that they’d already met through mutual friends.”

“You mean one of those nights that Palmer had to babysit you?”

Novak narrowed his eyes. “Yes. One of those nights.”

Sloane had slowly been morphing from happy and smiling to restless and agitated the closer we drew to the field where the pre-hunt party was being held.

York had informed us that being around the pack put her in a weird mood. They liked to challenge her when it was just her and Jack, but I didn’t see a significant change until we were closer to the pack’s younger members.

I hoped that having her mates with her would be enough of a threat to keep some of the fighting at bay tonight. Novak overheard my thoughts, kindly reminding me of how many exes our shifter had.

Fuck.

I guess it wasn’t a real party until there was a bit of violence.

Palmer pulled the truck away from the mass of vehicles, backing in like he was expecting us to need a quick getaway.

Before he stopped, Briggs jumped over the side, studying our surroundings as he stretched his arms over his head.

Sloane stepped onto the side of the truck bed, launching herself at the shifter as he turned his back. He didn’t budge when she collided with him, wrapping her long legs around his waist.

We strolled through the maze of cars, listening to the rowdy laughter and layers of conversations from the partygoers.

Lo sighed as we drew closer, murmuring, “As much as I hate being around the pack, I don’t mind the casual parties. I’d rather be home, but Briggs and I needed to make an appearance.”

We’d driven to the middle of nowhere, out in the woods and far away from the Alpha’s Lodge.

Trucks and cars were parked in a circle around the gathering. Several had their headlights on, some had their radios on, and a few drunken shifters danced around with bottles in their hands.

We spotted Baylor and Blaire huddled together with Jack and Grim, looking oddly cozy. I began to share Sloane’s suspicions about them, but I wasn’t sure how to voice what was off about their interactions.

“Wonder what they’re talking about?” York curiously inquired.

Sloane slid down Briggs’ back and grabbed Novak’s arm. They both narrowed their eyes at the group before glancing at each other.