“Maybe it’s just that something about him ruffles my cat’s fur,” said Deke. “I can’t explain it. His voice is so monotone.”
“My cat didn’t like that either,” said Luke.
Isaiah hummed. “So you’re not ready to rule Gabriel out as a suspect, then?”
Luke slowed to a stop as he reached a red light. “No, not yet.”
“I hadn’t imagined that he was trespassing with the purpose of spying,” said Blair. “I guess I can understand it. I’d want answers too, in his shoes.”
“Don’t be so certain that was his true purpose,” Luke told her. “He could have simply wanted to keep a close watch over you. Did you know that your mother intended for you to one day mate with Antoine?”
Blair rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t say she intended it; she just thought he’d be a good fit for me. Don’t forget that it isn’t unusual for my kind to choose as juveniles who they’ll later take as a mate. It’s a little like calling dibs, I guess. Adults sometimes conspire with friends to push their children toward each other. Noelle was no different in that respect, though maybe a little pushier about it later on. But that was just because she needed to establish control over me and my world so she’d feel in better control of her own.”
“Did it stop once you found Luke?” Isaiah asked.
Blair pulled a face. “She introduced me to as many male bush dogs as possible, but she didn’t urge me to consider taking any as a mate. I think she hoped that nature would take its course; that I’d simply ‘fall’ for one. One dared to flirt with me, despite knowing about Luke, but none of the others were brave enough.”
Isaiah’s lips twitched. “They were terrified of what Luke would do to them, huh?”
“No, they were terrified of what I’d do. I made an example out of the first flirt. I knocked him out with a rock, gave him a Joker smile using the blood from his scalp wound, stuffed poison ivy into his boxer shorts, set fire to his shoes just as he was waking up, and then chased him out of the woods Exorcist-style.”
“Exorcist-style?”
“I’m double-jointed, so I can bend into all sorts of positions and even dislocate my joints without causing myself pain.”
Isaiah’s lips parted. “Seriously?”
Stopping at another red light, Luke glanced at him. “You ever seen horror movies where demonically possessed women move all weird and stiff, their joints popping and clicking and cracking? She can do that. And will do it when she’s being ignored or not getting her own way and doesn’t much like it.”
Blair offered, “I can show you—”
“No, I’m good,” Isaiah quickly said, throwing up his hands.
Deke snorted, twisting to look at her. “It’s not much different from shifting, right, so why—Jesus Christ, what in the fuck?”
Luke just laughed as she righted her neck.
CHAPTER NINE
Standing before the vanity mirror as she slipped on her earring, Blair caught sight of Luke in the reflection as he entered the bedroom the next evening. In gray slacks and a blue shirt that matched the color of his eyes, he was so utterly edible her stomach did a little flip.
“You look beautiful,” he said, his gaze scanning her from head to toe, taking in the red dress and high-heeled strappy shoes that Elle had let her borrow since Blair hadn’t yet picked up the rest of her clothes. “But then, you always do.”
She smiled. “Thank you. You’re looking very handsome. My hormones are all in a tizzy right now.”
A low, wicked chuckle rumbled out of him as he curled his arms around her from behind, plastering his front to her back. “You ready to leave? The party will start soon, and we need to arrive before the guests.”
“I just have to slip on this other earring and then I’ll be ready.”
Nuzzling her neck, he lapped at her brand. “You don’t need to be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous, I’m …” She trailed off, not wanting to raise a subject that could spoil his mood.
His gaze darted back to hers. “You’re uneasy about something. I can sense it through our bond. What is it? Tell me.”
Both earrings now on, Blair turned in his arms. “There’s a chance my mother will turn up with every intention of ruining the party. She’ll know about it from Mitch. She won’t want it to go smoothly. And she’ll resent that it’s being thrown when she’s spent years trying to convince me that I’d never be fully welcomed by your pride.”
A hardness slid into his eyes. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“You always did your best not to let her antics succeed in causing drama. Did you really think that I wouldn’t do the same?”
He grunted, seeming disappointed that he couldn’t argue. “I know it’s possible that she’ll show, which is why I assigned two enforcers to guard the Tavern’s entrance. She won’t get past them, I can promise you that.”