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 And she raised you alone? He was a little surprised by it. Werewolves, from what I understood,
were fans of the it takes a village approach to raising children. I d told him yesterday my grandmere raised
me, but I guess he d assumed she had help.
 Because of, uh&  I tried to think of something that wasn t a lie but wouldn t tell him more than he
needed to know,  & the in-utero trauma that caused my lycanthropy to activate early? Okay, so I failed to
mention that said trauma was my newborn vampire father force-feeding his tainted blood to my mother and
turning me into a freakazoid hybrid. Not a lie, really, more of an omission.  My mother was young, only
seventeen, and my father was& dead. Again, not a lie, just a twist on the truth.  She didn t know how to
take care of a baby that wasn t just a baby. She probably couldn t have taken care of me if I had been
normal. She left me with my grandmother and never looked back. All of that was one hundred percent
truth.
Lucas s face was stony. Even Dominick and Desmond at their own table looked more solemn than
they had before. To me this was history. It was like telling someone about Brutus betraying Caesar. Or
about the collapse of the Roman Empire. History wasn t personal, it was just facts about the past. So, in
spite of the fact that this history was mine, it no longer moved me.
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Sierra Dean
Lucas took my hand, and with his other he touched the side of my face with a soft stroke of his
fingers. His hand was hot against my skin, which didn t surprise me given the raised core temperature of all
wolves.  You will never lack for a family again, he promised.
Sadly, I didn t think it was a promise he could keep.
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Chapter Eighteen
The Chameleon Lounge was more than just a restaurant. While the main floor served as an upscale
dining experience, the upper level, buffered by soundproof walls and floors, was a dance club.
Lucas guided me up a staircase at the back of the restaurant with our two D-named bodyguards
following close behind us. At dinner, Lucas had mentioned Desmond would be keeping an eye on me, but
he made it sound like the normal thing for a wolf-lieutenant to do for a displaced princess. I didn t pry
further, but it seemed like Lucas was assigning me a bodyguard I didn t need or want.
When we reached the club it wasn t at all what I expected. The walls were decorated with
sophisticated red-and-black damask wallpaper, and every flat surface looked like polished black marble,
from the dance floor to the bar to the individual tables.
All the lights were dimmed and covered by beaded black shades. Both the bar and the DJ booth were
on raised platforms, while all the booths were sunk into the floor so they had to be stepped down into.
I wondered if the marble floors posed any risk to dancing patrons, but the question was answered
when a man grabbed his date s hand and spun her around three times as if she were a top. She stopped on a
dime, dipped backwards and then into his arms again. Weres had enough natural grace to not fear a floor
like this.
Genevieve knew how to create a unique and dynamic environment for her customers. As soon as I
thought of her I remembered a question dinner had forced out of my mind.
Instead of asking Lucas, I dropped back to fall into step with Desmond. I figured since he d known
about Melvin the wereferret, he d probably know about Genevieve as well.
 Desmond? The taste of lime filled my mouth, and I had to swallow it before I could think of
speaking again.
 Miss McQueen. His formality jarred me. I wondered if his coldness had something to do with his
orders, if by being aloof he felt he was better equipped to protect Lucas and me. But Dominick didn t seem
to have any problem being nice to me. Perhaps when this night was over, Desmond and I would have a
little chat about what exactly his issue with me was.
I carried on with the question I d been about to ask.  What is Genevieve? I know she s not a wolf, and
she s definitely feline, but I can t quite pin her down.
A laugh punctuated the air behind us.  Ah, and here I thought the idea was that curiosity killed the
cat. What, I wonder, did it do to the big bad wolf? Genevieve was a few feet away, leaning against the bar
Sierra Dean
with a glass of champagne in her hand. Of course it would be champagne, and I was willing to bet it was
Cristal. Nothing but the best for our hostess.  You are concerned about what kind of cat I am?
She sashayed over to us on her towering heels. With that added height and the fact I was in flats, she
stood much taller than I and stared down at me with a lecherous smile that suited her quite well. Lucas had
disappeared into the crowd with Dominick, leaving me alone in Desmond s company.
 I was just wondering. Not concerned. You don t smell like any other were feline I ve encountered.
 And you don t smell like the average wolf, she pointed out, making me swallow hard.  Though I
guess that has something to do with the company you keep. In that one sentence Genevieve proved she
was a woman to be respected and feared. She knew much more about what happened in this city than I d
given her credit for.  I must say, standing next to this knight of yours, you two certainly smell alluring
together, don t you?
I grimaced. Impossible. There was no way for her to know what I could taste from Desmond. He gave
me a wary look, as if thinking the same thing. It was the first time I considered what must be happening to
Desmond whenever he came near me. If I was really bonded to him the same way I was bonded to Lucas,
which still seemed impossible, then how much was he suffering by ignoring it?
I couldn t help but ask her,  What do we smell like?
She grinned and tossed her hair over one shoulder.  Key lime pie. It s on your breath, and it s not on
my menu.
My whole body went rigid, but I did not reply.
 To answer your original question, Miss McQueen, I am an ocelot. One of only a dozen in the
country, and I am their queen.
I nodded, absorbing her species and rank.  Thank you.
 No, thank you. It has been some time since I ve been in the presence of a soul that is double bonded.
You are quite remarkable. She tipped her champagne flute at me. Before I could get any clarity on what
she meant, she was looking past me.  I see your king has found an acquaintance. I will leave you now, but
please drink whatever you d like tonight. It s on me. And then she was gone.
Turning to Desmond, I noticed how hard-set his jaw was, his eyes looking anywhere but into mine.
 Double bonded?
 She shouldn t have said anything. It wasn t her place. Trouble-making cat. He glared in the
direction she had gone.
 Double bonded? I asked again, more insistent this time.
 Secret, he said, dropping the formality but none of the stern tone.  We can t discuss this here. Lucas
will explain when  His eyes located the spot Genevieve had been looking at moments earlier, and he was
suddenly quiet.  Oh, was all he said. Then,  Are you a jealous woman?
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Something Secret This Way Comes
I couldn t ignore that. Even as I was saying,  No, I was turning to see what he was so distracted by.
The new acquaintance Lucas had made was a willowy brunette wearing a minimalist taupe shift dress. His
hands were on her waist, her back against his front, and they were dancing very close together, swaying in
perfect harmony to the music.
My denial of jealousy stuck in my throat, blocking the growl that longed to follow. I shoved the urge [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]