Page 29 of A Lady's Heart
Justin shrugged. “Shifters are shifters. We’re all tougher than humans, even those who don’t have fur or sharp teeth. And don’t discount any of the wild kingdom—you ever been on the wrong side of an ordinary red-winged blackbird? Dangerous and territorial, even though they’re small.”
She shook her head then got distracted and pulled him into another shop where he waited for her to finish wandering the aisles, exclaiming over the pretty clothes and intricate knickknacks.
Utterly patient. Aching for more.
It was nearly two p.m. before her stomach grumbled loudly enough they both heard it. Mandy glanced down at her bare wrist before grabbing his to check his watch.
She twitched in surprise before turning to punch him playfully on the arm. “You’re so bad. Why didn’t you say it was so late? You must be starving.”
“We ate a late breakfast,” he told her. “I’m a big boy. I won’t cry if I miss a meal.”
Her gaze drifted over him, and her smile shifted to something far more along the lines of what he was hoping for.
“Youarea big boy.” She stepped closer, licking her lips as she leaned against him, her head barely to the middle of his chest. “Got any ideas of somewhere tasty you’d like to go?”
Back to the apartment and into bed?
No, wait. He better feed her first because once he got her into bed he wasn’t letting her up. They’d need their strength. “I know just the place.”
He untangled from her reluctantly, keeping a tight grip on her fingers to guide her down the street to the pub.
Mandy paused, tilting her head back to check out the nameplate above the window. “Northern LightsTheater?”
“NLT istheplace in Chicken,” he promised.
It took a second for his eyes to adjust from the bright daylight outside to the dimmer lighting in what had been an old theater lobby.
Mandy blinked hard, glancing in open-mouthed wonder at the majestic trappings decorating the walls and painted ceiling as Justin guided her toward the seating area at the bar mostly on memory. He didn’t think twice before catching hold of her hips and once again lifting her into the air, placing her on one of the tall gilded chairs in front of the bar counter.
She tilted her head and gave him a warning look, but when she didn’t say anything, he settled himself in, lightly resting an arm along the back of her chair.
Mandy leaned forward to admire the bar top, which was a sheet of glass laid over a collection of memorabilia, when a familiar silver-blonde head popped up from behind the counter like a jack-in-the-box. The beautiful young shifter leaned on one elbow and looked them over intently, her gaze lingering on Mandy before she turned toward Justin.
“Look who just dropped into my gin joint. A bear I haven’t seen in a couple months, and another familiar face who’s got trouble written all over her.” Nadia set two menus in front of him and Mandy, then in a whirlwind of motion, she spun away. She expertly picked up a loaded tray from the narrow window behind her and lifted it overhead.
She was out from behind the bar area and headed to the nearest table like a brightly coloured hurricane.
The group of burly men she approached had been getting louder and louder, shouted complaints giving way to swinging arms and outright snarling. But with Nadia’s arrival, instead of being one second away from what seemed to be bloodshed, they all shot to their feet. They waited politely in silence for the petite blonde to put down their food before resettling into their chairs, their loud conversation now controlled as she twirled away to talk to other customers.
He didn’t realize he’d been staring until he felt a tug on his sleeve, and turned back to see Mandy watching Nadia’s progress through the bar with equal fascination.
“What kind of shifter is she, and why does she look familiar?”
“Nadia is a lynx. She was in Whitehorse during the bear conclave—at the swimming pool, if you remember.”
“Oh.” Her face twisted at the unhappy memories the mention of that day must have brought back. “I think I saw her, but that whole day is a bit of a blur.”
“Makes sense. There was lot going on at that time.” He thought back a little harder. It was no wonder the lynx wasn’t instantly recognizable—Mandy had been quickly ensconced in the Takhini pack house while her abusive ex-husband was being dealt with. “Don’t worry, she won’t be offended you don’t remember her.”
Nadia moved decisively through the room for a moment before Mandy spoke again. “She’s good at her job.”
“She is,” Justin agreed. “She owns the place, and it’s pretty muchtheplace in town. Although she has a few advantages not all of us enjoy.”
Mandy waited expectantly, but Justin shook his head. “I’ll explain, but we should eat first,” he insisted.
Another waitress took their order, and their food arrived in quick order. The entire time they ate, Mandy’s gaze kept darting around the room, following Nadia.
He expected her to demand an answer far sooner than she actually did, turning to him as if she’d partially solved a mystery.
