Page 87 of Shifters Unifying
“Something like that,” Olivia offered. “Since we have an extra sandwich, Ms. Carter, would you like to have lunch with us?”
“Is that another one of your powers?” Sophia whispered. “Can you read minds?”
“Powers?” I echoed, scanning the other patrons in Vixen’s. Thankfully, they’d all lost interest in what was happening at our table. “Our power are not something most regular people know about, and we don’t talk about them much in public. What did she tell you?”
“Emma didn’t tell me anything. Not until I caught her shifting last time she was in town. She was naked,” she rasped. “In the middle of God and everybody. The whole town might have seen her.”
I laughed, and Olivia joined me.
But Sophia gave us both a stern scowl. “Why is that funny?”
“You sound so much like Emma after she first learned about what we can do,” I answered. “She didn’t know what to think of all the…”
“Nakedness?” Sophia prompted. “She wasn’t raised that way.”
“But to answer your other question, no, we can’t read minds,” Olivia interjected before I could fit my foot, or maybe my whole damn leg, into my mouth again. “Have you spoken with Shannon and Riley?” she asked.
Sophia nodded. “Almost every day.”
“And they’re okay?”
“Yeah, but they don’t know when they’re going back to work at the vet practice or what’s happened to Emma, so they’re not much help. Other than to listen to me going on about finding her.”
Sheila reappeared with Sophia’s water and placed it on the table. “Anything else I can get you?”
“Are you one of them?” Sophia asked, waving to the wolf tattoo on Sheila’s arm.
Sheila paled. “One of them?”
“With the changing into animals?”
“Oh, god.” Sheila took a step back. “I’m going to check on my other customers.” Then she spun and darted toward the table at the farthest side of the dining room.
“Sheila isn’t one of us, Ms. Carter—Sophia,” I added hastily. “But she’s my cousin, and she knows about… us.”
“So, where is my daughter, Mr. Blackwood?”
“Emma’s been staying at my place.” Not exactly the whole truth, but maybe it would be enough to set Sophia’s mind at ease. I brought my Chilton to my lips and took a drink.
“Your place? Is that so? What does she do there? Besides you, I mean, obviously.” Sophia’s cheeks pinked, but she glared at me as though she already knew every feral thing we’d done over thelast month. “Well? What are your intentions with my daughter? Some kind of sex cult?”
At that, I nearly dropped my glass. Snorting Vodka hadn’t been on my long list of things to do today, but my drink refused to go down the right way.
I repeat: Fuckity, fuck, fuck.
I didn’t really want to discuss our sex life with Emma’s mother.For chrissake. Get ahold of yourself, and put the damn glass on the table, man.I slammed it down harder than I intended, swiped a paper napkin, and dabbed at my mouth.
She turned to Olivia. “Does at least have a house for all their… shenanigans?”
Olivia glanced at me. “You know, I think I like her.”
“You would,” I snapped.
“Reminds me of Emma.”
“That’s the best compliment I’ve heard all year,” Sophia said. “I think I like you, too, dear,” she added. The older woman shot me a look that practically screamed“but I do not like you.”
Holy shit.This was going sideways, and I hadn’t said much of anything.
