Page 6 of Moonlight and Mischief
“You don’t think I’m more of a german shepherd?” Slate asks, his dark hair falling across his forehead as he leans back to narrow his eyes at his mate.
“How would you know? You guys don’t have dogs,” Hazel argues, her eyes sparkling.
“But we still know about them!” Onyx blurts, his words blending into laughter.
Jasper leans forward, arms resting on his knees. “What about something like a stag? Like those big elk. Very majestic. No one messes with them.”
“Yeah, let’s go with that,” Slate agrees, gesturing toward his brother.
Watching Jasper’s smirk, I have an idea. Bumping him with my shoulder, I say, “Actually, I think you’d be a fox.”
“Why?” he asks, his voice dropping. I can feel his breath on my temple.
“You’re clever and a smooth talker,” I tease, fidgeting with the edge of the blanket. It’s getting too warm under here.
“I’m not sure if I should be offended or flattered,” he says, his smile far too charming. The brightness in his eyes reflects the dancing firelight, flames within seafoam.
“Better a fox than a golden retriever,” Slate grumbles, though his voice is gentle.
Hazel traces the dark trees tattooed across his forearm. “I love you just the way you are.” He leans in, catching her lips in a kiss.
Onyx lets out a cough that sounds remarkably like “Get a room.”
“They have a room, several of them,” Cedar answers automatically, his eyes on the flickering fire.
“What about you, Marigold?” Hazel asks, breaking away from her mate. Her amber eyes glow honey in the firelight.
Tugging my fingers through my hair, I debate. “A dolphin?”
“I love that idea,” Jasper says quietly. My cheeks flush, his praise setting off a flurry of butterflies in my stomach.
He raises his voice for the group. “I’ve got one, what superheroes do you think could be wolves?”
“Wolverine,” Cedar says.
“Obviously,” I agree.
The fire snaps, a few sparks floating into the air and up into the purple sky.
Slate adjusts in his seat, his hands curling around Hazel’s hips possessively. “What about Black Panther? He’s all about family, community, and helping people, right?”
“That makes sense to me,” Onyx says, producing a second brownie for himself and taking a huge bite.
The conversation lapses while we all try to come up with another answer. Hazel finally shrugs. “I have no clue, I’m not a comic girl.”
“It’s okay. You can’t be perfect in every way,” Slate teases, earning a pout from his mate. He murmurs apologies in her ear as she curls into him.
Onyx has that gleam in his eyes that means he’s starting trouble. “Hazel, did we tell you about the time Slate peed his pants over seeing some raccoons?”
“No!” She shoots up. “I haven’t heard about this.”
Jasper chuckles. “This sounds good.”
I press my lips between my teeth, trying to prevent my laughter from interrupting the story.
“It was nothing,” Slate growls, “I was five, and we were having a sleepover, and Onyx dared me to run around the cabin in the middle of the night.”
“In his boxers,” Cedar adds, a reluctant smile brightening his features.
