Page 22 of Brody
Brody walked me to the entrance, pushing the massive door open.His expression was unreadable.“I’ll pick you up at 7:30 a.m.to drive you over to my Brewstillery,” he said, his voice rough.
“I’ll be ready,” I replied, lifting my chin.
For a moment, he looked like he wanted to say something else, and his hand twitched toward mine before he clenched it at his side.“Rozi, I…” He shook his head.“Never mind,” he said before walking away and hopping into his vehicle.The sudden absence of his scent left me feeling oddly bereft.
I stepped into the foyer with hardwood floors, soaring ceilings, and a grand staircase that curved upward.
“Welcome, Dr.Rozi Dhahabu!”A warm voice pulled me from my observations.“We’ve been expecting you.”
I turned to find a woman standing behind the reception desk who greeted me.Her smile immediately put me at ease.
“My name is Ximena.I’m the manager of this B&B.”Her warm welcome made my shoulders drop an inch, a tension I hadn’t realized I was carrying until it eased.Most people in Others’ communities reacted to the Dhahabu name with suspicion at best, outright hostility at worst.“Imani reserved the top floor, east corner suite.”Ximena selected a vintage brass key from a wall of hooks.
A tall man with straight, thick black hair, high cheekbones, and light brown skin walked up beside Ximena and said to me, “I’ll take your luggage to your room.”
“Thank you…” I replied, waiting for his name.
“Nakos,” he replied.“My pleasure.”
“Let me show you to your room,” Ximena said, coming to my side.
“Thank you,” I replied as we ascended the curved staircase with Nakos silently following.
As we climbed, Ximena shared stories of the building’s restoration.“This place has stood for over a century,” she said, her voice rich with pride.“Imani and Piper spent three years bringing it back to life.”She led me down a long corridor and paused at a polished oak door.“Your suite, Doctor.”
When she swung the door open, I couldn’t suppress a gasp.The room before me was breathtaking—an antique four-poster bed draped with silk sheets that shimmered in the soft light, a fireplace with flames that danced in hues of blue and gold, definitely magical, and a carved wooden dressing table with a welcome basket that smelled of fresh-baked treats and forest berries.
Nakos deposited my luggage while Ximena smiled warmly.“Good night, Dr.Dhahabu,” she said, and they both left.
Locking the door, I kicked off my sneakers and moaned at how good the cool wood floor felt against my tired feet.Walking over to the big wooden dressing table, I peered into the welcome basket filled with sweet treats, bottles of jams, craft beers from Thornbern Brewstillery, and sparkling water.
Opening a bottle of water, I gulped it before tearing into a small box labeledAurora’s Sweet & Simple Bakery.The first bite of the cookie was bursting with flavor.I groaned as I savored the perfect balance of crispy and chewy, doughy yet fully baked, buttery and sweet, better than any cookie I’d ever had.
I dropped my backpack on a plush reading chair and sank onto the bed, the mattress yielding perfectly beneath me.The sheets were cool and crisp against my fingertips.
I should have been getting ready for dinner, but my mind kept circling back to the moment Brody had stepped between Logan and me, his body responding to protect his mate with instincts that transcended our complicated history.
My arms felt like lead as I peeled off my clothing, grabbing my toiletry-and-makeup case before heading into the bathroom.The shower dial squeaked under my fingers, my body moving through the motions while my mind raced elsewhere, slipping on my shower cap and letting the hot water ease my aching muscles.The soothing scent of the B&B’s lavender body wash filled the steamy air, a momentary comfort in the mess swirling in my mind.
I stepped out of the shower.I dried quickly and slathered on lotion.The scent of lavender clung to my damp skin.
Steam swirled around me, slowly dissolving as I swiped the foggy mirror.My dark skin glowed from the heat, but I had shadows beneath my eyes, evidence of too many sleepless nights spent worrying about the unmated males I’d come to help.I needed rest, but my mind wouldn’t quiet.
Slipping off my shower cap, I carefully worked the comb through my thick cloud of hair.My reflection blurred, the steam transforming the mirror into a portal to another time, another continent.Suddenly, I wasn’t staring at my forty-something self but at an eighteen-year-old girl standing alone in the Kenyan savanna.
Twenty-five years ago.The moment that changed everything.
The hyena’s breath reeked of death and decay as it crept closer, its yellowed fangs gleaming in the dying African sunlight.I pressed my back against the acacia tree, my research notes scattered like confetti around me, and refused to show fear despite the three spotted predators circling me with terrifying coordination.
“Well, this is just fucking perfect,” I muttered, gripping the flare gun I’d finally managed to fish from my pack.“Eighteen years old and I’m about to become some scavenger’s dinner because I was too stubborn to wait for an escort.”
My mind raced through the odds.Three hyenas against one human with a flare gun?I was dead.If I shifted to my cheetah form?Still terrible odds.Either way, I was in serious trouble.
My cheetah paced beneath my skin, snarling with frustration at my human calculations when we needed speed and claws.My cheetah knew exactly what to do—run, fight, survive—but my human side knew that three hyenas against one cheetah were not good odds.By the time I shifted into my cheetah, the hyenas would be on me before I completed my transformation.
I frantically searched for escape routes, my mind automatically mapping every possible path with the razor-sharp focus that had always been both my gift and my curse.Even facing death, my mind couldn’t shut off.It was my sanctuary, my superpower, the one thing I could always count on.
The largest hyena, clearly the matriarch, lowered her head and prepared to charge.I raised the flare gun, knowing it would only buy me seconds.I knew from my research these weren’t just scavengers.They were killers with jaws strong enough to crush elephant bones.
