Page 23 of A Wolf After My Own Heart
Annette shook her head. “He never should have rented to one of them.”
Oz felt his eyebrows climb. “You hear yourself, right?”
“I don’t have a bigoted bone in my body and you know it,” Annette snapped. “It’s a safety issue.”
He knew what she meant, but he could no more resist the chance to needle her than he could resist thinking about Lila’s curls and what they might feel like. Oz took a two-second mental break and reminded himself, again, thatKama-Rupawas not happening. It wassonot happening, in fact, that he’d decided he wouldn’t bring it up. For what? The fleeting pleasure of confirming he hadn’t gone clinically insane in twenty-four hours? No and no and nope.
He forced his brain back on its accustomed “snark all over Annette” track. “Next you’re gonna say property values in the neighborhood are gonna drop like rocks.”
“Well, they might, but that’s more because of the economic indicators that would—dammit, it’s not a race thing!” she nearly shouted. “Or a species thing, rather. I don’t have a problem with Stables. In fact—”
“If you say you have a Stable friend, I’m gonna laaaaaaaugh.”
“Well, I do. More than one, even! Look, you know me,” she whined.
“IthoughtI did.”
“Oh my God, I’m going to beat you to death. You know I don’t think Shifters are superior. I think we’re all—”
“Separate but equal?”
“Dammit!” Annette practically howled.
“Children,” Mama Mac cut in. “Since there’s nothing to be done about Roy’s current tenant—”
“I wouldn’t say that.” From Annette, who’d calmed down and was now staring hopefully at the pie earmarked for Caro and Dev. “They never stay very long, StablesorShifters.” She glanced around at the table. “We all know why.”
Oz snorted. “Then why are you saying it?”
“That’s true, m’dear, but that curly gal’s here for—damn, I’ve forgotten her—”
“It’s Lila,” Oz broke in at once. “Lila Kai. From Bloomington, Illinois.” At their inquiring looks, he elaborated. “Her old address is on the boxes of eyes and arms.”
“Boxes, plural?”
“Yep.”
“Ofeyes?”
“And arms.”
“GoodGod.” Annette shook off the horror—literally shook—and then pushed her bangs out of her eyes. He’d never tell her, but her deep brown waves and white highlights were a striking mess. And no matter how many haircuts she had, she always looked about a month overdue for one, which should’ve made her look like an unkempt slob but somehow didn’t. He and the few who knew her secret—she was probably the only polar–grizzly were in the world—liked knowing her hair was the giveaway, out there for everyone to see if they bothered to pay attention. Multiple deceased bad guys hadn’t, Exhibit A forwhythey were deceased.
“All right, let’s stay on point,” she was saying, because she wasn’t just a polar–grizzly hybrid, she was a relentless polar–grizzly hybrid. “Though I have to admit that’s a fascinating segue, and we might circle back to it. Boxes of eyes and arms. What do we do about this Lila Kai? If we need to do anything. This could be premature fretting,” Annette added, waving her fork to encompass him, Mama Mac, the kitchen, the house, the neighborhood. “She may not know.”
“She definitely knows.”
“You’ve got no proof.”
“Annette, she one hundred percent knows. This is not a stupid woman. The Vexin kits flagged her down and saw her pick Sally up in the ally. Becauseof coursethe most curious kits in town happened to be there when this mess started. On a school night, but that’s a whole other issue. And before you ask,” he added, though neither woman had opened her mouth, “they had no idea the new neighbor was Stable until it was too late.”
Annette nodded. “Unfortunate timing, I agree. But Oz, did Lila see Sally shift back?”
“She—she must have.”
“Which you’re assuming because…”
“She was ready for anything. Both times!” He sighed, remembering. “It was so cool.”
