Page 14 of Dancer's Heart

Adam unbuckled his seatbelt and released hers, then pulled her into his arms. His spicy scent surrounded her and eased her fears. She slid her hands under his coat and gripped his shirt.

“I would never let anyone hurt you, Dani.”

“I know. My reindeer is just reminding me that I’m prey.”

A growl rumbled in his chest. “Because you wear my mark, even in your human form shifters would recognize you as one of their own kind, regardless of what kind of beast you shift into.”

He nuzzled her throat and kissed her pulse, which beat erratically. “The rational part of me knows that.”

“This isn’t the same as when you’re in your shift. There’s no danger here. This is my pack, you’re marked as my mate, and you’re covered in my scent.”

She inhaled and willed herself to relax. She did trust Adam to keep her safe, and although a deep, ancient part of her wanted to tuck tail and skedaddle, she wasn’t about to walk away from her mate for anything.

“Okay.”

“Yeah?” He tilted her face and studied her. “We can leave.”

His concern for her made her smile. “No, it’s okay. It’s just that I’ve only known bears. They’re predators, but not like wolves. I trust you.”

He kissed her briefly and opened his door, then walked around to her side of the truck and opened hers, offering her his hand. She loved how much of a gentleman he was. He always thought of her first, not just in bed but in all things. She mentally shook her reindeer out of the fear that kept trying to creep in and grab hold, and she walked purposefully up the sidewalk with Adam.

Adam knocked on the front door and it swung open a few moments later. A tall, dark-haired male stood in the doorway.

“Good to see you, Adam,” he said, extending his hand.

“Thanks, Alpha. This is my mate, Dani Grayson. Dani, this is my alpha, Acksel Moore.”

Dani stared at Acksel, who regarded her with gray eyes. He didn’t look at her like she was something furry to chase through the forest and devour. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said.

“I’d shake your hand, but males can be funny about others touching their females,” Acksel said as he took a step backward into his home. “Please come in. My mate is in the kitchen.”

The door swung shut after they stepped inside, and Adam took her coat and hung it up next to his on hooks by the front door. A pretty woman, smelling of human and wolf, walked into the front room, brushing what looked like flour from her hands.

“I was trying to make gravy. It’s hard as heck,” she said. “You must be Dani. I’m Brynn, Acksel’s mate.”

“Thanks for inviting us to dinner,” Dani said, shaking Brynn’s hand and discreetly brushing flour from her own hand. “Can I help? My mom makes really good gravy.”

“Oh, wow, that would be great!” Brynn grabbed Dani’s hand and said, “Make yourself comfortable, Adam; we’ll be a few minutes.”

Dani smiled at Adam, and he winked at her. She was gently tugged into a large kitchen filled with the scent of roasted meat and vegetables. Her stomach rumbled and Brynn said, “I’m glad you’re hungry. I eat like six times a day because of the baby, and he likes red meat.”

“Congratulations on the baby. When are you due?” Dani asked as she stepped in front of a saucepan bubbling with gravy, which was an unpleasant dark brown color.

“June seventeenth.”

“Are you sure you’re having a boy?” Letting a drop of gravy fall on her finger, she tasted it and found it to be extremely bland.

“I want it to be a surprise, so we’re not going to find out until he’s born, but I’m pretty sure it will be a boy. Motherly instinct I suppose.”

Adding seasonings and milk until the gravy looked and tasted great, Dani turned to Brynn with a spoonful. Brynn took the spoon and popped the end into her mouth. Her eyes widened. “Oh, yum! How did you do that?”

“I had a good teacher.”

“Tell me about your bear family,” Brynn said as she lifted the lid from a slow cooker on the counter and spooned carrots and potatoes onto a platter.

“My parents were killed by a pack of natural coyotes when I was three. I’d been left with my aunt while the herd went foraging. Everything was fine, and then the coyotes found them. They don’t normally hunt in packs unless it’s a big group of prey, but it was my herd’s bad luck to be near the coyotes’ territory. My aunt shoved me up into a tree and tried to shift to protect herself, but she was killed.”

Dani blinked at the sting of tears. She had been thinking a lot about her people since she’d met Adam. She wished she had more memories of her family. She had vague, fuzzy recollections of what they looked like: her mom was blonde and her dad had dark hair. She remembered her mother loved to make handheld apple pies over the fire.

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