gangs.
“I don’t know how many there are. As many as us, at least,” Noah said reluctantly. He’d seen them on the road occasionally, their snarling dog logo prominent. He sometimes saw half a dozen or more at a time.
“Not counting Cameron,” said Gabe, eyes flicking to the shop floor.
“Right.” He'd never actually seen Cam shift, and supposedly she was a fox anyway—probably not up to dealing with hyenas. Not that he wanted her to hear that. She wouldn’t like it.
“A bear, a dragon, a tiger, a wolf, and a panther. We’re pretty well suited to dealing with a pack of hyenas,” mused Gabe.
“Hyenas are more dangerous than you think. Don’t underestimate them,” Noah warned.
“Aren’t they scavengers, not hunters? And they’re the size of a starved dog.”
“And they have to defend their scavenging. Not to mention that since they’re shifters, they’ll be bigger and stronger than the wild version.”
“True.” Gabe looked thoughtful. “You know, dragons do one-on-one duels to settle debts, instead of everyone in the clan getting involved.”
“Trying to save your own ass, huh?” Noah joked. Gabe snorted. Then Noah turned serious. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“Assuming they have enough honor to stick to the terms, of course,” said Gabe.
“It’s something to try, anyway. I’ll make some inquiries and find out who their leader is.” Sitting back, Noah stole a glance out the window at Elise. A breeze was lifting the ends of her hair. It made a very pretty picture, but it was clearly annoying her—she kept having to tuck her hair out of the way, and it kept popping back out. It made him smile.
Gabe was watching him. “You like her,” he said. Classic Gabe: master of the understatement.
“Yes,” Noah said, not bothering to deny it. Maybe with someone else, but not Gabe.
“She likes you, too.”
Noah knew it already, but it was nice to hear it confirmed by someone else. “Yeah,” he said, smiling.
“I’m guessing she doesn’t know.”
The smile faded. Noah shook his head. “We’re not like dragons. We don’t have to mate with our own kind. But that can make things more complicated.”
“That’s tradition, not necessity. Dragons are insular. Too insular,” Gabe said bluntly. “It’s past time we started marrying out, honestly. There’s a lot of inbreeding. My mother lost two pregnancies before me, and more after. I was the only kid who survived.”
Noah heard an undercurrent of frustration beneath the words. Gabe didn’t often talk about his family or where he came from, though Noah knew they were estranged, and Gabe had little patience for tradition.
“Thinking about marriage a lot lately?” Noah said, trying to lighten the mood.
Gabe grinned, sharp, and Noah saw his dragon in it. “Nah. You know me. I’m a loner.”
Noah looked outside again at Elise. “Well, I thought I was too.”
Gabe cuffed him on the shoulder. “No way. We all knew you were going to settle down someday with a nice girl and have lots of bear cubs running around someday. I’ll just be the cool uncle.”
Their conversation was cut off by Noah’s phone ringing.
The name TYLER was flashing across the screen. Tyler almost never called him; Noah frowned and wondered if something was wrong.
“Hey-y-y-y, Noah?” Tyler sounded cautious and worried—two adjectives that never seemed to apply to the tiger shifter.
“What’s wrong?” demanded Noah.
“Well, I kind of… lost-track-of-the-kid,” Tyler mumbled, his words coming out all in a rush.
Noah sucked in a breath, aware of Gabe’s curious look. “What do you mean, you lost him?!” Glancing at Elise again, he reined in his volume and hissed, “You were supposed to be watching him!”
“I wasn’t going to stand there looking over his shoulder while he picked out spare boxers!” snapped Tyler. “Jesus, I let him loose in the men’s section for two minutes and got something to drink, and I kept an eye
“I don’t know how many there are. As many as us, at least,” Noah said reluctantly. He’d seen them on the road occasionally, their snarling dog logo prominent. He sometimes saw half a dozen or more at a time.
“Not counting Cameron,” said Gabe, eyes flicking to the shop floor.
“Right.” He'd never actually seen Cam shift, and supposedly she was a fox anyway—probably not up to dealing with hyenas. Not that he wanted her to hear that. She wouldn’t like it.
“A bear, a dragon, a tiger, a wolf, and a panther. We’re pretty well suited to dealing with a pack of hyenas,” mused Gabe.
“Hyenas are more dangerous than you think. Don’t underestimate them,” Noah warned.
“Aren’t they scavengers, not hunters? And they’re the size of a starved dog.”
“And they have to defend their scavenging. Not to mention that since they’re shifters, they’ll be bigger and stronger than the wild version.”
“True.” Gabe looked thoughtful. “You know, dragons do one-on-one duels to settle debts, instead of everyone in the clan getting involved.”
“Trying to save your own ass, huh?” Noah joked. Gabe snorted. Then Noah turned serious. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“Assuming they have enough honor to stick to the terms, of course,” said Gabe.
“It’s something to try, anyway. I’ll make some inquiries and find out who their leader is.” Sitting back, Noah stole a glance out the window at Elise. A breeze was lifting the ends of her hair. It made a very pretty picture, but it was clearly annoying her—she kept having to tuck her hair out of the way, and it kept popping back out. It made him smile.
Gabe was watching him. “You like her,” he said. Classic Gabe: master of the understatement.
“Yes,” Noah said, not bothering to deny it. Maybe with someone else, but not Gabe.
“She likes you, too.”
Noah knew it already, but it was nice to hear it confirmed by someone else. “Yeah,” he said, smiling.
“I’m guessing she doesn’t know.”
The smile faded. Noah shook his head. “We’re not like dragons. We don’t have to mate with our own kind. But that can make things more complicated.”
“That’s tradition, not necessity. Dragons are insular. Too insular,” Gabe said bluntly. “It’s past time we started marrying out, honestly. There’s a lot of inbreeding. My mother lost two pregnancies before me, and more after. I was the only kid who survived.”
Noah heard an undercurrent of frustration beneath the words. Gabe didn’t often talk about his family or where he came from, though Noah knew they were estranged, and Gabe had little patience for tradition.
“Thinking about marriage a lot lately?” Noah said, trying to lighten the mood.
Gabe grinned, sharp, and Noah saw his dragon in it. “Nah. You know me. I’m a loner.”
Noah looked outside again at Elise. “Well, I thought I was too.”
Gabe cuffed him on the shoulder. “No way. We all knew you were going to settle down someday with a nice girl and have lots of bear cubs running around someday. I’ll just be the cool uncle.”
Their conversation was cut off by Noah’s phone ringing.
The name TYLER was flashing across the screen. Tyler almost never called him; Noah frowned and wondered if something was wrong.
“Hey-y-y-y, Noah?” Tyler sounded cautious and worried—two adjectives that never seemed to apply to the tiger shifter.
“What’s wrong?” demanded Noah.
“Well, I kind of… lost-track-of-the-kid,” Tyler mumbled, his words coming out all in a rush.
Noah sucked in a breath, aware of Gabe’s curious look. “What do you mean, you lost him?!” Glancing at Elise again, he reined in his volume and hissed, “You were supposed to be watching him!”
“I wasn’t going to stand there looking over his shoulder while he picked out spare boxers!” snapped Tyler. “Jesus, I let him loose in the men’s section for two minutes and got something to drink, and I kept an eye
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