will kill us just as much as anyone else,” Rory added.
“Really? Man, I didn’t know that, but…you guys do turn hairy during a full moon, right? And Nik, being the undead evil and all, doesn’t being on holy ground bother you?” Shay asked, a bewildered expression on her face.
There were groans from the shifters at the table and what sounded like a snarl from Nikolai.
“No, Shay. Where are you getting this stuff from?” Alex asked.
“I researched vamps and shifters online, where else?”
They all started talking at once, only to quiet when Mary Elizabeth burst out laughing and Kiesha joined her, almost falling out of her chair.
“You shouldn’t laugh at her, Mary Elizabeth. She doesn’t know,” Hugh scolded.
“She’s not laughing at Shayla,” Kiesha denied. “She’s—we’re—laughing at you. You guys are so gullible. Shay, stop messing with them.”
Shay gazed blandly at each person in the group. “I don’t know what she’s talking about.”
Alex’s suspicion showed on his face. Hugh looked confused. Shannon’s expression showed she realized she’d been had. Nikolai was hard to read, but Rory? His eyes were narrowed.
“Shay’s a genius. She probably knows more about your species than you do yourselves,” Mary Elizabeth said while wiping tears from her eyes.
“My area of expertise is computers,” she loftily informed them.
“Yes but Auntie Yona’s is genetics, and she taught you all she knows. Don’t tell me you haven’t done DNA testing on Alex. You can probably tell us what this child I’m carrying will look like and which characteristics of ours it will have,” Kiesha finished with a chuckle.
As the grumbling rose from the paranormals sitting there, she decided retreat might be in order. “Traitor,” she grumbled at her cousin as she rose from her seat.
Rory tightened his grip on her fingers. “Where are you going?”
“Bathroom.” Her look dared him to make something out of it.
He released her as Kiesha said, “I’ll join you. My bladder’s about to burst.”
“Count me in,” Mary Elizabeth added. “You coming?” she asked Shannon.
“Might as well.”
As they walked off, she heard Alex telling Rory, “I don’t envy you, my friend. She’s going to turn your pack upside down.”
“They could use a good shaking up,” was his response.
As they crowded into the restroom, Shay realized she really did have to go. While she stood washing her hands at the sink, Shannon said, “I can’t believe I fell for that. After all the questions you asked me about shifters and vamps when you were here the last time, I should have known you knew better.”
“It’s that expression she gets on her face,” Kiesha said. “You know, the ‘I really don’t know, please educate me’ look? She does it so well.”
“Shay plays stupid better than anyone I know,” Mary Elizabeth informed them.
Shay shrugged. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”
“Well make sure you use that ‘gift’ of yours when you meet Rory’s pack. Let ’em underestimate you,” Shannon said.
“I thought you told me they respected intelligence and strength,” Shay asked, confused for real this time.
“They do, but they also admire cunning. If you go in there acting clueless, you’ll discover faster who’s on your side. They’ll relax their guard if they think you aren’t a threat,” Shannon concluded.
“You make it sound like she’s going into battle,” Kiesha said, looking worried.
“She is. The Sparrowhawks aren’t like the Ravens. If she comes on too strong, Shay’s going to be challenged for her alpha-fem position, true mate or not. But if she plays dumb, they’ll understand Rory protecting the ‘puny human.’ Shay will have a chance to learn who her enemies are, and she’ll have some, believe it.”
“That’s terrible,” Mary Elizabeth said.
“What’s worse is that as alpha, Rory’s slept with over half the females of the pack at one time or another. Many
“Really? Man, I didn’t know that, but…you guys do turn hairy during a full moon, right? And Nik, being the undead evil and all, doesn’t being on holy ground bother you?” Shay asked, a bewildered expression on her face.
There were groans from the shifters at the table and what sounded like a snarl from Nikolai.
“No, Shay. Where are you getting this stuff from?” Alex asked.
“I researched vamps and shifters online, where else?”
They all started talking at once, only to quiet when Mary Elizabeth burst out laughing and Kiesha joined her, almost falling out of her chair.
“You shouldn’t laugh at her, Mary Elizabeth. She doesn’t know,” Hugh scolded.
“She’s not laughing at Shayla,” Kiesha denied. “She’s—we’re—laughing at you. You guys are so gullible. Shay, stop messing with them.”
Shay gazed blandly at each person in the group. “I don’t know what she’s talking about.”
Alex’s suspicion showed on his face. Hugh looked confused. Shannon’s expression showed she realized she’d been had. Nikolai was hard to read, but Rory? His eyes were narrowed.
“Shay’s a genius. She probably knows more about your species than you do yourselves,” Mary Elizabeth said while wiping tears from her eyes.
“My area of expertise is computers,” she loftily informed them.
“Yes but Auntie Yona’s is genetics, and she taught you all she knows. Don’t tell me you haven’t done DNA testing on Alex. You can probably tell us what this child I’m carrying will look like and which characteristics of ours it will have,” Kiesha finished with a chuckle.
As the grumbling rose from the paranormals sitting there, she decided retreat might be in order. “Traitor,” she grumbled at her cousin as she rose from her seat.
Rory tightened his grip on her fingers. “Where are you going?”
“Bathroom.” Her look dared him to make something out of it.
He released her as Kiesha said, “I’ll join you. My bladder’s about to burst.”
“Count me in,” Mary Elizabeth added. “You coming?” she asked Shannon.
“Might as well.”
As they walked off, she heard Alex telling Rory, “I don’t envy you, my friend. She’s going to turn your pack upside down.”
“They could use a good shaking up,” was his response.
As they crowded into the restroom, Shay realized she really did have to go. While she stood washing her hands at the sink, Shannon said, “I can’t believe I fell for that. After all the questions you asked me about shifters and vamps when you were here the last time, I should have known you knew better.”
“It’s that expression she gets on her face,” Kiesha said. “You know, the ‘I really don’t know, please educate me’ look? She does it so well.”
“Shay plays stupid better than anyone I know,” Mary Elizabeth informed them.
Shay shrugged. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”
“Well make sure you use that ‘gift’ of yours when you meet Rory’s pack. Let ’em underestimate you,” Shannon said.
“I thought you told me they respected intelligence and strength,” Shay asked, confused for real this time.
“They do, but they also admire cunning. If you go in there acting clueless, you’ll discover faster who’s on your side. They’ll relax their guard if they think you aren’t a threat,” Shannon concluded.
“You make it sound like she’s going into battle,” Kiesha said, looking worried.
“She is. The Sparrowhawks aren’t like the Ravens. If she comes on too strong, Shay’s going to be challenged for her alpha-fem position, true mate or not. But if she plays dumb, they’ll understand Rory protecting the ‘puny human.’ Shay will have a chance to learn who her enemies are, and she’ll have some, believe it.”
“That’s terrible,” Mary Elizabeth said.
“What’s worse is that as alpha, Rory’s slept with over half the females of the pack at one time or another. Many
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