Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 128380 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128380 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Bailey paused with another chip halfway to her mouth. “You think I’m not mature?”
“I can see that you don’t so, honestly, I’m not certain the word means what you think it does.”
“So you disagree with my opinion, in other words.”
“Yep. Totally.”
Bailey shook her head hard. “You can be so mean.”
“You’re deflecting yet again.”
“I’d stop if I could.”
Aspen let out a snort. “No, no, you wouldn’t.”
“Correct. But who cares?”
“I care.”
“So?”
Aspen bared her teeth. “Do you want me to slap you again? Is that where this is going? Because I’m up for it.”
Bailey smirked. “Bring it, bitch.”
Deke exited the half-bath in the hallway to see Tate and Camden walking out of the kitchen, bottles of beer in hand. “Need help?”
“We’re good,” the Alpha told him. “But you may need it,” he added, his lips twitching.
“With what?”
“Bailey. That you’re now her mate won’t stop her from driving you crazy.”
Deke felt his lips curve. “At least she takes an interesting route.”
Tate snickered. “Do your parents know about the imprinting yet?”
“Yes. Me and Bailey stopped by to see them before coming here. My mother never would have forgiven me if she’d found out second hand.” The woman was beyond excited, and he was quite certain that she’d have made several calls by now, spreading the news.
“Are they good with this? With Bailey?” A careful question from Camden.
Deke felt his brow pinch. “Why wouldn’t they be?”
The tiger shrugged. “Some people make snap judgements about her and then don’t look beneath the surface. They brand her ‘trouble’ and write her off.”
Like Deke had once done, he thought with an inner frown. It would likely always make him feel like a complete asshole. “My parents like Bailey a lot. More, they like her for me.”
“So do I,” Tate cut in. “You need someone who’ll challenge you and not care that you’re an intolerable ass at times.”
Deke blinked. “Uh, thank you?”
A low, angry hiss came from the living room quickly followed by an animal yelp of pain.
Deke sighed, knowing what that meant. “Here we go again.” He entered the room, not whatsoever surprised to see Bailey’s mamba and Aspen’s bearcat having an ugly brawl. The lower half of the snake’s body was curled tight around the bearcat’s neck, and said bearcat was chewing on the mamba’s head.
Havana shrugged past Deke, growling. “You can’t go without fighting for this one night?”
The animals paused and looked up at their Alpha female.
“Let go of each other now!”
The bearcat released the mamba’s head just as the snake began to uncurl her body from the other animal’s neck. But then the snake bitch-slapped Aspen’s animal with the end of her tail, and the bearcat pounced on her like a feral lion.
“I said stop!”
Finally, the animals broke apart and shifted back to their human forms. They began tugging on their clothes fast while Havana lectured them. A lecture that cut off when the doorbell rang again. Warning them not to resume fighting, the Alpha headed for the door.
Fastening her fly, Aspen looked at Deke. “I don’t know if you’re brave or stupid to take that on,” she began, jabbing a finger in his mate’s direction, “but you have both my admiration and sympathy all the same.”
Shoving an arm into the sleeve of her sweater, Bailey grinned at her. “You love me really.”
“In a manner of speaking,” said Aspen. “But when Z-Day arrives—”
“Oh, Lord,” muttered his mamba.
“—you’ll be the first person I eat when the food runs out.”
“And then you’ll carry a piece of me always, wherever you go. How sweet.”
“How fucked up,” Deke corrected. “Now come sit down.”
Bailey held up a finger. “One sec.” She hurried into the hallway.
Moments later, there was an almighty roar followed by terrified squeals.
“Bailey!” Havana yelled.
“Fear builds character,” said his mate.
Aspen exhaled heavily and slid her gaze back to Deke. “You sure you want to be bound to her for life?”
“I’m sure,” he said, smiling, knowing he’d never been more certain of anything.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Uh … I have no words.”
Hearing the voice of his Beta male, Deke’s cat lifted his eyelids to see Luke hanging out of a window that overlooked the communal yard. Not liking that he’d been disturbed, the cat bared his teeth.
Curled around the spot on which the feline was sprawled on the ground, his mate lifted her head and flicked out her tongue.
The Beta lifted his hands. “It’s just not often you see a black mamba snuggling a pallas cat.” He retreated inside and closed his window.
Now wide awake, the feline rose and did a long stretch. He nudged his mate’s head, wanted her to shift back, and then he retreated to allow his other half freedom.
Crouching on the ground, Deke ran his hand along the snake’s smooth scales. He thought he’d need to coax her to shift, but the animal subsided. Probably because she didn’t like the cold any more than Bailey did.