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“Apparently, she’d rather have me out of Zaire’s line of sight.” Quinley shrugged, still not getting why Nazra would be so invested in that.
“Huh.” Adaline scratched her cheek. “It’s good news for you, I guess. It makes me wonder why she’d be so behind having you gone from here, though. It never bothered her before.”
“They weren’t imprinted before. She said the bond accentuates possessiveness.”
Adaline nodded. “True-mate bonds do—I can attest to that. If there was anyone near my man who had rights to him, I’d want her gone from my sight and—more importantly—from his.”
“I can understand that much. But she seems genuinely worried about how he’ll react to my mating Isaiah—that I don’t get. She said there are things I don’t know. I didn’t ask her to elaborate because it was clear that she wouldn’t.”
“So he doesn’t yet know?”
Quinley shook her head. “It surprises me, given how they’re a gossipy bunch, that none of his friends from our pride have told him. I guess she might have made it clear through one of her own friends that no one is to contact him about it.”
“That is odd,” Adaline agreed.
“Let’s just be glad she’s not going to make any attempt to interfere in my plans. I doubt it would have worked, but Nazra can be… enterprising.”
“That much is true.”
Hearing her cell beep, Quinley fished it out of her pocket. Her belly did a little tumble on realizing she’d received a message from Isaiah via FindYourMatch: Hey, the celebration will start at 7 tomorrow, can you get to my place half an hour early so we can be ready at the venue for when the pride arrives?
Her nerves sang a frantic song at the thought of the celebration. She wasn’t having second thoughts or anything, she was just nervous. Quinley typed: Hi, yes, six-thirty is fine with me.
“I’m guessing that’s Isaiah, because you’re fidgety all of a sudden,” said Adaline.
“It’s him,” Quinley verified.
Another beep came. The next message read: Great. He added his address.
“Huh. Apparently, he lives in a cul-de-sac.” She’d worried he lived near a main road—Quinley’s cat was used to space, lots of land, and being tucked away from the world. The cul-de-sac would hopefully re-create that feeling of being separate from the hustle and bustle. “He was just asking if I’d arrive earlier than the guests. He must want us to greet them as they enter wherever the celebration is being held.”
“You all set for tomorrow?”
“Yup. Nervous, but definitely ready.” Quinley pocketed her phone. “I have my duffel packed with everything I’ll need until the rest of my stuff is delivered to Isaiah’s house.”
“It’s your house now, too.”
“Not until after the celebration. Want to see the outfit I bought for the event?”
Adaline’s eyes lit up in interest. “Oh, yes indeed. Lead the way.”
CHAPTER SIX
The cul-de-sac was seriously cute, especially with all the Christmas decorations. Most were lit up, despite that it wasn’t fully dark yet.
Not all shifters celebrated the holidays. Those who did generally didn’t do so for religious reasons. Quinley’s pride always went butt wild at Christmas.
And as of today, she’d no longer be a member of that pride.
Cue belly flutter.
While she lamented being in a position where transferring to another was necessary for her sanity, she had no doubts about what she would soon do. Not one. But, yeah, it would suck to not live close to her family.
As she brought her car to a halt outside Isaiah’s address, Quinley noticed a bunch of people crowded together on the neighboring porch. His pride mates, obviously. Some were nosily looking at her car, probably guessing who she was. After all, not many strange vehicles were going to park outside Isaiah’s place at this particular time.
Snagging her purse, she took a preparatory breath and slid out of the car. The chilly air danced along her back—the only part of her body exposed by her belted, ruby-red jumpsuit. With its diamante neckline and long mesh skirt at the back, it was a solid choice for an elegant party outfit in the winter.
Quinley did not do skirts or dresses during winter.
