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“There’s his other cousin,” Ash said, pointing to a couple standing almost in the woods, nearly out of the firelight. “That’s Kade. His papa’s sister’s kid.”
“Kade’s here?” Hunter asked.
“That’s him, isn’t it?”
Kade had a military haircut, camouflage pants, and had his arms crossed in front of his chest. He stood alone, looking very serious.
“That’s Kade all right,” said Hunter. “Daniel must have dragged him out of the woods.”
“What’s his deal?”
Ash and Hunter exchanged a look.
“Kade has a very specialized job,” Hunter explained. “It’s kind of complicated to explain right now.”
“Specialized how?” Cora asked, her interest piqued.
“It’s shifter-specific,” Hunter said.
Cora just waited for him to go on.
“He makes sure other shifters follow the rules,” Ash rumbled. “He and his mate Daniel live alone way, way out in the wild, basically off the grid.”
Cora nodded.
Then another man walked over to Kade. He was tall and a little thinner than most of the bear shifters there — but still considerably larger than most human men.
Hunter whistled low.
“My cousin Austin’s here,” he said. “Is it a full moon or something?”
“He sure is,” said Ash. “Huh. Think he found a mate?”
The two of them watched Austin closely. Cora took another few sips of her beer, enjoying the shifter gossip.
“Doesn’t look like it,” Hunter concluded.
“Why doesn’t he have a mate?” Cora stage-whispered. “Does everyone else have a mate?”
She was beginning to feel pretty tipsy.
“He’s always been kind of quiet and strange,” Hunter said, shrugging. “Not Kade strange, but a little different.”
“You know my theory,” said Ash. “I think he’s got a mate he won’t let the rest of your family meet because you’d embarrass him.”
Hunter punched Ash in the arm. It sounded to Cora like it hurt, but Ash just laughed.
“Everyone mates at their own pace,” Hunter told Cora. “We don’t like to rush people.”
“Maybe you don’t,” said Ash. “But you know his mom asks him when he’s going to give her grandkids every day.”
“Whose doesn’t?” Hunter muttered.
Before either Ash or Cora could respond, a boombox across the field started blaring music. Cora finished the rest of her beer, tossed the can on the blanket, and grabbed both Ash and Hunter’s hands.
“Stop gossiping like a couple of old biddies and come dance with me,” she insisted.
She was definitely feeling the beers now.
