When I reach the docks with twenty minutes to spare, I frown at the sight of Kade standing in front of one of the loading pallets full of food. I can’t ignore her—she’ll just make my life harder if I try.
“Mother Kade,” I say, bowing my head as I approach.
“Cut that shit out,” she responds immediately. “I know you don’t really mean it anyway.”
Actually, I do, but I’m not going to tell her that. I respect what she’s built here, even if I struggle with her methods sometimes.
She relaxes against the pallet as I scan the area, watching shifters pick up pallets that would be too heavy for humans, carrying them onto the ship with ease.
“Here to give me a lecture before I board?” I ask.
“I’m here to make sure you don’t get petty like all you bear shifters do and don’t sink my ship,” she says bluntly. “This cruise brings in a lot of money for Wintermoon. The tourists who can’t get on land tend to book this cruise. And we only shut down in winter to give the ship a break because it’s continuously in route for three seasons.”
“Alright, I get it. I’ll do my best to keep control over my temper.”
Kade narrows her eyes at me, her blue gaze piercing. “Look, I know it’s not easy. Trust me when I say I’ve had my days when I’m absolutely fed up with humanity. But we have a good thing going here, and despite these irritations, we are truly blessed as a community.” She pauses, her voice softening slightly. “Humans hate us because they don’t understand us, and that takes away the one thing humans are known for—control.”
She tilts her head, studying me. “Look, no offense, but I pray to Fate you don’t find your mate on this ship.”
I start laughing, the sound echoing across the dock.
“I’m serious,” she insists, not amused. “Because shit, I know you, Jabari. You will sink that ship.”
“Have a little more faith in me,” I counter.
“Tell that to the man you tossed from the tenth floor of the hotel,” she retorts. “How his life flashed before his eyes right before I caught him.”
“I’m not apologizing for that. He called me a disgusting shifter.”
Kade moves her hand from the pallet and starts fussing with my clothes. “Well, you could use an upgrade, Jabari. How areyou supposed to woo your woman whenever you find her when you look like a caveman?”
“Style is the least of my worries right now.”
“It should be,” she says, frowning at my oversized shirt.
I roll my eyes and start making my way toward the ship, Kade falling into step beside me.
“I hear you make a mean chicken Alfredo,” she says casually.
“It’s a hobby,” I reply, the same thing I told Tristian. “I want to make sure I know how to cook for my woman.”
“That’s very shifter-like of you,” she teases, her fangs showing in her smile.
“You can tease shifters all you’d like, but going this long without a fated mate is unnatural for us. Maybe not for a vampire since you have your immortality, but never for a shifter. We shifters weren’t meant to live forever, and we as a species understand that.”
“Blah, blah, blah, you’re all still a bunch of lovesick animals,” Kade says, waving her hand dismissively.
I’m not offended by her comment. It’s just Kade being Kade.
“When I find my woman, she will understand my purpose, and I’m going to spend my life fulfilling that purpose—making sure my woman and my cubs have a good life.”
Kade rolls her eyes dramatically. “Oh my god, you sound like Kane. Not another one.”
I narrow my eyes at her. Kane from House of Zorah? I’m slightly offended. I’m nothing like that wolf shifter.
Having had enough of the casual chat, I stop right at the boarding ramp where they’re loading supplies. “I’m going to behave, Kade.”
“Still checking on your ass,” she retorts.
