“The clink?” Naomi couldn’t help giggling.
He grinned. “Joint? Slammer? Nick?”
She rolled her eyes. “Good grief. And yes, I’d love dinner.”
“Great. So tell me, what have you missed the most? What kind of food?”
She pursed her lips thoughtfully, considering her answer.
“Mexican,” she decided. “Italian also, but we just had pizza for lunch.”
Liam nodded. “True. Mexican it is. Grab yourself a jacket… if you have one?”
“Katerina included a hoodie in the bag she packed for me, that should do for now. Most of my wardrobe is for Florida, anyway, so I’ll need to do some shopping even once I’ve got the rest of my clothes from my car.”
“Oh, right. I meant to tell you, Maroulla is coming down to meet you tomorrow. But we can see about getting your car any time after that.”
She began to twist her fingers together nervously. “Maroulla Kazakis… the Warden, I think you told me? For this Council thing?”
Liam chuckled. “Geez, you look like someone’s about to drag you right back to jail. The zoo. Whatever. She’s going to be visiting Katerina, too. Katerina’s her granddaughter.”
She grinned at him. “Yeah, I’m starting to remember all this now. Her grandson is here, too, right? That would be Katerina’s brother… um…” she thought hard. “Kester?”
“Right!” He nodded at her approvingly. “Also, his Chosen, Tamera. She’s one of the caracal shifters. They’re staying here at the bed and breakfast while they house hunt.” He stepped back from the railing separating their balconies, and gestured toward her room. “Go on, now, and grab your sweater and some shoes, and meet me in the hallway.”
Half an hour later,over chips and salsa, a heaping plate of nachos, and margaritas, in a corner booth of a colorfully decorated Mexican restaurant, Liam tapped the table surface to get her attention.
“Okay, listen up.”
Naomi snagged another loaded tortilla chip and stuffed it in her mouth. “Unnhuhn,” she agreed. She pointed at their huge, mostly empty, margarita glasses. “Who’sh drivn’?”
“Ah, that.” He grinned widely. “Now that’s one thing Iamsurprised your mother didn’t teach you. Before we leave, I’ll go into the men’s room and do a partial Change. Just enough for my Pyr to come forward and metabolize the alcohol. Then when I Change back, I’ll be completely sober. Free and clear. I could even do a Breathalyzer, and it’d show 0% alcohol consumption.”
She swallowed her bite of nacho before she could choke on it, and stared at him. “Are you serious?”
“Mmhmm.”
“You mean all those hangovers in college…”
“Yep. Could totally have been avoided.”
She fell back against the cushioned wall of the booth.
“Well, damn.”
He winked, and drained the rest of his margarita.
Naomi aimed a mock scowl across the table. “What else don’t I know?”
“Oh, that.” Liam straightened to attention, becoming more business-like as he leaned forward. “I do want to explain more about the Council. Actually, Councils… all of them.”
“Even the Grand Council, or Supreme, or whatever you call it?” She looked doubtful.
He chuckled. “Grand Council. And yes, that, too. Here’s the thing. The Councils are our friend. They’re a governing body. They make and, yes, enforce our laws, but it’s not the same as in the human world, the police, FBI and so forth. Think of them as… um…” he paused, working to come up with the right word. “Benign. They care about us, help us, support us in living peaceful lives hiding in a world that would be unimaginably hostile should our existence become known.”
“Okay,” Naomi said slowly, nodding as she considered what he was saying. “I can see that.”
“Everything they do, all the laws they make, any interventions, have one single purpose. A Prime Directive, they call it. And that is to protect shifters… and all Others… by keeping our existence secret.”
