For the first hour, she checked the office email and filed a few things. While she did that I scrolled social media, uploaded a few photos and spilled my sweet, creamy coffee.
Bec had drunk most of hers before we'd even gotten to the office. My mate loved sweet coffee!
By the time she was done with those chores and sitting back to frown at her empty latte cup, Marduk arrived.
He wordlessly handed her a phone in a brand-new box
She took it with a beaming smile. “This is the exact one. I didn't think you'd find it, thanks!”
Abandoning any pretense of working, she set up her new phone. Marduk sat down, put in his earbud and closed his eyes.
I went back to scrolling. I lost track of time when a notification popped up. I opened up PixUs to find a picture of me scrolling my phone from Bec. I looked up to find her watching me with a smile.
“Very cute,” I said.
“I was making sure the camera worked,” she said with an adorable, lighthearted smile. Setting her phone down, she sat back in her chair. “I know I shouldn't be hungry, but I'm craving something from Bear Buns Bakery.”
“Marduk,” I said, nudging his foot with mine. He opened his eyes and pulled out his earbuds. “Bear Buns Bakery isn't too far and—”
“On it,” Marduk said before I could finish. Outside of Mila's amazing pastries, Bear Buns Bakery was his favorite. He grabbed his helmet, jumped up, and rushed out the door without another word.
I grinned at Bec. “He'll bring half the bakery back with him.”
“I wouldn't mind,” she said, then put her elbows on the desk in front of her and rested her chin in one hand. “What’s it like to be you?”
I was surprised by the question, but pleased. “That’s a broad question. Could you narrow it down?”
“I've been doing that a lot lately,” she said, then thought about it for a moment before asking the next question. “When were you born?”
“Mom laid our egg about 600 hundred years ago,” I answered.
Her eyes widened for a moment. “How long do Jörmungandr live?”
I was pleased that she’d pronounced it correctly. She must’ve taken the time to look it up.
“It depends,” I said. “Most of us live about five thousand years, but some can live up to fifty thousand.”
“That’s a big difference,” she murmured.
“Yeah, the difference is because Jörmungandrs can get complacent and forget that there are more powerful creatures out there. Like your neighbor.”
“I’m sorry, what neighbor?”
I told her about Ysabella. As I talked, her expression went from shocked to amused.
“It’s hard to believe,” Bec murmured after I was done. “Ysabella and Jason are so sweet. We haven’t spent much time together, but we planned to go out for dinner after they got back. I guess all five of us could go out now. Are you sure she's a medusa?”
“Absolutely,” I said. “It would take both my brother and I, along with many others, to defeat her. Thankfully, she’s not evil or anything. I heard from Cora and Pike that she rescued them from a drug dealing wolf pack. That’s where she got her, um, Jason. He was a wolf shifter that didn’t want to be part of the pack, but he was very submissive and couldn’t stand up to them. He’s the only one she didn’t execute. She basically adopted him. She’s his pack leader, not his lover.”
Bec looked a little misty eyed. “That’s so sweet. I thought they were a bit of an odd couple because they never even held hands. Now it all makes sense, especially her encouraging him to go to college, like she’s his mom.”
“That’s what a good alpha does,” I said. “They take care of their pack members.”
“Are there a lot of wolf shifter packs in San Diego?”
I was a little disappointed that her question wasn’t about me, but I was quick to answer it. The more she knew about our world, the more it would help her be wary of possible dangers.
“There are three permanent packs: Lobo Gris, Clover Pack, and Laske Pack. But there are also roving packs that don’t have a home territory. Usually they’re fine, but sometimes they can cause trouble.”
