Page 98 of Ice King

“How can I tell a shifter from a human?” she pressed.

With her growing more curious, and her questions becoming more pointed, it was only a matter of time until we cracked open the elephant in the room. “By our extraordinary abilities, but only if we allow them to be seen.”

“Such as running faster, jumping higher, keen eyesight and hearing.”

“You’ve been reading up on shifters.”

“A little bit.” The heat of her gaze was nothing I could ignore. Neither was the intense desire that had nearly crippled me all through dinner.

“Are you afraid of us?”

“Why should I be? Because other humans are? People are often afraid of what they don’t understand.”

“You mean like Bubba? He doesn’t like me because I can get all furry?” I was merely trying to lighten the mood.

The sounds she made when disgusted were adorable. “Hardly, big boy. Bubba can’t stand you because you’re ten times the man he is and those women knew it. They’d much rather ride your… stick than his.”

“Wait a minute. I thought he was their father.”

Her laugh filled the cab. “You have a lot to learn. And here I thought you were a bit kinky.”

I shifted in my seat while squeezing the steering wheel.

The man was a hunter. I’d bet all I had I was right.

From the time I was a small child, I’d been taught to recognize full-blooded humans. Not to fear or be angered by them, but to remind me I needed to be on my best behavior in not giving away who and what I was. At least by growing up in a town that had always known there was something different about a core group of people, I’d had more freedom to enjoy my heritage without fear of persecution.

Over the past couple of years, I’d honed my skills at being able to identify those who meant harm instead of being curious. The man was using the women as pawns to track down shifters.

My reaction brought her amusement.

“You’re worried about Bubba. Aren’t you? You think he’s some hunter.”

“I think there is a good chance he’s in town with an ulterior motive. But my father will know how to take care of the situation.”

“What does that mean?”

Exhaling, I gripped the steering wheel even harder. The longer she lived here, the more she’d understand about what we were dealing with so she might as well learn the truths up front. “We have pack meetings.”

“Pack meetings.”

“Yes,” I said, half laughing. “As in wolves are from different packs just like you’ve read in books and seen on television. The ones in the area have gotten together for meetings as long as I’ve been alive. My father is pretty much the man in charge.”

“Politics in packs.” The smile on her face was far too adorable.

“Something very much like local politics. But don’t worry. Up to this point, we haven’t thought about running for any human offices. Not that we’d be allowed. But we’ll see in the future.”

“These hunters need to be caught.”

“Even if Bubba realized there’s a huge wolf presence in town, I wouldn’t be too worried.” While I didn’t want her to feel toomuch anxiety, I certainly did. “But don’t worry. I will protect you. I’m the man in charge.”

Georgia shifted in her seat. “The man in charge, huh?”

Was she laughing at me? She was, the little brat.

“What’s so funny?” I glanced over, the darkness accentuating her beauty. She carried a luminous glow tonight, so beautiful I could easily become mesmerized.

“You’re so prim and proper at times.”