Page 121 of Knot What I Expected

Nobody.

I've been called worse.

Much worse.

These women can't touch me. They can't hurt me. They're just a bunch of spoiled assholes who've had too much to drink and apparently need to make another woman feel small in order to feel important themselves.

So why is the other part of me suddenly so restless?

I open my eyes. And I really look at them.

Something has been bothering me since they arrived.

Their scent.

Perfume dominates everything. Expensive perfume, hairspray, alcohol, body lotion. But underneath all of that?

Feathers.

My heart skips.

I inhale again. Subtly.

Fuck.

Definitely feathers.

My fingers curl around the edge of the tray. None of these women behave like Shifters. They don't move like them.

Don't smell strongly enough to be Aviary themselves.

Human. All of them. I'm almost sure.

But they’ve been around Aviary Shifters recently. A lot.

My hidden nature stirs beneath my skin.

Not now.

I force her down. The Suicide Cliff Wake isn't the only group of Aviary Shifters in the world.

Not even close.

There are Eagles. Hawks. Owls. Ravens. Vultures outside the Wake.

There are plenty of perfectly innocent reasons a group of human women might carry traces of Shifter scent.

Maybe one has a boyfriend. A relative. A coworker.

Maybe—stop.

I'm being paranoid.

That's what running does to you. Eventually, every shadow becomes a threat.

Every stranger looks suspicious. Every unfamiliar scent sends your heart into overdrive. And I refuse to live like that forever.

Especially here.