Page 47 of Zodiac Beasts

Right. Wonderful color balance. Very aesthetically complimentary.

“The yellow represents curiosity, intelligence, and insight. The lavender flowers inspire calmness and serenity.” The fact that my star sign’s colors suited her so well was a beautiful coincidence. I handed her the dress, and she admired every carefully sewn stitch.

“You’re amazing,” she said without thinking.

“And you will look incredible in that dress. If you’d like, you can wear it to work tomorrow. We’ll reach record sales when they see how beautiful our clothing looks on a live model.” A dangerous proposition, but one that was too irresistible to not suggest. “If you’d like to try it on, I’ll be more than happy to alter it if the fit is anything short of flawless.” I brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, before I retracted my hand suddenly. The visual reminder that Marcus had a mark on her neck was constantly sobering.

I shouldn’t be getting so friendly with someone he’d claimed. Her scent of sage had been overpowering lately, I wish I didn’t know what sorts of activities amplified scent this intensely, though I couldn’t blame him for being all over her either.

I would, however, curse whatever intrusive thought saw fit to have me picturing them together in entirely too much lucidity. It was made worse by the fact that I only knew what one of them looked like naked, and it was the wrong one.

Not again. If her natural pull had invaded my mind’s castle before, it had completely conquered the whole kingdom now.

“I’m sure it’ll fit.” She hugged the dress against her chest, and the smile on her face spread to my own.

An unusually hot sensation burned my cheeks, and I didn’t know how I managed to pull the words “I hope this isn’t the last dress I get to make for you” from my sparse social instincts.

“Me too.” Out of nowhere, she gave me a tight hug, and I stood rigidly in her embrace, not sure how I was supposed to react. “Thank you. I love it.”

The atmosphere in the shop was warm and comfortable after that. I savored our shift until we reached its inevitable end. Lila thanked me again before she headed home, while I stayed to close down the shop and turn in for the night.

My phone buzzed as I finished closing out the register, and I glanced to see a new event added to my calendar by the matchmaker. Any joy I’d felt deflated.

This had been a long month, and I was ready for it to be over. I was excited to spend my birthday with Lila, but I also needed to remember that she was taken, and I was obligated to a life of misery. This moonlight rendezvous felt like a last mercy before I had to uphold the family legacy. Who knew how much longer I’d be able to spend this kind of time with her. Even if I wasn’t destined to be pushed into an arranged marriage, she would likely get pulled away by her Alphas.

Since when was I so sentimental?

That too familiar sage scent must be getting to me. It still seemed strong, even long after she’d gone home for the day. It was like I couldn’t get it out of the shop.

I took a moment to wipe down the sales counter, annoyed that I was still smelling that sage even over the scent of my cleaning supplies. I put away my window spray, then I walked over to the door to lock up.

I grabbed the handle exactly as the door yanked me forward.

A jingle rang through my ears like a haunting melody as, on the other side of my glasses, I was met by a pair of two golden eyes.

Chapter 27

“Oh, good, I was worried you wouldn’t be open when I got here, but it looks like I caught you just in time.” I took a step into Threads of the Magi, and Ceto Arya matched my advance with his retreat. His throat bobbed, and my grin was entirely accidental. He was still so afraid of me.

As he should be.

“We’re closed.” He started speaking as he bumped into the counter behind him. He tried his best not to startle when he realized he’d run out of escape, but those micro shifts in his expression were easy to detect. I always noticed his idiosyncrasies, for better or for worse. “You can come back during regular store hours. Or never, preferably.”

“Well, that’s not going to work. I really need your assistance right now.” I cornered him, placing a hand on the counter on each side of his waist. One of the greatest gifts of being a vampire was how loud and vivid and delicious a speeding heart beat sounded in my ears. “There’s this familiar scent that keeps drawing me in, and I was hoping you could place it for me.”

“I would hope your memory wasn’t so abysmal that you would forget the scent of the first shifter you ever marked.” He scoffed, but his tone was more nervous than scathing.

So defensive.

“That’s not the scent I’m talking about.” The door fell closed with a soft jingle, and the briefest flash of distress reflected in his platinum eyes. “Chocolate chip cookies combined with apple pie is a surprisingly inviting combination, though.” I crowded his space so the only way he could avoid physically touching me was to press himself back into the countertop. He loved his personal space, and I loved invading it. I leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Did you forget to scent her before you hired her, or did you start getting close to her because you missed me?”

“I hired her because she’s perfect for the job.” His lie wasn’t convincing either of us. I’d marked her early enough that he never would have had a chance to pick up her natural Beta aroma. “Her scent is much more layered than just sage, and I’d never heard of a shifter having more than one mate, so how was I supposed to know that wasn’t her own unique Alpha scent?”

Fair. He was still lying, but I suppose Adrian’s claim could have muddled your average shifter’s senses a bit. Ceto wasn’t an average shifter though, and I’d never confuse him for such.

“I guess you won the lottery then, little serpent.” I grabbed his hips and pulled him close, just to see how he’d react.

“Really? Because it feels more like I lost a game of Russian Roulette.” He shoved my arm away, though I wasn’t oblivious to the flare in his cheeks. The sepia tones to his skin only hid so much.