Page 73 of Damien’s Mate

“Sorry babe, but no,” Kitty said. “You know what Turned panthers are like.”

“What are they like?” Damien asked.

“Psycho,” everyone chorused. Kitty added, “Especially alpha panthers. Even the ones who were born panthers are pretty psycho.”

“I’m hardly psycho at all!” Brandon protested.

Kitty said, “You really want to give him a clone of your panther, only crazier?”

Brandon considered. “Okay, well, when you put it that way, no.”

Damien looked around the circle. “Okay, let me get this straight. Owls are sociopaths, and panthers are psychopaths.”

“Pretty much,” Callie said.

“Then what are leopards?”

Colt said, “Sex machines,” while Remy said, “Chick magnets.”

Everybody threw grass at them.

“And what are lions?” Damien asked.

Brandon, Colt, Remy, and Kitty all looked at each other, eyes wide, and chorused, “Flynn.”

Remy turned to Brandon, a wicked gleam in his eye. “If he wants to be a lion, we could always get Flynn to Turn him.”

“Hard no,” Brandon said, taking a slug of whiskey. “That’s all I need. Son of Flynn in my fucking crew, trying to fight me all the time.”

The twins were practically falling on the ground laughing. “Revenge of the Flynn,” Colt said.

Remy added, “He’d give Damien the orneriest lion in the history of shifters.”

Colt said, “Can’t. Flynn’s already got the orneriest lion in the history of shifters.”

Brandon shook his head, then spoke to Damien. “I’m serious, though. I haven’t forgotten what you did for us, a few months back. If you want to stay, animal or not, we’ll keep you.”

It still hurt that Lila wouldn’t stay. But the idea of finally having a place to call home…

There was still a shard of ice in the middle of Damien’s chest, but now that seed of hope was back, too. Maybe he’d finally found somewhere to belong.

Chapter 30

After Damien walked out, Lila suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe. She sank down into a chair, weight pressing down on her chest.

I am a warrior, she told herself.

I fulfilled my mission.

I’m going home. One more day and I’m going home.

But she didn’t feel happy, or satisfied. She didn’t even feel like she was going home.

This place feels like home, her lion said. Except the human is not here. He is hurting. She sounded reproachful.

Her lion thought this felt like home? But we have a duty, she said to her lion. Don’t you want to fulfill our duty?

There was a silence inside her, where her animal lived.