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“Hi,” I said, going up to a small cluster of bear shifters who appeared to be happy to see me. “I’m Ren. Um, I think this whole get-together is for you to meet me, so... here Iam!”
One of the women touched my arm. Her hand trembled a little. “You’ve been through a lot to make it here,” she said. “I’m glad we could make it here to greet youproperly.”
The guy beside her leaned close as if to share a secret. “People are saying you have more fire than the dragons before. A differentkind.”
“That’s true,” I started to say. Another of the women laughed withpleasure.
“We can burn all those rogues back to the darkness where they belong,” shecrowed.
Okay, that was a more violent turn than I really wanted this conversation to take. “I’ll deal with them as well as I can,” I said, and swiveled to look for someone else to introduce myselfto.
By the time Alice and I made it to the refreshments table, I’d endured a multitude of questions about my special fire-breathing, more skeptical looks than I could count, and a few outright glowers. At least I had lots of practice with those thanks to West. I didn’t feel all that hungry anymore, but I grabbed a glass ofwine.
Where were my alphas anyway? Nate probably had more estate business to tend to, and Aaron was off on his reconnaissance mission, but the other two should be aroundsomewhere.
It didn’t really matter. I just wanted an excuse to take a breather. I meandered off around the side of the house with Alice intow.
The gardens on the disparate estate were mostly prickly hedges dotted with flowers interspersed with even pricklier cacti. The vegetation was pretty in its own right, with a pungent perfume, but I was careful not to touch any ofit.
“Not the friendliest flowers, are they?” Alice remarked, jabbing the chicken leg she’d grabbed toward onecactus.
“At least people know better than to mess with them,” Isaid.
Voices carried across the grounds from up ahead. I slowed, my earsperking.
A wall of the same adobe bricks that made up the house stretched partway into the gardens. The voices were coming from beyond its arched doorway. I crept over and peekedinside.
The doorway led into a smaller courtyard with a gazebo surrounded by a moat of burbling water. Marco was leaning against one of the marble posts by the moat, a glass dangling from his hand, his eyelids lowered in a typical languid expression. A few other shifters—ones I recognized from Nate’s guard—stood in a semi-circle around him. Their postures were full ofbravado.
“Is that all you’ve got to say for yourself, cat?” one of the guards said. “Look at you. You still think you’re better than us, don’tyou?”
“I have total respect for all kin,” Marco said mildly. “Excluding those who align themselves with the rogues, ofcourse.”
One of the others took a step closer to him. “Your kind always turns your nose up at us. We’ve seen it. But the dragon shifter has turned her nose up at you, hasn’t she? Picked our alpha to confirm as her mate without a second glance atyou.”
I bristled at the jab, both that she’d made it at all and at the thought of how Marco might respond. When his own people had hassled him about his status with me, he’d put them off with a bunch of blustering about how easily he was going to work his charms on me and finish the “job.”
I almost stepped through the doorway to put an end to the confrontation before I had to hear anything like that again. But Marco’s calm voice stoppedme.
“Serenity makes her choices as she sees fit. I’m not so arrogant to think I know better than a dragon.” He gave his harassers a thinsmile.
“Aw, look at the kitty cat,” the first guy said. “Completely pussy-whipped and not even fully matedyet.”
Marco chuckled. “I’d rather be whipped by her than left with whatever dregs youcourt.”
The guy’s face flushed red. “Now listen,you—”
“Hey,” the guard next to him said. “We’ve hassled him enough. Our alpha will be checking in soon. Let’s leave this one to ‘enjoy’ hissolitude.”
The first guy let out a huff, but the three of them rambled off in the other direction. Marco rolled his eyes at their retreatingbacks.
He didn’t even look upset. He’d taken all those comments in stride, even though they must have stung his pride. Instead he’d just sounded proud ofme.
I swallowed hard, turning back to face Alice. “Give me a few minutes? I’ll be with one of my alphas, so I should besafe.”
“Sure,” Alice said. “If you need me later, just give me ashout.”
She drifted back toward the party, and I slipped through the doorway. Marco straightened up when he saw me. His eyes, their indigo irises almost the same color as my dress, glittered as he took mein.
