by Dannika Dark
“Why would they want to do that?”
I shrugged. “Submission is a curious thing I know little about. Maybe they’re tired of being in control all the time, but I have a feeling that some of these men are broken and feel like they deserve to be punished. From my personal experience, when Shifters see a woman in a position of authority, they become putty in her hands. That’s the kind of dancer you want to be onstage and the kind of woman you want to be off. Then you’ll have them eating out of your hand.”
Her gaze floated toward the ceiling. “Most of the men I date just want to screw and get it over with.”
I put my arm around her shoulder. “Hold out, sweetie. Don’t give away your cookies to every hungry man. Make them crave it so badly they chase you for a nibble. By the time you say yes, you’ll already have them wrapped around your finger. You’re young. You’ll figure it out soon enough.”
“How old are you?”
Fifty-three, I thought to myself. With the body of a twenty-five-year-old. That’s how Shifter magic worked. “You mean how young,” I corrected with a tap on her button nose. “Better hurry up and get dressed, girly. Why don’t you walk the floor for a little bit and warm up the men—get them excited to see your act? Don’t worry about what one girl is doing on the stage. Those men aren’t going to empty their pockets after two beers. You know that.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t get so worked up about money,” she said on a sigh. “Unlike Daphne, who just wants to save up for a trip to Italy.”
“Hey! Don’t wipe your feet on my dreams,” Daphne barked out. “I’m going to live in Italy for a year and find me a nice Italian man who speaks in one of them dreamy accents and makes love to me every morning before breakfast. I’ve heard Italian Shifters have stamina, so maybe it’ll be lunchtime when we’re done.” After giving her hair another fluff, she sauntered out the door.
Skye got up and stripped out of her jeans. “I’ve got a little girl to think about.”
I whirled around. “I didn’t know you had children. Honey! Where is your man?”
She shrugged. “I was mated, but Keller was killed in a bar fight two years ago. That’s why I started working here, even though for the first year, Dean would only let me waitress. Now it’s just Lola and me. She’s three and the sweetest little thing in the world, but I can’t take care of her by myself. She stays with my cousin while I’m at work. I’m not happy about the situation, so I’m trying to make some money and… It just seems so hopeless sometimes.”
“Skye, you’re a goddess.” I stood up and fanned out her silky hair, letting it fall over her shoulders. “Long hair, heart of gold, beautiful eyes—what man wouldn’t want to make you his mate? Why not find a pretty dress and go to one of the Shifter bars to find yourself a good man? You need help taking care of that baby so you won’t have to work in a place like this forever. We all have dreams to get out. Well, most of us,” I said with a wave of my hand. “I can’t imagine how tough it must be with a baby.”
“This is where the money is, and that’s why I decided to start dancing. Soon she’ll need to be homeschooled, and that’s not free if I have someone else do it. The tips I got waiting tables were nothing compared to what I make onstage. Dancing will give me a head start, and then maybe I can find another job. It’s pointless to hold out for a man to take care of me; most Shifters don’t want to take on another man’s baby. It’s up to me to care for my little girl. I want her to have a better life than her mommy.”
I felt terrible for Skye. Girls who worked jobs like ours were single; no man in his right mind would let his mate dance for money. Packs gave women financial security, and I had a feeling she wasn’t a wolf if she was on her own.
I empathized with her situation because she reminded me of a younger version of my own mother. After my papa died when I was just a little girl, my mother worked three jobs until I was old enough to go out on my own. She never judged me for the life I chose and told me everyone has to walk their own path. She died fifteen years ago in a car accident. It’s ludicrous to think how she worked so hard to live a good life, only to have it ripped away because she wasn’t wearing a seat belt. Had she been conscious, she could have shifted and healed, but my mama had slipped into a coma for two days before they removed her from life support. I stayed by her side, destroyed that she had to spend her last days in a human hospital and not in the comfort of her own bed.
“Naya?”
I blinked the memories away. “Yes? I’m sorry. My mind has been skipping all over the place today. I shouldn’t have had wine with my dinner; it always makes me sleepy. Maybe I need to go home early and take a bubble bath.” I rubbed my shoulders and yawned. “Although, I’ve still got a second shift to finish after Daphne.”
“I’ll cover for you,” Skye quickly said. “With the manager, I mean. If Dean asks, I’ll tell him you had an emergency.”
I smiled warmly. “You can have my slot. I’ve already paid for it.” I reached in my locker and slipped on a stretchy black dress that stopped above my knees. “You go out there and bleed their wallets dry for your baby.”
Her smile quickly waned.
I brushed her soft hair away from her shoulders. Skye had a gorgeous smile, so I hated to see the frown in its place and the way she kept fidgeting with the ends of her blue T-shirt.
“What’s wrong, chickypoo? You don’t seem like yourself tonight.”
“It’s nothing. It’s—”
“Yes, it’s something. Tell Naya what’s wrong.”
She rubbed the side of her nose. “I don’t know. I think someone’s been following me. Maybe it’s my overactive imagination running rampant again. Do you think it’s possible one of the guys out there could be stalking me?”
I sighed and let my arms fall to my sides. “It’s been known to happen with a few of our more delusional customers. They get fixated on a perception of who they think we are and sometimes cross the line. Are you armed?”
Her thin brows arched high enough that they could have touched her hairline.
“Honey, take this.” I reached in my purse and pulled out a small cylindrical container. “It’s just pepper spray, but that’s enough for you to get your point across. Whatever your animal is, she’ll protect you if it’s anything more than a lovesick puppy. I’ve had a few in my time, but most are harmless men who just get a little starstruck. Trust your instinct. If something doesn’t feel right, then don’t go out alone. This job comes with risks.”
She held the bottle of spray and examined the writing. “What about you?”
“I just keep it for show. You need it more than I do. Knock ’em dead tonight.”
I kissed her on the cheek and glanced back as I walked out the door. Skye waved at me with a cautious smile that left me uneasy.
Young girls like her always had admirers, and they were too inexperienced to know how to handle men. In the past year, Dean had gradually been working her in, but she didn’t get as much stage time as the rest of us. Skye needed a mentor to help her toughen up so the customers didn’t walk all over her. Now that I knew about her baby girl, I wanted to help her even more. Maybe the mother-hen syndrome happens to women like me who’ve been working in clubs for decades, but I’d never met anyone as naïve as Skye and so wrong for a place like this. Most dancers didn’t have a family, pack, or someone to look out for us. We were nomads in a savage world.
And those who are alone are always the ones who need the most protection.
***
After leaving Club Sin, I headed back to my apartment on the human side of town. In most big cities, Breeds lived apart from humans and purchased land to secure that division. But sometimes living too close to other Breeds only stirred up trouble, so years ago, I’d rented an apartment around humans. They came with their own set of drama, but it didn’t compare to waking up in the middle of the night to a Chitah fight. It’s not as if we could just call the police, so those kinds of outbursts had to resolve on their own.
But no one can save the world. Instead, I supported the no-kill shelters to keep them in business. Maybe my money would make room for one more animal to find a family who would show it unconditional love.
A chill ran up my spine and I whirled around, narrowing my eyes at the shadows on the dark street as I hurried back to the car. My heels clicked on the concrete, echoing in the quietness. Some people foolishly brushed off chills, unaware that on a warm night it could only mean one thing: a Mage was in the area. Sometimes they were flaring their energy, and other times they didn’t bother concealing it. I didn’t trust those immortals. Many were ancients, and a whole lot of them walking around had once committed unspeakable crimes against my kind—my family—and even kept them as pets, although what that really translated to was slavery.
I hopped in my car and sped off so fast that the tires screeched. A smart woman never brushes off her instincts, and mine were pinging off the charts.
When I reached a red light, I dialed Lexi’s number.
“This is the party to whom you are speaking.”
“Izzy?”
“Oh, shoot,” I heard her say. “I must have grabbed the wrong phone. I’m sorry. Who is this?”
“It’s Naya.”
“Right,” she said with a laugh. “Sorry about that. Hold on just a second.”
I looked around, anxiously waiting for the light to turn green. The city was teeming with other Breeds, but it wasn’t typical to find them on the human side of town at this hour.
“Naya? It’s Lexi. What’s going on?”
“Nothing, girl. I just want to keep you on the phone until I get home. I’m almost there.” The light turned green and I floored it. “I left work early because the wine at dinner made me too sleepy to dance.”
“Sorry about that. Hope you don’t get in trouble. Swing by! We’re just sitting around playing cards and munching on snacks. Well, actually we’re playing Go Fish with Maizy”—her voice became stern—“who should be in bed.”
That wasn’t a bad idea. I took a sharp turn and headed their way. She lived close, and that would allow me to get out on an open stretch of road to make sure no one was following me.
“Sounds perfect,” I said. “I won’t stay long; I need to head home and take care of—”
“The hairball.”
“Well, that’s not very polite.” Lexi and I often bantered about my little cat, but I never took it personally.
“No, Naya is coming over for a little while,” Lexi said to someone else. “Where do you think you’re going? We’re still in the middle of a game.”
“Hello? Lexi?”
“Sorry about that, Naya. I’m listening. Is something wrong? You don’t usually drop in so unexpectedly.”
“We’ll talk when I get there. See you soon, darling.”
Ten minutes later, I pulled into their driveway. The Weston pack lived in a grand home that had once been a hotel in its heyday. Someone had recently built a carport to shelter a couple of the cars, but what they really needed was a garage if they wanted to protect them from hail. I carefully weaved around a blue truck and parked beside Austin’s black Dodge Challenger.
Darkness blanketed the property, but lights from inside the house shone onto the wooden porch that wrapped around the front and side of the house. I got out of the car and glanced behind me as I ascended the steps. The humid air put a dewy sheen on my face and I dabbed at it, realizing I had forgotten to wipe off my heavy work makeup.
The door swung open before I could pull a tissue out of my purse.
A grin slid up Denver’s face, and he leaned on the doorjamb. “I didn’t know you delivered.”
“Don’t be obtuse,” I said, moving around him. “Lexi invited me.”
When he closed the door, I glanced down at the pile of shoes by the door. I’d never followed that unspoken rule on my visits, but his eyes traveled down to my black heels as if he were expecting me to take them off. Either that or he was admiring my red polish and toe ring.
“Naya! We’re in here,” Lexi called out from the dining room.
Their house had a cozy appeal, even though it wasn’t my style. Lynn had done an impressive job selecting the decor for each room and adding features like crown molding. Lord knows she’d tried to add a feminine touch to the otherwise masculine furniture. The living room had two areas: a stone fireplace straight ahead, and a seating area to the right in front of the television and stereo. In the winter, they moved chairs in front of the fireplace, but in the summer, they kept that area open. Farther to the right was a study and another small room they only used for parties. The hall to the right of the fireplace went straight to the back of the house. The dining room was on the right, and then you passed a hallway on the left before reaching the kitchen. Lexi had mentioned that the rooms in that hall were probably where the hotel staff slept.
To the left of the stairs was a spacious area that could function as a sitting room. But Lynn had just decorated it with a few accent tables and lacy curtains. I liked that she didn’t put furniture in every room, because it left plenty of room for social gatherings and events. Smart thinking on her part since Shifters loved peace parties.
Everyone slept upstairs. Well, everyone except William. He had the third-highest rank in the house below Austin and Reno. I liked William, and I suspected it had to do with the fact he’d traveled to different countries and didn’t originate from the South. He used to be Lorenzo Church’s second-in-command until he’d struck Ivy with his car by accident. Then he changed hands and joined the Weston pack. At first I’d thought Austin was punishing him by making him live in one of the small rooms off the kitchen, but Lexi mentioned William had requested that room above all others. Something about how he liked to raid the cupboards late at night.
My heels clicked on the floor when I entered the dining room. “Where did everyone go?”
Lexi stretched back in her chair with a bowl of pretzels in front of her. “Denver is getting ready for work, Trevor and William went to a club, Austin’s asleep, and I don’t know where the twins went. Jericho tucked Melody in and took off for a gig. Lately Maizy’s been wanting to stay up later than Melody, but she kept nodding off, so we sent her up to bed a little while ago. So… it’s just us girls,” Lexi said with an exaggerated smile, waving her hand toward Izzy and April.
Izzy’s flaming red hair was wild and gorgeous, and I wondered if her next baby would be blessed with the same genetics.
“Congratulations, mama! I heard the great news.” I made my way around the end of the small table and gave her a quick hug.
She flashed a smile. “I had a feeling I was pregnant, but our Relic came out and performed an exam just to confirm.”
I chuckled and took a seat to the left of April, patting her back.
“How did your wolfy react?” I asked, referring to her mate, Jericho.
Izzy admired the sparkly diamond on her finger—not a tradition among Shifters, but Jericho wasn’t your average guy.
“Hell’s bells, he’s over the moon,” she said. “Melody’s a handful, so I honestly didn’t think he’d be ready for more kids so soon. When I asked if he wanted a boy or a girl, he said he doesn’t care. He’s just been—”
“A knight in shining armor,” April interrupted, threading her blond hair away from her face.
“Rubs her feet every night after supper. I can only imagine what he’ll be like when she’s actually showing. Remember the last time?” she asked Lexi with a soft chuckle.
Izzy twirled her ring. “I’m a little nervous because twins run in my family. It skips every other generation, so there’s a chance I could have more than one in here. Then he’ll really be on his way to getting his own band.”
We laughed, and Lexi looked down at her pretzels wistfully. I could see how conflicted she was and wondered if anyone else had noticed. April carried no such look. By choosing to be with Reno, she’d willingly given up the promise of children—if she even wanted babies. Not all women do.
Izzy sure did. I could tell she was going to give that wolf a litter before it was all said and done.
Denver swaggered in and sat at the head of the table on my left. “Well, I for one can’t wait.”
Lexi set her elbow on the table and tucked her chin in the palm of her hand. “You just want a boy so you’ll have someone to play video games with.”
“Shut it,” he said.
Denver was a handsome man in an obnoxiously charming sort of way. His smiling eyes were the color of the Atlantic Ocean—deep blue and always sparkling on the surface. I didn’t care for men with blond hair, but his was a pleasing shade of dark blond cut in a trendy style—messy with a wave, but not quite long enough to cover the scar on his forehead. With that charismatic smile, he undoubtedly made a killing as a bartender. Unfortunately, most Shifter women wouldn’t find his youthful and energetic personality an attractive quality.
“So when are you going to have some little kittens?” he asked me, arching a brow.
“Perhaps I’ll have some calves,” I replied, leaning my elbows on the table.
“That would be udderly adorable.” He winked and we all turned around when Maizy wandered in with sleep in her eyes and a tangle of blond hair in her face.
She had on a pair of blue pajama bottoms and a yellow shirt. I missed the days when she wore pink nightgowns with ruffles on the end. We used to have so much fun dressing up, but she was growing into a woman too soon.
