The Moonlight Breed 8: Leap in the Dark by Gabrielle Evans (chrysanthemum read aloud .txt) 📕

had been determined that Braxton and Keeton were the best choice for the initial introduction since they were far less intimidating than their larger mates.

The days were growing warmer as spring crept closer, and Braxton wouldn’t be sorry to say good-bye to the snow and icy temperatures. Growing up in southern Georgia, he was partial to the warmth and sunshine, though he honestly didn’t miss the humidity, flooding, or the bird-sized mosquitoes.

“Did you hear that one of the new guys is a Shenhari?” Keeton asked as they made their way the short distance to the back door of the neighboring cabin. “Logan says they’re really rare.”

“Xander said the same thing.” Braxton shrugged as he reached for the doorknob. “I guess being a Moonlighter and a Shenhari is like, unheard of, judging by the way everyone was going on about it.”

The only Shenhari—true shape-shifters, able to transform into any animal of their choice—he knew was Willow. While he’d seen more of the little elf hybrid since they’d moved to Wyoming, he still didn’t know the guy that well.

“Well, I think it’s awesome,” Keeton defended, though Braxton hadn’t said anything derogatory about their new pack member. “I think it would be wicked boring to shift into the same thing all the time.”

Leading the way through the door and into the kitchen of the cabin next door, Braxton stopped so abruptly that Keeton plowed into him from behind, sending him stumbling forward a couple of steps.

“Hello!” He was greeted cheerily. The oddest man he’d ever met—and he knew Keeton after all—bounced forward and shoved his hand toward Braxton. “I’m Jacobi, Jacobi Avril.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jacobi.” Braxton took the offered hand, wincing when the newcomer shook it so hard that he thought his arm was going to pop out of its socket. “I’m Braxton Carmichael, and this is Keeton Taylor.”

Oscar and Zavion sat together at the table with their hands over their mouths as they watched the scene unfold. Snorts erupted from their noses, and both of them were red in the face from the effort to contain their laughter. “Hi, Braxton,” Oscar called and slapped his hand back over his mouth.

“Oh, honey.” Pushing Braxton aside, Jacobi looked Keeton up and down with a nod of approval. “You.” He pointed his finger right in Keeton’s chest. “That.” His hand waved up and down to indicate Keeton’s artfully ripped jeans and neon green tank top. Then he snapped his fingers and cocked his hip out to the side. “Fierce!”

Keeton rested his hands on his hips and turned one way and then the other from the waist. “Well, yes, I am rather amazing.”

“I just want to put you in my pocket!” Jacobi exclaimed as he stepped even closer, grabbed Keeton’s chin, and turned his head to the side. “Your hair is fabulous, love.”

Keeton glanced over at Braxton and smirked. “I like him.”

It wasn’t that Braxton disliked the guy. He’d just been momentarily stunned when he’d first set eyes on Jacobi. Standing no taller than five-five with a slender build, he was a very attractive man. He had the palest green eyes Braxton had ever seen, but they complimented his creamy complexion. None of that was what had left him speechless, though.

Jacobi’s short, spiky hair was a vivid, almost-blinding shade of neon pink. Each ear was pierced in four different places. There was a tiny pink stud in his nose, and a thin, golden hoop curved around his plump bottom lip. Dark eyeliner adorned his lower lids and extended out past the corner of his eyes.

His top half was covered with only a thin, white T-shirt that molded to his chest and abs like a second skin. Below that, however, was what Braxton assumed was supposed to be a kilt, though instead of traditional colors, it was neon pink plaid and held up by a wide, thick belt. Then to top off the entire ensemble, grungy black army boots covered his feet and laced halfway up his shins.

Doing his best not to stare, Braxton settled down at the table to speak with Oscar. “Where are the others?” As far as he knew, there’d been six patients rescued from the lab and transported to Haven. So where were the rest of them?

“Well, two were females, and one was a demon. Apparently, this is a boys-only sorority.” Oscar shrugged. “The demon is staying at the main house, and Jory is helping him adjust. Mihail and Nikola are down by the pond with Zuriel and our new wolf Enforcers.”

“New Enforcers?” Haven was filling up faster than Braxton could keep track. It felt like there were more people filing in every day, and the place was already filled to capacity. With winter nearing its end, hopefully, the construction on the new cabins and dorms would speed up with the warmer weather.

Zavion mirrored Oscar’s shrug. “Xander and Stavion felt we needed more guards until we know for sure that The Hive isn’t coming after us. Creed and Rhodes are on loan from Cloud Peak.”

Braxton felt like his brain was going to burst out of his ears. There were just too many names, too many people, and too much damn drama. Things hadn’t been exactly quiet back in Georgia, but this was insane. “Just how many people live in Haven?”

“Including us?” Oscar asked. He waited for Braxton to nod his head in affirmation. “Not a clue.”

“A little less than four hundred,” Oscar’s mate, Demitrius, answered as he strode into the kitchen and bent to kiss his lover on top of the head. “Once the cabins are finished, the shifters and werewolves will move here to the pack lands.”

“Since when did we start segregating?” Keeton demanded with a curl of his lip. “I thought everyone was welcome here.”

“They are.” Demitrius rolled his eyes and plucked a shiny, red apple from the fruit bowl in the center of the table. “The shifters and weres need to hunt, though. It’s easier if we have a designated area to do that. Technically, all seven hundred