Hour of the Lion by Cherise Sinclair (reading a book txt) 📕

disengaged from the Elder group. "Come, child, there‘s food in the kitchen, and people want to meet you."

Vic glanced back at bitch one and bitch two. "Sure they do."

Maude tracked her gaze and gave a womanly snort. Tucking a hand under Vic‘s elbow, much like Calum‘s habit, she guided her into the kitchen. "Perhaps I should say most want to meet you. Some unattached females, well—"

"I usually have to do something before someone gets all huffy."

Maude laughed. "Oh, you did, Victoria, you did."

What had she done? Vic had no time to think as she was introduced to Heather and her mother, Helen. Round and soft with kind blue eyes, Helen smiled and took Vic‘s hand in both of hers. "We‘re delighted to have another woman for our Clan. Welcome, child, welcome."

"Thank you," Vic managed.

The woman‘s daughter laughed. "Every female is a stray chick to my mama, no matter how old they are." Heather was a tall, lanky woman about Vic‘s age wearing a russet sweater that matched her hair. She handed her mother a plate of sandwiches. "Here. I saw Leland looking in a few minutes ago. Of course, I‘m not sure if he hungered for food or for you."

Helen flushed and frowned in mock disgust at her daughter. "Such notions you get." But she took the plate and Vic noticed, headed straight for the tough old Elder. He looked at her like a starving man spotting a McDonald‘s."

"Looks pretty gone on her," Vic commented.

Heather leaned back against the kitchen table and grinned. "The poor male‘s tried to get her into his cabin for years. He‘d lifemate her in a heartbeat, but she wants to stay unattached for a while."

"Ah." Lifemated was the same as married, right? Why in the world hadn‘t Alec or Calum provided a furball dictionary?

Heather tilted her head. "You having an up-close-and-personal encounter with culture shock?"

"I‘m past culture shock and well on the road to a major melt-down." Vic glanced at the crowd. "Is there a way to tell which shifter turns into which animal?"

Heather shoved a package of broccoli toward Vic. "Why don‘t you cut those up and we‘ll put out some dip." She started slicing up carrots. "The werecats, like Calum and Alec, usually have a prowling kind of gait. Maude and Aaron and Mama and my brothers are all bears; their walk is more bouncy. A wolf‘s gait isn‘t as distinctive."

"But if your mama is a bear, then how come you‘re a wolf?"

Heather rolled her eyes in a duh response. "My father or his ancestors must have been one.

Me and my brothers are Gather-bred, so we‘re not sure of our fathers. But it‘s simple genetics, just like red hair or blue eyes."

Fathers? Before Vic could ask, a commotion at the door got her attention. Alec and Calum.

Her spirits lifted so fast it was frightening. The men were quickly engulfed in greetings, but after a minute, Alec looked around, spotted Vic, and headed into the kitchen.

"Hey, Heather," he said, snatching a carrot from under her knife. "How‘s it going? You still CEO of that company?"

Heather gave him a thin smile. "You bet. We‘re raking in money hand-over-fist."

Alec shook his head, grinned at Vic. "Wolves. Nobody‘s better at teamwork, and they know right when to close in for the kill." He plopped down in a chair beside Vic.

Just needing to touch, she stepped closer and patted him on the head, trying not to notice how silky his hair was. The way he smelled of pine forests and masculine musk made her want to nibble on his neck. "Where‘d you guys go? The party started a while ago."

"The village has bathing springs." He tucked his big hand around her leg, his fingers warm against her inner thigh. His thumb inched up to press on the seam of her jeans—right over her pussy.

She almost cut herself with the knife. Flushing, she glared and tried to move away.

He pulled her closer.

Heather snickered. "Oho, so that‘s the scent in the wind. How‘s Calum feel about this?"

What exactly was this? Vic glanced down at Alec. Surely Heather wasn‘t meaning some relationship.

He had a lazy smile on his face. "Oh, Calum is all in favor."

"Well, damn. About time." Heather presented Alec with a carrot as if awarding a prize.

God, she hated being ignorant. "Okay, guys, I‘m confused. What are you—"

"I‘ve noticed some gaps in her education," Heather said, frowning at Alec.

"No time. And"—he gave Vic an appeasing smile—"we didn‘t want to scare her to death."

"Scare me? What would—" A squeal from the doorway interrupted her.

"Alec!" Sarah, bitchy-sister-number-two, rushed in and pulled up a chair beside Alec. Her wide hips were balanced by equally large breasts, and she‘d placed herself where Alec couldn‘t miss seeing all that cleavage.

Feeling positively puny, Vic concentrated on her cutting. She didn‘t care. She was leaving, wasn‘t she?

Heather‘s eyes held sympathy. "Mom and I are making cookies tomorrow. We could use some help. Stirring without an electric beater is tiring."

Vic managed a smile. "I‘d like that."

"Good. Around ten or so. The house has a blue door since Mom had a feng shui kick a while back." She picked up the broccoli Vic had sliced and dumped it on the tray. "If you bring the dip, we‘ll take this out to the living room."

"Hey," Alec protested as they left him.

"That woman reminds me of kudzu," Vic said, glancing back. "Whatever it wraps around will suffocate and die."

"Good description," Heather agreed. "And Alec is so polite with women, he won‘t tell her where to take herself. Should we go back and rescue him?"

All that cleavage—he probably doesn"t want to be rescued. The thought made her voice harden. "He‘s a big boy. If he wants to turn down what‘s being offered, he knows how to do it."

Going into the living room provided no escape, for there was Gretchen chatting animatedly with Calum, one fragile hand on his arm while she gazed up into his eyes. Seeing the guys with other women hurt, dammit, like someone was slicing her chest open,