Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 131137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
And so it begins.
CHAPTER SIX
Two hours later, Nick was still arguing with his mother about his decision to hold back certain details from Shaya. Yes, Kathy had a valid point in saying that it was wrong for there to be secrets or lies between mates. And, yes, a lie of omission still counted. And, yes, it would be far easier to make Shaya forgive him if he told her the truth. But Shaya was worth the hard work. Plus, he’d never know if she’d given him a chance because she felt sorry for him or because she wanted him—he needed it to be the latter. “You won’t make me change my mind,” he told his mother. “Let it go.”
Her eyes held his, staring at him to the point where he began to feel uncomfortable. Kathy Axton had a way of making people feel guilty even when they hadn’t done anything wrong. When his dad had been alive, she’d been an expert at getting him to apologize for something when the fault really lay with her. She was also extremely good at getting her own way—usually by talking people in circles—but then so was Nick.
Finally, Kathy threw up her arms in a gesture of exasperation and sank onto the sofa, arms folded. “There never was any point in arguing with you over anything. You’re stubborn as hell, just like your brother.”
“He tried to talk you out of coming here, didn’t he?” Nick sat at the dinette, where he was feeding Bruce scraps of meat. Eli was the type to stay out of other people’s business, no matter who those people were—which made him the exact opposite of their mother.
Kathy’s growl confirmed his suspicion. “I wanted to know how you were doing, and I wasn’t going to be talked out of checking on my own son.”
“Now who’s stubborn?” She was more than stubborn. She was a force of nature. But he supposed she’d have to be as the mother of three dominant shifters.
She merely sniffed at him. “It’s little wonder Shaya found meeting me awkward. Maybe if you let me—”
“No, you are not interfering here.”
“I wasn’t proposing that I tell her anything.” Her face was the picture of innocence, earning her a laugh from Derren, who was lounging in the black leather recliner. Derren knew Kathy well enough to know that she’d already have a plan cooked up in her head. “Merely that I spend some time with her and get to know her a little.”
“And then ‘accidentally’ let a few things slip?” scoffed Nick. “No way. You can get to know her after I’ve claimed her. Tonight you can sleep here. Tomorrow you go home.”
“I’m not going home until I’ve had the chance to meet her properly.” Which of course gave the woman an excuse to stick around. “There’s a shifter motel nearby. I’ve heard it’s a nice place with lots of land. Roni, Amber, and I will stay there. Then if you need us or get a little lonely, you have us nearby.”
She’d made it sound so reasonable, but Nick knew the real reason that his mother was determined to stay for a while. Being away from him for long periods of time reminded her of what it had been like when he’d gone to juvie. It had been six months since she’d last seen him…which was why she had held on to him for at least ten minutes when he first entered the motor home.
He sighed, feeling mentally drained. “If you want to stay at the motel, fine. But you keep your nose out of this, Mom. I mean it. No turning up at Shaya’s house. No trying to talk to her privately. No going to the salon where she works to get your hair done as an excuse to talk to her.” The sheepish look on Kathy’s face confirmed that he’d been right to suspect she’d do that. “No interfering, not for any reason. It’s the last thing I need.”
Finally her face softened. “Okay. I’ll stay out of it. But I can’t promise the same for Roni. You know how protective of you she is.” Her devious smile made Derren chuckle.
“Yes, Roni’s protective of me—which is exactly why she won’t spy for you.”
“Do you feel like you’re making progress with Shaya?” asked Amber, who was sitting opposite him.
He gave the healer a pointed look. “What goes on between her and me isn’t something I intend to discuss with anyone else.”
“So that’s a no, then,” she mumbled beneath her breath.
“Excuse me?”
She exhaled heavily. “Like your mom, I just want you to be happy.”
“I’ll be extremely happy when you guys are gone tomorrow, because more than one night in that SUV is going to kill me.”
Kathy looked surprised. “You’re not going to sleep here because of Amber? Well, Shaya certainly runs a tight ship. I approve.”