“I don’t think you’re so scary.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Do you really know he thinks that?” Harley asked.
“I do.”
“How?”
“Well, you know how you’re a wolf shifter?”
“Yep.”
“I’m an alligator shifter. And lizards are kind of related to us.”
Harley nodded, then smiled at him, the same exact smile Maverik and Havoc used when they wanted somethingparticularly badly. “Does that mean I can have your blueberry muffin for Gerald since he’s related to you. It would be rude not to share with him since he’s family.”
Lucien laughed, that deep, rich velvety laugh that did all kinds of unspeakable things to Hellen — and every female in the room stopped whatever they were doing and turned to look at him, almost like they were in a trance— pheromones floating all around the damn room.
“Stop laughing!” Hellen ordered irritatedly as she shot warning looks at each of her female family members.
“You know what, little girl? You can have whatever you want,” Lucien said, holding out his plate to Harley while completely ignoring Hellen.
Harley snatched up a blueberry muffin and ran back toward the kitchen with Gerald looking back and hissing at him the whole way.
Conversation started picking up again, but Lucien couldn’t help but notice that Daisy wasn’t really into it. She kept herself separate. She was quiet and sad. He just couldn’t leave it alone.
“Daisy, right?” he asked.
She looked into his one good eye and nodded at him. “That’s me.”
“You okay?”
“Sure. I’m fine.”
“You really sure about that? You seemed better when you got here.”
“I’m sorry?” Daisy asked.
“You seemed happier when you got here. But now I can see that you’re hurting. Not hiding it so well now.”
“You’re wrong.”
“No, I’m not. I can feel it.”
“I’m a healer. If I was hurting that bad, I’d have healed myself already.”
“Not if you can’t find your way around it. And it’s been my understanding that healers can heal everyone but themselves.”
“I’m fine.”
“You know, if you tell me who hurt you, I’ll kill them for you. Won’t take but a second or two.”
For just a split second, the name Daisy wanted so badly to give him was on the tip of her tongue. But at the last minute, she clamped her mouth closed and shook her head. She was too embarrassed for her family to know how foolish she’d been.
“Alright. Have it your way for now, but the offer stands.” Lucien stopped asking her, but he watched her quietly. He leaned over closer to her and winked at her. “We’ll talk about it later when we don’t have so many listening. Maybe then you’ll decide to tell me the truth. If not, I’ll just follow you around killing everybody it might have been until you don’t seem sad anymore.”
“I like him! He can stay!” Delilah announced pointing dramatically at Lucien.
