“It’s gorgeous, and quit whining,” Kiesha commanded as they entered the room. “The guys won’t be able to keep their eyes off you.”
“As long as it’s only their eyes. They touch without permission and somebody’s going to draw back a nub,” Shay warned, eyes narrowed.
Kiesha rolled her eyes. “I’ll be sure to warn the pack. Although…that no-touching rule is going to make dancing difficult.”
If Rory’s there, dancing with other males won’t be an option. “I’ll give it careful consideration,” Shayla lied.
She set her bags on the bed while Kiesha went to the closet and opened it. The dress she removed was a dream. Halter-topped with a plunging back, it was a deep, ruby-red satin that shimmered and flowed in Kiesha’s hand. “Kiesha.”
“I know, right? Didn’t I tell you not to worry? All the dresses are styled the same and made with the same material, but in different colors. Mary Elizabeth’s is emerald, and Shannon’s is midnight blue. My dress is gold.”
Shayla fingered the fabric. “They’re going to be so beautiful in the candlelight.”
“That’s what I thought. I had everyone’s shoes dyed to match. The heels are high but thick, so you won’t have any problems walking in them.”
“I’m wearing my boots, remember? You promised.”
“Yeah, but I really didn’t think you’d go through with it!” Kiesha exclaimed.
Shayla held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Shayla Morgan. Have we met?”
Kiesha slapped her hand down and rolled her eyes. “Okay, so I should have known better.” She sighed and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “At least the dresses are long and loose enough that the boots won’t show.”
Releasing the gown so that Kiesha could put it away, Shayla said, “I’d better go speak to Alex before he thinks I’m still mad at him.” A month ago Alex had tried to set her up with some of his shifter buddies on the sly. Kiesha had caught on to what he was doing and rushed Shayla out of the house before they arrived.
As they left the room, Shayla thought about it. It was Alex’s fault she was in her current predicament. If Alex hadn’t called for some of the alpha males of his pack to come over, they wouldn’t have chased her and Shannon. Rory wouldn’t have fought for her, and she might not have stopped disliking Rory long enough to realize she was attracted to him and act on it. Yeah, blaming Alex was sounding better and better.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you were.”
Shayla stumbled before righting herself. Was Kiesha reading her mind?
“What Alex did was just wrong. I told him he’d better not pull another stunt like that this time or there’d be hell to pay,” Kiesha continued sternly, not noticing her sudden lack of coordination.
“He does something stupid like that again and next time I won’t be so forgiving.” The point was moot now, but Kiesha didn’t know that.
“Hey, I learned my lesson,” Alex told Shayla as she entered the kitchen. “Let’s leave the FBI out of this.”
When she’d first met Alex, Shayla had threatened to hack into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s system and add him to their most wanted list if he ever did anything to hurt her cousin. It was a valid threat, one she was more than capable of accomplishing. “Lucky for you I’ve decided to forgive and forget. Besides, if anyone is pissed, it should be Shannon.”
“For the last time, I didn’t know she was coming with you. I thought she would stay home under lock and key like any other sane, unmated she-wolf would when there was a blue moon and she was in heat.”
“Hey! Don’t drag me into this,” Shannon told Alex.
Shayla jerked awkwardly in Shannon’s direction. “Shannon! I didn’t know you were here.” She reached out and punched her cousin in the arm. “Kiesha, why didn’t you tell me Shannon was here?” Damn, Shannon was Rory’s baby sister, and the two were extremely close.
Does she know about Rory and me? Taking a deep breath, Shay counseled herself not to panic, knowing shifters could smell fear.
As she and Kiesha approached the center island where Alex was cooking, the phone rang. “I’ll get it in there. The darn thing’s been ringing off the hook all day.” Kiesha disappeared into the office.
“How have you been, Shay?” Alex looked up from the pot he was stirring as she sat down.
Shayla could feel Shannon’s gaze on her, and it made her twitchy. “Good.” She forced herself to take a seat at the island and casually lean an elbow on the countertop.
Does she know? She tried to view Shannon’s expression out of the corner of her eye.
“Hmm, you look rough. Have you been getting enough sleep?”
The question snapped her attention back to Alex. Damn, she’d forgotten he was a doctor. She was very careful with her answer. “I picked up one of those stomach bugs while I was gone, and my stomach’s still a little sensitive but other than that, I’m fine. Just extremely tired. I worked crazy hours trying to finish on time.”
Alex’s eyes crinkled in concern. “Are you sure you’re over it? The last thing Kiesha needs is to be sick, especially while she’s pregnant.” He placed the lid on the pot, leaned closer to her, and took a deep breath.
“Kiesha’s safe. If I were contagious, I would have stayed away,” Shayla assured him. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Alex studied her like she was a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out. “There’s something different about your scent. I can’t put my finger on it.”
“It’s my lotion. I’m using a new brand.” From what she’d been told, Shayla had concluded that the mating mark must leave behind some type of scent identifier that other shape-shifters recognized. To be safe, she’d hunted until she found a brand of perfumed lotion that didn’t make her gag and slathered it on.
“No, that’s not it. There’s something else. Shannon?”
As Shannon approached from her seat at the breakfast nook near the window, Shayla conquered the urge to slide out of the chair and move away. Breathe. Don’t do anything to make them suspicious.
Shannon walked right up behind Shayla and pressed her nose against the skin of her neck, right below the unlotioned hairline. Shayla froze. It felt like even her heart stopped beating.
It seemed a lifetime but was probably only seconds before Shannon lifted her head and moved to face Shayla. With her eyes gazing directly into Shayla’s, she told Alex, “She’s not sick.”
She could see the knowledge shimmering in Shannon’s eyes. Shayla opened her mouth, the word don’t on the tip of her tongue as she reached out beseechingly to stop her.
“She’s pregnant,” Shannon stated.
“Who’s pregnant?” Kiesha asked from behind.
Chapter Two
Kiesha’s question cut through the tense silence like a knife.
Alex watched Shay’s face close up tighter than a rock wall and just as hard. It was clear by her very lack of expression that her pregnancy was not open for discussion. Glancing at Shannon and then Kiesha, he didn’t believe they got her silent message, or maybe they were just ignoring it.
“Shannon?” Kiesha asked curiously.
Shannon shook her head, still engaged in her staring contest with Shay. “Nope, not me.”
“But it can’t be…Shay?”
When Shay didn’t respond, Kiesha moved to stand next to Shannon. “Shay, are you pregnant?”
Shayla finally ended the contest with Shannon by briefly closing her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it.”