finally pulled my gaze from Wyatt’s handsome face. “This is my twin sister, Mai.” A nod and Wyatt shot her a smile.
“Twins? Wow. That seems a little unfair.” My sister and I both frowned at Wyatt’s friend when he laughed, his gaze volleying between us. “Two beautiful woman, twins at that, in one small town. Not fair at all.”
“Look at you with the flattery,” Mai said.
“I call ‘em like I see them, Miss.”
Wyatt slapped his friend on the shoulder. “This is my little cousin, Joe Arvel. He’s from our pack in Columbia.”
Pleasantries were exchanged, handshakes were given, and at Wyatt’s explanation, I noticed how similar the two shifters were to each other—same narrow eyes, same elongated noses and each had high cheekbones that made their eyes nearly vanish when they smiled. But where Wyatt was sandy-haired with a few waves touching the back of his neck, Joe had dark, thick hair cut short and tight.
“So this is the famous Janiver Benoit?” Joe asked, waving off his cousin when Wyatt elbowed him. My cocked eyebrow had Joe shrugging. “Sorry, but Bane said you were the best at tracking.”
I bet he did and just for a second, I wondered what else Bane had said to the two cousins.
“She is the best,” Mai said. “She doesn’t track, she finds.”
“Oh, Joe, there you are,” we heard as Lennon walked into the kitchen. He offered me a nod, then smiled easy, but still the professional. “Mr. Iles said that you and Wyatt...” Lennon nodded to the pair of them and then moved his gaze back toward me, straightening his spine when that gaze stopped on my sister.
There was a quick pull against the lines that we all seemed to feel. My skin went warm, tingled like I’d ran around a carpeted room in fuzzy socks, and Wyatt and Joe stepped back, away from Lennon as though he threw off a pheromone only the shifters could sense. At my side, Mai’s voice hummed, but she shook her head, blinking when Lennon cleared his throat. “Miss…that is, Mrs. Phillips. How…how are you feeling?”
“Fine, thank you, Lennon.” I’d never seen Mai so timid around a man. I’d certainly never seen her fidget the way she did then with her foot bouncing against the tile floor. She’d never had to be timid before. My sister was beautiful, with her hair a shade or two lighter than my chestnut brown and she had beautiful pale skin and green eyes that shone against her complexion. Men gravitated toward her without any encouragement on Mai’s part.
She never had to cajole or flirt. And she’d never done the awkward, anxious thing when a man she liked paid attention to her. So this, between my sister and Bane’s guard, was just plain weird. We all stood there a moment, watching, it seemed, for who would speak again, Lennon or Mai and when this ridiculous back and forth shyness would play itself out.
Finally, with Joe clearing his throat, Mai stopped staring at Lennon and the guard nodded at her. “I’ll just…I’m…” And with that she stepped away from the counter to fuss with the cabinet next to the fridge, out of sight of Lennon’s gaze.
“Pardon, Joe, Wyatt…Mr. Iles says your pack will head out first.”
“Nice to meet you, Janiver,” Joe said, shaking my hand again and I blinked, pulling my attention away from my sister’s odd behavior. Joe’s skin was rough with calluses on the inside of his palm and as he gripped my fingers, I felt a cool, relaxed sensation passing from his skin to mine. It made me wonder if Joe had a little more than shifting magic beneath that tall, wide frame.
Wyatt nodded, gave me a small wink before he left and I ignored that flirty smile as I took my hand back from Joe. “Please, call me
“Twins? Wow. That seems a little unfair.” My sister and I both frowned at Wyatt’s friend when he laughed, his gaze volleying between us. “Two beautiful woman, twins at that, in one small town. Not fair at all.”
“Look at you with the flattery,” Mai said.
“I call ‘em like I see them, Miss.”
Wyatt slapped his friend on the shoulder. “This is my little cousin, Joe Arvel. He’s from our pack in Columbia.”
Pleasantries were exchanged, handshakes were given, and at Wyatt’s explanation, I noticed how similar the two shifters were to each other—same narrow eyes, same elongated noses and each had high cheekbones that made their eyes nearly vanish when they smiled. But where Wyatt was sandy-haired with a few waves touching the back of his neck, Joe had dark, thick hair cut short and tight.
“So this is the famous Janiver Benoit?” Joe asked, waving off his cousin when Wyatt elbowed him. My cocked eyebrow had Joe shrugging. “Sorry, but Bane said you were the best at tracking.”
I bet he did and just for a second, I wondered what else Bane had said to the two cousins.
“She is the best,” Mai said. “She doesn’t track, she finds.”
“Oh, Joe, there you are,” we heard as Lennon walked into the kitchen. He offered me a nod, then smiled easy, but still the professional. “Mr. Iles said that you and Wyatt...” Lennon nodded to the pair of them and then moved his gaze back toward me, straightening his spine when that gaze stopped on my sister.
There was a quick pull against the lines that we all seemed to feel. My skin went warm, tingled like I’d ran around a carpeted room in fuzzy socks, and Wyatt and Joe stepped back, away from Lennon as though he threw off a pheromone only the shifters could sense. At my side, Mai’s voice hummed, but she shook her head, blinking when Lennon cleared his throat. “Miss…that is, Mrs. Phillips. How…how are you feeling?”
“Fine, thank you, Lennon.” I’d never seen Mai so timid around a man. I’d certainly never seen her fidget the way she did then with her foot bouncing against the tile floor. She’d never had to be timid before. My sister was beautiful, with her hair a shade or two lighter than my chestnut brown and she had beautiful pale skin and green eyes that shone against her complexion. Men gravitated toward her without any encouragement on Mai’s part.
She never had to cajole or flirt. And she’d never done the awkward, anxious thing when a man she liked paid attention to her. So this, between my sister and Bane’s guard, was just plain weird. We all stood there a moment, watching, it seemed, for who would speak again, Lennon or Mai and when this ridiculous back and forth shyness would play itself out.
Finally, with Joe clearing his throat, Mai stopped staring at Lennon and the guard nodded at her. “I’ll just…I’m…” And with that she stepped away from the counter to fuss with the cabinet next to the fridge, out of sight of Lennon’s gaze.
“Pardon, Joe, Wyatt…Mr. Iles says your pack will head out first.”
“Nice to meet you, Janiver,” Joe said, shaking my hand again and I blinked, pulling my attention away from my sister’s odd behavior. Joe’s skin was rough with calluses on the inside of his palm and as he gripped my fingers, I felt a cool, relaxed sensation passing from his skin to mine. It made me wonder if Joe had a little more than shifting magic beneath that tall, wide frame.
Wyatt nodded, gave me a small wink before he left and I ignored that flirty smile as I took my hand back from Joe. “Please, call me
Similar Books
