Muzzling the Beast: Taming the Beast, Book 4 by Tina Donahue

normal.”
    Anything not usually happening here . Constance gestured to Zoe. “No flames bobbing in her eyes or smoke rising from her hair.”
    Zoe lifted her chin. “My guys like me the way I am.”
    “You’re fine as you are,” Constance said quickly. “I’m not being critical. Believe me, no one’s more imperfect than I am. I simply want this to go smoothly and get it over with.”
    Becca pushed away from the desk and went to Constance. “What happens after we pass his inspection?”
    Dinner and jazz if the gods were willing. Given Becca’s scowl, Constance figured they wouldn’t be. Her heart twisted and her spirits fell. “I know it’s a lot to ask, and I wouldn’t ordinarily, but I like him.” She looked at all of them. “When you guys were falling in love, I didn’t try to keep you from it, I cheered you on.”
    Heather nodded. “It’s true. She kept asking for details about Daemon and me…lots of them.” Her face turned bright red.
    Zoe’s had more color than usual too as she glowered. “We weren’t involved with mortals.”
    MJ rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. Most of them are so boring. Don’t you think?”
    “I never liked them,” Zoe said.
    Heather clasped her hands even tighter. “I’m sure some of them are nice.”
    Zoe sniffed. “Yeah, right. What about the SOB I sold my soul for? Did you forget about him?”
    “Quiet.” Becca held up her hand for silence and turned to Constance. “You’re falling in love with him?”
    She was afraid to say or even think about it.
    MJ grinned. “I’d say the love train has already left the station.”
    “He’s a good man,” Constance said. “So what if he’s mortal?”
    Becca lifted her flame-colored eyebrows. “Where can this lead? If it goes on and you guys get deeply involved, you’ll eventually have to tell him the truth.”
    “She could always screw with his memories,” Zoe said.
    MJ nodded. “Works for me.”
    Constance wasn’t sure what to think.
    Becca looked worried. “Have you ever played with anyone’s memories repeatedly? Removing them and planting false ones and removing those and —”
    “No.” Constance wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly cold to the bone. “It’s never been necessary before.”
    “Then you don’t know if it’s safe,” Becca said.
    She hadn’t thought about it. Her entire focus had been on simply getting through today.
    “Sweetie.” Becca cradled Constance’s cheek in her palm. “If you want this guy, it’s best he likes you for who you really are, not an image you’re trying to project.”
    “I can’t tell him the truth yet. He’ll freak.”
    “But you’ll have to tell him sometime if this is going to work.”
    There was the rub. It couldn’t possibly, yet Constance had never wanted anything more. “I don’t know what to do.”
    MJ shrugged. “I say keep altering his memories. Could be fun to watch him go around in circles.”
    Constance bared her teeth.
    Heather piped in. “If anything bad happens, I could try and heal him.”
    “With try being the operative word,” Becca said and then spoke to Constance. “Do you have your cell phone with you?”
    She held her purse to her chest. “Why? I don’t want to call Gabe and cancel. Not yet. I need a little more time with him. Please. I’m not ready to give him up yet.”
    “I’m not asking you to. You need to call your mom and see what will happen to him if you continually fuck with his memories, with no one able to fix what you’ve done.”
    Constance couldn’t stop trembling.
    “Go on,” Becca said. “It’s best to find out, especially if you don’t want to hurt him.”
    Constance frowned. “His name is Gabe. Not him, the mortal or the detective. Gabe.”
    Becca nodded agreeably, the same as the others.
    Constance wanted to hurl. She pulled her smartphone from her purse and pushed to her feet. “Everyone out. I don’t want you guys to hear this.”
    No one moved.
    Figures. She turned her back to them and