His cock rose at the thought, and he adjusted himself casually to a less painful position.
Mandy stood in front of the plaque that explained how the town got its name, laughing out loud when she reached the end. "That is something I would have done. My family used to tease me unmercifully for how poor my spelling was."
Justin shifted his body slightly to protect her from a group walking past in the opposite direction. "Face it, Ptarmigan would have made a great name for the town, but it isn't the easiest word to spell. But you think they would have picked something else completely."
"No, Chicken works perfectly-it's funny. Like … ptarmigans are arctic chickens, right?" Her nose wrinkled adorably. "Wait. Are there any ptarmigan shifters?"
"Probably," he said with a smile. "Only the gentler shifters tend to stay a little more isolated."
"For good reason, I suppose."
Justin shrugged. "Shifters are shifters. We're all tougher than humans, even those who don't have fur or sharp teeth. And don't discount any of the wild kingdom-you ever been on the wrong side of an ordinary red-winged blackbird? Dangerous and territorial, even though they're small."
She shook her head then got distracted and pulled him into another shop where he waited for her to finish wandering the aisles, exclaiming over the pretty clothes and intricate knickknacks.
Utterly patient. Aching for more.
It was nearly two p.m. before her stomach grumbled loudly enough they both heard it. Mandy glanced down at her bare wrist before grabbing his to check his watch.
She twitched in surprise before turning to punch him playfully on the arm. "You're so bad. Why didn't you say it was so late? You must be starving."
"We ate a late breakfast," he told her. "I'm a big boy. I won't cry if I miss a meal."
Her gaze drifted over him, and her smile shifted to something far more along the lines of what he was hoping for.
"You are a big boy." She stepped closer, licking her lips as she leaned against him, her head barely to the middle of his chest. "Got any ideas of somewhere tasty you'd like to go?"
Back to the apartment and into bed?
No, wait. He better feed her first because once he got her into bed he wasn't letting her up. They'd need their strength. "I know just the place."
He untangled from her reluctantly, keeping a tight grip on her fingers to guide her down the street to the pub.
Mandy paused, tilting her head back to check out the nameplate above the window. "Northern Lights Theater?"
"NLT is the place in Chicken," he promised.
It took a second for his eyes to adjust from the bright daylight outside to the dimmer lighting in what had been an old theater lobby.
Mandy blinked hard, glancing in open-mouthed wonder at the majestic trappings decorating the walls and painted ceiling as Justin guided her toward the seating area at the bar mostly on memory. He didn't think twice before catching hold of her hips and once again lifting her into the air, placing her on one of the tall gilded chairs in front of the bar counter.
She tilted her head and gave him a warning look, but when she didn't say anything, he settled himself in, lightly resting an arm along the back of her chair.
Mandy leaned forward to admire the bar top, which was a sheet of glass laid over a collection of memorabilia, when a familiar silver-blonde head popped up from behind the counter like a jack-in-the-box. The beautiful young shifter leaned on one elbow and looked them over intently, her gaze lingering on Mandy before she turned toward Justin.
"Look who just dropped into my gin joint. A bear I haven't seen in a couple months, and another familiar face who's got trouble written all over her." Nadia set two menus in front of him and Mandy, then in a whirlwind of motion, she spun away. She expertly picked up a loaded tray from the narrow window behind her and lifted it overhead.
She was out from behind the bar area and headed to the nearest table like a brightly coloured hurricane.
The group of burly men she approached had been getting louder and louder, shouted complaints giving way to swinging arms and outright snarling. But with Nadia's arrival, instead of being one second away from what seemed to be bloodshed, they all shot to their feet. They waited politely in silence for the petite blonde to put down their food before resettling into their chairs, their loud conversation now controlled as she twirled away to talk to other customers.
He didn't realize he'd been staring until he felt a tug on his sleeve, and turned back to see Mandy watching Nadia's progress through the bar with equal fascination.
"What kind of shifter is she, and why does she look familiar?"
"Nadia is a lynx. She was in Whitehorse during the bear conclave-at the swimming pool, if you remember."
"Oh." Her face twisted at the unhappy memories the mention of that day must have brought back. "I think I saw her, but that whole day is a bit of a blur."
"Makes sense. There was lot going on at that time." He thought back a little harder. It was no wonder the lynx wasn't instantly recognizable-Mandy had been quickly ensconced in the Takhini pack house while her abusive ex-husband was being dealt with. "Don't worry, she won't be offended you don't remember her."
Nadia moved decisively through the room for a moment before Mandy spoke again. "She's good at her job."
"She is," Justin agreed. "She owns the place, and it's pretty much the place in town. Although she has a few advantages not all of us enjoy."
Mandy waited expectantly, but Justin shook his head. "I'll explain, but we should eat first," he insisted.
Another waitress took their order, and their food arrived in quick order. The entire time they ate, Mandy's gaze kept darting around the room, following Nadia.
He expected her to demand an answer far sooner than she actually did, turning to him as if she'd partially solved a mystery.
"There's something more to the story, isn't there? Other than she owns this bar."
"What makes you say that?"
Mandy pointed around the room at different groups of diners. "Bear. Wolf. Wolverine. Fox. And at least three other shifters I can't identify without getting closer. But there's no growling or posturing going on. In fact, the oddest thing is they're all acting as if they actually like each other, not that they're barely holding it together."
He was pretty damn proud that she'd figured it out. "Smart lady. Nadia's an Omega. A special one."
That was enough for the moment as he paid the bill then guided Mandy toward the door. She was still distracted, staring over her shoulder at the lynx as they left.
Her expression said she was thinking hard, so Justin remained extra alert as he headed them toward their destination. His heart leapt when she slipped her fingers around his arm and snuggled up against him as if she belonged there.
Which she totally did … as far as he was concerned.
Finally even his pleasure at her unconscious act was overruled as his curiosity got the better of him. "What's on your mind, darling?"
"Nadia. NLT. That's a big place for her to run, and yet you said she's doing well. I'm impressed-she doesn't look as if she's strong enough to handle dealing with hard-headed shifters."
"The size of the person doesn't dictate their skills," Justin pointed out. "I don't judge you by the fact you could fit into my pocket. Also-I told you. She's an Omega. Doesn't take away from her skills in running a profitable business, but it helps stop her clientele from burning it to the ground."
"I didn't see a single lynx in there, so I don't know what good her being an Omega is," Mandy argued.
"For some reason the Omega woo-woo that makes people happy and settle down from their emotional outbursts doesn't just work on her kind, but on all shifters."
Mandy jerked to a complete stop in the middle of the street. "That's not possible. Omegas can only control their own kind."
"Right, it's not possible," he agreed, drawing her with him to the safety of the other side of the street. "Still true, though."
She shook her head. "I've never heard of such a thing, but I guess that explains why she showed up when things got out of control at the bear conclave."
"The wolves arranged it. More specifically, Tyler's wife, if I remember correctly."
A small laugh escaped her. "Caroline?"
"Yup."
Mandy leaned in closer and spoke quietly as if sharing state secrets. "She's one scary human. I mean, I like her, and she was very kind to me, but I'd prefer to get on the bad side of a wolverine shifter before pissing her off."
"You and me, both." Justin tucked a loose strand of hair behind Mandy's ear, desperate to touch her, and using the only small gesture he could right now.
Claim her.
He couldn't even blame the thought on his bear. They both wanted the same thing. Not just her body, but all of her, and the thought increased his impatience even while reminding him why they had to go slow.
I set the speed, she'd said.
The moment stretched between them, Mandy's smile softening as her gaze drifted over him. He could swear he saw hunger in her eyes, and he was about to burst out and say something inappropriate when she pulled back.