She wouldn’t comment on it now. She was already feeling weird enough as it was. Better to pretend that everything was normal.
Mitch came over to her as she made the introductions and put an arm around her waist, shocking her. Was he staking a claim? Among shifters, this sort of action meant even more than it did in the human world. Was Mitch feeling possessive or merely protective? It could be either. Or even a little of both. One could mean something very special. The other less so, but still nice.
And what in the world had Paul said to him to make him react this way? Gina was full of curiosity but remained silent.
The Miller men were friendly enough toward Mitch, and before long they were out on the mats, trading punches. Gina was glad to see they started off slow and worked their way up to more intricate moves. She watched carefully from the sidelines as she began her own series of stretches. Mitch wasn’t the only one who liked to keep in shape.
When the door to the barn opened about twenty minutes later, Gina was thrilled to see Mandy Risling, who was married to Tad, and Adele Miller, who was only a couple of years younger than Gina. They came in with the baby of the Miller horde, their little sister, Violet.
Gina ran over to them and exchanged hugs all around. It had been a while since their merry band had been all together in one place.
“Is that him?” Vi asked as the women settled in to watch the men at work.
Chapter Seven
The ladies would take their turn on the mats, Gina knew. And not alone. The women would spar with the men. It was good practice since you never knew who your opponent would be if you got into a fight in the real world. But for just a few minutes, they were observers as the Miller brothers escalated the workout, testing Mitch’s reflexes and level of skill.
“Yeah,” Gina answered, unable to keep her gaze from Mitch.
He was poetry in motion, and though she worried about the athletic level at which he was operating, she couldn’t find any fault in his form or delivery. He was in the zone and clearly able to take on all the Miller men at once and still search for more opponents. He was an even better fighter than Gina had imagined.
“I heard he was a Royal Guard,” Violet prompted, clearly wanting more information about the newcomer in their midst.
“Yeah,” Gina repeated, knowing she sounded a bit dopey but unable to really concentrate on anything except the play of muscles as Mitch moved. He was a beautiful animal in his fur and in his skin.
Gina heard snickering from the older women that finally drew her gaze away from Mitch. Mandy and Adele were making faces at her and she swatted at them playfully, glad to have her childhood friends once again at her side.#p#分页标题#e#
“Ooh…Gina’s got it bad, girls,” Mandy said in a voice only the women could hear. “Looks like the hunka hunka burnin’ tiger over there has caught the eye of our little snow princess.”
“Is it true he turned white for you?” Violet asked, a flavor of awe in her tone.
Gina had to laugh. “I wouldn’t say he didn’t just for me, exactly. And I don’t think he had any control over it. It just sort of happened. I gave him my blood and the next time he shifted fully, he was white. Surprised the heck out of both of us.”
“You gave him blood?” Violet asked. Apparently, she hadn’t heard the entire story.
“He was poisoned. Almost died a few days ago. It was touch and go for a while, but he’s made what appears to be a miraculous recovery.” Her gaze traveled back to him, watching his every move. “You wouldn’t know it to look at him now, but he was as close to death as I’ve ever had one of my patients go without taking that final journey. I thought I would lose him a few times, but he has a warrior spirit and he fought through.”
Silence greeted her revealing words. Then Mandy spoke again. “Tad said something special happened up at the circle. It sounded like Mitch has been Goddess-blessed.” Quiet respect filled her voice.
“Yeah, I think he was. It was quite an experience—unlike anything I’ve ever seen or felt before up there, even with my dad. Mitch is special,” Gina admitted.
“Special enough to mate with?” Adele asked the obvious question.
Gina couldn’t speak the word, but she knew the answer in her heart. She nodded and felt the surprise of the women behind her. Each of them had known her almost all her life. They’d played together as children, gone to school together and learned about being tigers together. They knew her better than almost anyone and knew she’d never dared to give her heart to any man before.
Mating among shifters was something instinctive. Something special. Among shifter monarchs, it was slightly different, but Gina had always wanted a man who would be her true mate, not just a mate of convenience. She thought she’d found him in Mitch, but it would take Mitch’s cooperation to take that final step and join their two souls.