“Will Amanda be able to shift?” Jazmine asked.
Amanda hadn’t even considered that.
Laurie shook her head. “No. It doesn’t work that way. She’ll always be human, but her kids will be shifters.”
“Lord.” Mary’s eyes were wide and she stared at Amanda. “You can handle this?”
“I don’t have a choice.” Amanda knew it was true. She may have run from the house this morning to escape the two men who had rocked her world for the hours before daylight, but she knew in her soul she could only stay away temporarily.
The craziest thing was she was much less concerned about Logan and Sawyer being wolf shifters than she was about having sex with both of them. She was nervous about doing it. That was half the reason she fled the house earlier. She wanted to. She could have easily told them to just do it and get it over with, but her inhibitions got in the way.
She knew in her soul she would lose complete control when they made love to her. And it unnerved her to realize one would be watching while she had sex with the other. And then what? Then they would switch, and she would have sex again? She shivered thinking about the logistics, not for the first time.
What if she disappointed them? She’d taken the coward’s route for the moment. She would face them again later when she’d had a chance to maybe ask a few questions and gather some courage. It was happening too fast.
“So many things make more sense to me now,” Jazmine muttered.
“Like what?” Laurie asked.
Jazmine met Mary’s gaze and they both stiffened.
“What?” Amanda leaned forward. There’s more?
“You need to be careful,” Mary said. “There are so many people in this area who won’t tolerate your relationship status.”
“You mean me being with two men,” Amanda clarified.
Laurie nodded. “That’s exactly what she means. And she’s right. Trust me. Keep this to yourselves as much as possible. I made the mistake of showing affection to both Zach and Corbin in public last year, and half the town went ballistic.”
Jazmine shook her head. “Yeah, but that’s not what I was thinking about. I’m wondering who else I know is a shifter. Like that Pete Sandhouse guy that’s a deputy in Sojourn?”
Laurie nodded. “He is. And he’s trouble with a capital T. As soon as Corbin and his boss, the sheriff, can nail him to the wall, they will.”
“What’s special about some deputy in Sojourn?” Amanda asked.
Jazmine moaned. “He’s one of the dickwads that was involved in trying to push Laurie, Zach, and Corbin out of town. I was just running down my internal list of assholes.” She turned toward Laurie again. “What about Veronica? The woman Corbin was dating when you three met.”
“Nope. She’s human. Just a regular jilted girlfriend. She doesn’t have any idea Pete’s a shifter. She just bonded with him for a common goal—to chase the mixed-race polygamists out of town.”
Amanda shuddered. “They tried to do that?”
Laurie nodded. “Unfortunately. But I’m still here, and you’ll forge a path too.”
“I think Veronica is sleeping with Sandhouse,” Jazmine mused. “Do shifters normally do that?”
Laurie chuckled. “Of course. We date just like anyone would. And we aren’t discerning about whether or not our dates are human or shifters. We just don’t claim someone permanently until Fate chooses for us. And it’s rare the someone is human.” She raised her eyebrows at Amanda. “Lucky you.”
“Lucky me.”
Laurie stood. “I need to get back. I’m sure Corbin and Zach are pulling their hair out dealing with Miriam alone.” She smiled. “If you have any questions, call me.” She walked to the door and then turned back. “And please. Keep this to yourselves. Our lives are difficult enough. The last thing we need is added rumors that we’re werewolves or something. We’re harmless. In fact, we spend a great deal of time making life more pleasant for humans. We don’t want our existence to get out. It would change everything.”
Mary blinked at her. “I would never. Sorry for being such a hypocrite. And thank you for being there for Amanda. I’m sure she needs a friend who understands better than I ever will.”
Laurie smiled broadly. “She has one.” And then she left.
Amanda needed coffee. Worse than she had earlier. She hadn’t had anything to drink last night, but she felt hung over anyway.
“You okay, Amanda?” Jazmine asked.
“I will be.” She dragged herself to standing as though she weighed three hundred pounds and ambled back into the kitchen to grab her coffee and heat it in the microwave. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked the wall.