Addie (Pack of Misfits #1) - Raven Kennedy Page 0,26

finger playfully, making him jump back and quickly drop his hand. “So…you’re a duck. Is that why you woke up at the quack of dawn?” he teases.

Penn laughs again, but Herrick isn’t amused. In fact, he looks pissed, and my duck can sense it. “You’re a fucking…duck shifter?”

My duck squawks at the disdain dripping from his tone.

Herrick rounds on Penn. “You said you thought she was a fox or some shit!”

Penn throws up his hands, which my duck doesn’t like, because it throws her off balance. She squawks and flies off of him to land on the floor at Lafe’s feet. “I said I didn’t know! She wouldn’t tell me, remember?” Penn retorts.

“We’re coyotes. We can’t be screwing around with a fucking duck!” Herrick snaps.

My duck bristles, and my anger rises so much that I’m able to wrestle back the reins. Quick as a blink, I shift back into my human form, not caring about my own nudity. Without warning, I rear back and I punch Herrick right in the stomach. I surprise him more than anything, but he still keels over and a big “oof” escapes his stupid mouth, so I’m filled with satisfaction.

“You predators are all the same,” I hiss. “Condescending assholes. You had no problem screwing me all night while I was riding my first wave, but now that you know I’m not a wolf or some other super impressive pred, now I’m suddenly not good enough for you?”

My breath heaves, and I notice Lafe’s gaze zero-in on my bare breasts. I roll my eyes and spin around toward the dresser to rummage through the drawers. I pull on a pair of boxers and a huge shirt, then cross my arms over my chest. “This is exactly why I don’t tell shifters what my animal is. Fuck you guys.”

“Hold on—” Penn begins, but his voice cuts off abruptly. He tips his head up and sniffs the air, frowning as he proceeds to smell Herrick, Lafe, and himself.

“What the hell?” asks Lafe, bending away from Penn’s nose.

Penn straightens up and then reaches forward and grabs hold of my wrist. As soon as he touches me, a hot, tingling sensation emits from our skin-to-skin contact. His hand makes a partial shift, with claws and golden hair suddenly erupting out of it. At the same time, tawny feathers pop out of my wrist. I squeal in surprise and we both wrench away from each other.

I gape at him as a stricken expression crosses his face. “Holy shit,” he breathes, staring at me.

“What the fuck?” Herrick snaps.

Penn finally tears his eyes away from me. I already know what he’s gonna say, but it isn’t any easier hearing it out loud. “The mate-call has been triggered.”

The guys gape at him. And then all hell breaks loose.

Penn, Lafe, and Herrick all start talking over each other in shocked denial as I continue to stand in the middle of it, my face burning with embarrassment and dismay. But there’s no denying Penn’s declaration. Aside from the spontaneous shifting that happens, especially with skin-to-skin contact, I can feel it. The new mating bond is buzzing under my skin.

Shifter females (and sometimes males) will put out a biological “mate-call” when they feel connected to another shifter on physical, emotional, and instinctual levels. And yes, it usually happens during sex. But it’s always a purposeful thing. Our animals feel the need to trigger the mate-call, but then we can decide to go through with it or not. The mate-call is released, and the other shifter can choose to answer it by biting them, licking at the blood and sealing the bond.

Instinctively, I bring my hand up to my neck. I don’t feel a mark or anything, since shifters heal too quickly, but the spot is oddly tender, and I know in my gut that it’s from teeth.

Triggering the mate-call isn’t common or easy, which is why shifters usually decide to trust their animal and go along with it. Some couples wait years before their animals send it out. But I barely know Penn. Surely my duck wouldn’t have triggered the mate-call just because the sex was amazing?

Then again, she’s never had more than one male take care of her like that at one time before. Ducks are leery of gangbangs as it is. Really. Duck gangbanging is a thing. Male ducks are freaky with their corkscrew dicks. Female ducks usually run in the other direction from multiple males. But my duck? She was all over these guys