to his voice, and then he disappears back into the house.
I stare after him for a moment, and then Rogan clears his throat loudly, snapping me out of my creeper mode. Heat crawls up my neck, and I pull the passenger door open and climb back into the car. I busy myself with getting buckled in and fluffing my curls, and the next thing I know the iron gate is sliding open and granting us entry.
“Well, that was interesting,” I observe casually as I work to get a hold of my hormones.
“Mmm,” Rogan agrees with an irritated man grunt. “Seems they’re very personable these days,” he adds, his eyes fixed intensely on the road.
The paved path abruptly turns to packed dirt, and we drive for a couple of miles before coming across a large gathering of lycans. We park and climb out of the SUV, and I’m greeted by happy chatter, laughter and the smell of BBQ.
We park just outside of an enclosure that has little kids running around in it, chasing after random animals. I watch the excitement for a moment, a smile on my face as peals of childish laughter reach me. A little girl catches a snow white bunny, and in a move so fast I would have missed it if I blinked, she grows fangs and tears into the neck of the trapped animal. My hand shoots up to my mouth, trapping the gasp I just inhaled, and I watch as all the adults around the enclosure cheer and reach for the little girl, lifting her up in celebration.
I turn wide, stunned eyes on Rogan. “Just like us?” I lob at him, with an arched, incredulous eyebrow.
He just shrugs, a cheeky grin taking over one corner of his lush mouth.
Fucker.
I shoo away my shock, not wanting to offend anyone, and a pair of lycans break away from the crowd and move toward us. A brute of a man with a long easy stride closes the distance. His hair is a rich soil-brown, but his long beard is bright ginger. The obsidian-haired woman next to him could give an Amazon a run for her money, and as they get closer, I look around and realize that lycans have dipped many a toe in the hot as fuck gene pool.
Strong, virile, tall bodies are everywhere. Both men and women are a feast for the eyes. I have to stop myself from calling Tad and announcing that I’ve found the promised land. I mean, screw going to the bars when you can just come party in a place like this. Yes, please.
“Rogan!” the male lycan booms, and in one long stride, Rogan is wrapped up in a bear hug of epic proportions. Rogan is huge, but the ginger-bearded man makes him look dainty as he picks up the Blood Witch and spins him like they’re long lost lovers.
The sight makes me so damn happy that I don’t even see the Amazon coming right for me. I squeal in surprise when strong arms pluck me from the ground and wrap me up in the kind of hug I didn’t know I needed until right this minute. I tense for all of half a second, and then I abandon all pretense and melt right into the embrace.
“I’m Viv,” she tells me, her voice resonating from her chest into mine as we hold onto each other.
“Leni,” I exchange, feeling like a little girl again as my feet sway in the air. It’s the best.
After a beat, she puts me down, and just when I feel like I want to pout about that, I’m yanked into another perfect hug, the ginger beard-hair in my face a dead giveaway for who has me now. Just like with Viv, I squeeze him back just as hard as I can.
“I’m Riggs,” he rumbles. “I’m so sorry about your grandmother. When I saw a different Osseous name on the list, I called my necro buddy, and he confirmed her passing. She was a longtime customer and friend, and we’ll really miss her,” he tells me, and I can hear the ache and sincerity in what he’s saying.
“Me too,” I admit, the two simple words summoning so much emotion with them. Riggs just keeps me in his arms as I blink the tears away and get myself back under control. He sets me on my feet as I do and pats my mop of curls, empathy and compassion radiating from his every feature.
“Now,” he announces with a thundering