Reese (Pack of Misfits #2) - Raven Kennedy Page 0,75
it hasn’t.” I take a deep breath and look out at the calm waves. “You have to understand, I’ve lived with Rick Dick for the past five years. I’ve been a rat all that time. And now I’m human again, and I’m free, and…”
My voice chokes with emotion, but I clear it because I need to say this. I need to explain.
“I’m sure this seems crazy to everyone else. But I liked you instantly, Luca. And maybe if I’d been human for all this time, maybe I’d ignore that animal instinct. Maybe I’d excuse it away. But I’ve been too tapped into my rat’s instincts to do that. My rat likes you, and she doesn’t easily like people. That means something to me. I’ve learned to trust her instincts implicitly, because I had to in order to survive. If it weren’t for her, I would’ve given up a long time ago. She saved me, and I don’t want to shove aside her instincts now. It would be a slap in the face. So I want to listen to her about you, but the human side of me is scared, because this is all so new. And I don’t want to get hurt. I’ve been through too much already.”
I’m nearly breathless with emotion as the last of the words spill out of me. My eyes are full, making the ocean waves blurry. I haven’t really had enough time to process everything that happened to me, but saying all of this to Luca, it feels cathartic.
To his credit, Luca doesn’t dismiss my feelings or quickly bowl over them. He listens to every word intently, like he’s memorizing each one. After I finish, he stays quiet for a moment, until I’m fidgeting, wondering what he’s thinking.
“My animal likes you too. And you’re right about shifters letting our human sides overpower our animal instincts sometimes. I see it happen a lot, even within our own pack. But I also know mated pairs who met, and they formed an instant connection. So this might be fast, but you put out the mate-call to me, and we both know what a huge deal that is. Even if it did have something to do with the fact that you hadn’t gone into heat for a few years, that wouldn’t explain why my animal tried to answer it.”
“It did?” I ask, surprised.
He nods. “It did. I had to suppress it.”
That makes me feel better. “Then this isn’t one-sided?”
“Definitely not,” he says, his hands coming down to grip my hips and tug me to him. My stomach flutters at the possessive touch. “I want you. My animal wants you. That’s all that matters, okay? We’ll sort out the rest later as it comes. There’s nothing wrong with following our animal’s instincts.”
I grin and stand up on my tiptoes, brushing my lips over his in a tentative kiss. “Sounds good to me.”
At my breathy answer, Luca brings his mouth against mine and cups my face. The kiss is soft and appraising, like he’s trying to feel me out, getting to know me with every stroke of his tongue. We don’t break apart until my lips are red and swollen and our breaths are coming out in gasps.
“I gotta say, you’re definitely nailing this boyfriend stuff so far,” I tell him.
He chuckles. “You think that’s good, check this out.” He reaches down and threads his fingers through mine.
“Oooh. Very impressive.”
“I know.”
“You’re a tad too cocky though. We’ll have to work on that.”
He lets go of my hand to pinch my butt. “Sassy thing.”
I just shrug. There’s no reason to deny it.
“Okay, you ready?” he asks, changing the subject.
“For what?”
“For our animals to meet. Mine is pushing me. He wants to spend time with your mouse.”
I scowl. “I’m a majestic pack rat.”
His mouth quirks. “Apologies.”
“But yes. I’m dying to know what you are,” I say with a smile as I rub my hands together in anticipation. “If you end up being a pelican, I’m going to laugh my ass off.”
Luca rolls his eyes. “I’m not a damn pelican. Now shift into your animal.”
“So bossy.”
Closing my eyes, I give my rat control as I shrink until my clothes fall over my small body in a heap on the sand. It takes a few seconds for me to find my way out, but as soon as I get out from under the clothing, I freeze. Because that...is not a pelican. But it is a bird. A giant friggen bird.