Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
“Hey, any time you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, let me know. I’ll get you out of there, no questions asked.”
I studied his face. He was serious, I could tell. It made my heart speed up, and butterflies stormed through my stomach. He really would leave his friends’ Thanksgiving celebration for me if I were too nervous or stressed out. I still couldn’t get over the idea that someone could care for me so much. Someone I met such a short time ago. Having it was wonderful—the thought of losing it was terrifying. That was why I sent my agent Tiffany a text on the walk to his truck. I was going to re-up my lease of the apartment for at least another month. There was no way I could leave Lilly Valley yet. Not until I knew for sure what was going on between Miles and I.
EIGHTEEN
MILES
I’d tried to make the drive to Tate’s house as casual and calming as I could. Celina was doing a good job of acting like things were fine, but I’d been around her enough to know that she was probably freaking out. Everyone knew she was shy and an introvert. Tate had even given his daughters Mariah and Jordyn a heads up. Which was good. In my experience, Jordyn could be a lot. She was sweet, but the girl could talk your ears off.
There were two other cars parked outside Tate’s house. One was Blayne’s, and the other belonged to Steff and April, which meant we were the last to arrive. We were supposed to eat around two, so we’d have a few hours to hang out, talk, and finish cooking. Hopefully, that would be enough time for Celina to get settled and comfortable with everyone.
“You ready?” I asked as I turned off the truck.
“Yeah, sure,” she answered. Her voice sounded calm, but she was gripping the platter of cookies with white-knuckled determination.
Once we stepped inside, Harley was the first one to greet her. “Oh my goodness, you didn’t need to bring anything.”
She took the tray of cookies from Celina and gave her a small hug. Celina smiled. “It’s the least I could do. Thanks for having me over.”
“No one should be alone for Thanksgiving,” Harley said, and I breathed a sigh of relief when Celina’s shoulders visibly loosened. Hopefully, that meant she was relaxing.
She was shy, that was for sure, but I tried to stay with her the whole time. I introduced her to my friends, April, and all the kids.
“Oh my gosh,” Jordyn said when she met her, “I’ve read all your books. I love you so much.”
Celina’s eyes went wide. “All my books? Um…you mean?—“
“I think…” I added quickly, “…that she means the books under your actual name. Not any of your pen names.”
Jordyn’s eyes went even wider. “Are you serious? You have more books? What are your other names?”
“Well, I can tell you some of them, but there are a few that are”—she blushed and glanced at me—“maybe a little too much for someone your age.”
Jordyn took Celina by the arm and led her to the couch so they could talk books. April and Mariah joined them. I caught Celina’s eye and raised my eyebrows, giving her a questioning thumbs-up. She grinned and nodded. I went to the kitchen to check if Harley needed any help.
“Anything I can do for you?” I asked.
Harley shook her head. “Deviled eggs and pasta salad are made. Dressing and two different casseroles are in the oven, I’m boiling potatoes now to mash later. All I really have to do is bake the rolls. You can check on Tate and the guys outside. They’re helping him smoke a turkey.”
“Sounds good.” I stepped out onto the back porch.
Tate nodded and tossed me a beer from the cooler at his feet. Steff and Blayne were in the yard, tossing a football back and
forth to each other. When they saw me, they stopped and walked over.
“How’s Celina?” Tate asked.
“Seems fine, actually. Jordyn accosted her about her books first thing.”
Tate winced. “Ah, shit. Do I need to go in there and pry her jaws off your lady?”
I laughed. “Nah, they seem good. Mariah and April swooped in to help. She likes talking about books, so it should be a nice safe topic.”
“Speaking of safety…” Blayne said, “…how are things going with the hunter chick?”
I sat on a patio chair. “Not great, actually, but that might work in our favor.”
I told them about the fight Celina had with Felicity about us and that she was trying to turn her against us. That she’d told Celina we were worthless and not worth her time.
Steff nodded. “She’s trying to lead her away from you. Turn you feral and get the curse to do its thing.”
It was the most logical thing for her to do. The hunters had hired Emily to do exactly that. The curse they’d told her to cast hadn’t worked out the way they wanted, but it still would cause us untold pain. They knew that if my mate rejected me, I would go feral and probably die in agony or of heartbreak or whatever the spell did.
Blayne pointed at the house. “Well, Celina is here. Looks like their little plan isn’t working.”
“Yeah, things are looking good. My wolf has been fairly calm for a while now.”
“That won’t last,” Steff added, then drank from his beer.