Lounging in the rocker on the B&B’s porch later that day with a cold beer in hand, Zander gave Makenna a call and relayed the cougar’s situation. He was glad when she confirmed there would be room at the shelter for Andie if she needed it. He was just ending the call when a small van came toward the B&B. Instantly alert, he slowly rose to his feet. As the van pulled up outside the house, Zander noticed it was a delivery van.
Soon, a young male wearing a baseball cap came jogging up the steps and onto the porch with a bag in hand that carried the scents of spicy food. He froze at the sight of Zander, but then the front door opened and a smiling Yvonne stepped out, holding a wad of cash.
“Keep the change,” she told the human, who hurried away.
Zander followed Yvonne inside, down the hallway, and into the kitchen. Gwen, Marlon, and Bracken looked at the bag with covetous eyes as Yvonne placed it on the table at the center of the kitchen and pulled out several takeout boxes.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“Chinese,” said Marlon, sliding a pile of plates on the table. “Grab whatever you want.”
After they’d all plated some food and settled on the stools at the table, Zander turned to Gwen. “I spoke to Makenna. She said there’s room for Andie at the shelter.” Gwen nodded but didn’t appear relieved. “Not totally sold on the idea of the place, are you?”
She shrugged. “I just want to be sure she’s somewhere safe.”
Yvonne swallowed a chunk of curried chicken. “Aidan called me. Said he came by earlier and was chased away.” She gestured at Zander and Bracken with her fork, adding, “He’s concerned that you two aren’t what Gwen needs right now.”
Little bastard. “Is he?” Zander said evenly.
“What did you say?” Bracken asked her.
“I told him you’re exactly what Gwen needs and that he shouldn’t worry.” Yvonne looked at Gwen. “He wants me to convince you to resume therapy.”
Zander, Bracken, and Marlon all cursed.
Yvonne jerked back. “Am I missing something?”
Gwen didn’t answer, not wanting to bother Yvonne with it.
Marlon scooped more food onto his plate. “Gwen ended the sessions because he declared that he loved her.”
Yvonne gawked. “What?”
Gwen shot her foster brother a hard smile. “Thanks, Marlon.”
Yvonne dropped her fork. “Why didn’t you tell me, Gwen?”
“She was embarrassed,” said Marlon.
Gwen widened her eyes at him. “Seriously, Marlon, you can shut up now.”
Yvonne looked at her in disbelief. “Why would you be embarrassed?”
“Because she didn’t see it coming, and she’s totally weird,” Marlon explained.
Gwen threw a handful of white rice at him. “I’ll destroy your new shirt, I really will. Right now, I’m seeing red.”
“You are? What’s it like?”
She growled. “You are not color-blind.”
“And you can know this how?”
Yvonne rubbed at her arms. “You should have told me, Gwen. Aidan is the one who should be embarrassed, not you. You need to tell Julie.”
Gwen had seen this coming. “No. He really does seem to help her. She never spoke of her childhood until she started her sessions with Aidan. Now she talks about it all freely, and Chase says she rarely has nightmares these days.”
“She should still know,” Yvonne insisted.
Zander leaned slightly toward Gwen. “He might have done to her what he did to you.”
Gwen shook her head. “If he’d told Julie he loved her, she’d have freaked out and told Chase.”
“I don’t mean that.” Zander took a swig of his beer. “I mean he might be trying to make her dependent on him, like he tried with you.”
“I thought of that, which was why I asked her a few questions to get a feel for how he treated her. I never got the impression that he was anything but professional with her.” Or Gwen would definitely have told her. “If anything, he’s made her feel like she can lean on Chase and confide in him.”
“I’m still telling Julie,” Yvonne announced. “She needs to know.”
Gwen rubbed her temples. “She’ll be pissed at me.”
Marlon waved a dismissive hand. “Julie can’t be mad for more than ten minutes at a time.”
The back door opened, and Donnie strolled into the kitchen, no doubt lured by the smell of food. Without a word to anyone, he took a seat and dug in.
“Back to the matter of the shelter,” said Marlon. “Do you think Andie will actually agree to stay there?”
Gwen puffed out a breath. “I don’t know.”
Donnie’s brow furrowed. “What shelter?” After Bracken quickly explained, Donnie said, “Your kind is gonna need to build more of those shelters. Maybe underground. You’ll need them for the casualties.”
Yvonne blinked. “Casualties?”
“A war between humans and shifters will happen one day,” said Donnie. “Not out of prejudice, but out of fear. Humans have always feared what they don’t understand, but they didn’t feel too threatened by shifters when they thought there was only a handful of breeds. Each year, it becomes clear that more and more exist. They’re starting to worry they’re outnumbered and outmatched. The war will eventually happen, and we’re all being trained for it.”
“Trained?” Marlon echoed, doubtful.
Donnie’s lips thinned, a signal that a paranoid rant was coming on. “Have you not noticed how many video games are war-themed these days? It’s the government preparing kids for war. The kids play online with their friends, communicating using headsets—similar to what soldiers do in the field. The games are always graphic, getting the kids used to blood, guts, and gore. The games don’t just feature simple guns; no, there’s a whole array of guns available to the kids—the government is actually educating them on weaponry!”
Gwen spoke, “Donnie—”
He slapped a hand on the table. “I’m telling you, the powers that be are basically creating soldiers and assassins. And look how many of those war-themed games are focused on killing zombies. The government is training kids to kill monsters, and then they send the message that shifters are the monsters. It’s all propaganda. The kids are being brainwashed and—”
“Donnie.”
His expression cleared as he looked at Gwen, all anger gone. “Hmm?”
She sighed. “Are you all right?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Fine.” He went back to his food.
Looking at Donnie in pure fascination, Bracken told him, “You made some good points.” The two males then went on to further discuss the matter.
Amused despite herself, Gwen inwardly rolled her eyes. Feeling the heat of Zander’s gaze, she looked to see him once more completely focused on her. His face was blank, but his eyes were alive with an almost electric intensity that gave her goose bumps. Heat rose to her cheeks, and her lower stomach fluttered and clenched as a sliver of need snaked through her. His mouth quirked, as if he’d sensed it.
Well, if he could sense her need, Bracken would soon sense it too—yeah, that would be too embarrassing. Done with her food, Gwen pushed to her feet. “I’m gonna take a shower and then head to bed. ’Night, everyone.”