“I was really thinking people could just pick their own rooms,” Ric tried to suggest.

Blue eyes narrowed. “But I have a chart.”

“Yes. You do. With colored legend and arrows and, of course, illustrations of each breed.”

“I always feel that visuals help.” He held up a stack of sheets. “I also made accompanying flyers for everyone.”

Ric’s hands curled into fists. “Yet the idea is that everyone can come here and just relax.

Unburdened by rules and regulations as long as everyone keeps the Viking-like pillaging to a minimum.” Novikov pointed at the wall. “But I have a chart.”

“And a lovely chart it is. Truly. Beautiful. But it seems like a lot of work for you. Wouldn’t you rather lounge in the pool for . . . you know . . . ever?”

“I have schedules for pool use.” Novikov stuck another giant Post-It onto the wall. “That way we can all get a proper amount of pool time without actually infringing on each other’s space.” Then Novikov added. “You don’t have to thank me for that.”

Before Ric could tell the man how much he wasn’t going to thank him for that, Lock walked up to him. “Your cousin’s here.”

“Specifics, Lachlan.” Since he had hundreds of cousins worldwide.

“Stein.”

Finally! “Stein!” Ric yelled out.

His younger cousin walked into the room, looking comfortable and summer-ready in baggy swim shorts, an Hawaiian shirt, and a ridiculous straw hat.

“Cousin! Man, this weekend is just what I need.” He slapped Ric on the back. “Thanks so much for inviting me.”

Ric stared at him, just gazed until the kid finally got it.

“I’m here as slave labor, aren’t I?”

“Kitchen. Meat. Chicken. Clean, strip, debone, season. Now.”

“But can’t I—”

“Move!”

Shoulders slumping, the kid wandered off to find the kitchen.

“What fantasy world is he living in?” Ric wanted to know.

Lock motioned to Novikov’s charts and schedules. “What is this?”

“These are the sleeping arrangements. As you can see, I placed you here in room 4B.”

“The rooms are numbered?”

“They are now. White duct tape.”

Ric gritted his teeth. “You put white duct tape on my mahogany, hand-crafted doors?”

“This place is huge, Van Holtz. You don’t want your guests getting lost.” Ric went for Novikov’s throat but Lock held him in place with an arm around his shoulders.

“What’s that?” Lock asked the hybrid.

“That’s the pool schedule. I also have a tennis court schedule and basketball court schedule.”

“Pool schedule?” Lock laughed. “You don’t think that’s going to work, do you?”

“Of course, it will. I wrote it out. In pen.”

But to prove the ineffectiveness of his theory, two lion males tore down the stairs, made a mad dash through the house, tearing off clothes as they went, and crashing into each other, Ric’s furniture, and the walls, screaming, “Pooooooool!”

“Wait!” Novikov yelled, running after them. “There’s a schedule! Your time isn’t for another three hours!”

And like that, Ric’s anger vanished, replaced by laughter.

“Come on,” he said to Lock. “Let’s go torture Stein by telling him he’s doing everything wrong even when he’s not.”

“Excellent plan.”

Lock walked off and Ric began to follow, but stopped long enough to return to the chart and move Novikov’s precisely placed people all over the place, separating couples from each other, their children, and spreading them out randomly so breeds and species were all sorts of mixed.

Laughing harder, he headed toward the kitchen, already deciding he didn’t like the way Stein deboned those damn chickens.

Yeah. It was going to be a great weekend!

Dee headed into the house from a side door after spending a couple of hours in the pool with her Pack and kin. As she passed through, she saw that the Shaw brothers had moved from lounging next to the pool to lounging in the living room, both of them sprawled over Van Holtz’s furniture like the big, lazy beasts they were. In fact, Mitchell might actually be drooling. Shaking her head, disgusted, she walked down the hallway toward the kitchen.

“Dee,” she heard behind her, but Dee kept walking. “Dee. Dee-Ann. Dee-Ann.

Deeeeeeee-Annnnnnnn. ”

Eyes closed, Dee stopped, took a breath, before she faced Teacup. “Yeah?” Dee gritted her teeth when the wolfdog hugged her. “Why are you touching me?”

“Because you’re really a wonderful person and maybe the world thinks you’re just a heartless killer, but I think you’re the best. The best!”

Dee looked over the wolfdog’s head at the small group of hybrid pups and cubs that she’d invited to come here this weekend. The rest of the Group’s hybrid kids had plans with their foster families, but this bunch, including Hannah, had no one. So, yeah, Dee had invited them all to attend after talking it over with Ric. It wasn’t a big deal. Why did Teacup insist on making everything a goshdarn big deal?

“Get her off me,” she told Hannah.

“Why me?”

“Get her off.”

Sighing, the bear-canine hybrid took hold of Blayne’s waist and pulled until she’d finally released Dee.