“What’s wrong with your cousin?”

“Nothing.”

“Again with the lying. You know I hate that.”

Zach grinned at that.

“What was the card about?”

“He wants me to visit the family. But I think I’d rather set myself on fire.”

“That seems extreme. And unnecessary. We’re your family. Fuck them.” Sara Morrighan was quite the delicate flower. “Do you want to go see them?”

“No.”

“Then I’m forbidding you to go. Because I’m Alpha Female and, apparently, I can do that.” Not that she ever would unless he wanted her to. Right now, though, he wanted her to.

“Damn you, woman,” he playfully chastised. “I guess I’m stuck here, huh, Zach?”

“I’m not facing those friends of hers on my own.”

“What did I say?” Sara snapped. “I want you to be cheery when you see my friends.”

“I don’t do cheery.”

“You will if you want to do me.”

To Zach’s annoyance, Conall laughed at that. The woman never gave Zach an inch. And Conall knew Zach wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sara turned back to Conall. “Now I’m insisting you be here because my birthday’s coming up and I expect a party. I’m thinkin’ Texas barbeque and line dancing.”

Zach growled again. “I am not line dancing.”

Conall nodded. “Then line dancing it is!” He ignored Zach’s glare as Sara bumped Conall with her shoulder and he bumped her back. The woman was like the psychotically dangerous little sister he never had.

Staring at the paperwork in his hand, Zach snarled, “What the fuck is going on with this friggin’ water bill?”

* * *

Miki stepped out of the limo and stared. “Are you sure this is the right address?”

“Yes, ma’am. I do all the pickups for Mr. Sheridan.”

“But this isn’t a house.” A mansion. A castle. A palace. But not a house.

“I’ll get your bags, ma’am.”

Miki nodded as she continued to stare at Sara’s new home. A huge building on its own sprawling range of land. Next to the house was an enormous garage filled to overflowing with choppers of every shape and description as well as a couple of pickup trucks and SUVs. She recognized Marrec’s bikes immediately. Seemed the Pack was giving Sara’s surrogate dad a ton of business.

She couldn’t believe this. How could Sara be living here? Sara who was happy with a book and soda. Sara who happily worked at Marrec’s place for fifteen years and “C’d” her way right through high school and junior college. How could that Sara now be living in a place where the drive from the gate to thehouse alone took almost ten minutes?

Miki remembered one of Angelina’s last comments to her: “You’ll like her place. It’s nice. Just needs a porch.”

A porch?

The front door opened and Sara appeared. Physically, she was a little different. Leaner. Her hair much longer, almost to her waist. But she was still Sara with her worn jeans, battered Harley-Davidson T-shirt, and old cowboy boots. Sara’s face lit up as soon as she saw Miki and Miki hated herself for waiting so long to come see her friend.

“Dude!” Sara charged down the stairs and straight to the limo, tackling Miki and knocking them both back into the vehicle.

Sara’s laughter and excitement were infectious and, before Miki knew it, she was hugging her friend back and squealing right along with her.

“You bitch! I thought you’d never come!” Sara stood, grabbed Miki’s hand, and dragged her back out of the car. She hugged her again.

At the same time they both said, “Your hair’s longer.”

Then they started laughing.

“Where would you like me to put the bags, Mrs. Sheridan?”

Sara froze, a vicious growl bubbling up from low in her gut. “The name is Ms. Morrighan. You call me Mrs. again and I will squeeze your balls until you’re dead. Now throw the fuckin’ bags in the hall.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The driver hustled Miki’s bags away.

“Well, I’m glad to see you finally got your aggression under control.”

Arms around each other they walked back toward the house. “I think he does that shit on purpose.”

“What’s the big deal? You are going to marry him, right?”

“Why?” And Sara actually meant that. “I mean, we’re marked. It’s not like either of us is going anywhere. Besides…” She held up her right arm, a stunning tribal tattoo covered most of it. “We got matching ink.”

Sara and Zach were definitely an interesting couple. Miki was still recovering from Sara’s call five months before when she excitedly told her friend she and Zach had “done the deed”. Miki thought that meant they’d rushed off to get married. But leave it to Sara…they’d both gone to the hospital and gotten sterilized. Perfectly matched shapeshifters who never wanted to breed. It was kind of sweet in a bizarre paranormal kind of way.

“Such a beautiful declaration of love. You’re like rock stars now.”

“Sarcastic bitch. God, I missed that.”

Sara grabbed Miki’s jacket and dragged her into the house. Miki had never seen Sara with so much energy. And the woman couldn’t stop smiling. Finally Sara found where she belonged and Miki couldn’t be happier for her.