She froze, repeating her thoughts, and stifled a groan.
A hotel. Damn!
Rotating in a circle, she searched for her bag, saying a silent prayer. Emory had mentioned the money and map so her duffel had to be somewhere. She inspected the closet, the dresser, the floor—and stopped on the large armoire across from the bed. Even though she knew her bag wouldn’t be there, she checked anyway, hoping that for once she was wrong. A large flat-screen television was inside, along with a remote. Other than that the shelves were empty. Releasing a steady sigh, she tried to think of a new plan, having a good idea of where the bag was.
“The other bedroom,” she muttered.
Damn, damn, damn!
Footsteps sounded outside the bedroom door and Mary quickly closed the cabinet and rushed for the bathroom. She didn’t make it in time, interrupted halfway to her destination, caught in the act by the very owner of the home she was attempting to escape.
“Uh…” Mary tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t make her look guilty.
Ava waved a hand and closed the door. “Don’t even. You could make up the best lie in the world and I’d know.” She lifted her hand and tapped her temple. “I can hear what you’re thinking, remember?”
Talk about an invasion of privacy. Fear of discovery faded, replaced by annoyance. Mary walked toward Ava and stopped a foot or so away from the small woman. She stood at least five or six inches over her—possibly more.
“Don’t you think that’s a little rude?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips.
“Definitely,” Ava said, unperturbed, folding her arms across her chest. “And if Emory hadn’t interrupted Diskant and me to make sure you were okay when he heard you shuffling around in here, I wouldn’t have considered it.”
Mary looked at Ava—really looked at her. Her short blonde and pink hair was a mess, the strands sticking out in multiple directions. Her jeans were zipped but not buttoned and her sweater was inside out. Since Ava had a fair complexion, Mary could see whisker burn around her swollen lips and the vivid red love bite on her neck.
Oh God.
Emory had interrupted Ava and Diskant while they were having sex.
She’d never been so embarrassed, not even when her mother had decided it was time to talk about the birds and the bees when she turned fourteen. Mary wished the ground would open up and swallow her.
Ava’s countenance changed from frustrated to understanding. “Don’t worry about it. Diskant is the Alpha and Omega of New York. It’s not the first or the last time that we’ve been interrupted. In fact…” Ava grinned and snickered. “It’s nice being the one to put a stop to the action for a change. He needs a taste of what it’s like to be left hanging. If you know what I mean.”
Mortification swept through her, making Mary wish she could shrivel up and die. She and Ava were not going to discuss or share their sexcapades. During college a few girls in her classes would brag about their sex lives without a shred of modesty or decency. She’d always listened in, awed and slightly repulsed that they took something that was supposed to be intimate between two people and dumbed it down for the masses.
“Oh girl.” Ava’s smile remained intact but she did give Mary a knowing look that made her uncomfortable. “You’re going to have to get over that. Shyness has no meaning to shifters. You’re about to be surrounded by people who think intimacy is something that should be proudly open for display.”
“Stop doing that.” Mary lowered her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was bad enough that Ava knew she was embarrassed. “I don’t like the thought of you in my head.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. It’s just…” Ava sighed. “I know that you’re thinking about running, so it’s not as easy as turning my ability off. I have to look out for the best interests of the pack. Contrary to what you might think, you’re not a danger to us unless you run. Shepherds were a threat before you came here and they’ll always be a threat. Your absence won’t change that. Believe me when I say you’re safer here than you could possibly be anywhere else. You’re Emory’s mate, and by pack law you’re our responsibility. We take care of our own.”
Their responsibility? “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means we’re not as different as you think. Not too long ago I was standing in your shoes. I ran, but it didn’t do any good. Once you belong to one of them, that’s it. They won’t stop looking until they find you.”
Comprehension dawned and Mary found herself really inspecting Ava. The woman was so much smaller than any shifter she’d ever seen. So fragile.
“You’re human,” she stated dumbly, finding the fact hard to grasp.
“For the most part,” Ava replied, her response vague.
“Nuh-uh,” Mary said, meeting Ava’s gaze. “If you expect me to believe anything you say, you’re going to have to stop reading my mind and tell me the truth, even if you think I don’t want to hear it. I’ve heard enough lies from people to last me a lifetime. Honesty would be a refreshing change.”
“If I agree to that, you’re going to have to be honest with me too.”
“Done.” Right now, there wasn’t a whole lot Mary could control. She’d take what she was given. If Ava wanted to talk, they’d talk.
Ava walked to the bed, plopped down on the mattress and motioned toward the area across from her. “Why don’t you take a seat?”
Why not, indeed? Mary padded over to the other side of the bed and took a seat, dozens of questions racing through her mind. Ava wasn’t a shifter but Diskant was. What did Ava mean when she said she was human “for the most part”? And who could forget all of Emory’s talk of mating and bloodbonding?
“Go ahead and ask.”
Mary narrowed her eyes, frowning at Ava. “I told you to stop reading my mind.”
“I didn’t read your mind,” Ava corrected with a lengthy exhalation, as though her patience was wearing thin. “I just thought you’d have a lot of questions.”
“Oh.” Talk about an invisible open-handed slap that made a person feel like crap. Trying to shake it off, Mary blurted her first question. “You said you’re human for the most part. What do you mean?”
Ava grimaced. “I was afraid you’d skip the easy questions and go straight for the throat.” She studied Mary and asked, “You said to tell you everything, even if I think you don’t want to know, right?”
Mary’s affirming nod was firm but her insides swayed like Jell-O. “Right.”
“So you know about mating?”
“No.” She cleared her throat, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. “Not really.”
“Mating is like marriage in many ways, only there aren’t any divorces. A couple remains together no matter what happens. It’s one of those ‘you can check out any time you like but you can never leave’ deals. Once done, it’s done.”
“Sounds…” She internalized the information, trying to wrap her head around the concept. “Kind of terrifying.”
“It’s not as scary as you think. The connection has to be there on both sides. I didn’t believe it myself early on but it’s true. Once the bond forms you will never think about another man. And you sure as hell won’t want another one. Everything you are—everything you want to be—will center on how it affects your mate.” Ava watched her closely when she asked, “Did Emory tell you about bloodbonding? Did he tell you precisely what’s involved?”