Lucas seemed pretty smooth and casual about things. He had a mate. Maybe I should find a way to talk to him about it without admitting that it was his boss. That would only make things far more awkward for all of us.
* * *
Friday night,Lucas had car trouble and asked if I could drive. I picked him up from a purple house in a residential section of Salem. On the drive down to Boston, Lucas was animated talking about music. When the Violent Femmes’Blister in the Sunplayed,he sang along, bobbing his head along with the beat.
Then he said, “I saw them play at a new club in Boston a few months ago.” He tapped along on his lap. “Great show. I love the intimate feel of the smaller clubs over the big stadiums. But you know, the stadiums have their moments, too, like the freaky stage show stuff.”
I kept my part of the conversation going while I thought about how to broach the topic of mates.
His phone rang. He glanced at it. “It’s Zoe.” Then he picked it up.
As they spoke, I got bits of the conversation. “Yeah, we’re on the way.” Then, “He’s with me.” Next, “We’ll be there soon.”
Once he ended the call, I asked, “Is Zoe going?”
“She’s already there helping Gianna and Nova with the um—” He paused and smiled. “—set up.” The grin spread even wider. “You know, to make sure everything goes as planned tonight.”
Okay, that was weird. Lucas could be kind of strange that way, amused by something that only he seemed to know.
After waffling about to a few more songs, I finally blurted out, “You’re half shifter?”
He tipped his head and in a lower voice, teased, “Yes. Didn’t we already have this conversation—or did I enter an alternate universe?”
“Right, we did but I have a question.” Which I’d led into in an unslick manner.
“Shoot.” He pointed his thumb and index finger to mimic a finger gun.
“You have a mate? Like theentire-universe-falls-into-placekind of connection?”
Lucas released a thoughtful sound. “That’s one way to put it.”
“Even without full shifter blood?”
“I didn’t think it would happen either, trust me. But my dragon took one scent of Zoe, and my shallow world disintegrated, blossoming to one more vibrant and colorful.”
Was he serious or pulling my leg? I glanced at him, and he didn’t have the usual amused expression.
“Turn up here,” he said, pointing ahead.
I pulled into a parking lot in front of a black building with a modest sign reading the Danger Zone.
After we parked, we entered the club, and I read the banner. “It’s closed for a special event right now—a speed dating night.”
“How fortuitous that I’m friends with the owner, Gianna,” he declared with a smile.
I squinted at him. “We’re going in? But you have a mate.” He wouldn’t cheat on Zoe, would he? No, that didn’t make sense since he noted she was here setting up.
“I won’t participate.” As we headed inside, he slapped me on the back. “But that won’t stop you.”
PANDORA
On Friday night, Cassandra drove us down to Gianna’s club north of Boston.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I muttered and smoothed my hands over my long black dress.
Cassandra lifted one hand off the steering wheel. “It will be fun. At the very least, we might get some good stories to tell.” She put her hand back on the wheel.
I grunted. “Hopefully not like Nova’s.”
