“Fresh pineapple with cinnamon.Um… tell me something about you that nobody else around here knows.”
He ran his fingers over the links in the chain.“I know sign language.”
I jerked my head back.“Really?”
“A friend of the family is deaf.Lakota knows since he grew up there too.I’m not sure how much sign he remembers, but he’s probably out of practice.What about you?Tell me something nobody else knows—like what the charger in your bathroom is for.”
The charger was for my vibrator, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Well… I once won two hundred grand playing slots in a casino.”
He cracked a smile.“Are you shitting me?”
“No, I’m serious.But when we got to the office, there was all this paperwork, so I left.”
“You walked away from two hundred thousand dollars?Are you out of your mind?”
I laughed at his reaction.“It was decades ago.A friend of mine dragged me into a casino to follow these men.I wasn’t interested in dating humans, so I wandered off and put a few bills into a slot machine.The next thing I knew, bells were going off and people were crowding around me.An employee walked over and made sure it wasn’t a defective machine or something.Part of me wishes it had been.I hated to walk away, but my alias doesn’t cover taxes in their world.It’s risky giving over my information for money, but it was definitely a rush I’ll never forget.”I examined my champagne-colored nail polish.“You said you have four siblings by blood.What did you mean by that?”
“Three brothers and a sister.We also took in a Shifter years ago who survived some terrible shit, so I helped with his education.I was also in charge of Lakota’s schooling for a while.”
“A teacher, huh?I can see that.”
He sniffed the air, and I got the feeling he was trying to figure out if I was being sarcastic.Then he gave a wry smile.“They complained I was too strict.”
“Lakota turned out fine, if you ask me.What about the Shifter?”
“He works for the higher authority.”
That impressed me.“How did you get so knowledgeable about computers and security?”
“I learned the way everyone learns a trade: books, experts, and hands-on experience.Some people make it a family business and mentor the kids, but nobody in my family was into computers and electronics.You can learn almost anything if you put your mind to it, especially with the internet.Humans need a college degree to hang on the wall, but the only option we have is sink or swim.”
“Do you have a role model you look up to?”
“My oldest brother.Yours is your father?”
“Yeah.”
“How old are you?”
I smiled, wondering what he might guess.“How old do you think I am?”
He scratched his shoulder.“You can’t tell with Shifters any more than you can Chitahs.”
“That’s no lie.Well, if I went by human appearances, I think you look about thirty-two.”
“Add about fifty years to that.”
“Just a babe.”
A mischievous look danced in his eyes.“You’re over a hundred?”
“Try two.”
Lucian stroked his chin.“Do you have young?”
I took another sip of my sweet wine.“Do I look like a mother?”
