No, it wasn’t her skin that had pushed him away.It was simply that she was human.His own prejudice found all humans to be inferior.At some point in his life, Callon decided his kind were superior, and instead of trying to prove himself wrong, he was constantly looking for ways to reinforce that view point.In a few pages of a journal, Lola had dismantled his tower of judgment and hypocrisy.What was left?A male who had to look himself in the eyes and admit that he was no better than a judgmental woman who would tell a child to be wary of something simply because the woman didn’t understand it.Not something, but someone.And that someone was beautiful inside and out.
And she was human.
“Damn.”He absently ran a hand down Dog’s back.The cat meowed at him and Callon heard the judgment in it.“Yes.”He looked at the little beast.“I get it.She’s special.”The cat walked over and laid down on top of the journal, his tail flicking as he looked up at Callon.It was a clear challenge.Brave little thing.“You will learn to share,” he told Dog, who simply looked away as if Callon was of no importance.“Typical cat,” he said softly.Callon wanted to look around her room, to stay in her space a little longer, but then he heard footsteps down the hall.
As soon as he was out of the room and out of sight, Callon heard Lola’s door open and close again.
“Are you guarding my deepest secrets, Dog?Other than Katy assaulting me in my sleep, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.I’m not that interesting.”
“Oh, how wrong you are,” Callon whispered, settling into the spot where he’d stay the rest of the night while she slept.As her light went out and the sounds of the city acted as her lullaby, Callon contemplated, for the first time, that perhaps he was the one unworthy of her.He felt inadequate in so many ways when compared to the heart of the woman who had enchanted him.How could he reveal himself to her, knowing all the things about himself that he wouldn’t want to expose?But he would be compelled to if they were to become bonded.
He’d gone from not wanting to make himself known to her because of his lack of desire for a human mate to not deserving her.“Make me worthy, my Visata,” he prayed.“Make me a mate she can be proud to call hers.”
The sound of her voice pulled him from the memory as he looked over at Lola.Her attention to new customers made him want to hiss at the fool who held hisanimus’sattention.My animus?“Eight days, Callon,” he muttered to himself.“She doesn’t even know who you are and you’re already making claims?”Hell yes, he was.He also reminded himself she might not want to claim him back.That thought ticked him off.Finally one he wanted, and she might not want him.
There were dozens ofanimiat the Kingdom of Claws compound.None of them had so much as caused him to look twice, but Lola Katz made him stop and stare like a fool.Never had he experienced the breath being knocked out of him, but the first time he’d seen her smile felt like a fist to his solar plexus.The first time he’d smelled her scent, the animal inside of him roared that she was theirs.Callon fought the animal for control.Being privy to her mind when he’d snooped, he became even more determined to have her.He wanted to protect her, provide for her, give her all the things she didn’t have, but he knew he didn’t deserve her.He found this both exhilarated and angered him.Callon had never needed anything more than the approval of his parents and their Creator—Visata.Now, he wanted to see approval in the eyes of a human female.
Laughter from across the room drew Callon's eyes from Lola's form to three men seated together.One of them turned his head and the light caught his eyes just right.Callon noticed the almond with vertical pupils.He quickly scanned the others and saw the scaly-skin covering their bodies.As quickly as they appeared, the animalistic features were gone.
The Kingdom of Venom,he thought.The most disturbing part wasn’t the beastwalkers.Beastwalkers passed through each other's kingdoms all the time.It was the Shaman with each group that made their presence concerning.Another of the males glanced his way and recognition filled his face, though he didn’t do more than mutter something to his companions.Both gave him a quick glance and decide he wasn’t a concern.Fools,the animal inside of him pointed out.
Callon took a bite of his pizza– No Name Meat Explosion– and tried to ignore them.His waitress appeared– fortunately not Lola, considering he wasn’t ready to make himself known to her.He wasn’t sure what he would do if she did give him her attention.At this point, he was liable to break the law and snatch her up just to get her away from all the Damarian attention she’d begun to gain.
“Can I get you anything else?”the waitress asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
"No, thank you," he grunted, and waved her away, looking beyond her to the three men.He should be more polite, but being polite didn’t always get results.He was the leader of his father’s warriors and commands were what he was used to issuing.
"Okayyyyy," she said and walked back to Lola and another girl, which Callon knew from his eavesdropping was called Maddie.He sat for a while, eating and watching the girls talking animatedly, and looking in the direction of the reptile beastwalkers.Then one of the reptiles, some clown with spiked-blond hair, raised his hand and waved at Lola.Next, Callon saw Katy shove Lola, causing her to drop the napkin dispenser she was holding.It struck the counter with a loud clang, causing many of the customers in the diner to snigger.
Callon watched Lola approach the table.Tilting his head, his superior feline hearing could just make out their conversation.“Hey, Love, we’re ready for our check.But before we go, I was hoping I could get your number.”Callon heard himself growling.Quickly stifling the sound, he looked around.No one seemed to have heard.
“Why do you want my number?”he heard Lola ask.
“Why do you think?Haven’t you ever had a guy ask for your number?”Callon gripped the table tightly.He looked down and saw his thumbnails were digging into the wood.He wants your number so he can convince you to join that third-rate swamp of a kingdom in New Orleans.A thousand thoughts swirled in Callon’s head.If the rumors about the missing girls in New Orleans were true, the snakes weren’t above kidnappinganimi.Now, three from KOV just happened to show up in his territory?Did they mean Lola harm?Callon wouldn’t put anything past those belly-sliders.
Callon was ripped from his thoughts when he heard Lola say, “stupid-good looking.”She thinks these low-lives are good looking.Callon fought the urge to go over there and punch that spiky-haired, cold-blooded bastard in the face.How could she find them attractive?She doesn’t know who or what they are,he reminded himself.
“I wouldn’t usually think of green hair as good looking, but yours actually works well,” Lola was now addressing another one of the reptiles.He couldn’t sit there any longer and listen to her complimenting these forked-tongued assholes.His temper was volatile, and Callon prided himself on his emotional control, yet, there he was acting like a juvenile who’d not managed to reign in the animal that was part of his soul.He couldn’t risk attacking other kingdom shifters and provoking a war, at least not without good cause.Talking to ananimuswasn’t cause for a war.Not until she was his.Then things would be different.Callon wouldn’t tolerate some other beastwalker flirting with his mate.With that thought filling his head, he growled and began to stand, but her next question had him lowering himself back to his seat.
“By any chance, did you get your tattoo atWild Ink?”
Callon’s eyes shifted to the group and he watched as the two Kingdom of Venom beastwalkers and the Shaman glance at each other before looking back at hisanimus.
Spiked Guy spoke again.“Yes, actually.Why?Have you gotten ink done there?”
Lola shook her head.“Nope.But I’ve had quite a few customers come in with tattoos who have mentioned the place.I’ve been told they do the best tattoos in the city.”
“If you’re looking to get inked, they’re the place to go.”
Note to self, kill spiked guy first,he told the beast inside him.The longer they were around Lola, the more his beast awakened, as if it had been in a deep slumber.
“You’d look good with a tattoo,” said the guy with hair dyed green.
Second note to self, kill them at the same time.
Lola blew their comment off as she complimented Green Hair Idiot Guy.And that was all he could handle.Lola triggered the beast and the man.He wanted her, and he hated the idea of her admiring another male, especially a belly-crawling snake.Callon stood, tossed a wad of cash on the table to cover his bill.Luckily, the scaly Damarians were seated in the corner table, and he didn’t have to walk past them to reach the door.If so, he might not have made it out without taking a few scales with him.Lola never looked his way.
How much longer could he go without making contact with her?If he wanted to keep from killing some other beastwalker for giving her attention, it would need to be soon.If she went toWild Ink, that place would be crawling with Kingdom Shifters and not just those of his kingdom.That thought simply pissed him off even more.
