“Hey,” Katy grinned from where she’d jumped to her feet, and to Lola’s amusement had her desk lamp in her hand.“You’re one of the book boyfriends from the group a few weeks ago.”
Roan did not return her smile.His silver swirling eyes took her in and then looked at the lamp.“Were you going to attack me with that?”
Katy looked at the lamp and then back at Roan.“It’s a lot more dangerous than it looks.”
Lola couldn’t help but smile as Katy put the lamp back on the desk, and pushed the hair that had fallen down from her hair twist out of her face.
“Are there any more stray cats we need to worry about climbing up the fire escape?”Maddie asked as she walked past the two guys and stuck her head out the window.
“I’m not a homeless cat,” Roan declared indignantly.“And no one else is here,” he added with a meaningful look at Lola.She felt his words were meant just for her.As if she’d somehow asked with her eyes if Callon was there.Which she totally hadn’t.
“Katy, Maddie,” Lola looked at her two friends.“Remember how I explained what Shamans were?”
Both girls nodded.
“That’s what Roan is.”
“Mmm,” Katy hummed.“So a stray holy man-slash-politician.We’ve got a lot of those in our world.You must fit right in.”
Bane chuckled.
“Don’t encourage her,” Lola said, shooting the panther a glare.
He tilted his head forward as if to say, ‘As you wish’.Then again, maybe Lola was reading too much into the gesture.When was the last time she read thePrincess Bride?Good grief, was everything in her life going to be compared to a book now?
“Okay, so the question of the evening,” Maddie said, obviously trying to get everyone to focus.
“How the heck have Lola’s parents not interrupted this little animal shindig?”Katy offered.
Lola glanced at her watch and noticed the time.Dang, it was late.How had so many hours passed since she and the girls had gotten home?"They're asleep by now."The music was still playing which would have drown out some of the noise, and her parents room was on the opposite side of the apartment.
“That isnotthe question of the evening."Maddie put her hands on her hips, and looked from Bane and then to Roan."Bane seems to have exhausted his knowledge of theanimusthing and how this affects Lola."She looked at Katy and Lola."Do you want to know more, or do you want to tell these dudes to take a shifter-hike and let you get back to your life?"
Lola stared at the two men, and wondered what it would be like to go back to her life before she had ever met them or Callon.At first, the thought of turning back the clock felt comforting.To just go back to what she knew.But when she thought about Callon– of never seeing him again– the idea was gut-wrenching.But why?Why did she care about someone she barely knew?And maybe a better question, how had someone she barely knew hurt her so deeply?
"Because you are meant for this world," Roan said.
"Crap, did I say all of that out loud?"She sat down on the edge of her bed worried her legs might decide to let her fall to the ground."I've really got to work on that."
"Explain what you just said," Katy said, her voice demanding in only the way Katy could be.She didn't consider that someone might not obey her.It was something that she expected when she gave a command.Lola snorted as she thought that Katy would fit in with the beastwalkers she'd met so far.They all seemed a little, or a lot, bossy.
"She's an animus–"
"We got that part, Swirly Eyes," Katy said dryly, "Let's move onto something we don't know."
Roan frowned and narrowed his eyes on her.Then he looked at Lola.He was silently asking her how Katy knew about his silver eyes.Lola pursed her lips and shrugged one shoulder.Maybe she’d mentioned the Shaman had swirly eyes when she’d been telling the girls everything.She honestly couldn’t remember.Things had gone from her friends ready to throw her on the Crazy Train to two Damarians in her freaking room.
"How is ananimuschosen?"Maddie asked.
"That's not something we know," Roan answered."For some reason there are human women who react to our magic.They absorb it and it becomes a part of them."
"Does it change something in me?"Lola asked, finally able to get her mouth to work after the shock of Roan showing up."I mean, if I had blood work done, would my DNA be different?"
"Good question, Lo," Katy nodded."That's why you're the smart one of us."
"Dude, what am I ?"Maddie asked.
"You're the beauty with your ridiculously, model figure and lovely face."
