She sat with her posture perfectly straight, her right hand clasped within Ricky’s. Both of them glared at each other, but neither was angry. The glare was one of effort and intimidation. I smelled desire thick and heavy in the room, though it wasn’t coming from the participants, only some of the other shifters watching their Lady arm wrestle someone who could snap someone’s neck with a twinge of his thumb.
The only reason I didn’t interfere was because I liked Ricky. He wouldn’t hurt Evie.
Plus, I wanted to see who’d win. I wasn’t sure it would be my shifter.
“If I win, you have to weed the roses for a month,” Evie growled.
Rick bared his teeth. “And if I do, you get latrine duty for a month.”
Evie snorted. “Hardly fair. Weeding is far different than cleaning up wolf piss.”
Several of the shifters burst out laughing.
“You forgot bear piss!” Someone shouted.
Evie’s grin was evil. “Bear piss. Wolf piss. Cat piss. It’s all the same. There’s no piss on my roses. Come up with something else.”
Ricky’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. Dishes for a month.”
“For a dormitory of a hundred? Your ass. No. How about you weed the roses for a month, do the dishes at the main house for a month, and chauffeur me around when I need a ride?”
“You haven’t learned to fucking drive yet?” Someone shouted from the back.
“I know how to drive,” Evie called back. “I just don’t want to.”
More laughter. “Passenger princess!” someone shouted.
“Damn right,” Evie called back. “Someone give me a crown!”
I liked seeing her like this, talking shit and completely relaxed.
Ricky mulled it over. “And you get latrine duty for a month?”
Evie nodded and flexed her hand. “You skeered?”
Ricky’s teeth pulled back in a grin. “I ain’t skeered of nothing.” He inhaled. “Alright, Lady. You got yourself a deal.”
Hope, my unruffled, unflappable, capable, and usually sober Omega let out a whoop. She’d stripped her overshirt off and wore a white tank top and a pair of tight jeans. Every shifter in the room cast the occasional glance at her. Good thing Declan wasn’t here. He’d lose his shit and their fun would be over in an instant.
Staring was a lot different than action. As long as Hope didn’t mind, I didn’t mind. And if she did mind, she could take care of herself. I’d only step in if she needed me to.
And right now, this seemed to be overall, pretty innocent fun.
Evie held up her hand. “Wait! I need another plant.” Her eyes narrowed. “Large. Same size as this guy if you have it.” She pointed to the tree on her other side.
Someone scurried away and came back less than a minute later toting what I assumed to be a Ficus tree. Why the fuck a bar had real Ficus trees was a question for another time. The shifter set it beside her and stepped back into place.
Evie flashed him a grateful, sloppy smile, and touched her fingers into the soil. Her eyes flashed and the tree grew several inches. When she was done, she wiped her fingers on her jeans.
“Alright Ricky Bobby, let’s go.” Evie’s grin held an edge of violence.
Ricky returned her crazy smile and nodded his head.
Like everyone else, I was captivated.
Hope raised her hands. “One! Two! Three! Begin!”
Both trees burst with blooms they shouldn’t have. Evie bared her teeth, her smile edged with the promise of pain.
