Ronan stood there for several minutes as those words echoed through his head.
She’s. A. Shifter.
That entire sentence terrified him. Mostly because he really couldn’t process it. Not in any context that included Xaydin. Because he knew his friend better than anyone.
“She…she’s a shifter…”
“That’s what I said.”
“And you’re fine with this?”
He shoved at Ronan. “Hell no. I’m not fine with this. Why do you think I sent for you?”
“No idea. The thoughts in my head aren’t making the least bit of sense. First, it’s a woman. I honestly thought you weren’t into them.”
Xaydin scowled at him. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t get pissed. I wasn’t thinkingthat. Mostly, I figured you were celibate or…you know. A eunuch.”
By the offended look on Xaydin’s face, he knew he was about to get punched. “Don’t get pissed,” he repeated. He stepped back, hopefully out of range. “You have to admit that most of what you do is sit in the back of a pub, eyeing everyone fortarget practice. I’ve never seen you look at anyone or anything with an interest ofthatnature. I didn’t know what all Meara did to you when we were captives, but…” He gestured awkwardly at Xaydin’s crotch. “For all we knew, she could have cut something off. I figured it was why you were always so eager to kill.”
“You’re such an ass.”
He wasn’t wrong, but this really wasn’t Ronan’s fault. Who could blame him for thinking Xaydin had no desires at all?
“Secondly, when have you started tolerating anyone around you?”
Xaydin wanted to respond snidely to that question. He really did, but what could he say to the truth?
“Anyway,” he said to get Ronan off a subject that was irritating him, “She’s the reason I sent for you.”
That appeared to shock him. “Why?” he asked slowly.
He shoved at Ronan. “Get your mind out of there. She’s a shifter.”
“I still don’t know how to react to that.”
Xaydin growled. “Stop it.”
Ronan shook his head. “Me stop it? Me? I’m sorry, I’m just having a hard time with something that refutes absolutely everything I know to be true about you. Since when can you stomach a shifter? Hell, you barely tolerate me and I’ve saved your life.”
All true. “I know. But she’s different. She hasn’t been around her kind…ever.”
That seemed to get his attention. “How do you know she’s a shifter, then?”
“I’ve seen her shift. But she has a lot of questions about it that I can’t answer. You being a shifter, I figured you could help her better than I could.”
“No kidding. That would be like me trying to teach someone to be a troll.”
“And…” Xaydin let his voice trail off.
“There’s anand? How can there be anand?”
Xaydin gave him a droll stare. “There’s not just an and, there’s a holy shit.”
Ronan rubbed at his eyebrow. “There can’t be anything more to this. I’m not sure my brain can take it.”
“Then you might want to sit.”
