Page 37 of Nicolette

He was dressed in baggy jeans that hung low on his hips. They almost seemed as if they were going to fall off if I simply gave a tug. The only other thing he was wearing happened to be his leather jacket with the Savage Pride logo on the back and his crew information on the front over his heart.

“No shoes?” I asked, pointing to his feet.

“Nah, they make my feet claustrophobic. I only wear them if we’re heading off the compound. Here, I let them breathe freely,” he answered as we left the apartment.

I eyed the door seeing the damage that was done more clearly. The hinges were ripped out of the wall, the door itself had a hole where his foot made contact, and it seemed to tilt to the side in a sad sort of way.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not the first time I’ve done that. I’ll just switch it out with the backup doors I have in storage,” Circus offered, seeing me eyeing the thing.

I was about to ask him why he had backup doors but then thought better of it. I didn’t need to know and was sure I’d get all my answers in time.

It did appear that Circus had keys since he unlocked Nine’s place to let me in. I quickly grabbed what I needed, and we headed for the elevators. Once we entered, Dice surprised me by leaping into my arms and climbing up on my shoulder to take a seat. His tail wrapped around my neck as his front paws kneaded into the leather of the jacket.

“This might sound like a stupid question,” I started, glancing over at Circus. “But everyone here knows what his feline form is, right? Nine told me not to mention it when we’re out in public, but I want to make sure people know why there’s a cat on my shoulder.”

“No one is going to ask you about him, so I wouldn’t worry,” was his answer as the door opened, and we headed out. “When we get to the Hair of the Dog, you can order whatever you like for food. Don’t be shy if you want more, either. It’s important for you to eat. Dice was right to be pissed at me for not making sure you’d eaten. It’s our duty to ensure you’re looked after, part of the whole being claimed by you gig. Not to mention I just enjoy it,” Circus added, giving me a cheeky grin and a saucy wink.

Dice added his agreement with a meow and rubbed his head against the side of my face. It was really kind of nice to have so many people looking out for me. Now let’s just hope the rest of the pride felt the same way. Things hadn’t gone so well with Amaretto when I threw her into the elevator and hit the lobby button before returning to find Circus in the middle of having a moment with himself.

When we reached the bar, which was on the main street side in front of the apartment building, I had to laugh. There was a sign with the bar’s name on it, and the logo was a lion pulling a wolf’s hair as it was being fucked from behind. When I heard the name, I wasn’t sure if it had just been bought with the name and they kept it or if there was more to it. Clearly, there was more going on than I realized.

“Nic,” Marco called when he spotted us. “Come on over. I want you to meet someone.”

I glanced at Circus, but he merely gestured for me to go ahead. Walking over to where Marco was standing, talking to someone I couldn’t see, blocked by a tree. Then I got closer and stopped dead in my tracks.

“Oh my God,” I blurted. “Holy shit, this isn’t happening.”

“Something tells me I don’t need to introduce you, but I’m going to anyway,” Marco teased. “Nicolette, I’d like you to meet Grizzly, also known as…”

“The Thing,” I blurted, reaching out my hand. “You are a legend over at the Lucky Shot. Just so you know, that fight with Jester James was utter bullshit. You KO’d his ass well after the bell was rung.”

The mature, muscular giant of a black man before me smiled and laughed. “That’s the story I’ve always told, and I’ll keep saying it to my grave. It’s nice to meet you, Nicolette. I hear you’re also a fighter.”

“Well, I never went pro like you did, just felt like I’d rather fight for my freedom than spend it between the sheets. Some people choose that, but I had some aggression to work out, and learning to fight was important,” I shared. “I had no idea you were a feline shifter. They never would disclose what kind of Supe you were.”

Grizzly nodded as he slid his hands into his jeans. “The previous president and alpha, Viking, didn’t want my rise to fame bringing trouble to the rest of the pride, so it was part of my contract that they could never disclose my Supe species.”

“I could see how that would be an issue in that regard, but also having people snooping around and sticking their noses in where it doesn’t belong,” I commented.

“Well, I’m sure we will have plenty of time to swap stories now that you’re part of the pride. If you’re ever interested, I’d be happy to help you figure out how to fight now that you’ve got your feline to adjust to. Not to mention learning how to manage as a feline,” Grizzly offered.

My jaw nearly hit the floor at the fact a nationally known boxer who’d been broadcasted on television all over the world wanted to teach me fucking anything. “That would be amazing,” I gushed.

“Right, well, until later, Griz. We really need to get some food in Neko. She’s gone a little longer than she should, being a new shifter,” Circus piped up, slipping an arm around my waist.

“Of course, I look forward to when we can find a time to see what skills you’ve already got,” Grizzly said as he gave me a wave before heading back toward the apartments.

To say that I squealed like a little girl on Christmas morning might not quite grasp the level of fucking joy that I was feeling right now. “Can you believe that just happened?”

“I thought you could use a good introduction before we head into the lion’s den, and you meet the majority of the pride,” Marco shared.

I reached up, grabbed his damn adorable face, and kissed the hell out of him. Dice let out an irritated yowl and leaped off my shoulder, clearly not interested in being that up close and personal in my make-out session. Marco had gone out of his way to do something so simple yet impressive. He’d taken what he knew about me, my life, and managed to cobble together an amazing moment.

“Thank you,” I whispered against his lips. “It was exactly what I needed before you all make me go in there.”

“It won’t be that bad,” Marco assured me.

“No, it really shouldn’t be. You already met one of the worst our pride has to offer in Amaretto. It can only go up from there, right,” Circus reasoned.