“Aren’t they going to let us leave?”

“Not yet,” Dylan said.

Doors around the group of houses were opening, and female Shifters emerged. With kids. Happy to be released from whatever confinement had been imposed on them, the kids raced to the playground, making the sad patch of grass suddenly come alive. The entire dog population joined them, tails waving.

Fergus had clipped his cat-o’-nine back to his belt, and now stood with arms folded, talking to some of the male Shifters. Kim almost fell over with shock when a woman moved through the crowd and slid her arm around Fergus’s waist. She wasn’t some wimpy thing, either—she was tall, strong, muscular, with a hard but beautiful face. Like Glory, though not as flamboyantly dressed.

“Who is that?” Kim asked Liam.

“His mate,” Liam said. “Andrea.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Kim waved her hands. “He was going on about taking me as his mate. Why, if he already has one?”

“Clan leaders can mate with more than one woman, and Fergus has two already. Selfish, because there aren’t many females to go around, but it’s true that mixed offspring have a better chance of surviving.”

“Oh, for God’s sake.” Kim rounded on Liam. “Can you have more than one mate? Do you have three wives tucked away in Shiftertowns around the state?”

Liam burst out laughing, and Sean followed suit. Their laughter held a note of tension, as if they were happy they had something to laugh about. Liam put his arm around Kim. “I couldn’t handle more than you, love. And I hope you can handle me.”

His smile gave the double entendre impact. Kim flushed. “We need to talk.”

“Not yet.” Liam walked Kim out to the semicircle of Shifters. He didn’t retrieve his shirt; his back had to be killing him under the burning sun.

Fergus faced them as they approached, Andrea letting go of him but remaining only inches from his side.

“Why would she want him?” Kim whispered. “Especially when he has another?”

“Because he is the most powerful man in the clan. Only Dad comes close to him for dominance. And I should have mentioned that Shifters have terrific hearing.”

“Thanks.”

“Liam.” Fergus’s voice rolled across those of the other Shifters and the kids playing. “Stand here.”

Liam stopped in front of Fergus and turned Kim to face him. He brushed a finger over Kim’s cheek, then held up her left hand in his right, twining their fingers.

Without waiting for everyone to quiet down, Fergus said, “Under the light of the sun, I recognize this mating.”

He spoke in a monotone, the words rapid, as though he wanted to get this over with. He was ready to move on to the next thing, and Kim wondered what that next thing was.

Liam smiled at Kim. The other Shifters started clapping and cheering, and Connor threw his arms around Kim and gave her a breath-stealing hug.

“Thank you, Kim.”

Before Kim could ask, “For what?” Connor was leaping away, whooping and yelling with the others. Fergus twined his arm around Andrea’s waist and walked away with her.

Kim never knew where it came from, but all of a sudden beer foam showered the air. Sean shook a bottle and sprayed it over them, laughing hysterically. He’d gotten his sword back, she saw, the hilt protruding over his shoulder.

“Just what I wanted, beer in my hair,” Kim said.

Liam rubbed his thumb across her chin. “We’ll have time to wash it out later.” He leaned down and pressed dry, warm lips to her mouth. “Is this kiss up to your standards? I’m still learning.”

He smiled, but his skin was hot under her fingertips, his chest still sweating. “Are you all right?” Kim asked. “I saw the Collar shock you.”

“I’ll live.” Another light kiss, Liam’s hand stealing to her waist. “I’m thinking of another ache right now.”

The stiff thing pressing her abdomen left no doubt about what he meant. “You’re back’s a mess,” she said.

“So we’ll be washing that along with your hair.”

Liam kissed her again. Around them, the Shifters partied, a complete change from the cold resentment in the basement. They could have been at a block party, friends and neighbors coming together to celebrate. Dylan struck up conversation with some of the Shifter men, and Sean had been lured away by a couple of females. Sean and the ladies were flirting pretty fiercely, although Shifters liked to touch a lot, so maybe they were discussing movies or something while hands ran along arms and shoulders and backs.

Questions swam in Kim’s brain—she’d thought she’d researched everything about Shifters, but she realized she’d only learned what they’d let humans learn. There was too much she didn’t know, too many nuances she needed to understand. She hadn’t argued about this “mating” with Liam because she saw that it let Liam walk away from Fergus, and Fergus stop trying to beat up on Connor and Dylan. And she definitely hadn’t wanted to do any kind of mating with Fergus.

She’d smile and laugh with them, go along with their pretense that everything was all right, but once they got back to Austin, she and Liam were going to have a long talk.

A shadow fell over her, and Kim looked up to see Fergus looming next to them. “You accept the mating?” he asked Liam.

He asked Liam, not Kim. Asshole.

Liam’s expression remained cool. “I do.”