Free Pricolici by Alicia Nordwell

in the gun beyond the spring, firing pin, and ammunition.” She clicked the safety back on and slipped it into a holster under her shirt that Tucker hadn't noticed before. “And I wear perfume. Not a strong scent, but enough most shifters don’t sniff too close.
    “A male may be stronger than me, but I’m faster than most of them. A bullet to the brain or heart will stop anyone in their tracks, no matter how big they are.”
    Tucker fell silent. Grecia was obviously a well-trained, competent guard. The females of his old haitas would never have considered fighting or defending themselves. They were relatively modern women. Perhaps they lacked the drive an older lupe would’ve had to develop due to the times they’d lived in.
    “Why are you staring at me?” Grecia asked.
    Tucker smirked, his bad mood beginning to fade. He shrugged. “I’m trying to picture you in a leather skirt and a metal chest protector.”
    Grecia snorted at him this time. “It's impolite to ask a female how old she is, no matter how obliquely you do so.”
    Tucker raised an eyebrow at her and smiled cheekily as he got up to get more water. She didn't have to tell him, but with a name like Grecia…”You asked why I was staring. It’s not my fault you didn't like the answer.”
    Grecia rolled her eyes, her arms across her chest, but she suddenly declared, "I looked damn hot, and they were called breastplates, not chest protectors." Glaring at him, she left the room, muttering under her breath.
    Tucker laughed as he washed their dishes and put them in the drainer to dry. He decided he liked Grecia. First, she didn't try to maul him, but she was mated, so that might also account for it. It couldn't be because of what Stelian said; after all, he’d felt like he needed to warn Tucker away from other males. He sniffed at his shoulder, trying to pick up Stelian's scent. Unable to really catch it inside the house, he shrugged.
    Well, he liked her anyway. She was old, far older than him, but not stuffy about it. She could be fun to hang out with, and maybe he could pump her for information on Stelian. He was in the home of the alpha of the Pricolici… which hadn’t really hit him before. The history he could learn!
    A plan in mind, Tucker began to wander through the house looking for Grecia. He found her checking windows in the first floor rooms. There was a library off Stelian’s office that had several comfortable chairs and a small loveseat. The walls were lined with books. Many of them looked old, really old.
    Oh, he was so in love with that room!
    Tucker ran his finger in the air along some of the bindings, not quite touching, taking in the smell of ancient leather and faded plant-based ink mixed with the modern glue and ink of the wall of paperbacks. Light streamed in the window and glinted on some jewelry displayed next to the books.  He was especially fascinated with a long, golden spiral bracelet with two wolves on either end, done in gold. It was protected inside a clear plastic case, but he longed to run his fingers along the elegant curves and examine the extremely detailed wolves on the terminals closer.
    “Impressive, isn’t it?” There were a few displays, obviously from other cultures—some wood masks and beaded jewelry with an African feel, as well as some stone carvings and wood boxes that looked oriental. The coins and metal statue of a cow were interesting, and the knives looked as sharp as the day they’d been first crafted, but he came back to the bracelet in the end. The metal looked warm, and the piece fascinated him.
    He nodded. “It’s a beautiful room. Stelian really has lived for a very long time, hasn’t he?”
    Grecia chuckled. “That’s an understatement. The only lupe living in this country who could possibly challenge him for age and power is Phell. Lately, though, Stelian’s changed. His aura is different.” Grecia shivered and then cocked her head as she looked at him. “Maybe it’s because of