Free Silver Wolf Clan by Tera Shanley Page B

stove.
    “Yes, besides those.”
    Looking decidedly uncomfortable, her gaze darted to a large cupboard that stood against the furthest wall of the kitchen. “If I show you something, will you swear not to think I’m a psychopath?”
    Was she serious? He turned into a wolf and howled at the moon. The psychopath position in this relationship had been filled a year ago. “I swear.”
    She shot Lana a furtive glance, but the child was busy upending a juice box and squeezing it all over her dinner. Morgan reached for a red ceramic bowl labeled Sugar on the top of a cabinet, and plucked a tiny key from its innards. The lock on the cupboard clicked, and she turned before opening it. “You pinky swear?”
    The littlest finger of her left hand hovered in front of him as Morgan waited for him to lock his hand in hers. The urge to lean down and suck gently on her finger was enough that he hesitated. Just the thought of touching her aroused him. If she saw how affected he was, just staring at her small hand, if she glimpsed all the ways he wanted her hand to touch him, she’d never share the secrets of the cupboard with him. And suddenly, her mysteries seemed like they could save him. Inhaling to steady his breathing, he encircled her pinky with his and dragged his gaze to her. Her pupils dilated, and her lips opened slightly before she yanked her hand back. So she felt it, too.
    A slight tremor shook her touch as she pulled the door open. Inside, rows of samurai swords and blades that looked to be custom made were displayed with a sense of reverence. At the forefront were two worn machetes.
    Holy shit. Morgan just got hotter. “Do you know how to use any of them or do you just collect?”
    She studied him with wide eyes, as if she were about to hand him a piece of her soul for safekeeping. “I can use them.”
    “Why would you need to use them?”
    “You asked me what I did for fun. I’ve trained in fighting since I was a kid. For fun.” She scrunched her face like she’d just admitted something embarrassing.
    “Why are you scared to tell people about this?”
    “Because I got burned. When I was a kid, the other girls were talking clothes and boys, and I was fighting competitively on the weekends. It was easier for people to understand me if that part of my life was separate.”
    He looked away, afraid if she saw the raw hope her admission had given him, she’d take it back. She’d just shared something real about herself, even scared he’d reject something that made her Morgan. The old blades in front were chipped and rusted, and hadn’t been cared for like the other gleaming weapons. “What do you have against your machetes?”
    She lifted her chin. “They were my father’s.”
    She didn’t offer more, and he got the feeling she’d close up if he pushed her on the topic, so instead he said, “I chase bunnies for fun.”
    Giggling, she pulled a hand over her mouth like she was trying to cover her surprise. Slowly so he wouldn’t frighten her, he pulled her palm away from her face. “Don’t hide your smile from me.”
    “I like bunnies too,” Lana chimed in. “Morgan takes me to the pet store to see them. She says it’s the poor people’s zoo.”
    Releasing her hand, he smiled at the little girl and sat beside her to discuss favorite pet store animals as Morgan pulled plates from the cabinet nearest them.
    “Morgan draws puppies and kitties whenever I want. See?” Lana gestured to the picture covered refrigerator. Smiling photos of the two of them held in place by colorful alphabet magnets peppered the glossy surface and sure enough, just under a calendar, was a sketched picture of a basket of kittens. The detail and depth of the image was amazing, down to every fine hair, and every quizzical feline expression.
    “Wow,” he said, standing to admire it more closely. Other sketches, smaller ones, were interspersed between the photos, and each showed great skill. “These are really good. Do you have