Free Undenied by Sara Humphreys Page B

treacherous voice of self-doubt nibbled away.
    Why had she listened to that voice in her dream? Why didn’t she go to college and settle down like her mother always wanted her to? Why did she always follow her gut instinct and listen to talking tigers in her dream?
    Look where it got her. Alone and essentially homeless.
    “What a dope.” She hugged her jacket closed against the surprisingly brisk wind and wondered if she was doing the right thing.
    ***
    A growl rumbled in the back of Boris’s throat as he struggled to keep his irises from shifting into the glowing yellow eyes of his clan. He gripped the tequila bottle in one hand and snatched a glass with the other before pouring a shot and sliding it across the bar to his unwelcome patron.
    His instinct was to shift into his Tiger form and rip Hayden’s throat out, but since he had a bar full of humans, that wasn’t likely to happen, and Hayden knew it. Hayden threw the shot back and slid the empty glass across the bar to Boris. As a member of the Bear Clan and the son of a high-ranking Council elder, Hayden had to be tolerated—unfortunately.
    “What do you want, Hayden?” Boris asked as quietly as possible.
    He moved to the far end of the bar and motioned for Hayden to follow. The last thing he needed was more rumors flying around about him or his place. Ever since the incident with his sister, business hadn’t been booming, and discussing Amoveo politics within earshot of humans was unwise. The existence of their race had remained secret for centuries, and he’d rather not be the one to let the proverbial cat out of the bag.
    He hit the volume button from the jukebox remote. He could speak with Hayden telepathically, as all Amoveo could, but he didn’t care for the idea of allowing this asshole into his head.
    “My father asked me to come and speak with you.” He took the seat at the very end and kept his voice low. “You know that our race is under attack from within, and we need to gather as many true believers as possible before we can make our move.”
    Boris stilled and gritted his teeth against Hayden’s dark energy signature. It slithered around the bar like a snake and set him on edge. All Amoveo had a signature, a spiritual fingerprint that distinguished them from everyone else, and Hayden’s was dark and thick. Aside from being a spoiled, self-entitled tool, he also had a mean streak a mile long, and Boris couldn’t stand him.
    “You’re barking up the wrong tree. My sister got involved in this crap, and look where it got her.” He shifted his body so that his back was to the rest of the bar and fixed his intent gaze on Hayden. “Dead. That’s where.”
    “Your sister was a patriot,” Hayden seethed. He grimaced and dropped his voice to just above a whisper as he leaned both elbows on the bar. “Are you telling me that you would encourage mating with humans and add more hybrids to the mix?”
    “There’s nothing to encourage.” Boris crossed his arms over his broad chest. “You know as well as I do that our matings are predestined, so there’s little choice in the matter.”
    “We are not supposed to mate with humans,” he seethed. “It’s going to be our undoing.”
    “Listen.” Boris poured him another shot and leaned onto the bar with both hands, getting right in Hayden’s face. “All I’m telling you is that I want no part of politics. All I want to do is run my bar and be left alone. Got it?”
    Hayden narrowed his dark beady eyes and leveled a suspicious gaze at Boris. “You haven’t found your mate yet, have you? You’re in your midtwenties, so the clock is ticking. I hope you’re not thinking that your predestined spouse is a hybrid freak like the ones that Dante and Malcolm have shacked up with.”
    “No.” Boris stilled and looked away, busying himself with cleaning behind the bar. “I am positive that my mate is not a hybrid.”
    “I see.” Hayden nodded and made a sound of understanding. “Good.