Page 23 of Haven
Lily pulled away, her smile tinged with sadness. "And I want that for you also. Let's be there for each other and actually enjoy life. For the first time in ages, I feel safe and welcomed—not just by Shifters, but by humans too. Don’t you?"
Sadie glanced up at the crowd gathered in the field above them. It hit her then—she did feel safe here, less on guard than she’d been in so long. Her eyes instinctively searched for someone in particular, which caught her off guard. Turning back to Lily, she nodded slowly. "Actually, I do. It's strange... but I do feel at ease here."
“Good.” Lily pulled her hand again as she led Sadie up the hill. “Now, come on. I’m hungry and want to dance.”
“You’re always hungry.” Sadie laughed, rolling her eyes. The smell of food drifting in the night air had her stomach growling. Obviously, she was hungry, also.
She walked with Lily toward a line of tables set up with food. She smiled at a few people who said hello as they walked by. She hadn’t officially met many of the people here, and some she had never seen before. Taking a plate, she started filling it, then laughed at the sight of Lily’s plate compared to hers.
"Where do you put all that food?" Sadie asked, eyeing her sister's slender figure with a mix of disbelief and amusement. "If I ate that much, you'd have to roll me over to the table."
Finding a table, they sat and began to eat, giving Sadie a chance to look around. Everyone seemed so happy as they laughed, talked, and danced on a makeshift dancefloor near the bonfire. Thankfully, she saw a few women her age wearing dresses. She didn’t feel overdressed now which put her at ease. Kids were running around playing tag while teenagers stood in huddlestalking among themselves. Her eyes returned to the fire to see Kile carrying what looked like a small tree and tossing it into the fire. He stood staring at it for a minute before turning around, his eyes going to hers as if he knew she was staring at him.
Sadie almost choked on the potato salad she shoveled into her mouth. She chewed slowly, her eyes refusing to leave him. A slow smile spread across his face as he gave her a nod when Cole walked over to talk to him.
Swallowing her half-chewed food, she choked, grabbed her drink, and took a large sip. Her eyes watered as she forced the food down her throat. Holy shit, he was going to kill her with just a look.
“Told ya,” Lily snorted, pointing a chicken leg at her.
“Told me what?” Sadie asked innocently, her voice raspy from her near-death experience with the potato salad.
“Don’t act like you didn’t just choke from that look Kile gave you,” Lily whispered with a huge grin. “Damn, if a man looked at me that way, my panties would melt right off.”
This time, Sadie choked on the water she had just drank. Coughing, she set the water down, grabbing a napkin. “Dammit, Lily,” Sadie choked, then laughed and couldn’t stop. “You trying to kill me?”
“You’re lucky I don’t fancy that hunk of man meat.” Lily wiggled her eyebrows. “I’d have to let my wolf out on your ass.”
“Ladies, what are you doing sitting here.” Beth Ann rushed over and then grabbed Lily’s arm. “When there is dancing, no one sits around.”
Lily jumped up, grabbed their plates, tossed them in the trash, and then ran back, grabbing Sadie. “Come on!”
Beth Ann grabbed Sadie’s other arm as they made their way to the packed dance floor. Finding herself in the middle of dancing bodies, she smiled. She and Lily spent their childhood and teenage years making up dances to their favorite songs. Other ladies joined their small group, all dancing and singing at the top of their lungs, and Sadie and Lily were right along with them.
A man with a cowboy hat came up behind Beth Ann, dancing behind her. Suddenly, a large man grabbed him by the neck, pulling him away as they shared words that didn’t look friendly. Beth Ann ignored them as she continued to have fun.
It happened more times with other ladies. Different men came up to dance but were pulled away. “Their mates,” Lily said over the music at Sadie’s wide eyes. “Shifter men do not share their women.”
Sadie nodded as she glanced around to see men surrounding the dance floor watching their women. She wondered briefly how it would feel to know someone cared enough about you to watch you have fun while keeping you safe. Someone knocked into her, almost taking her off her feet. Turning, she looked up to see a handsome man looking down at her.
“Sorry, ma’am.” He smiled down at her as he began dancing with her. Looking up, he frowned, then gave a nod, turned, and walked off the dance floor.
Confused, she turned back around to see Kile standing at the edge of the dance floor, staring at her. The look was so intense that her breath caught in her throat, and for her life, she couldn’tlook away until Beth Ann grabbed her arm and pulled her from the dance floor.
“Come on, let’s get a drink.” She yelled over the music.
Sadie followed her but turned, looking over her shoulder to make sure what she saw with Kile was just wishful thinking. It wasn’t. He was still there, his eyes burning into hers. She suddenly wondered if Lily was right, and panties could melt.
Taking a cup from Beth Ann, Sadie took a long drink, watching Lily still dancing and having the time of her life.
“She’s so sweet.” Beth Ann also watched Lily, who waved them back on the dance floor. “The girls and I will keep an eye on her with the unmated females. I think they’ll be fine once they get to know you.”
“I appreciate that. Thank you.” Sadie said, hoping she was right. A few men passed, giving them both looks, but they didn’t stop. “There are a lot of people here I haven’t seen. Are they the ones who live off the property?”
“A few of them, but mostly it’s Lance’s men. He’s Gemma’s neighbor. Lance is the one who throws the party so everyone can meet and catch up. You’d never believe that Gemma and Lance were once enemies.”
Before Sadie could ask about the trouble between the two neighbors, a slow song started, and she watched as a handsome man walked up to Lily on the dance floor.
“Can I have this dance?” A male voice took her attention away from Lily to see Beth Ann’s mate smiling down at the beautiful woman.