Page 6 of The Russos

Miah chuckled, “Purely by accident. They were meant to have another shifter join them. We had exactly the same first and last names. The only difference was I have a middle name and he didn’t. Anyway, the shock on their faces when this full human walked up, ready to join their team, was hilarious. They didn’t really know what to do.

“The general tried to get the orders overturned but it was too late. They tried to keep things under cover for a while, but it wasn’t long before I figured there was something weird going on with them. They were fast, faster than anyone I’d ever trained with; they seemed to know exactly when someone was tracking us and boy could they fight, even the women.

“I once saw Cass knock someone out with one punch. It all came to a head about two months after I’d joined them. I woke upneeding to take a leak, and when I stood up, there was Drake mid-shift. Well, needless to say, that was an interesting night. After many threats about nobody ever finding my body if I let it out, which was fucking hilarious as we were the team that was sent out to find the bodies.

“Eventually, I got them all to calm down. I wasn’t going to make waves, I liked them as a crew, and it was an interesting gig. We’d been together five years when the General decided to retire. They’re my family, I wouldn’t know what to do without them.”

I gave a little snicker at his recounting of finding Drake mid-shift. I gave him props for not freaking out, thinking it was the next werewolf out to eat him. That started me laughing at the visual. Miah looked at me with a side eye as if I was nuts before asking, “What’s so funny?”

I gasped as I tried to get my laughter under control, “I’m sorry, but all I’ve got in my head is every horror werewolf come to life and you standing there with a deer in the headlights look. I know it didn’t happen like that, but I can’t shake the image.” I started laughing again, and before long, Miah joined me.

From the back seat I heard the beautiful sound of my mate’s laughter join us as she snorted out giggling, “You’re both idiots, but now I feel like I need to make Drake and Sam sit through every werewolf movie out there.”

Looking in the rearview mirror, I looked straight into my mate’s gorgeous green eyes, sparkling with her laughter.

“How much farther to go?” Hannah asked.

I looked around at where we were; I’d been mindlessly driving as there was little to no traffic on this road.

“About another hour,” I answered.

“Okay. Scoot over, Miah, no manspreading, I’m coming in,” Hannah said, then suddenly there was a long leg being thrown over the seat, and before long, she was sitting on the front seat between us. I smiled at her sassiness that was slowly returning. I had a feeling that before my girl had been beaten down, she had been a little feisty.

“Manspreading, pshaw, little girl,” Miah teased playfully, tapping her knee. Hannah tensed a little but then relaxed further into me as if she realised that with me here there was no danger to her. I wrapped my hand around her thigh and smiled at the little purr that left her, not that she seemed to notice her involuntary reaction. Miah did and smiled before he was gently teasing her again, making her laugh at him.

The human was fast becoming one of my favourites. If he continued to make my mate smile like he was, I’d be happy to have him in my family.

CHAPTER 7

HANNAH

The next hour of our journey to town was spent with me laughing. Miah was hilarious, and Anton didn’t seem to mind when Miah gently teased me into laughter. I was comfortable and feeling safe sat between the two of them. While I’d initially started off by plastering myself tight against Anton, the farther we drove, the more I relaxed. Anton’s hand never left my thigh other than to change the gear.

The road got busier and busier the closer we got to town and Anton sat up straighter, more alert than he had been the whole drive. It was coming up for about three in the afternoon when we arrived in the centre of town. I’d never been to this town as I’d predominantly lived in the city. Looking around with interest at the different stores, the planters of colourful flowers on the verandas of the shop fronts. We drove past what I knew was Annie’s shop, then past a bakery. We continued to head farther into town until we’d passed most of the shops and headed into what almost looked like a swanky industrial area. The buildings looked more like warehouses with external metal beams, most were painted a bright white, but some had gorgeous murals taking up entire walls. All had bright planters of flowers outside.

Anton pointed out a building at the end of the row, also painted white but with a huge blue sign made of lights on the one wall; the name spelled out Howlers. “That’s the twin’s Ava and Marie’s nightclub, they bought it last year. We’ll be staying at their hotel tonight.”

“Wow,” I said, a little in awe. From what I understood, they weren’t much older than me and they’d already accomplished so much. It made me feel a little intimidated.

“Yeah, we’re pretty proud of them,” Anton continued. “They’ve worked hard to get to where they are. I think it was an incentive to get out of their home. Although now that their father is no longer welcome on the farm, they don’t mind being home as much.”

I’d heard bits and pieces about the Moores’ father. You can’t have been in the company of Annie, Lottie, and Julie without it being brought up because it was the start of Lottie and Kyle’s mating. Her father had hurt her badly and Kyle had lost it.

“Will Ava and Marie be at the hotel, then?” I enquired a little hesitantly.

Anton shook his head in the negative before replying, “They are finishing up the last of their exams as well as opening up another nightclub in the city. They’ll be back in the next couple of weeks or so. Their older sister Renee is overseeing things while they are away, although they do have great managers. You’ll meet Renee this afternoon, she’s going to meet us at the hotel.”

“Okay.” Although I could already feel the ball of dread at meeting new people settle in my gut. I must have made a noise because Anton picked up my hand and lifted it to his mouth, where he pressed a kiss to the palm. “It will be okay, baby girl. Renee is one of the best females I know. You have nothing to worry about with her, I promise.”

Curling my hand around his, I tried to relax as we pulled up into a circular drive in front of the hotel and stopped just short of the wide steps leading up to a veranda all painted in cream, the wrought iron trellis surrounding the veranda had beautiful pink and purple bougainvillea growing up them entwining its way up to the first floor of the hotel. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

I was aware of Miah getting out of the car and then Anton, but I was still sitting awestruck at the beauty of this building. Jolting slightly as Anton spoke to me, pulling my attention back to him.

“Mmh,” I replied, my eyes trying to take in all the sights, including the glimpse I’d had of a pool in the distance. Just then, a peacock let out a cry. “Oh wow, Anton, this place is beautiful.”

Anton grinned, his eyes crinkling up in the corners in his amusement. “Yes, it is, baby girl, but you’ll see it better out of the car. Plus, I think George wants to go and park it.”

A blush of embarrassment heated my cheeks, “Oh, sorry. I’ll get out now.”