Cael (Were Zoo Book 11), R. Butler [best management books of all time txt] 📗

Relief swamped Cael. He was so happy that he wanted to whoop a cheer and dance.

Instead, he pulled her close and kissed her. She moaned softly and a growl rumbled in her chest.

She put her hands on his chest and leaned away from the kiss. “So what is my father, then? Do you know? Oh!” Her eyes went wide. “Is Justus an animal too?”

“We’re called shifters, sweetheart. And yes.”

“What kind?”

“You said you felt a connection to him, not romantic but like family.”

“Yeah.

“He’s a bear. You smell like a bear to me, but it’s subtle, like it’s diluted. I think it’s because you’re only half-shifter, and not a full one as if you had two shifter parents. We have grizzly and black bears at the park, but you don’t smell quite like them, so you may be a different species of bear.”

“But I can’t change into an animal. I just have these weird animal-type things like the growling and my fingers and teeth.”

“Teeth?”

He led her to the couch, and they sat down.

“It all happens when I get emotional. My gums will ache, and my fingernails will turn black. Then there’s my eyes of course, but not many people notice it.”

“What about your mom?”

“When I was younger, I’d tell her when I felt strange and she’d freak out if I was around anyone. We’d end up moving since she was so worried that someone would come after me because I was different or that my father might hear about it. So I stopped telling her and tried to hide it. But I always felt so caged. Like I couldn’t really be myself.”

“That changed tonight, though. You weren’t trying to hide it.”

“It was a relief.” She smiled at him and laid her head on the back of the couch. “My mom’s still scared about my father. She’s tired of being in hiding but she’s willing to stay, so long as we’re vigilant.”

Cael had hoped to take Novi down to his home under the park to live, but he doubted at this point she’d want to be away from her mom. It had been just the two of them her whole life, which must have felt so isolating. He glanced around the apartment and thought about the other empty ones. For tonight, he didn’t need to worry about what the next steps in their relationship would be—although his elephant wanted to mate her immediately and start a family—he was just thankful that he didn’t have to keep anything from her.

“I need to call Alistair,” he said.

“Your boss? Why?”

“Because he’s like me. So is Kelley, and there’s one more you didn’t meet—Indio.”

“What about Kelley’s wife?”

“Rhapsody’s a black panther.”

Novi’s brows rose. “Panthers, bears, and elephants. Are there other types of shifters here?”

“Yep. We have five main groups—elephants, bears, lions, wolves, and gorillas. We also have a few individuals—a falcon, a red fox, and a horse. They’re all mated except for the horse, he’s the step-brother of a human who’s mated to one of the gorillas.”

“It’s so incredible. I never would’ve guessed there are humans who can turn into animals. Even feeling the way I did all these years, I just thought something was wrong with me.”

“You don’t know about it because it’s a closely guarded secret. You can’t ever share this with anyone.”

Understanding lit her features. “Not even my mom.”

“I know it will be hard to keep it a secret from her, but it’s imperative.”

She put her hand up. “I get it. I totally understand. If humans knew there were people around who could turn into animals, they’d be scared and probably react violently. You need to keep the secret of the park safe.” She got quiet, her brow furrowing.

Cael picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“Is that why my dad tried to kill me? Why he’s been hunting us?”

“I believe so. It’s extreme, though. I’ve never known a shifter group to insist that a half-child born to one of their people needed to be killed. If one of our people had a child with a human unknowingly, they wouldn’t try to take them out, they’d want them here where they could be safe and cared for.”

“My life could’ve been so different if he’d just brought us into his group and taken care of us. What’s a group of bears called?”

“It depends on the type. Black bears and grizzlies are sleuths, polar bears are a celebration. I wish you had been part of a bear group, hadn’t been terrorized your whole life. I can’t imagine how it felt to be on the run like that and never able to really settle in anywhere.”

“I can settle in now, though.”

“One hundred percent.”

Her eyes flashed to blue and then back to brown, darkening slightly. “Cael?”

“Yes?”

She scooted a little closer, tilting her face up to kiss along his jaw. “Can I stay with you tonight?”

Chapter Nine

Novi had never been bold. In her head she always felt bold, but when it came to actually being bold, she always chickened out and got shy. But with Cael, she was bold. There was a relief that filled her because she could finally put the truth of her life together, could explain the strange things she felt and the way her body reacted.

And the mystery of why her father wanted her dead.

It angered her that she and her mom had been on the run for years to protect her simply because he hadn’t used a condom. Or accepted responsibility for being a father and brought her and her mom into his life. She understood the need for secrecy, but there had to be a point where a life mattered