Arti

“I leaned against the SUV he was working on. “So….”

“So?” he asked, looking back down at the tablet.

“How rich are we?”

He snorted. “Get back to work.”

And I was going to do just that, except that Kelly Bennett decided to appear right at that moment.

Wearing a deputy’s uniform. Tight green pants with a tan button-up shirt that pulled against his torso. He had a mic clipped near his shoulder and a black utility belt around his waist. He wasn’t carrying a gun, but I barely noticed because at that exact moment, I discovered my legs decided to quit working and I tripped and fell into the side of the SUV.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at me.

“Sorry,” I said quickly, using the SUV to pull myself back up. And immediately hit the top of my head on the open hood. “Son of a bitch.”

“What are you doing?” Gordo asked slowly.

I laughed wildly. “Nothing! It’s nothing. Just… don’t even worry about it.”

He turned toward the front of the garage.

“Oh no,” he said when he saw who was standing there. “Not this again.” He pointed the tablet at Kelly. “I swear to god, if I find an animal carcass brought here at any point, I will make both your lives a living hell. Do you understand me? I’m getting too old for this shit.”

“I can’t believe we have to watch this all over again,” Chris said to Tanner. “It was bad enough the first time. Remember when Robbie figured out that he wanted to put himself all over Kelly?”

“Yeah,” Tanner said. “How could I forget? We had to tell Ms. Martin that her side mirror was broken by accident instead of telling her the truth, that Robbie got a weird wolf boner and forgot his own strength.”

“Maybe it’ll be like it was with Ox and Joe,” Rico said, tapping a socket wrench against his hand. “Mini muffins, you know? I ate, like, ten of them.”

Chris looked scandalized. “You did what? That was one of their mystical moon magic presents! You don’t touch another man’s mystical moon magic present, Rico. They could have killed you, or worse, gotten confused and made you their mate.” He frowned. “Are there werewolf threesomes? That sounds complicated. Too many limbs. I don’t know anything about being a wolf.”
― T.J. Klune, Heartsong

“Stay here. I can stay here. You go. Run.”
“Really.”
“Yes.”
“Okay. If that’s what you want. I mean, I could probably die or something, but you do you.”
He jerked his head up as he growled. “Die?”
I nodded solemnly. “Might trip over a tree root and break my neck. Or Ox could jump on me and crush my liver. Who the fuck knows?”
“Stupid Carter,” Gavin said.
“Stupid Carter,” I agreed.
“Know what you’re doing.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. So I’m just gonna go, I guess. Don’t know if I’ll ever come back, seeing as how I might be dead and all. If only there was someone out there who could have my back and—”
He put his hand over my mouth. “Stop talking. You make it worse.” His nostrils flared. “Fine. I’ll go. Stupid Carter always almost dies.”
― T.J. Klune, Brothersong

“Joe looked curious, glancing between Kelly and me.

Ox’s expression was blank.

“Kelly,” Joe said. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Kelly said, sounding exasperated. “I’m getting really sick and tired of that question.”

“As your Alpha, I—”

“I’m older than you,” Kelly retorted. “I changed your diaper when you shit yourself. You may be my Alpha, but I’ve wiped your ass, Joe.”
― T.J. Klune, Heartsong

“You, Kelly.
Always you.
You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
You’re my first memory. Mom was holding you, and I wanted to take you for myself, hide you away so no one would hurt you.
You’re my first love. I knew that when you would always smile when you saw me, and it was like staring into the sun.
You’re my heart.
You are my soul.”
― T.J. Klune, Heartsong