Page 123 of Anaki

I groaned and leaned back into him.

Not cool.

Bones cleared his throat. “And with that, I will conclude this exam. I suggest you find someone to watch Luis for a couple weeks, maybe even a month, while you undergo your transformation and your, uh, heat.” Bones turned his back on us and walked to the door. “Someone you trust, I know you would prefer Emm, but with her still under her depression with Abuela’s death and still realizing this new role she will take on, I suggest someone else. Do you know of anyone? Perhaps Bear and Nadia? They watch Hawke and Delilah’s child often.”

Anaki and I looked at one another and immediately knew who would be the best.

“I think we know,” I replied and gave him a small smile.

Anaki gently rested his hand on the small of my back as we descended the staircase. The bar was far less crowded than the bustling scene I recalledfrom my initial visit. The atmosphere had changed; there were no men perched up on the bar, gyrating energetically while women eagerly stuffed bills into their waistbands.

The music hummed softly in the background as we stepped inside, a gentle murmur of conversation could easily drown that out. Luis was instantly noticeable, perched at the bar with a generous plate of fries in front of him. The fries were a golden cascade, smothered in melted cheese, crispy bacon bits, and accompanied by a side of the special ranch sauce.

While I wanted to tell him that was completely disgusting, a little bit of junk food was okay right now.

We strolled leisurely over and took a long, careful look at everyone gathered there. The air was thick with stories of struggle and resilience, as each person bore physical marks of their bravery. Some people were still nursing severe injuries; bandages were wrapped tightly around arms and legs, while others sat with limbs in splints. They were seated at tables, deep in conversation, recounting the battles they had endured.

Bones off-handedly said some will heal faster than others, all depending on how far their animals had gone rogue or when they were rejected. Some souls’ healing was down to a human’s pace.

My heart ached for them, knowing they were unjustly rejected and cast aside, yet part of me couldn't help but question how they ended up in this club. They were not at fault, yet many remained angry with the goddess. I felt a powerful urge to protect them.

My jaw clenched so tightly I could almost hear the grind of my teeth, and my fist curled into a tight ball. Heat surged through my body, and beads of sweat gathered and trickled down my forehead. Suddenly, Anaki's firm grip closed around my wrist, pulling me back with a swift motion. He spun me around to meet his intense gaze.

“Hey, love, take a deep breath forme.”

I grunted in reply and shook my head. “It isn’t fair to them. It isn’t their fault.”

Anaki smiled and pulled me into his chest. He released his scent yet again. I cursed him inside my head and I could hear the most cocky laugh of Scales.“Feisty one aren’t we, soulkin?”

I stomped my foot.

“Mama, they are going to get their chance. They have been loyal to the Fang.”

“What if it’s too late?”I linked.

Anaki laid his cheek on the top of my head. “Bones has a serum that helped Locke. No one is going to be put down anymore. We will figure it out, don’t know how, but we will. Just keep that feisty spirit, okay?”

I hummed and pulled away to find Luis staring at us from over his shoulder. Ranch dripped at the corner of his mouth.

“Hi, mijo.” I came up behind him and gave him a hug. In the process, I took one of his fries and popped it into my mouth.

Anaki sat beside him and gave him the side eye. “Enjoying your grease, so you can have better bowel movements?”

Luis shoved another fry into his mouth. “Si, I feel my gut moving as we speak. I can’t wait to put a load down the only toilet in the cave.”

I gasped. “Mijo, NO!”

Anaki laughed and rubbed his chin. “You know, he’s right. We don’t have great ventilation. I think I need to get a hold of the bear shifters and see if we can extend the cave for another bathroom while they are working on the pack house. It would be beneficial.”

“The pack house? What’s wrong with the pack house?” I asked, panicked.

“Destroyed.” A dark-haired man said with an emphasis on the s. The man had a snake tattoo on his hand that crawled up his arm.He had been working behind the bar the night Anaki was dancing. He set down a glass of milk next to Luis and pointed to him like he was to drink it. “At least not all of it, but most. A lot of cabins were messed up, too. The bear shifters were called in to take care of it.”

“This is Surkash, Madre. He’s a snake shifter. Isn’t that so cool?”

Anaki shuffled from side to side. “But dragons are cooler, right?”

“Of course!” Luis said, but gave an exaggerated wink to Surkash. The stoic face of the snake shifter’s lip curled only slightly until he walked away.