Page 16

“So you’re really going to wear that?” Faith pointed at Tala’s choice of attire as they walked up to the entrance of Pin Pals.

Tala paused at the door to hold it open for Faith and glanced down at the retro bowling shirt she had bought after doing a bit of research. It was black, with two broad teal stripes running down the front, and she thought the relaxed collar gave her an effortlessly cool look. “Why not? It’s a great way to blend in.”

Faith laughed. “If you say so. God, I have no idea how your kind managed to keep its existence hidden for so long!”

A teasing reply had already been on the tip of Tala’s tongue, but now she sobered. Faith could never find out what the Saru had done to keep humans from finding out shape-shifters existed.

She followed Faith into the building.

The odors of worn-out shoes, rubber, melted cheese, and some kind of oil instantly hit Tala. The sharp cracks of balls as they collided with the pins reverberated through the bowling alley. Neon lights cast a glow over about a dozen glossy lanes.

Tala looked around. It all seemed very…human. She couldn’t make out a single Wrasa. And weirdly, no one was wearing a bowling shirt.

“There’s Sabina!” Faith waved to someone in line at the counter.

Tension knotted Tala’s shoulders. This was it. They would be getting only one chance to convince Faith’s best friend they were a couple—and this time, the mate scent perfume wouldn’t help them. They had to be convincing.

Faith seemed to think the same because she reached for Tala’s hand in a gesture that was meant to appear casual but felt anything but.

With all her senses heightened, Tala could feel the stiffness in Faith’s fingers and the way she clung to her just a little too tightly.

She gave Faith’s hand an encouraging squeeze as she followed her over to Sabina.

Faith’s best friend was at least half a head taller than Tala. Her dark, nearly black hair—worn in a low ponytail—shone beneath the neon lights. Her strong features with an aquiline nose softened as she warmly smiled at Faith.

Faith let go of Tala’s hand and opened her arms wide. They hugged with the ease of two people who’d done that a hundred times before.

A twinge of envy pierced Tala’s gut—just because she didn’t have a close friend like that, not because she wanted to be the one to hug Faith, of course.

When the embrace ended, Sabina turned toward her. “Hi. I’m Sabina. And you must be Tala. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Tala flicked her gaze to Faith, who shook her head with tiny movements to indicate she hadn’t told her best friend anything. “Hi,” she replied, switching to greeting-humans protocol. “Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you too—all of it good, of course.”

She held out her hand, but Sabina leaned in for a quick hug instead.

Tala used the opportunity to discreetly breathe in her scent.

Sabina smelled of peonies, but with a peppery undertone that indicated she wasn’t all smiles and sunshine, despite the friendly greeting. That sharper note revealed that she could be as fiercely protective as a mama bear of her cub. She wasn’t just here for a fun night of bowling; she was here to size Tala up and to make sure she was treating her best friend right.

Tala could respect that.

“I’m really glad I was able to talk Faith into going out tonight.” Sabina lightly backhanded Faith’s shoulder. “She can be such a hermit.”

“Hey!” Faith protested and nudged her with her hip. “I’m not a hermit. Just a busy divorced mom.”

“Tomayto, tomahto,” Sabina said. “Come on. Let’s get our shoes.”

Within a few minutes, they received their bowling shoes from the guy behind the rental counter.

Tala wrinkled her nose as she carried them over to their lane. The battered black-and-red leather stank of sweaty human feet.

At the end of the lane, two padded benches flanked a low table.

“Is something wrong?” Faith whispered as she sat next to Tala.

Tala bent to tie her shoes so she could hide her expression of disgust. “No, everything’s fine.”

“No whining if you lose,” Faith playfully warned her. She looked at Sabina, who had chosen the bench on the other side of the table. “Tala is super competitive. She pouts whenever she loses. It’s the cutest thing.”

Tala bristled. Okay, now Faith was overselling this bantering couple thing. “I don’t pout. Or whine. Nor will I lose. I’m a quick learner.”

“So you’ve never gone bowling before?” Sabina asked.

“No, but like I said, I’m a quick learner.”

“There’s not much to it,” Sabina said. “Just pick a ball, take a few steps, and roll it down the lane, trying to knock down as many pins as possible. Oh, and never forget the most important rule.”

“Which is?” Tala asked.

Sabina flashed her a grin. “Never stand behind Faith when it’s her turn.”

Faith groaned and reached across the table to pinch her, but Sabina easily dodged the playful attack. “Not that old story! It happened once !”

“Once was enough. I was limping for a week!”

Faith flushed.

Still grinning, Sabina turned back toward Tala. “She’s really bad. Once, the ball slipped from her hand and flew backward, crashing into me.”

“It barely grazed you!” Faith shot back. “And it’s not my fault you stood there gaping instead of getting out of the way.”

Tala watched them interact. The mutual teasing, the inside jokes, the little touches… Now she was starting to understand what Faith had meant when she’d said they would have to up their game. At this point, Sabina and Faith looked more like a couple than she and Faith did!

Can’t have that! She slid closer to Faith on the bench and was about to put one arm around her when Faith stood.

“Come on. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

They each chose a ball.

“See that black line at the start of the lane?” Faith pointed at it. “That’s the foul line. Don’t cross it, or you’ll score zero for that roll. Stop just short of it and release the ball.”

Tala nodded. “No crossing the line. Got it.”

“You start about four and a half steps back from the line.”

They took the steps together, and their shoulders brushed as they turned and lined up next to each other.

Not exactly a romantic gesture, but better than nothing.

“Slide your fingers into the ball like this. Use three fingers.” Faith wiggled her thumb, her middle finger, and her ring finger and demonstrated, her movements slow and sensual.

Was it just the neon lights, or was it hot in here? Tala raised her brows. She had to wonder if Faith had phrased her instructions like that on purpose. She copied Faith’s grip. “Like this?”

“Slide your thumb in a little deeper.”

The timbre of her voice sent a shiver through Tala. Oh yeah. She was doing it on purpose! Achingly slow, Tala slid her fingers deeper while making eye contact. “Am I hitting the right spot now?”

“Um, hello?” Sabina waved both arms as if flagging down an airplane coming in to land. “Impressionable straight, single woman here!”

“Okay, okay.” Faith sounded a little hoarse. “Let me go first and show you.”

Tala retreated to the bench to watch.

To her untrained eye, Faith looked pretty good as she assumed position and took four smooth steps toward the foul line. But when she released the ball, it quickly veered off course and ended up in the gutter.

Sabina laughed. “See? She’s hopeless at bowling! Hey, Faith, want me to ask them to put the bumpers up, so you can actually knock down a pin for a change?”

A low growl formed in Tala’s throat, but she bit it back. The urge to defend Faith surprised her, especially since Sabina was clearly right—Faith was hopeless at bowling.

After rolling the ball a second time, toppling two pins, Faith returned to the bench. “Now you try,” she said to Tala.

Tala stood, picked a ball, and tested its weight in her hands. It was the heaviest one at the bowling alley, but her superior Wrasa strength made handling it feel effortless. She gazed down the lane and visualized the pins toppling. With a swift motion, she swung her right arm backward, then brought it forward and released it in time with her last step.

The ball glided down the lane and crashed into the pins. The last one standing swayed, then fell.

A thrill shot through Tala. Maybe this weird human game wasn’t so bad after all, despite the smelly shoes.

“Strike!” Faith hopped up and down next to the bench and clapped her hands together.

“Wow!” Sabina called. “I can’t believe she got a strike on her first try! She’s a natural!”

Then it was Sabina’s turn, while Tala sat next to Faith on the bench.

Finally, her chance to make them look like a couple had come! She wrapped one arm around Faith, hoping it appeared natural. “I had a great teacher, babe.”

For a fraction of a second, Faith stiffened. Then she leaned into Tala. Her cooler body temperature felt nice against Tala’s side in the overly warm bowling alley, and the mate scent perfume drowned out the odor of the worn shoes.

But their acting skills went entirely unappreciated because Sabina was focused on her own turn. On her second try, she managed to knock down all the remaining pins, which, apparently, was called a spare.

“Your turn again,” she told Faith.

She didn’t fare much better this time but didn’t seem to mind.

When Tala’s turn came around again, she let her arm brush Faith’s as she slipped past her to pick a ball. She lined up her shot and swung her arm, aiming slightly to the side of the pin in the front.

The ball hit the pins with a satisfying crack and sent them all scattering like startled prey.

Faith and Sabina cheered.

“Remind me not to play darts with you,” Sabina said. “Or pool. Or anything involving aim or physical skill.”

People from the other lanes paused their own games to stare over. Some whispered to each other. One guy raised his phone to film her.

She couldn’t be the first bowler to score two strikes in a row. Humans weren’t this mediocre at bowling, were they? Maybe people were starting to recognize her and Faith from social media.

Her skin itched. She hated the feeling of being watched—being recorded. However, people recognizing them was good, she told herself. It meant that Operation Make-Believe Mate was on track.

The next time it was Tala’s turn, Faith sent her off with an encouraging pat on the shoulder. “If you score another strike, you’ll get a turkey.”

“A turkey?” Tala’s stomach let out an enthusiastic growl. “I didn’t know humans played for food, or I would have gone bowling sooner!”

Sabina and Faith laughed.

“No, not a real turkey. Sorry, honey,” Faith said. “It’s just called turkey when you score three strikes in a row.”

“Oh.” As usual, humans made no sense at all. Tala checked the electronic scoreboard as she walked to the ball return. She was leading by a mile. Yes! But then she remembered what Madsen had said about her being too competitive on their fake dates.

She peered at the other lanes.

A couple of teens were glancing over.

Damn. Scoring a turkey was out of the question. Gritting her teeth, she swallowed her pride and rolled the ball straight into the gutter—then did it again for her second throw.

“What was that?” Faith asked as Tala returned to the bench.

“Come on! It’s obvious,” Sabina called. “She’s letting you win. Aww!”

“Maybe she’s letting you win,” Faith shot back.

Sabina snorted. “Yeah, right.” As if proving her point, she managed to score a strike on her next roll.

As Tala watched Faith’s next ball hit a single pin, she felt Sabina’s gaze on her. She looked up and met her dark eyes across the low table. “So,” she said, beating Sabina to the draw before she could ask a question, “how did you and Faith meet?”

Sabina crossed her legs at the ankles and flashed her a broad grin. “Faith told you I’m the conference services manager at Hearthstone’s flagship hotel, right?”

Faith hadn’t, but Tala nodded anyway because that was probably something Faith would have told her if they really were a couple.

“When Faith first started at the hotel, I had already been working there for a couple years. She came in fresh out of college, all bright-eyed and eager, and her first day was the worst day of the year.”

“Not because of me,” Faith shouted from where she was lining up her second roll.

“We had a huge corporate event in the house, and for some reason, everything that could go wrong went wrong. The catering messed up, the DJ was sick, and the flower deco was late, so I was racing around like a chicken with its head cut off when the new girl walks in, looking completely unfazed. I had no clue who she was, so I called out to her, ‘Hey, you, new girl! Can you help me with the flowers? They were supposed to be here, like, yesterday!’” A chuckle escaped Sabina. “And she smiled and said, ‘Sure, I’ll call Mr.MacAllister.’”

Faith’s second ball ended up taking down two more pins, and she gave Sabina a light shove as she returned to the table. “I’m pretty sure I called the florist, not my father.”

“That’s not how I remember it.” Sabina directed her gaze back to Tala. “She pulled out her phone and started chatting like it’s no big deal. I thought she’d get us all fired. But not even ten minutes later, our flower order showed up!”

“Because I talked to the florist,” Faith muttered as she took a seat next to Tala.

“If you’d talked to the florist, you would have mentioned your name—and then I wouldn’t have called you ‘new girl’ for hours until someone finally told me who you were!”

Tala looked back and forth between them. She had to adjust her previous evaluation. They weren’t acting like a couple. Their interaction reminded Tala of the exchanges she shared with her siblings.

“What about you?” Sabina finally asked before Tala could stand and take her turn bowling. “How did the two of you meet?”

So far, they hadn’t had to use their cover story, but now Tala was glad they had prepared one. “It was about four weeks ago, at the Wrasa Pride parade.”

“So the tabloids weren’t making that up? I thought for sure they pulled that part out of their asses. I mean”—Sabina waved her hand—“a parade to protest for Wrasa rights doesn’t exactly seem like a place Peter MacAllister’s daughter would go looking for romance.”

“I didn’t,” Faith said quietly. “I hadn’t even planned to go to the parade. Chloe begged until I gave in. But then she slipped from my hand and ducked beneath the barricades, chasing after her balloon. I nearly had a heart attack when she ran right up to a growling Wrasa and hugged her!”

“How on earth did that turn into the two of you dating?” Sabina asked with a shake of her head.

“Would you believe it was her pretty golden eyes?” Faith regarded Tala with a dreamy expression.

“No,” Sabina answered. “Not for a second.”

Shit. Tala froze. Had Sabina really seen through their charade so easily?

“We both know you’ve got a tendency to go along with whatever your father wants,” Sabina added.

Faith frowned. “Oh, come on. You’re making it sound as if I don’t have an opinion of my own!”

“No, that’s not what I’m trying to say. It’s just that… I don’t believe you would have risked upsetting your father by going out with someone he considers his mortal enemy, simply because of a pair of dazzling eyes.”

Okay, don’t panic. Tala tried to think of something to say, but she had no idea what would draw Faith to a woman and make her take that risk.

“You’re right,” Faith said quietly. “It had nothing to do with her eyes—although they are pretty.” She raised her hand and cupped Tala’s cheek while looking deeply into her eyes. With her thumb, she lightly caressed Tala’s cheek.

Damn, she was convincing! Even Tala’s body bought the tender gesture. Goose bumps formed everywhere.

“It was the way she tied the string of the balloon around Chloe’s wrist,” Faith continued. “She acted all gruff, like a tough alpha with a don’t-hug-me-or-I’ll-kill-you attitude, but she jumped for that silly balloon not once but twice, and she was so careful, almost tender, when she tied the string around Chloe’s wrist. That’s what made me say yes when we ran into each other at Blue Bottle Coffee a week later and Tala asked me out.”

Sabina glanced at them for a few moments longer, then finally smiled and nodded. “Ah. Chloe. That makes sense.”

Tala slowly exhaled, and Faith’s hand slipped from her cheek. Who knew that Faith was such a good actress!

But before Tala could fully relax, Sabina turned toward her. “And you? What made you decide to ask her out?”

In all of Tala’s undercover missions, she had learned one thing: staying as close to the truth as possible was always the best tactic. She tried to think back to her first impression of Faith. “The way she stood up to her father and told him to let our parade pass.”

Of course, they both knew Faith hadn’t done it for the Wrasa. She just hadn’t wanted things to escalate while kids were watching.

Sabina’s jaw dropped. She swiveled on the bench to stare at Faith. “You stood up to your father to protect the Wrasa?”

Faith’s shoulder, which rested against Tala’s, tensed. “Hey, don’t make it sound like I defied an evil overlord. My dad isn’t a supervillain!” Despite the mate scent perfume cloaking most of her emotions, the metallic odor of defensiveness wafted up from her—and that gave Tala a good idea of how strong Faith’s emotional reaction was.

She filed it away to put into her report. Clearly, Faith would never see her father as the bad guy and would always be ready to defend him. Once again, Tala wondered what Jorie had seen in her dream vision that had made her so certain Faith would ever publicly take their side against her own father. Right now, she couldn’t imagine that ever happening, no matter how creative Faith got when it came to convincing others of their fauxmance.

“I know he isn’t. He’s a softie, at least when it comes to you,” Sabina answered. “Anyway, that’s what I call a wild meet-cute!”

Tala quickly stood and picked up a ball before Sabina could ask another question.

For a while, they took turns without talking much, other than exchanging bits of encouragement, banter, and trash talk.

Great Hunter, this really reminded Tala of her siblings and cousins.

Sabina’s cheeky grin whenever she achieved a strike or a spare sparked her competitiveness and made her forget her earlier intention to hold back.

Their friendly rivalry even seemed to spur Faith on. Her stance telegraphed determination as she took up position again and then sent the ball down the lane.

It curved a little, and Tala thought it would end up in the gutter again.

“Come on, come on,” she murmured, her gaze never leaving the ball.

A loud crash rang out.

Eight of the pins toppled over. Then another started to wobble.

Faith made blowing noises as if that would make it fall.

And then it did fall, bringing down the tenth pin with it too.

Faith stood completely still for a moment before letting out a loud whoop. “Strike! I can’t believe it! My first ever strike!” Beaming as if she had just won the Bowling World Cup, she rushed back to the bench.

Tala leaped up, cheering along with her.

Faith surged forward and threw her arms around her in a jubilant embrace.

Tala caught her and twirled her around in a tight circle.

A squeak escaped Faith. She clung to Tala with a death grip as if afraid of being dropped.

But Tala was much stronger than she looked and held her securely, and after a second, Faith relaxed. Her laughter filled Tala’s ears as she spun them around and around.

When they finally stopped and Tala put her down, their faces were inches from each other—so close that Faith’s breathless gasps sent puffs of air across Tala’s mouth.

Tala’s pulse hammered—from their wild spin, presumably. Certainly not from Faith’s closeness. They were only pretending after all.

But before she could back away, Sabina waved her hand at them. “You don’t have to hold back on my account, you know? I’m not homophobic.”

Faith’s hands jerked on Tala’s shoulders, her fingers clutching the fabric of her bowling shirt as if unsure whether to hold on or let go. Her pupils were so wide that Tala couldn’t tell where they ended and her brown irises began. “Um, we don’t…”

Her whisper sent more warm air across Tala’s face.

Don’t what? Don’t have to kiss? Yeah, clearly, they had to. As Faith had said, she was the type to exchange PDAs with the people she dated, and her best friend knew that. She would get suspicious if they didn’t celebrate Faith’s first strike with a kiss.

Slowly, clearly announcing what she was about to do, Tala leaned forward.

Faith clutched Tala’s biceps with both hands, her fingers cool on Tala’s hot skin below the short sleeves of the bowling shirt.

Was she nervous, maybe even scared?

This up close and personal, the mate scent perfume was so strong that Tala couldn’t tell.

But Faith didn’t pull away. Her grip on Tala’s arms even seemed to draw her closer.

Very aware of Sabina’s gaze on them, Tala leaned up and brushed her lips against Faith’s in the briefest whisper of a kiss—just long enough for her to marvel at how soft Faith’s lips were.

Then the fleeting connection was gone.

They pulled back at the same time, and Faith’s fingers dropped away from Tala’s arms.

Tala struggled to catch her breath. Great Hunter! It had only been a light peck! It shouldn’t have left her heart racing like this.

But Faith seemed just as affected. Her cheeks flushed a deep pink.

Sabina chuckled, drawing Tala’s attention back to their audience. “You two are adorable. Are Wrasa always this shy when it comes to PDAs?”

“Shy?” Tala let out a growl. “I’m not shy! I just didn’t want to give him and half of TikTok a free show.” She jerked her head toward the guy who had filmed them earlier.

“Right,” Sabina said, still grinning.

Tala tried not to scowl at her. She strode to the ball return to take her turn. This time, she would be careful not to roll a strike so Sabina wouldn’t encourage another celebratory kiss.

~ ~ ~

After Sabina said goodbye with a hug and a whispered, “She’s fun. Don’t mess this up, MacAllister,” Faith and Tala walked to the car in silence.

The night air was brisk, a chill lingering even though it was the third week of April.

Faith shivered in her thin sweater and quickly slid into the driver’s seat.

They both exhaled at the same time.

Faith let her head sink against the backrest. “I can’t believe we managed to trick her! For a second there, I thought she was on to us, when she didn’t buy me falling for your pretty golden eyes!”

“Clearly, she knows you well.” Tala’s eyes weren’t golden right now. They glistened eerily in the dim glow of a streetlamp, reflecting its light as she studied Faith, unnecessarily reminding her that Tala wasn’t human. “She’s pack, isn’t she?”

The word caught Faith off guard, and it took her a moment to figure out what Tala meant. “Yeah. I guess she is. I don’t really have a lot of close friends.” God, that sounded pathetic. Faith lowered her head, but for some reason, she couldn’t stop the words from coming. “I lost touch with most people from school. They didn’t know what to do with me after…after my mom died. And I never fit in with the folks at church or with Jon’s friends, so we stopped hanging out after the divorce.”

“I can understand that.” Tala’s voice was unexpectedly soft, not judgmental at all. “I never fit in with my—” She cut herself off as if feeling she’d said too much. “Forget it.” Her tone turned sharp, like a steel door slamming shut, cutting off that fleeting connection.

Tala always seemed hesitant to reveal anything about herself. Was it just part of her personality, or did she have something to hide? Maybe she was also feeling vulnerable after the kiss and needed to distance herself.

“Um, listen…” Faith fiddled with the sleeve of her shirt. “I think I owe you an apology for practically jumping into your arms after I got that strike. I should’ve known Sabina would try to get us to kiss.”

Tala waved her hand, her expression in the dim light completely neutral. “No big deal. It was over so fast, it probably doesn’t even deserve to be called a kiss.”

“Right.” Faith nodded several times. “I mean, I’ve kissed Sabina like that.”

Tala, who had been about to click her seat belt into place, paused. “You have? Do humans go around kissing their friends?”

“No! But it happened once or twice, like for New Year’s. It’s not a romantic thing at all. Just a peck.” Why was she justifying herself? It wasn’t as if Tala really was her girlfriend!

“Right.” This time, it was Tala who said it. “Like ours. Just a fleeting, split-second touch.”

“Exactly.” And yet that fleeting touch of their lips hadn’t felt anything like kissing Sabina.

No. Of course not. Sabina was pack, as Tala had said. Family. And Tala…wasn’t. She also wasn’t human. So it was only natural that even that short kiss had felt too intimate…like too much…even while her body had insisted it hadn’t been nearly enough.

Had Tala noticed her reaction to the kiss? Had it affected her too?

Her face had been completely composed right afterward, just as it was now.

She likely hadn’t noticed a thing, nor would she have cared if she had.

Faith yanked the seat belt across her chest and snapped it into place with a sharp click.

When this scheme was over, she vowed to start dating for real. It clearly had been too long. No wonder her poor neglected libido was losing track of what was real and what was merely pretending!

She pressed her tingling lips together and started the car.