Page 25 of Rhett

A few minutes later, Bonnie walked in, handing me a mug before taking a seat on the sofa across from me.

Blowing into her own mug, Bonnie asked, “Do you have any questions for me?”

“Yes.” I took a sip of tea, eyeing her over the rim of my mug. “Lots.”

“Shoot.”

“If I’m a hybrid, why haven’t I shifted yet?”

“Because you haven’t met your fated mate,” she answered before sipping her tea.

“And a fated mate is the equivalent of a soul mate?”

“Exactly.”

“I don’t believe in soul mates,” I admitted. “The concept is bizarre.”

“And shifting from human to an animal isn’t?” she argued.

I laughed. “You got me there. When I caught Henry shifting from horse to man, it blew my mind.”

Bonnie choked on her tea. “You saw him shifting?”

“Yep. One minute, he was galloping across his property. The next, he was shifting into his human form. Believe me, he was none too happy that I caught him shifting. In fact, he chastised me for trespassing on his land. Then he called Rhett to come get me.”

“Ah, I see. Henry gets ornery as hell about anyone on his land. But man, I would have paid anything to see that old coot’s face when he realized you were a hybrid.”

“But how did he know that I’m a hybrid?” I asked.

“This is a small town, so he knew that you weren’t from here. Second, to Others, hybrids smell like both human and shifter. And third, only Others can get through the veil.”

I frowned with confusion. “And what’s a veil?”

“Centuries ago, the town’s witch coven created a magical veil that hides the town from humans. For an added level of security, every human who has come in this direction gets confused and lost on the road, then ends up going back the way they came.”

“I see.” I stored that tidbit of information for dissection later. “Well anyway, Henry wasn’t pleased to see me on his property.” I laughed. “He’s an eccentric man. He just stood butt naked while I tried not to stare at his massive junk. For an old dude, he’s packing something powerful there.”

Bonnie chuckled. “I’ve seen it, but it’s pretty typical for a horse-shifter.”

My eyes widened. I didn’t even want to think about how and why she’d seen Henry’s cock. I had a feeling it involved both of them being naked and sweaty.

Bonnie continued. “But I like them big, frankly.”

I choked on my tea. “Bonnie! Too much information.”

“What?” Bonnie batted her eyelashes playfully. “I’ll never be too old to have sex. And even though sex will never be as good as it was with my fated mate, I enjoy it immensely.”

“Okay. I guess this sex talk with mygrandmother”—I emphasized the last word dramatically—“is going to happen whether I want it to or not.”

“Yep.” Her lips tilted into a small brief smile. “First thing you need to learn, I’m frank about everything. There’s no need to sugarcoat shit around me. Second, nudity is the norm for shifters. It’s quite common to see both males and females traipsing around town butt naked after shifting. Third, shifters love sex… lots of it. So consensual hookups are pretty standard.”

“So there are no taboos about having sex with other races of Others?”

“It depends on who you ask,” Bonnie explained. “I have no hang-ups about interspecies or interracial sex and dating. Others who disagree with my beliefs are frankly in the minority, but we have some in town.” She sniffed the air. “You’re not a virgin, and you’re in your prime. Do you have a sexual partner who’s waiting for you back in the human world?”

“How do you know I’m not a virgin?”

“I can smell it.” She tapped her nose.