Page 56 of Taken by Moonlight

The girl gave another long sniff. “Interesting.”

I’d never been sniffed by a girl before. But I guessed this was her way of makingintroductions.

“You’re different.” She sniffed my arm. “Not like theothers.”

Felicia crossed around to myback.

“You’re not going to sniff my butt, are you?” Iasked.

A high-pitch giggle sounded. Felicia bounced in front of me. “No, silly. I was checking out the back of the dress. It fitsperfectly.”

She beamed. “I didgood!”

“You’re the one who selected all the clothes in my closet?” I made the question casual, but I heard Gabriel’s sharp intake ofbreath.

At her nod, I continued. “How did you get them to fit sowell?”

Felicia’s look was guileless. “Dante told me he borrowed some of your old clothing and I used it to estimate yoursize.”

I turned to Gabriel with scowl. “Borrowed? My guess is he took the clothing I brought into the club to donate for the charity drive two months ago.Well?”

Gabriel expressed a sudden interest in rummaging through thecabinets.

Unease filled me. Dante had not only planned my visit, he had planned for months. It put a new spin on my being here. What did hewant?

I turned back to Felicia. Later, I’d have a little chat with the alpha about “borrowing” my things and his plans for me. “Thanks for selecting the clothes. You have goodtaste.”

A modest shrug. “I do all the set and costume design for our summer plays, and our winter theater aswell.”

“You have a theaterhere?”

“We’re rehearsing a play I wrote this afternoon. Wannawatch?”

“I’d love it, if it wouldn’t bother your actors. I was in the drama club in high school. Goodtimes.”

“Two o’clock, in the white barn with the horse weathervane on top.”She came around to my front, looked at Gabriel and beamed. “I like her. She’s not snobby as the other women Dante’s brought home. She’sfriendly.”

Gabrielsmiled.

“Other women?” Jealousy pinched me. “How many otherwomen?”

Her gray eyes twinkled. “A few. But they’ve never lasted. They got bored or they didn’t like it here. And they didn’t smell as nice as youdo.”

Digging a cookie out of the jar, she bouncedoff.

“Smell nice? Smell nice as in let’s have dinner and you’re the main course? Or smell nice in ‘I like your perfume?’” Imuttered.

Gabriel relaxed, leaning against the counter. “Smell nice as in you’re okay with her. Felicia’s got a sharp sense of smell. She can tell in a minute if a skin isuntrustworthy.”

Something warned me Felicia’s acceptance was important in thepack.

“Is everyone in this place going to sniff me like laundry fresh from theclothesline?”

Gabriel fished a cookie out of the jar and bit. “Not everyone. Dante gave instructions to leave you alone. Be polite and say hello, but nothing more. Felicia’sspecial.”

“Special how?” My nose twitched at the smell of warm chocolate. Tempting. Still…thatlabel…

A shadow crossed his face. “I’ll let Dante tellyou.”