Grayslake: More than Mated: Secrets to Bear (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Online Free PDF Page A

moved and then he was going to find his mate and bring her home. It might be the only thing that kept Helen from killing him when he skipped out of unpacking.
    But vintage vibrators? He'd take the risk.
     

Chapter Five
     
    There was something about the open road stretching in front of her that filled Lira with unfettered joy. She could forget the reasons she was heading off to some strange town to find her roots and just enjoy the hum of the road beneath her wheels.
    It was a glorious day, so she cranked the radio and rolled down the windows. She bellowed along to Aretha Franklin as she let the miles slip by.
    She pulled up to the small B and B Magda told her about and got out of her car. She looked up at the neat little Victorian, its gingerbread trim just so, and muttered to herself.
    "Well, damn, this place looks like it was made to be a perfect getaway, like it was ripped out of a brochure."
    She bounded up the front steps, and before she could even raise her hand to knock, the door swung open. A bouncy young woman gestured at her to come in.
    "You must be Lira!" The girl was a whirlwind, her energy pulling Lira deeper into the house. "Let's get you settled. Your friend, Magda? She kind of set off a bomb with her call."
    "A bomb? Is me being here going to be a problem? I can just keep driving." Lira felt a sharp pang of sorrow. She hadn't expected much out of the visit, but the thought of learning something about her mother was exciting. She hadn't realized how much she'd been looking forward to it. Her mother had died so long ago.
    Lira spun on her foot, ready to head out the door. She didn't need any decades-old drama in her life. Not with ‘creepy stalker’ Ethan already occupying the front row.
    But the girl grabbed her arm and said, "No, no no, nothing crazy. But it was just a big shock that you even exist, is all."
    "This is all getting pretty weird for me."
    "I know, but please, please, pretty please don't leave because I was running my big mouth. I just got excited is all. Your mom's story is just super romantic and tragic."
    "Uhm, from my perspective, just tragic."
    The girl stopped in her tracks and looked up at Lira. "I am... I just didn't think, I'm really sorry."
    "Honestly, losing my mom happened a really long time ago, and while I wish it had not happened and I still miss her, it's a healed hurt. I won't bail, but you are kind of freaking me out. And I don't know anything about this town or my mother's family."
    "We’re your family too. I'm Nancy. I guess we're sort of cousins, in a way. Probably removed eight times or something, I don't keep great track of the family tree. Let me get you up to your room and settled. Then we can have dinner? My Memaw, that’s Grace, will be here and she'll start filling you in on all the dirt."
    "Okay, that sounds great."
    "We were supposed to have some other visitors show up today, a family that is relocating to Grayslake, but I guess they ran into some sort of transportation problems, so you'll have the place to yourself for a few days."
    "Sounds good, and I could use a nap before dinner." Lira skipped on talking about why she didn't get much sleep, but she was definitely ready for a really good nap.
    Nancy hustled her upstairs to a spacious and airy corner room, pointed out the bathroom and fled. Lira laughed a little, assuming the girl was scared she was going to try to run away.
    Still, it never occurred to Lira that there might be anything more than a handful of pictures. There was something exciting about having actual relatives. She kicked off her shoes and threw herself on the bed and sank into its comfort with a sigh. A nap was just what she needed.
    ~ * ~ * ~
    She woke with a start, the room was dark and the tentative knock at the door left her confused for half a heart beat until she remembered where she was.
    Nancy's soft voice drifted through the door. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but it's almost dinner time. I can bring you a tray up if you would