Mating Dance Read Online Free PDF Page A

Lords would be bears.
    “How do they decide which group gets the
leadership? Is there a vote or something?” Tina asked.
    Tom shook his head. “No. No voting.
Identical twins are rare among shifters. When a set is born, we
know the Mother of All has chosen them to be the next Lords.”
That’s just the way it was. The way it had always been.
    “Mother of All? Is that like Mother Nature
or something?” Tina asked.
    “The Goddess has many names and many guises.
I know most of your human religions feature a male deity, but
shifters have served the Goddess for as long as there have been
shifters.”
    “Wow,” Tina commented. “Progressive.”
    The bell above the door jingled and Tina
went over to assist the newcomers. It was Lyn and her daughter,
Daisy. Though most four-year-olds would be going to sleep soon,
shifter kids had a bit more energy than their human counterparts,
so it looked like mother and daughter had come in for dessert.
     

Chapter Five

    “Shall we go upstairs?” Ashley asked after
greetings had been exchanged.
    “Lead the way,” Tom answered, knowing he was
smiling and unable to stop himself.
    He hadn’t been on a date in way too long,
and he’d never really experimented with human women. There was
something so incredibly alluring about Ashley though…something
primal that demanded he get closer to her.
    Tom followed Ashley through a door marked private , up a flight of stairs and into a cozy apartment
that took up the entire top floor of the building. Everything up
here was feminine, with soft edges and colors. It was nice, Tom
thought, though his own taste ran more toward hunter green and navy
blue.
    She kept going, leading him to another set
of stairs that took them onto the roof. Tom followed, bemused by
what he found up there. The sisters had turned a plain, flat roof
into an oasis in the middle of the village. There were planters of
every size and shape—most made of wood that the ladies must have
built themselves—all over the roof. In the center was a patio table
that had been set with silverware and china. In the center of the
table, a thermal bag held something warm that Tom could scent was
some kind of beef.
    A green salad with tomatoes sat under a net
cover, and a small rack of condiments lay nearby. Ashley had gone
all out, and Tom was duly impressed, though he also felt a little
guilty.
    “I didn’t mean to make you go through all
this trouble, but it looks great, and the food smells great.” He
looked at the views in the early evening light. “This is really
nice up here.”
    “It’s our little getaway. We spend a lot of
time up here, tending the plants and just enjoying the sunny days.”
She led him toward the table in the center of their magical garden.
Fairy lights were woven throughout the planters, lighting the path
with a soft illumination.
    The salad, Tom learned, had come fresh from
the garden, as had most of the vegetables and herbs. Tom admired
the sisters’ ingenuity in growing their own fresh produce in a town
that didn’t really have much in the way of groceries. Some of the
shops stocked various meats, and there was a fresh fish market, but
getting fresh lettuce, for one example, wasn’t a high priority for
most in the town.
    Ashley had made a roast that was cooked to
perfection. Some kind of herbed potato dish went with it, along
with the salad and a green bean dish that was absolutely delicious.
Tom complimented her cooking many times throughout the meal.
    “I didn’t mean for you to go to all this
trouble, but it was fantastic,” Tom said, as they finished the
meal. “Thank you. Next time, I’m going to cook for you.” He
gathered his courage, knowing his inner bear wouldn’t allow him to
wait. This woman was too special. “In fact, how about tomorrow? I
can pick you up and bring you out to my place. I’ve got a huge
grill, and I’ve even been known to marinate a steak or two in my
time.”
    “Really? Do tell.” Her answer was flirty.
Tom