Three Hours (Seven Series Book 5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

You didn’t grow up in our world, and you haven’t experienced some of the hardships we have. What happened a few years back with that crazy second-in-command going after Ivy was just a small taste of some of the dangers in our world. People turn up missing all the time, and show me where the Breed version of the FBI is? Austin doesn’t reveal what his animal is, even though anyone with a brain cell can sense an alpha wolf up close. This isn’t a safe world like the one you grew up in.”
    “The human world isn’t so safe either,” she said, averting her eyes.
    I reached across the table and touched her hand, sympathizing with her tumultuous past. “I just want you to get a little seasoned before we go to the next level.”
    Lexi nodded and lifted her glass of wine. “Are you still coming to Maizy’s birthday party? It’s tomorrow at noon.”
    “Wouldn’t miss it,” I said, sitting back in my seat. “I put my foot down this time and told Dean I had something important going on and needed the full day off. I’ve only been to your birthday parties, and we all know how much fun those were.”
    Lexi laughed and her cheeks flushed. “There will be no alcoholic beverages at this one, Naya. We don’t celebrate children’s birthdays quite the same way. And I only passed out once.” She held up one finger, which should have been three.
    “I have the perfect present for the baby.”
    She tilted her head to the side. “A dress?”
    I buttoned my lips. In the past, I had lavished Maizy with princess outfits and costume jewelry. But time marches on, and soon Lexi’s little sister would outgrow her love of fairy tales and realize no such thing existed in the real world. The days of dressing up in pretty gowns were ending, but I still loved indulging that sweet girl.
    “It’s a secret. You’ll find out when everyone else does,” I sang.
    “That worries me.”
    I nibbled on my breadstick carefully so as not to smudge my red lipstick. “Worry when she’s twenty and comes to Auntie Naya for her first sexy outfit. Run for the hills, because her auntie will deliver.”
    “Over my mother’s dead body. That’s another thing I haven’t mentioned,” she said solemnly, setting down her fork and leaning back. “My mom is sending Maizy away.”
    “What?” I gasped.
    “Not now—she’s much too young. I think the attack on our home a few years ago really made my mom think twice about the influence we were having on Maizy. She wants to send her off to a boarding school when she’s a teen so she can also be around other kids her age. Affluent people do this all the time, and Austin has the money. It’s an opportunity for her to get a better education than she is with the homeschooling, and Mom wants to prepare her to live in the human world, not ours. I suggested we just send her to public school, but Maizy’s so smart, and Austin thinks it’ll do more harm than good. I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about it when the time comes, but I know how I feel about it now. It’s not right. She should stay with us until—”
    “Until when? She’s not a wolf, Lexi. She’s not going to grow up, mate with a wolf, and move in with his pack. What if she wants to be a doctor or a lawyer? What kind of education can you give her at home that’s going to prepare her for that dream? At some point, you’re going to have to let her go. She needs to be with her own kind and go to college, get married, have children, and move away. That’s what humans do, and no matter how much you want her to live in this world, this isn’t where she belongs. You almost gave me a heart attack. I thought you meant she was leaving any day now.”
    “It might as well be,” Lexi grumbled, picking at her breadstick. “Mom is afraid if Maizy stays with us too long, we’ll make an impression that can never be undone.”
    “Lynn is making plenty of money for herself freelancing as an interior designer. Why doesn’t she just move out with