Southern Shifters: Impawsible (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Buchanan Clan Book 1) by Celia Kyle Read Free Book Online Page B

stuck together even if there were no blood ties. Her daddy would…
    “Good job out there.” The woman’s voice was soft yet firm, loud enough to be heard by Bethany and Carter, but not grab notice.
    Bethany jumped and swung her attention toward the speaker. Her breath caught as she realized who’d sat beside her—them. Niki. Niki the white cougar mated to Dean. Dean who slowly made his way from the back of the building toward the bar. Truly, she didn’t care about who Niki mated, just the fact that the woman at her left was the complete opposite of her. Strong. Fierce. Powerful. Unbreakable.
    Carter remained silent and Bethany tipped her head to meet his gaze. “The standard response is thanks .”
    Even if he was being congratulated for killing someone.
    He quirked his lips. “She’s talking to you, baby.”
    “Huh?” She refocused on Niki, catching the woman’s nod. “Me? Why? I… ran.”
    Hard and fast for what seemed like forever.
    Niki sipped her water, tipping the bottle back and taking a long drink before setting it down. Water in a bar. Huh.
    “You did run blindly through the trees.” She said it as if it was a given. With no hesitation.
    “No, I was searching for an abandoned den or Carter. Whichever I got to first.” No sense in lying that she was a coward and running to hide behind her tiger mate.
    “You led him through the forest, making sure it was as difficult to follow you as possible.”
    “I’m smaller than he is.” She shrugged. “You work with what the goddess gave you.”
    “It’s smart.”
    Bethany shook her head. “I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but Carter’s the one who—”
    Niki placed a single hand on hers, fingers cool, and she stared into blue eyes that were so like hers. “You did good. Don’t let anyone ever tell you differently.”
    She opened her mouth to say… something. Tell the woman she was wrong. “I…”
    “You stayed alive. A lot of them would have tried to hold their ground.” She shook her head. “Part of surviving is knowing your limits.”
    She stared at the woman, the cougar covered in muscle that projected such power and strength. She practically had “don’t fuck with me” on her forehead.
    “Look,” Bethany lowered her voice and leaned toward Niki. Her rabbit trembled, the animal knowing the female could end her and not many would dare protest. She was too well trained for others to even think of stepping in. “Thank you for saying that, but I know what I am and what I did. I’m not,” she waved at the woman, particularly her hair and eyes, which told all shifters exactly what Niki was. “I’m not this, even if I look like it. Our kind came from somewhere and let’s say I’m a failure from my neck of the woods, okay? We’ll leave it at that.”
    Please let them leave it at that.
    Niki’s gaze traveled Bethany’s body from head to toe before refocusing on her face. “Is it lack of training or desire?”
    “Huh?”
    “You not knowing how to protect yourself.” The cougar stared at her, as if waiting for an answer. “Well?”
    “What was the question?”
    Carter chuckled and she jumped. So focused on Niki, she’d forgotten her mate was at her back. “Why don’t you know how to defend yourself, baby. Because no one would train you? Or because you never wanted to bother?”
    “With what you are, you’d learn things pretty quickly.”
    Bethany’s heart rate picked up, muscle pumping more blood through her veins. “I don’t want to be like you,” she blurted out the words and then winced, realizing what she’d said. “I don’t want to…”
    Niki grinned. “I get it. You’re too old to catch it now anyway.” She waved Bethany away. “But let’s be honest, you’re prey and I’m pissed that your clan didn’t teach you anything .”
    Not much she could say about that. Her father’s idea of reality was that women stayed in the kitchen. Especially if they were prey. The men could do the protecting