Cat and Mouse (Claimed by an Alpha Paranormal Romance Book 1) by Lilith T. Bell

Author:Lilith T. Bell [Bell, Lilith T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Selkie Publishing
Published: 2017-03-05T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Six

“Have you always known what you are?” The question was hushed conspiratorially as I leaned across the table.

Luke gave me a sardonic look before he transported the bite of pad thai from his fork into his mouth. After he swallowed, he shrugged. “I don’t know. Have you always known you’re a woman?”

The question made me frown, honestly trying to figure out how to answer that. “I don’t know. I suppose my gender identity hasn’t changed over my lifetime, but what it actually means to me has changed over time and my understanding of what womanhood is has changed, too.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of like that. It’s part of my identity, but my understanding of it and my relationship towards that has grown throughout my lifetime.”

“So your parents never tried to hide it from you or anything like that?”

“No. My first shift was a little before my first birthday, so it would have been hard to hide.”

I glanced away from him briefly, taking in the rest of the restaurant, then turned my eyes back to his face. “Is it okay for us to talk so openly about this?”

He laughed and leaned back in his chair. When he spoke again, he raised his voice a little. “My level 82 orc hunter is coming along nicely. I spent like five hours last night slaughtering everything that crossed my path.”

Nobody glanced at us.

He lowered his voice again as he leaned in. “Nobody gives a shit. If you act like it’s some vast conspiracy, maybe. Otherwise they figure you’re either a gamer or a nut.”

I took a sip off my beer, considering that. It made sense. It was at odds with just about every bit of fiction I’d been exposed to since childhood, but it sounded fairly reasonable. “So...you don’t have some obligation to keep it all secret?”

“If there’s some kind of shifter organization out there with laws ordering us into silence, I don’t know about it. My parents never said a thing and I haven’t run afoul of one. I know we’ve been persecuted in the past, but mostly our own fucked up breeding needs have been our downfall.”

“Aren’t you worried about ending up in a government lab somewhere?”

“No, since I’m not an idiot. I’m not about to start shifting in front of the FBI.”

“Reasonable of you. Now I have to ask a really important question, though.” I gave him a serious look.

He frowned faintly, lowering his fork. “What’s that?”

“You don’t actually play World of Warcraft, do you?”

He laughed as he reached across the table to brush his fingers against the back of my hand. “I’ve dabbled a little but don’t actually spend five hours a night playing,” he reassured me.

“I didn’t think you did, because level 82 isn’t anything to brag about.”

Luke nodded. “I’m more of a tabletop kind of guy.”

“Oh my God, you’re a nerd,” I teased, grinning. My hand turned under his to grip his hand loosely. “I haven’t played D&D since I was in college.”

“Yeah? Maybe we should start a regular game.

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