Wild Things (BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance): Shifter Lovers Romance Read Online Free Page A

palace?”
    “Not
everyone is like your father. He dotes on his gardens almost as much as he
dotes on you.”
    Anacelia
continued working through Senna’s hair with the brush, and Senna tried to be
patient as the woman tugged and pulled at the knots.
    “Who
will do my hair if I marry the Ottway?”
    “I’m
certain there will be a woman there who knows how to mix henna. It’s not
complicated. Or a secret. And I’m certain there is someone who is better at
hair than the girl who did this to you.”
    “Why
can’t you come with me? I should be able to take who I want with me.”
    She
met Anacelia’s eyes. They both knew the reason, well, one of the
reasons. The Ottway was a powerful man, and a very distrustful one. Senna had
been forbidden to bring anyone from her retinue, either personal servants or
shifters as guards, with her on the train, instead being met by the Ottway’s
own Protectorate and his own band of shifters. It was a slight against her
father, against her.
    “This
arrangement...it’s not fair. The man is older than my father!”
    Anacelia
remained silent, eyes on her task, working her way through Senna’s hair with
the brush.
    “He
eats like a pig. Did I tell you?”
    “No,
Senna. You have not.”
    “He
drops food on his tunic without apology, and then leaves it there. He tried to
kiss me after dinner, but I just couldn’t. There was food in his beard for
goodness sakes.” She felt slightly childish for saying these things, but she’d
been trying so hard for the last week to act like an adult. She knew she was
sounding like a whiny brat, but it felt good for a moment to act like a child.
    There
had been other reasons though for not wanting to kiss the Ottway. He smelled of
hookah smoke and old sweat, although that could have been the onions from
dinner. It was hard to tell the difference. She’d ducked her head, his kiss
landing on her forehead. Then she’d begged off his invitation for a moonlight
stroll through the gardens, retreating to her room. And locking the door behind
her.
    “You
will learn, after a while, to excuse a great deal, to ignore even more. And to
look for joy where you can find it. Maybe in children...”
    Senna
threw her hands over her ears. “I cannot even...there is no way in heaven or
hell that I will let that man touch me.” She turned suddenly, resting her arm
on the back of the chair. “Tell me again, how you met Bakri.”
    Anacelia
let the hand that was holding the brush, fall to her side. “You know the
story...” But she smiled; she always smiled. Senna had been asking for this
story for years. “I was buying fish. This was before you were born, of course.
I worked in the kitchens. And your mother...” Anacelia put her hand on Senna’s
shoulder. “When she was carrying you, your mother loved fresh fish, baked in
salt with lemons and garlic. I’d gone to get the fish and there was a different
man at the fish seller’s cart. I heard him, singing his song, extolling the
freshness of the catch, the size of the fish.”
    Senna
watched Anacelia’s eyes, the way her face came alive with the memory. Her heart
ached; she wanted to be able to tell the story of how she met her love to
someone when she was old, to have them see the same love on her face. But her
love was Gabriel, and their love was secret.
    “I
bought fish from him. And, as they say, the rest is written in the book of
life.”
    “You
fell in love at first sight?”
    “He
did. I guess I did as well.” She laughed. “It wasn’t because of the size of his
fish though.”
    “Was
it the size of something else?”
    “Senna.
For shame.” But Anacelia was laughing, hiding her face briefly, behind her hand.
“I didn’t know...that...then. But he asked me to marry him the next time I went
to buy fish. He took my hand, kissed my fingers, told me how beautiful my
tattoos were. And it was soon after that...” Anacelia hid her face in her hands
again. “You’re making an old woman blush. But