Read Beast (Norseton Wolves #1) for Free Online Page B

turned, slowly, and leaned against the counter. Somehow, she managed to keep her gaze above his waist, which was a feat indeed, considering he was making no effort to conceal himself, other than the scarred half of his face.
    “How’d you get so muddy?”
    “Had to yank my cousin’s mate away from a flashflood. She wasn’t doing a very good job of looking around. She was flailing a lot when I forced her back. That’s most of the mud. I guess the rest is from the run back to the house. The rest of them are still out there. Frolicking, I guess.” He rolled his eyes—rather, one of them. The blind one didn’t make it all the way around.
    “What’s so bad about frolicking?”
    “Nothing, when you don’t have to get up early to go to work. We’re spread thin as it is at Norseton, with there being only the five of us. We’re in charge of fleshing out the security staff, but given our constraints, we don’t have a hell of a lot of options. Hard to be picky when so few people are qualified for the job.”
    “So you’ll be gone all day tomorrow?”
    “Most of it. My shift’s between ten and ten, monitoring traffic at the gate and keeping an eye on all the video feeds.”
    “Sounds busy.”
    “It can be. It’s why I’m always so behind on chores. I was going to hire someone. Never got around to it for the same reason why we have trouble finding qualified guards.”
    “Gotta find people who can keep secrets.”
    “Yep.” He pushed away from the sink, walked to the tub, and turned the water on. He stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain closed without another word, but she wasn’t done. Was she just supposed to go back to sleep, right when she’d finally gotten him to talk a little?
    She swallowed down her nerves and moved farther into the little room. “Um. You said there were jobs to be had in Norseton.”
    “Yeah. Typical domestic stuff is easy to come by. There’s always a lot of that to go around. Just look at the bulletin board in the square. Folks are looking for nannies and housekeepers. A few of the stores are hiring clerks, too.”
    “I don’t think I want to be a nanny. I’d like a break from that. Housekeeping would be okay, but it would be like having my own little business. I don’t think I’d like that.”
    “Don’t want to have to chase down folks to get your paycheck, huh?”
    “I sure don’t. I’ll consider it, though.”
    “What about a clerk job?”
    “Maybe. I guess it depends on what they’re selling and whether I know anything about it.”
    “I think you’ll pick it up, whatever it is, quickly. Shouldn’t be a problem for a woman who knows how to put machines together.”
    “That’s hardly the same thing.”
    “Did you have any schooling at all?”
    “I finished twelfth grade, but that’s it.”
    “Well, I think that’s enough for most folks. All the guys in the pack have GEDs. I wonder what you could have gotten into if you’d gone to college, though. Had some formal education in engineering.”
    “I’d probably end up back at home, with a fancy diploma and a bunch of someone else’s little boys to tend to. When the mate call comes, no one cares how smart or educated you are. You pack up and go, because you might not have another chance.”
    “Is that what you all believe?”
    “It’s the truth. I’ve seen it time and time again.”
    “You don’t have to take a mate. You know that, don’t you? There’s no good reason to, unless you just want to let your wolf out. You could take a—a human lover.”
    Was that a note of hesitancy in his voice?
    “I’ve considered that,” she said. “In spite of how much I dislike the culture sometimes, I want to be a wolf. I like to think that I could be a better wolf than most.”
    “I think you already are,” he said softly. He nudged the shower curtain aside a bit and put his head out. His wet hair clung to his face and over his eyes, making him look even more winsome, if such a thing was possible.