Plus, if he leaves, that means I can stay. Convince everyone in town that my being a young troll’s mate is just a mistake that neither of us plans to act on. As long as I act my age—old Violet’s age—and stop ogling his retreating ass. As long as I don’t show interest in his broad shoulders and muscular arms. As long as I let one of the hottest guys I’ve ever met—tied with Nole for first—leave me for good. Because I can’t risk them finding me, even if it means losing my mate.
I know this is how it has to be, but my still heart breaks as I watch him go. I don’t even know the guy—he could be a complete ass who hates cat-dogs like Stacks and mistreats old ladies—but losing him still hurts. It’s almost like he’s taking a piece of me... a piece I need to stay whole.
The troll throws the front door open—huge biceps flexing, muscles rippling—and the glass shatters. It explodes outward, flying across the sidewalk. The troll growls—forget that—he roars, and the floor shakes. The windows rattle. I hold my breath, waiting for something else to break... but the only sound is the glass crunching beneath his feet as he storms away.
“I’m so sorry about my partner, ma’am.” The other cop—the vampire covered from head to toe—joins me at my desk. “He’s not usually like that.”
The vampire’s taken off his sunglasses, and his eyes are filled with curiosity. Probably trying to figure out how I could be his partner’s mate. Do I pretend not to know what happened? Act confused? Tell him it was all a misunderstanding?
“Do you want me to get someone to fix the door?” Gwinnie—Amber—asks, joining us at the desk. “My mate, Wes, runs a cleaning company.”
As if I don’t already know. I nod. “Thank you, dear.” Five points.
“If Zoe’s free, she could clean it up in minutes,” Amber adds. “She’s fixed all the doors Julian blew up.”
“Were there many?” I ask.
“A few.” Amber’s cheeks flush.
“I’ll pay for the damage,” the vampire cop says.
My sister takes out her phone and pulls up the Cleanly Den app. “There. Booked. She’ll head right over.”
“Amber,” the vampire turns to her, “do you mind watching the door, making sure no one steps on the glass?”
She nods. “You should probably go check on Liam. That was... unexpected.”
“Liam? As in Betty’s Liam?” My eyes widen as realization hits. Troll. Cop. Betty’s grandson, who’s a troll cop.
I should have put two and two together sooner, but it’s not like troll cops are rare in Silver Springs. How was I supposed to know my mate is Betty’s grandson? Especially when he looks nothing like his grandmother?
“Who’s Betty?” Amber asks.
“Me, dear,” Betty says, walking up with a stack of romance books. She sets them down on the desk, along with her library card, and turns to the vampire. “Hello, Bert. Good to see you again.”
“Ma’am.” Bert tips his ball cap slightly.
“I’m Amber,” my sister tells Betty. “I own the cafe in town.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Amber. Liam’s always raving about your Mood Teas.”
“He is?” Amber asks, looking pleased. “How do you know him?”
“I’m his grandmother.”
Amber looks from Betty, to me, and back again. Then her eyes widen, and she suddenly shifts into a troll. My troll—Betty’s troll—Liam.
“Well done!” Betty claps her hands. “You can’t even tell the difference.”
Except that you can. I can! Because now that I’ve met the real Liam, I realize he looks so much hotter than my sister! Which sounds wrong. Like, really wrong... But Amber as Liam is a poor imitation of the real thing. And I realize that when it comes to my troll, I’ll always know if it’s him.
“Where is Liam?” Betty asks once Amber shifts back to herself again. “We’re supposed to leave soon, or I’m going to be late for my cut.”
“He—” Bert starts to explain.
“Had to go back on duty!” I interrupt, silently pleading that he’ll stick to my story.
I don’t know why I even bother. It’s not like I can somehow keep this a secret from Betty. She’ll find out the truth as soon as she gets home. And if Liam doesn’t tell her, someone else will. In a small town like Silver Springs, word travels fast.
I should just tell Betty myself. Get it over with, like ripping off a bandage. Except how do I explain that her grandson is my mate? She’ll think I’m a cougar—scratch that, a double cougar! I’m not just old enough to be Liam’s mother, but his grandmother... maybe even great-grandmother. Once Betty finds out, she’ll never speak to me again.
I think Bert notices my panic, because he doesn’t rat me out. Instead, he says, “An officer of the law never sleeps.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Betty says with a far-away look that tells me she’s thinking of her late husband. Then she frowns. “Shouldn’t you go with him, Bert?”
“I was just about to do that, ma’am. Just need to make sure the glass is taken care of.”
“What glass?” Betty frowns, like she somehow missed the front door exploding.
She glances down at her feet first, then at me, then back toward the shelves. I follow her gaze and spot Stacks rolling around on his back, wagging his tail happily while one of the seniors gives him a belly rub. Which is weird, but also kind of adorable.
“The front door,” Bert clarifies, shooting me a pointed look. “There was an... incident. I’m surprised you didn’t hear it, Betty.”
“It must have happened while I was in the ladies’ room,” Betty says, turning to gape at the door. “Is Liam chasing after the perp?”
“Something like that.” Bert nods and gives me another pointed look. “Now, I better go look for my partner.”
“And I’ll go keep an eye on the door. Zoe should be here at any moment,” Amber adds.
I watch them walk away, and then it’s just me and Betty. Which means it’s time for me to face the music and tell her the truth before someone else does.
Chapter 6
Violet
I swear I would never take advantage of your grandson.
It’s all just a misunderstanding.
I’m secretly twenty-years-old, but I can’t risk telling anyone the truth.
“That must have been very traumatic for you,” Betty says gently.
“Huh?” I gape at her, wondering if she can somehow read my panic-stricken thoughts.
“Seeing someone break down the door like that. I’m just glad my Liam was here to intervene.”
“Right. Liam...” My mate. “Betty, there’s something I...”
That’s as far as I get before a flash of black and white draws my attention to the front door... which looks as good as new. That Zoe really does work fast.
Then I forget all about the door as I take in the skunk sauntering through it.
I don’t mean a real skunk, or a skunk shifter. We’re talking giant, human-sized skunk with a large, grinning head, abnormally large feet, and a big, fluffy tail. So basically, a mascot.