Page 45 of The Lunatics

“He is, but the crowd will be mixed. Shifters aren’t the only preternatural species to ingratiate themselves with humans and rub elbows at their parties. The witches will be there, too, and I see at least two known vampires on the guest list.”

“Old or young ones?” I asked her.

“One is relatively young. The other is old enough that you may need to upgrade your weapon of choice to a larger class of SUV.”

I stopped with my hand on the doorknob and turned to look at her. “Emma St. Claire, was that a joke?”

She grinned at me, one side of her lips a little higher than the other. “Perhaps.”

I shook my head, opened the door, and then immediately slammed it shut. “Ow.”

“Are you okay?” she asked, worry replacing humor.

I lifted a hand. “Just give me a minute. There’s a lot going on out there.”

I bowed my head, counted to three, and tugged the door open again. Sound flooded in. Car horns blared, engines revved, construction equipment rumbled in the distance, and a million lesser sounds crowded into the noise level beneath them. This was aquietalley. How was I going to handle the cacophony a few blocks over where the streets were lined with shops and humans?

I shut the door again and stepped back, struggling to breathe.

Kevin cracked it open and stuck his head in. “What’s the problem?”

“She’s a little overstimulated,” Emma answered.

A smile tugged at Kevin’s lips. “First time in a big city?”

I nodded.

He came in and shut the door. “The trick is to bokeh your ears.”

I frowned at him. “What the hell does that even mean? Bokeh, like the camera trick?”

He held his pointer finger up and slowly moved it toward my eyes. “Yup. Kind of like how when you focus on my finger, everything else blurs in the background. Pick a sound out there to hyperfocus on. Your footsteps. Emma’s breathing. Anything close that will stay close. Then let the rest sort of fuzz out.”

“You mean ignore all my predatory instincts?”

The smile that spread over his face was antagonistic. “Should be super easy for someone of your lineage.”

I stared at him. “Ha. Ha.”

Emma gripped my shoulder. “You don’t have to go. I have your size. I can grab everything you need.”

I shook my head. “Thanks. But I need to do this. I can’t hide inside forever.”

“That’s the spirit,” Kevin said. He clapped me on the back and then disappeared out the door.

I shrank the cage around my power as much as I could. There. That should be marginally better. With a deep breath, I gathered my courage and stepped outside. It was like I’d been watching TV on the lowest volume level and then some asshole suddenly cranked it all the way up. If my eardrums had vocal cords, they’d be mewling in pain.

Tune it out, I coached myself, focusing on the sound of my own footfalls as I took the stairs down.

“Are you okay?” Emma asked.

“Nope. But hopefully, I will be. What I really need is a distraction. Want to tell me how you became part of Michael’s inner circle?”

“My husband is a shifter and the head of Kolbeck Industries’ accounting department.”

Damn. That would work. “How’d you meet?”

“In college. We started dating our sophomore year, fell in love, and the rest is history.”