Page 120 of Ice Devil

“I forget nothing.”

“I can see that.”

That one reason? To convince an old friend to use the data I’d collected to pen a scathing article on the ugliness behind the world of sports. At least when it came to dealing with shifters. I’d stand behind him all the way. Sadly, I certainly couldn’t ask Matt if I could write and run the story through the Tribune. He’d laugh me all the way to the unemployment line.

Not that he’d need to do that. I already had plans in the works.

“Come into my cramped office.”

As he ushered me in, so many of his things were familiar. I took a few seconds to study both the diplomas and his art depicting various articles that had won him critical acclaim over the years. While his office was cramped, that was due mostly to his love of books. There were four bookcases crammed full of them.

I went over what I planned on telling him once again.

Beck and I had worked on my nefarious plan to expose a number of people for a few days. Long enough for me to gather enough information for an article. Even if there were a few details still missing. Now I had to sell it to an old friend for a source I hoped would at least understand the cause.

I’d also headed back to see the doctor, who’d been shocked to see there wasn’t a bruise or a scratch on my body. Even the gash had healed. All because… I could barely comprehend the concept of being a mate. How did all that work in the first place?

“You’re a sports reporter,” I said quietly.

Hearing his chuckle, I turned back toward him and to the seat he was pointing to. He took the one beside instead of behind his desk. He’d never been one for formalities. “You say that as if I made a bad decision.”

“Not at all. Obviously, that’s where my bread and butter is. However, I always thought you’d be writing about current events. But you always said you’d end up somewhere in the Northwest.”

“I don’t regret a minute of moving here. This entire area is amazing. I head to Seattle from time to time, even Canada when I get the chance.” He sat down with a sigh. “I wear many hats here at the Herald, penning whatever article my editor requires. We’re running short staffed right now and have been for months. Plus, my editor is retiring at the end of next month so we’re all pitching in.”

“Are you vying for his job?”

He groaned. “Not a chance in hell. I do not need the extra work. Not with a baby on the way.”

“What? Oh, James. I didn’t even know you were married.”

“Yeah, well, we fell in love quickly. We met on a dating site and after one date, we just knew. Or I should say she knew I was her mate.”

I almost moved on from his comment until his words struck me hard. “Wait a minute. Mate?”

There was that impish grin again. “Yep. I certainly don’t spread the knowledge around to people I don’t know, but given what you said on the phone, I had a feeling you wouldn’t be horrified.”

“She’s a shifter.” Why I needed to say that I wasn’t certain. Except that I was still trying to piece together both what had occurred by the river and the increasing need I felt for Beck.

“She is.”

“And she’s pregnant.”

“Yes, she is.”

“And…”

James lifted a single eyebrow. “You can ask me anything. Is she having a human baby or a pup, right? That is what you were going to ask.”

“I don’t mean to sound like one of those… shifter bigots. You know I don’t.” I thought about what Beck had told me about his soon to be sister-in-law who was also pregnant. Why did I have such a huge knot in my stomach?

“It’s a logical question, Sloane, and trust me, the first one on both our minds when we learned Marcie was pregnant. According to her ultrasounds, and she’d had several, our babies appear very human.”

“Babies, as in plural?” Now the lump was the size of a watermelon. Did every human/shifter combination mean having twins? I even glanced quickly toward my stomach. Oh, hell, no.

“As in two. We’re super excited, but as you can see, I don’t have any extra time on my hands to wrangle the writers or the rest of the staff. I’m blessed I can work from home.”

I could honestly admit if only to myself, I’d wondered about having children, not that I believed I was mother material. At least not yet. However, the thought of carrying pups or cubs in my belly was a little daunting. “What dating site, Shifters in Love?”