Page 7 of Cursed By Fate

“No surprise there,” Keith said. “Your kind have a leg up with the whole immortality thing.”

Yasmin bristled. “I’d appreciate if you could refrain from using derogatory terms.”

Keith scrunched his nose, perplexed. “What’s wrong with immortality?”

“You said ‘your kind,’” Yasmin repeated. “The term is offensive.”

“I’m a werewolf. That’s my kind. You’re a vampire. That’s your kind.” He gave Justine a helpless look. “I don’t see the problem.”

“Our goal on Evermore is to create a sense of community,” Justine said. “With that in mind, we find it best not to label each other.”

“But werewolf is my label and I wear it with pride.”

Francesca scooted away from him.

“If you notice anything suspicious,” I said, “or anything that’s a clear violation of the rules and regulations, you can call or text the security office. If it’s an emergency, there are different color codes you can use to alert us to the severity of the situation.”

Keith snorted. “Like Code Lavender and Code Ballerina Slipper for you ladies?”

Five minutes on the island and I already wanted to toss Keith in the water and let the sea claim him.

“The descriptions are in the binder Justine mentioned. A word of advice—don’t abuse the system. Penny and I are busy and one unnecessary call might keep us from a necessary one.”

“One more important point,” Penny interrupted. “If you see an alligator on the golf course, don’t panic. Her name is Nessie. She won’t bother you as long as you don’t bother her.”

“Define ‘bother,’” Keith said.

“Don’t chuck a golf ball at her or raise your club,” I replied. “No threatening movements or motions that could be misconstrued as threatening.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Justine said. “We now have a small population of loggerhead sea turtles on one of our beaches. It’s against the rules to disturb their nest. If you’re near that beach, stay off the dunes and there are no lights allowed after 9 p.m.”

Keith snorted. “The baby turtles have a curfew?”

“The hatchlings need to be able to see their way to the water,” Justine replied. I could tell by the mild curl of her lip that she was ready to throat-punch the new guy too. At least she and I were on the same page.

Keith looked at his counterparts. “I didn’t think there’d be so many restrictions, did you? Isn’t the point of this island to leave that kind of bureaucratic bullshit behind?”

“Bureaucracy isn’t bullshit,” Justine said tersely. “The Neighborhood rules and regulations aren’t arbitrary, Mr. Irwin. They exist for a reason.”

“We’re higher on the food chain,” Keith pushed back. “Why should we care what happens to baby turtles? Ever hear of survival of the fittest?”

I stepped forward, fighting every bone in my body that was desperate to eject him from the room—through the ceiling. “We have a responsibility to living creatures that are less able to protect themselves, especially when we are their biggest threat.”

“As Maya said, it’s mandatory that Neighbors observe the rules and regs, Mr. Irwin,” Justine said. “If you don’t think you’re capable of that, then please let me know now, so we can make alternate arrangements for you.”

Keith’s gaze flicked from Justine to me. “Nah, I’m good.”

That seemed remarkably easy for someone who clearly liked the sound of his own voice. I expected pushback before eventual acquiescence.

“Thank you for your time,” Justine told us, signaling our ability to leave.

Hallelujah! I bolted before she could change her mind. Penny managed to stay hot on my heels. Rubber meet glue.

“Mind if I catch a ride back to the office with you?” Penny asked.

“I was thinking I might go home and shower first.” I was still sticky from the salt water.

“But you already showered before you came, remember?”