“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jinx griped.

I glanced her way and noted her curled upper lip as she glared at the ship. At the last second, I choked back my laugh. She’d definitely learned that expression from me. Except, when I wore it, people tended to run.

“Come on, it’ll be fun.”

She rolled her eyes. “Because being cooped up on a ship for a week is fun.”

My dragon agreed with her. He woke the second we stepped foot on the ship, unamused by the endless crowd of shifters moving around us. Thankfully, no one seemed willing to get too close to me, and I used that to our advantage to navigate our way to our cabin. But we couldn’t hide there forever, and the ship intended to start their safety lesson in five minutes. Meaning, time to rejoin the masses.

“Uncle Jasper paid for all this?” she asked as we found our muster station.

I nodded. “Would have been rude to ignore it.”

Jinx shot me a glance. She knew I’d never had any intentions of coming.

“Give it a chance,” I urged. “Maybe you’ll have a great time.”

“Unlikely,” she muttered.

Before I could say another word, she plugged herself back into her phone and cranked up her music until everyone surrounding us could hear it. Growling under my breath, I leaned back against the railing and counted to ten. This would take time. After seven months apart, we needed to reconnect. I wasn’t the most patient man, but I could learn.

A few minutes later, they started the safety demonstration, walking us through the location of the lifeboats and lifejackets. I snorted under my breath. A sinking ship was the least of my concerns when I could fly.

“Now, you’ve all signed up for this cruise with the knowledge that all shifters are welcome.”

I’d noticed that when we’d first checked in. An assortment of breeds ranging from wolves, panthers, tigers, to something avian. Unfortunately, I’d been unable to pinpoint them individually. There were too many of us, and our scents mingled together in a strange fragrance that made my scales itch.

“Because of this, Meet Your Alpha has a set of hard rules they’ve put in place, for your protection as well as the human passengers. Onboard, you’ll notice a wide selection of alpha shifters. These are employees of Meet Your Alpha. You’ll know them by their badges.

“These alphas are here to keep everyone safe and happy while onboard. We can’t stress this enough—we do not allow any dominance fights or any uncontrolled shifting. I’m sure we don’t need to emphasize how dangerous an uncontrollable shift can be. There are close to five thousand bodies on this ship, and it’s our job to protect everyone. So, from the moment we set sail until the moment we dock, you must control yourself. Those who break the rules… Let’s just say that would be bad. Our alphas have been authorized to handle those situations with force, if they see fit.”

My shoulders tensed. This information rankled me and a few other shifters—those of us dominant enough to take insult.

“On that note, controlled shifting is permitted, though we must ask that you keep others in consideration. Try not to take up too much space. We are filled to capacity so some of the larger breeds might make things uncomfortable.”

My mouth quirked.

“For those interested, we’ve arranged some specific events and excursions catered to your animal forms. You can check with the main desk. And if interested, we’ve prepared a bit of a hunt while docked at St. Lucia. You can find more information on the cruising app or in your cabin. Otherwise, please enjoy yourselves, and remember, there are humans onboard. So, do try to behave.”

A smattering of laughter rose from the crowd.

I nudged Jinx’s shoulder and waited for her to remove her earbuds. “Did you hear any of that? Probably best if we don’t shift.”

“Duh,” she muttered. “Can I go now?”

“Go where?”

She shrugged. “Exploring, I guess. Since I’m stuck here for the next week.”

Honestly, after the ninety-minute drive to New Orleans and the hour wait to board the ship, I needed a little time to myself as well. So, I nodded and watched as she stuffed her earbuds back in and vanished around the corner.

Finally, a little peace. Jasper meant for this to be a vacation, but at this point, I wasn’t sure it would work. Even I could smell Jinx’s rage. It bubbled beneath the surface and clung to her like a rank cloud. Except, I couldn’t figure out what had her so worked up. The expulsion likely had something to do with it, but after a week, I would have expected her to settle down. So, what then?

At least there were other children aboard. Quite a few, in fact. More than I’d expected. There were single parents aplenty all in search of their matches.

I fished my phone out of my pocket and glanced at the notifications. A few from the Meet Your Alpha website welcoming me onto the cruise, an email from Jasper yet again assuring me everything would be all right in my absence, and a few emails regarding business prospects. The most recent email came from the Blue Academy—hopefully, Jinx’s new school. I opened the email and saw a quick note from the administrative staff that they would review Jinx’s record and get back to me as soon as possible. That didn’t fill me with much hope. I could only imagine how her record looked at this point.

“I thought the point of these cruises was to disconnect from the real world,” someone commented next to me.

I glanced up to find a shapely blonde looming over me. The first day of the cruise, but I could tell she was on the prowl in her black leather leggings and cropped leather jacket. I drew in a deep breath and caught the unsurprising scent of jaguar. My mouth curled into a smirk as I locked eyes with her. Dark makeup emphasized her sharp amber eyes, but it wasn’t until she knew she had my attention that she let them glow.

“Desiree,” she said, extending a hand tipped with lethal-looking nails.

I begrudgingly shook her hand. “Keaton.”

“I know.”

My brows shot upward. “You do?”

“We’ve spoken before. When I saw you here, I had to properly introduce myself.”

This time, I frowned. I cocked my head and regarded her again, taking in the six-inched spiked heels glued to her feet. Not exactly the outfit I’d bring on a cruise, but to each their own.

“Sorry,” I said. “I don’t recall us ever meeting.” And I would remember someone like her. This was the sort of woman I avoided at all cost.

“Does Purrs4You ring any bells?”

Oh, sweet Jesus. I bit back a grimace. What the hell were the chances?

“When I saw you were coming on the cruise—”

“Wait, what?”

A slight frown creased her brow. “The cruise. It showed me on the website that you were coming. I thought it might be nice for us to meet in person.”

She had to be kidding me. That just screamed stalker. “You bought a ticket on this cruise because I was here?”

She nodded, relief smoothing her face now that I understood. Wow. I shook my head and leaned against the railing. I almost laughed. Who the hell went through so much trouble to meet someone in person? “Well, I hope you have a fun time.”

Anger tightened her lips. “What? I thought—”

“That I’d appreciate the effort? In case it escaped your notice, the last message I sent you told you I wasn’t interested.”

“Well, sure, but I figured once we met…”

“Nope, still not interested. Sorry you wasted your time and money.”

Rage morphed her face into something almost terrifying to behold. Her nostrils flared, and her jaw tightened until I thought it might crack. “You’re making a mistake.”

“Hardly.”

When her lips parted, I caught sight of her fangs, fully descended and sharp.

I couldn’t help but laugh, the abrupt sound startling her. “Sweetheart, don’t flash your fangs at me. Mine are bigger.”

“You’re a dick,” she hissed. Then she spun on her killer heels and teetered across the deck, her balance thrown off by the swaying ship.

I shook my head and stared out over the water, watching as the dock vanished in the distance. Day one, and it was already off to a great start.

* * *

This is amazing!

I stepped up to the front of the boat and closed my eyes. The feel of the wind rushing through my hair and the sunlight warming my face convinced me I’d made the right choice. Maybe at first, I’d intended to treat this as a research trip, but now that I was here, I wanted to have fun. Day one, and already I’d spotted a wolf trotting across the main deck, tongue lolling from his mouth.

And the ship was spectacular. In my wildest dreams, I never would have imagined this. Cruises were pretty commonplace, but Meet Your Alpha had gone all out. The entire boat had been fitted to accommodate shifters. The pool, for instance. Each chair came paired with a small storage bin. It tucked underneath to save space, but in it, people stored their clothes in case they had to shift again. And off to the side were a couple privacy shades for when they did. They’d equipped the pool with ledges and ropes for people and animals to swing off. And at first glance, the cabana stocked not only alcohol but meat as well.

My favorites were the massive scratching posts for the cat-shifters and the tall perches for the birds. I shaded my eyes and glanced up, a grin spreading across my face at the sight of a humongous falcon perched on the highest one, the wind rustling his feathers.

Shifter paradise.

“Quite the sight, hey?”

I lowered my hand and glanced over to find a slender woman leaning on the railing next to me. She stared up at the falcon in amusement. When I didn’t immediately respond, she met my gaze and smiled.

“It’s beautiful,” I told her.

She nodded, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight. “This is the first cruise I’ve been able to attend. And I’m so happy to be here. This is my mate’s baby, but he couldn’t come. Dreadful sunlight and all that. So, here I am! Ready to get a tan and drink some spiked punch.”

I shook my head. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“Kate Clark.” She offered me her hand. “Co-owner of Meet Your Alpha.”

“Oh.” I took her hand and shook it. “Wow, it’s nice to meet you.”

She winked, then turned back to watching the falcon. “I wish Bram could be here. He would have loved to see this. He worked tirelessly with the cruise company to put this together.”

Bram…I kind of remembered him. I’d read up on these two when I’d first signed up on the website.

“He’s a vampire,” Kate commented. “He tries to avoid all sunlight, you know, because it’ll kill him.”

I snickered under my breath. Right. I remembered now. “So, you came to see how the cruises are doing.”

She nodded and brushed her red hair away from her face. “And I’m glad I did. Wow. Even I can feel the stress rolling off my shoulders. I’ll definitely have to take him on one of the night cruises. Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and welcome you. I saw your grin, and I couldn’t help but introduce myself. It’s nice to see people enjoying our hard work.”

“You guys have come up with something truly amazing,” I told her. “I’m not a shifter—”

“I know,” she teased.

“But that doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy this. They all look so…unencumbered.”

“Well, strutting around as an animal will do that to you.” She laughed and patted my back. “Have a great time, okay? I want to make sure the humans feel just as welcome. I’m in the Royal Suite, so if you need anything, come find me.”

“Thanks.”

Kate walked off, and I turned back to the sea, watching as the waves crested against the side of the boat.