Pet Psychic Mysteries Boxset Books 5-8 (Magic Market Mysteries Book 2) Erin Johnson (good books for 8th graders .txt) 📖

my brows at him. “Shifters don’t have the best view of cops. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen officers fail to look into robberies, murders, and more. If it happens to someone in the Darkmoon District, it’s treated like business as usual.” I shrugged. “And even worse for shifters. If the cops get word that you are one—it’s just a matter of time before they pin something on you.”

Peter’s throat bobbed, and he let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah. I get that. I’ve run into my fair share of corruption within the department, so I know firsthand that it happens.” He lifted his blue eyes to mine. “We’re not all like that though.”

“I know.” I winked. “You’re one of the good ones.”

His cheeks flushed pink. “Jolene, as a cop, I’m putting my life and the lives of those I’ve sworn to protect on the line. If I have any doubts about trusting someone I’m working with…” He splayed his hands, brows pinched together. “I just don’t know how to do that.”

I licked my lips, thinking this over. If Peter had experienced betrayal from within his department and had had experiences with shifters lying to protect their own… no wonder it had devastated him to find out I’d been keeping big secrets from him.

A warm hand closed around mine, and I looked up. Peter reached his other hand across the table and cupped mine in both of his. “Could we work on rebuilding trust together?

A happy tingle shot up my arm and down my back. I grinned. “Yeah. I’d like that.” I gulped, throat tight. Well… it was now or never. “Which is why, in the interest of being totally transparent… I have one more thing I need to tell you.”

Peter’s thick brows pinched together. “I might need to order a beer, huh?”

I winced. “Yeah, probably a couple wouldn’t hurt.”

Peter glanced toward our waitress, who bustled behind the tall counter.

Daisy, eyes worried, looked between us and whined. Are you holding hands or is he arresting you?

I whined back at her. We’re thumb wrestling. If I lose, he arrests me.

She glared at me and sniffed. Har har.

Peter spun back to face me. “I’ll catch her in a minute.” He took a deep breath. “Alright. I’m ready.”

I winced again. “We’ll see about that. It’s uh, kind of a doozy.”

I explained about Ludolf and the whole underground shifter society. Peter paled, and the whites shone all around his eyes, but he didn’t interrupt as I explained how Ludolf had threatened to hurt him to get me to fall in line and the way the mob boss manipulated all of us with threats and favors that amounted to blackmail—why shifters tended to stick together.

I lifted a palm. “You saw how the Harringtons reacted earlier tonight. You know what we’re up against out there. And within our own society, there’s this huge pressure to conform.”

He shook his head. “That’s a lot.”

I nodded. “And even worse—I recently learned that Ludolf was the one who cursed me a few years ago. I was getting too close to pinning a crime on him, and he wanted to take me out while testing a potion on me.”

Peter looked horrified. “Test a potion for what?”

I shrugged. “I still don’t know. And now he’s testing cures on me.” I closed my eyes for a moment. “Peter, I’m genuinely concerned it might hurt me… kill me, even.” I plastered on a sad grin. “And frankly, I’d rather not get killed by a maniac, if it could be avoided.”

Peter’s eyes searched my face. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry.” His throat bobbed, and he held my gaze. “How can I help?”

I grinned. “That’s very sweet of you.” I bit my lip. “I think I need to learn more about Ludolf, to understand how he’s got this grip on power among shifters.”

I thought of what my old headmistress had told me about the Monster Wars and the propaganda against shifters. I lowered my voice. “And then I want to take Ludolf Caterwaul down. As long as he’s in power, shifters are never going to be free.” A tingle of excitement and fear shot through me at saying it out loud.

Peter nodded thoughtfully.

I leaned closer to him, our hands still clasped. “This is incredibly dangerous, what I’m talking about doing. I understand if you want to walk away or need some time to think about it.”

Peter squeezed my hand. “No. Like I said, I want to help.”

I raised my brows. “Did I mention how dangerous it is?”

He leaned closer to me across the table, so that our faces were only inches apart. “Why do you think I became a cop, Jolene? To protect people—all people.” His eyes drifted to my lips. “Especially the ones I care deeply about.”

I parted my lips, leaned the rest of the way across the table, and kissed him. His warm palm cupped my cheek, and he pulled me deeper into the kiss. My chest flooded with warmth and I grew light-headed.

“Ahem.”

Lips still locked, my eyes slid to my right. Our waitress stood there, two baskets of steaming fish and chips in her hands.

Grinning sheepishly, we leaned apart, and she set our food down, a little twinkle in her eyes.

After she left, Peter shot me a grin, his cheeks pink, and I chuckled, then sucked on my lips. In spite of vowing to take on a suicide mission against the mob boss of shifters, I was in a surprisingly giddy mood.

Daisy sat beside him, her ears flat, and whimpered. I need something to wash away the bad taste in my mouth at having to watch you two maul each other.

I whined back at her before popping a french fry in my mouth. Oh, relax, Daisy. It was just a kiss. I grinned at Peter, with his broad shoulders and cute grin. It was a pretty fantastic kiss, though.

She whimpered again. A milkshake would certainly go a long way, though. She kept her nose pointed to the floor, but