Page 56 of Dark Embers

“No, I just thought we could play a little game,” I said.

“Oh? I don’t think this is the best place for strip poker,” he teased, making me choke on the beer I was sipping. I was starting to like drunk Caesar.

I slapped his chest playfully, secretly savoring the firm feel of the muscles under his black polo. “I was thinking Two Truths and a Lie. We’ll take turns saying two things that are true about us andone thing that’s a lie. If you can pick out the lie, I’ll drink; if not, you drink.”

He pursed his lips in thought for a moment. “So the person who still has beer left by the end wins the game?”

“Exactly.”

“And what do I get if I win?” he asked, challenge smoldering in his chestnut eyes.

“Well, I have a gift in my bag that I actually got for another guy, but I think it would look much better on you,” I said, picturing him in the kitty sweater and trying not to giggle. “If you win, it’s yours.”

He nodded thoughtfully, a flash of envy sparking in his eyes so briefly I almost missed it. “Another guy, huh? I’ll take that challenge. What do you get if you win?”

I leaned forward, playing it cool as a cucumber. “If I win, you let me into the school for one day and give me a chance to prove I belong there.”

I watched his face carefully as he considered my terms. It was a gamble, and I pretty much expected him to knock it down. But the longer he thought about it, the more I saw his walls lower.

“I supposeone dayis doable,” he said, holding up his index finger for emphasis. “But you have to win. And I’ll warn you, I don’t lose.”

“We’ll see about that.” On the outside, I was aloof and nonchalant, but inside, little Shea was bouncing around and screaming like a sugared-up kid in a jumping castle.

“Ladies first,” he said, waving a hand to me.

“Okay.” I took a moment to decide what I was going to say. “I broke the same leg twice in the same year. I’m devastatingly allergic to rabbits. And my favorite shifter is the gryphon.”

He barked a laugh and slapped his knee. “Okay, clearly the last one is true. As clumsy as you are, I could see you breaking the same leg twice. But I’ve never heard of anyone being allergic to rabbits, so I’m going with that one.”

I snickered. That was way too easy. “Drink.”

“What? You really are allergic to rabbits?”

I nodded and grimaced. “Horribly. The last time I went to a pet store and petted a rabbit, my eyes swelled up, and I sneezed compulsively for three hours. It was a freakin’ nightmare.”

“Okay, so you didn’t break your leg twice?”

“Yeah, that’s true, too,” I said, nodding a little sadly. “The day I got the cast off, I crashed on my bike and went back to the hospital.”

He laughed, shaking his head and putting his hand over his eyes. “Yep, clumsy.”

I scowled at him, which only made him laugh harder.

“So then, gryphons aren’t your favorite shifters?” he concluded, pressing his hand over his chest in feigned heartbreak. “Well, your best friend is a mermaid, so I should’ve known.”

“Um, actually, it’s werewolves,” I said. “Nothing beats the classics. Team Jacob, all the way.”

He chuckled and rolled his eyes as he took his losing drink from his mug. “I would’ve seen you as a Team Edward kinda girl.”

His comment made me think of Julian, and again, I wondered who Julian’s connection at the school was. Hell, I wonderedwhat Caesar would think if he knew of my involvement with Julian or that I was just as pathetically crushing on Julian as I was on him.

I shoved that thought aside. Totally not going there right now.

“Alright, my turn,” he announced, setting down his drink and then rubbing his stubbly chin as he debated his three things. “I’ve got it. I can bench press two hundred and twenty pounds.”

Yeah, I could see that. Definitely something he should brag about.

“I’m a Leo.”

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