Page 38 of Hunted Mate
“That’s rude,” he says. “I was led to believe you were well bred. Or is that just my brother who breeds you well, and you are descended from nothing…”
My hand makes harsh contact with his face. I’m an equal opportunity slapper when you talk shit about my parents.
“Fucking little…”
Gray is between us in a flash, shoving Karl back. “Don’t talk about people’s dead parents if you don’t want a smack in theface,” he says. “It’s a pretty simple, reasonable rule, don’t you think?”
“Asking personal questions is also rather rude,” Karl points out, walking away to open the rear door of the vehicle.
“Alright, idiots, get in.”
He retreats to a leaning position on the hood while swinging the car keys around on his middle finger.
“Does he really have to come?” I turn to Gray. I really am not in the mood to make friends with assholes. I’ve always been rich enough to avoid this sort of encounter, and my plan is to keep avoiding them. “Can’t we just go as the two of us?”
“Karl’s been sent as an escort,” Gray explains. “Don’t worry about him.”
“No. Do worry about me,” Karl clarifies. “I’m the one in charge. You’re in my custody.”
“Alright, well, I’m not going,” I say.
Predictably, it is too late to back out. Karl reaches out, grabs me by the front of my shirt, and quite literally throws me into the back of the SUV. These werewolves are annoyingly strong. Whenever any of them handle me, it feels like I weigh nothing at all.
“Be careful with her!” Gray snaps, annoyed.
“Get in the car, little bro… ow!”
Theowis followed by some very muffled words. I scramble back out of the car and see that Karl’s face is bleeding profusely from the nose. He’s clasping his hands to it in a very ineffective manner
“Pinch the tip,” I say. “And don’t lean your head back.”
I don’t know why I am giving him advice. I should be joining in the assault. Having come to that conclusion, I run up and kick in him in the shin. It’s satisfying to hear him yowl through a bloodied nose.
“I’m going to kill the both of you little fuckers.”
“That’s not an option,” Gray reminds him. “The alpha wants to see us, remember?”
Gray’s voice is starting to sound different. His accent is getting broader, deeper, more liquid and mellow. He’d been talking in a sort of Connecticut twang up until now, sounding rich and businesslike. I guess he’s letting that impression slide, or maybe he’s just being more himself. I find myself hoping that it is his original mode of speaking. It would be nice to have some real sense of him.
“Get in the fucking car,” Karl growls.
“You get in the back,” he says. “I’ll drive. She’ll be in the passenger seat.”
“We don’t have time for this shit,” Karl says. “Get in, or I’ll break your fucking necks and tell the alpha I dealt with it.”
“You know Dad won’t let that slide.”
“Wait,” I say. “The New Orleans alpha is your dad?”
“Don’t get excited,” Karl says. “He fathered half the wolves in the state. He’s everybody’s dad. And he barely knows who this one is. Just a scrub hunter, aren’t you, Gray.”
“I can’t break your nose twice, but I can try,” Gray says.
I was being abducted two minutes ago, but now I feel like I’m about to embark on the dumbest road trip ever. I’ve never had any siblings, but this feels delightfully fraternal. I’m kind of here for it.
“So we do have to bring him?” I ask Gray the question again. “I can have a doctor come here and treat his nose so you can break it again if you want.”
“All I need to do is shift to fix it. Shut the hell up and get in the car, or I swear to god.”
