Page 155 of Mate
“Sure.”
“Misery and I got matching tattoos!” The back of Ana’s right hand is suddenly in front of my eyes.
“Is that a . . . narwhal?”
Misery nods proudly and lifts her arm to show me hers.
“Also, did you know that next week is Misha’s birthday and my present for her is a bouncy castle? Also, Sparkles says hi.” I glance at Misery, who slowly shakes her head.He doesn’t, she mouths at me.He cannot talk.
Ana chatters in my lap for a few more minutes— Lowe is gone on pack business but he’ll come back soon, Uncle Koen bought her unicorn waffles, what’s my favorite cheese, there’s a kid at her school she totally doesnothave a crush on butwillmarry as soon as she’s of age, I’m still her favorite because we’re the only two “hybrids” in the world, but Nele is her new best friend.
“Nele?”
“They’ve been getting on,” Misery tells me. “You and Ana might have to split custody. Hey, pest, why don’t you go tell Nele where you are before she worries?”
Ana blinks at her. “Are you trying to get rid of me so you can have a grown- up conversation with Serena?”
“See? I told Lowe that you’re too smart to fall for this crap.” Misery rolls her eyes.
“What are you two going to talk about?”
“I’m going to rip Serena a new one.”
“What does that mean?”
“You know how right now she only has one butthole? I’m going to— ”
“Ana,” I interrupt, “why don’t you go find, um . . . another frog? To keep this one company?”
Ana leaves in a peal of giggles, and I shake my head. “Wow. She learned to pronounce your name.”
“It’s tragic,” she says mournfully. “Every day I do my best to delay her cognitive development and keep her a child forever, and that’s how she repays me.”
“My condolences.”
“Anyhoodles, how do you feel?”
Honestly, not bad. There is no smoke. Not much hurts. Everyone I love seems to have survived the week. “If I say fine, will you be yelling at me?”
“I’ll yell at you either way.”
I frown. “Why? You would have done the same. Youdiddo the same— you married some dude you didn’t know to come look for me in enemy territory. How is that less irresponsible than a calculated bait plan to— ”
“You thinkthat’swhy I’m mad at you?” She lowers her legs and leans forward, showing me her fangs. Which means that she isveryangry. “Miss Girl, I don’t give a shit about that.”
“Then what— ”
“Why do I have to find out from Lowe what a Heat is?”
I freeze. Did she just say . . . ?
“Yup, I know. And I will be reminding you that I know every day for the rest of your natural life. Which, as it turns out, you thought was going toend soon? Not that I would have known ifother peoplehadn’t told me.”
Shit. Shit, shit. This isbad. “It turned out to be nothing. And the Heat, I would have told you the second I came back to live in the Southwest. And— ”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Well, you should, because— ”
