Page 16 of Mate
“The way you stared at my tits.”
Silence. Then, instead of theI’m sorryorGo to fucking sleepI expect, he says, “I thinkyouowe me an apology.”
“For what?”
“How spectacular your tits are.”
God, he really is an epic asshole. “You might be the worst person I’ve ever met.”
“Wouldn’t be surprised,” he mutters.
I fall asleep with a small smile on my face. And for a few hours, I don’t think about how little time I have left to live.
CHAPTER 4
He’s toweling himself off after a shower, and the call is on speaker. It gives him hope that he may have misunderstood.
“Are you serious?” He doesn’t wait for Lowe’s reply. As a rule, Lowe doesn’t joke. “Who the fuck gave her the idea?”
“Maddie Garcia asked.”
“For fuck’s sake, the Human governor’s the one who leaked her existence to the press to begin with. She can suck shit out of a straw.”
“We cannot be sure.” A pause. “But yes. Her team likely did. And when the knowledge of the existence of a hybrid wasn’t enough to sway public opinion, she asked Serena to publicly come forward. Serena said yes.”
“And you let her.”
“I have no say in the matter.”
“Do you realize the danger she’ll be in afterward? Being known as my mate won’t protect her in Vampyre or Human territory.”
“Serena believes that the benefits outweigh the costs. And, Koen . . .” A sigh. “However much you hate this, Misery loathes it more.”
He doubts it.
“But,” Lowe continues, “if Serena’s sister is willing to acknowledge that a lot of good can come from this, then you, too, should— ”
“I fucking won’t.”
“That bad?” Lowe asks after a long silence.
No. It’s worse than that.
Two and a half months earlier
Human territory
THE THING I HATE THE MOST— AND THERE’SPLENTYTO HATEhere— is the sticky heat of the camera lights. It sends little beads of perspiration down my spine and makes the skin of my back plaster to my (“Light pink!” per Ana’s request) blouse.
“We cranked the AC all the way up,” one of the producers tells me, apologetic, “but Governor Garcia sent over twenty Secret Service agents to protect you. We’re working on a skeleton crew, but the studio’s not built for a crowd this size.”
I smile, grateful. Nod, appreciative. Wonder if he knows that on top of the Human agents, there are approximately fifteen Weres milling around incognito. Half Koen’s, half Lowe’s.
Maddie said that she’d provide security, I pointed out to them two days ago, when they briefed me on their plan.Don’t you trust her?
Lowe’s diplomaticYes, butcompletely overlapped with Koen’s curtNo. His favorite word, coupled with his favorite tone.
I cocked my head at him, fascinated.Do you trust anyone at all?
