Page 59 of Mate
“Well, yeah. But we were busy.”
“Right. I remember.”
“You wereeight.” Laughter. “There are missing pieces. But he won’t tell her unless he’s sure. Maybe not even then.”
A ring clinks against a beer bottle. “If it was me, I’d rather not know.”
“Yeah. No one deserves that. What about you? How’s stuff up north?”
“Not bad. Did I tell you about the mountain goats incident?”
The wind picks up, and I take advantage of the sudden rise in noise to sneak back inside.
My thoughts bubble. Is it unhinged and self-centered to assume that Saul was talking about me and Koen? I’m debating the matter, but a gaggle intercepts me, and I end up having a really nice conversation about cross-species exchange-traded funds with Carl, a lovely hipsterish guy who clearly regrets making my acquaintance the second I step away for a glass of water.
“Are you insane?” I overhear Elle asking him. “Hitting on Koen’s mate?”
“Dude, no. We were just talking.”
“Just remember to tell Koen that while he’s hanging you with your own large intestine,” someone else suggests.
“Shut the hell up. He would never.”
“No— hehasnever. Because no one has ever hit on his mate before.”
I shake my head and rinse a few glasses, once again combing through what Saul said. When I turn around, I find . . . Boden, I think, is his name. Brenna’s brother, though they don’t look much alike.
“Clean cups are on that rack,” I say with a smile.
“You have no right to be here.”
I blink. “Okay. Clean cups are still on that rack.” I lean back against the edge of the sink, studying the boy. He’s tall. My age or younger. Not movie star handsome, but could snatch a TV role. He’s also highly . . .dominant, I believe is the word, and the awareness sits in the marrow of my bones. Not as much as Koen or Amanda, though, not yet. Whatever juice they use to baste future Alphas, he’s going to need a few more passes.
Still, it’s clear that he feels like he has something of value to say. I fold my arms and wait for it, and he doesn’t disappoint.
“You’re a half Human who grew up with a Vampyre.”
“Misery Lark.” I nod. “She’s my sister.”
“She’s a leech.”
“True. And therefore, not the slam dunk insult you believe it to be. But if you have more biographical facts about Misery you want to get off your chest, by all means.”
“I think that people with your allegiances have no place in the Northwest,” he says slowly.
His demeanor is calm, but I can tell that he’s furious. And in pain. And very unwilling to really listen to me. There is no point in engaging in this conversation, and I wish I could be more like Misery— take provocations as pathetic attempts at riling me up, shrug them all off, never be upset. The problem is, I’ve maxed out the amount of shit I’m willing to take. “Well,Ithink that people who grew up with the privilege of moral grandstanding could give some of us a little more credit.”
“It’s basic decency. Not moral grandstanding.”
“Yes. It is.” I push away from the counter and step toward him. “Good and evil are wide brushes that can’t always paint the fine details of real life. Lots of Vampyres and Humansand Wereshave done terrible things, but Misery is not one of them. And, as I’m sure you know, my presence here has been approved by your Alpha, so if you have a note for the complaint box, youmay take it to him. I did not ask to be born a hybrid, and I’m not some little princess on vacation from her blessed life of leisure, so you can take your snark— ”
I cut myself off. Boden’s eyes have doubled in size, and while I’d love to assume that it’s my little speech’s doing, they’re trained on a spot behind my shoulders.
When I look over, Koen’s a couple of feet away. Looking bored. “Mouthy, isn’t she, Boden?” He sighs. “Never thought I’d be into that, and yet. Bane of my fucking existence.” His eyes flit to mine. “Don’t stop on my account,” he says with a lopsided smile. “I love watching asses being ridden. It’s my favorite kind of porn.”
Boden tenses— with anger, embarrassment, or a mix of both. “If I were Alpha of this pack, she wouldn’t be allowed here.”
I cringe a little, because he feels soyoung. One day his frontal lobes will develop, he’ll think back to this interaction, and his friends will have to remove all sharp objects from his household. Koen, too, seems mostly embarrassed for him. “Boden, given the number of new sphincters this girl just tore you, I don’t need to tell you . . .” He stops and makes a pensive face. “Then again, I do love indulging in gratuitous displays of authority. So here you have it: Serena is my guest. Bother her again, and I’ll make you regret it.”
