Page 17 of Ashes and Lilies
“Sure, he was angry,” Maria replied with a shrug. Her silver, sparkly top glittered under the bar lights as she leaned back in herstool and crossed her legging-covered legs. Next to her, I was plain in my simple, pink A-line dress. “But that’s to be expected. You were about to be eaten when we arrived.”
Eaten.
I stared down at my drink as I tried to control my racing heartbeat.
“You should have let Damen handle things,” she told me. “As a Xing, he’s more than capable.” She took another drink from her glass.
“But…” I protested, although I had no idea why I was arguing with a shifter who surely knew more about shifter things than I did. “He was being attacked.”
“They were attacking him to get himawayfrom you,” Maria answered. “Hyenas are pack hunters who isolate their prey. You were the intended target from the beginning.”
I… was? My skin grew clammy.
“Are you sure they’ll be okay?” I asked her. Sure, they were some sort of leaders, and based on the information available to me, it wasn’t difficult to assume that Titus was a shifter, too. After all, Jamie had emphasized how important it was for Titus to be informed during their weakest moments.
But that didn’t tell me what kind of shifter Titus might be—and he was outnumbered, sans Damen. How effective could two of them be against such a group?
“Damen and Titus?” she asked, shooting me a sardonic look. “They are two-thirds of the Power Trio; they can handle things easily. Plus, no idiot hyena can beat a dragon.”
My skin flushed as my heart began to race. A dragon. Titus was a dragon.
I’d always wanted to meet a dragon!
And what was this about a trio? A quintet was a group of five.
“Eat,” Maria said, pushing a mini plate of pretzels toward me. “It’ll make you feel better. Don’t waste your time worrying about those two.”
I began nibbling on one of the proffered snacks and shot her a grateful look. She understood me so well already, but it was difficult to ignore the stone that had settled in my stomach.
“So,” Maria began. Her eyes took on a calculating gleam as she braced her elbow on the white marble countertop. The way she watched me made me feel as though I was yet again being evaluated.
I couldn’t imagine what she was looking for, but there was something sisterly about her gaze. It was rare for me to be able to talk comfortably with another woman. My heart began to pound as I realized what this might mean.
Could we possibly become… friends?
I had never had a female friend before. Most of the others in my foster homes had been males, and the majority weren’t nice. And considering the circumstances, it’d hardly been the environment to forge bonds anyway.
When I was adopted, I’d hoped things would change. My new parents also had a daughter besides me. But Hanah was already eighteen and lived at college. She rarely visited.
Then there were the girls at school who only wanted to hang out to get close to Finn.
However, Maria didn’t share that motive. Something about her was different—I knew it. She didn’t need to use me to get close to a boy. She was able to do well enough on her own.
Plus, since she was Titus’s assistant, I’d probably see her around a lot.
This was a natural progression of our acquaintance. If I did this right, she and I could become bosom buddies, just like inAnne of Green Gables.
We’d go shopping together, gossip, and watch movies.Already, she had offered to show me the art of drinking on my twenty-first birthday.
What else could she teach me?
“You’re acting a bit strange,” Maria interrupted my musings, but despite her words, she was watching me with a soft expression. “Are you traumatized? I thought the food might help. Or…” She paused, sitting up as concern flickered in her eyes. “You’d let me know if Damen did something weird? He’s clueless in a way, but he does know better.”
“No!” I pressed my hands to my cheeks. I was totally failing at girl bonding in this environment. We should have gone to a spa instead.
I had to make this better.
“There’s no t-trauma here. I’ve been through worse.” I brushed aside her concern, needing to think of a topic that normal girls would talk about. She was close to Titus. We could talk about him. That was safe. “Don’t you think Titus is big? Is that normal?”
