Page 85 of Let Us Prey
Delores slowly places the bread she was nibbling down on her plate with a shaking hand. “Are you… propositioning meforyour brother… and…?” she carefully asks, although there’s no hiding the hint of pheromones in the air.
“Well, yeah,” I smile, glad she seems to understand where I’m going with this. “Eventually. Although, I think Cash might need you to shake that little cottontail in his direction a few more times before he whips out his dick... " I abruptly switch gears as her big blues get even bigger. “What I’m trying to say is thatallof us—me, Cash, Aubrey, Renard, Nico—weallwant to protect you… and be with you… not necessarily all together, although if we could get there someday,Icertainly wouldn’t be opposed. No rush. For now, I was elected to ask if you’d… um... "
Words are hard.
By some holy miracle, the waiter chooses that moment to drop off my favorite apps and take our entrée orders. The reprieve is only temporary, as awkward silence descends the instant he walks away, with my bunny eyeing me across the table like she thinks I’m going to eat her.
I mean, she’s not wrong.
“I’m not very good at this,” I grumble, annoyed that this isn’t as easy as most things in my life are. My confession seems to put her at ease somewhat, so I send up a quick prayer to every god in every religion I can think of and soldier on. “What I’mtryingto ask is if you’ll be my girl—officially—and if you’ll consider the same for my pack… when, and if, you’re ready, of course.”
The pheromones blasting from Delores are making my eyes cross, so Iknowher body is down with the idea, but it’s important that therestof her is. As much as I’m dying to squeeze my face under that tight dress of hers—right here in Il Lupo, if she’ll let me—she could just as easily ask me to take her back to her dorm room, so I brace myself for that possibility.
“Yes,” she breathes, so quietly I almost miss it underneath the sound of my pounding heartbeat. “Under one condition…no!Two conditions. First, I need to know more aboutallof you. Everyone seems to have these mysterious pasts and I’ve had enough secrets and lies in my life. I want clear, open communication—startingnow.Why was Cassius Romulus thrown out of Bloodstone?”
All conversation in the restaurant grinds to a halt. Even the live string quartet across the dining room stops playing with an almost comical record scratch squawk. I fling up a hand to stop the closest thug already descending on Delores, aiming to toss her ass out on the sidewalk—or worse—for her insolence.
Mygirl can ask me whatever the hell she wants.
I shoot a death glare around the room until everyone minds their own fucking business again. Then I nod at her, understanding more than anyone—aside from Cash, maybe—that trust isearned.And if anyone deserves to be surrounded by a pack she trusts, it’s Delores Drew.
“Anything for you, Cherry,” I reply, settling back in my chair, more than happy to submit to her first demand. It’s not like it’s a secret, anyway. “As I’m sure you’ve heard, Bloodstone is a ruthless place. It’s like Pred Games 24/7, and just as fun, to be honest,” I laugh, before growing serious. “But it’s pretty harsh when you’re a kid growing up there, especially if you have the weight of an empire on your shoulders, like Cash did. Like hestill does,I should say, because everyone in this restaurant, and many beyond these walls, see Cassius Romulus as the rightful heir, even if he doesn’t view himself that way.”
Delores furrows her brow. “Why would Cassius—Cash, I mean—not think he should rule Bloodstone? He certainly behaves like the stereotypical alphahole in charge.”
I bark a laugh, filing away that comment to taunt him with later. “Yeah, he does, but a lot of that is just how we were raised—how a Romulus alpha isexpectedto act.” She presses her lips together in disapproval, so I hurriedly add, “Listen, I know it’s hard to believe, but the real reason Cash lost his place on Bloodstone was because of hiscompassion.”
My words hang in the air as the waitstaff magically appears again to serve dinner and refill the wine. Delores digs into her chicken marsala, a distracting moan of pleasure escaping her before she gestures with her fork for me to continue. This isn’t really my story to tell, but our girl wants honesty, so I’ll give her as much intel as I can.
Without earning myself a beatdown from my twin.
“There’s prey living on Bloodstone, for various reasons,” I exhale slowly, hoping she won’t make me elaborate onthatseedy subject just yet. “And there was one girl—a llama—that Cash was… close with. Closer than pred and prey are supposed to be, especially if you’re the Romulus heir. Anyway, word got out, and despite his best efforts to keep her safe… Let’s just say it didn’t end well for either of them.”
Delores has stopped eating, her delicate hand pressed to her heart, looking one sniffle away from full-blown tears. “Did he…loveher?”
Oh, fuck, he’s totally gonna kick my ass.
“I think so, yeah,” I grimly reply, remembering how wrecked Cash was when they dragged her away. “Regardless,anyrelationship with prey beyond mindless fucking is viewed as weakness on Bloodstone, and since they can’t have an alpha they considerweak… here we are!”
My heart nearly beats out of my chest again as I await her response, but my Cherry surprises me yet again when she smirks wickedly. “Well, good thing he’s not on Bloodstone anymore then, hmm?”
Oh, sweet baby Fenrir, she’s perfect.
“What was the second condition?” I hide my smile behind my napkin as I wipe bloody steak juice from my mouth, wondering when my girl is gonna let me earn my red wings. “You said there were two, so lay it on me.”
She nibbles her bottom lip, looking decidedly less confident this time around. “Oh, right. Um… I need to know you’re all not just using me for… whatever. Whether it’s my family name, or sex, or the money Idon’thave, or even just for my looks. I’m not a chess piece or a trophy, and I have no intention of letting anyone take advantage of me ever again. If I’m going to be in a relationship with you… withallof you... " she falters, her cheeks pinking again in a way that makes my dick twitch. “Then it’s going to be anequalrelationship. I answer to no one, alpha or not!”
Absolutely perfect.
“You’re the boss, Cherry,” I throw her a saucy salute, making her laugh and relieving some of the tension in the air. “How ‘bout this. Let’s share some dessert—equally—and thenyoucan decide if you’re interested in bossing me around in a hotel room after dinner or not.”
FORTY-EIGHT
First Time
Delores
I’m so nervous I can barely finish the delicious array of sweets the servers bring us. It’s not even close to the first time I’ve been intimate with Bash, but things have taken a serious turn. The playboy rumors about my wolf don’t line up with the conversation we just had, and if I think about it, they don’t match the way he’s treated me from the moment I stepped on campus. But a guy who acted like he cared has burned me before, and even though I want to take this next step, I need a moment to wrap my head around it.
