Page 42 of Prodigy & Tybalt
“Well, if you insist.” I said and flung the thing back at him. “See you around, Sweets.”
“Stop fucking calling me that,” he yelled as I strolled away, a weight lifted from my shoulders.
The next one was tricky.I chose a public space—the garden, with most of our Knights and their families gathered aroundthe barbecue or the bouncy castle Warning’s mate, Everly, had insisted on. Far be it from me to question her judgement because the moment it was inflated, Giant clambered onto it and jumped like a little kid, his mate Astrid immediately following, and tugging her younger sister along for the ride.
I smirked as I watched the three of them bounce like five year olds at a birthday party. Cute bastards.
I scanned the garden, searching for a head of violent purple hair or brown curls. It had been two hours since I last saw Miraya, and I was going through withdrawals. I wanted her scent in my nose and her warm body pressed right up to mine.
It was ChaCha I spotted first, hanging around the old beer keg full of ice and bottles of booze, Vienna and Jessia laughing at something on Vienna’s phone.
“Ladies,” I greeted, sauntering over. I might have taunted Sweetie about being a gossip, but here I was dying to know what had made them laugh. “Looking at something interesting?”
“I found a stray cat in the shed, and I’m keeping him,” Jessia told me, her eyes bright when she looked up at me, lacking the ocean of shadows that had filled them for weeks upon weeks. “Look at his squashed little face.”
I peered at her phone and snorted at the photo of a grey cat. “He looks like he got into a fight with Wizard’s van and lost. Is his face supposed to be like that?”
“He’s a pedigree breed, you uncultured swine,” ChaCha snapped, arms crossed over her chest and a glare on her face that had frightened lesser men. (It frightened me, I just didn’t want to admit it.)
“Quite a tame insult, really,” I remarked. “I’m flattered.”
“Vicious little pig,” she hissed, her chin cocked out. “Sad pile of lettuce.”
“Hey, now, that one hurts my feelings.”
Her smile sharpened. “Good. You saggy-balled shrimp.”
My bark of laughter was impossible to contain. “Nice. I brought a peace offering.” I took the pen-knife from my pocket, the casing purple and leopard print. Her eyebrows raised. “Shut up, I stole it from an alpha prick a few months ago.”
“And kept it,” she pointed out. Now they were all snickering at me, but it was hard to scowl when I knew what these women had been through, and how hard they’d fought to find the peace and freedom that allowed them to take the piss out of me.
“Fine, if you don’t want it.” I pulled my hand back, and ChaCha predictably snatched the knife from my grip.
“I reserve the right to stab you with this anytime.”
“Understandable,” I agreed. “And I’m sorry, ChaCha. I was a dick to you, but I never thought any differently of you. I was just… a tiny bit defensive.”
Look at me, saying the wordsI’m sorry. Prodigy would be proud as fuck.
Her eyebrow rose. “Sure. Atinybit.”
“And just slightly protective of Miraya.”
“You slept outside her room on multiple occasions,” Vienna input with a little smile.
“Aw, not you, too. Are you all ganging up on me now?”
“Yep,” Jessia agreed with a smile. “But it’s cute. And she seems really nice, even if she gives off Lynn and ChaCha vibes.”
“Hey,” ChaCha complained, brandishing her new knife. “Don’t make me stab you, bitch.”
Vienna gave me a look, as if to saylook what you’ve donebut ChaCha was clearly happy with the peace offering, so I smirked and made my goodbyes. Time to find my girl. It had been far too long since I’d held her.
18
Miraya
I’d made it to the barbecue without crying, screaming, or throwing up at the sight of my ex-mate and his fiancée. I was proud of myself. I reached back to pat myself, and caught a dark-haired, glare-eyed woman watching me.
