Page 11 of Okay, I Regret a Little
Chapter 9
Rei
T
hings were just so fucking awkward in Faust’s office. We had started having this easy banter while I was going through his files, and now neither of us had any idea what to say. He thought I was his mate, and I didn’t know how to deal with that. He probably wanted to know about the shitshow that happened when my demon wanted to come out and play because I didn’t want to get out of bed.
“Are we going to talk about it, Rei?”
I was going to tell him. Hauser wanted me to bring him in on my escape plans. Fuck! Did Hauser know about the whole mate thing, and that was why he was so #teamfaust? This was about the point in my relationships when I ran for the hills and changed my number.
“About what?” I asked, playing stupid.
“Something is bothering you. If it’s about what happened when I tried to wake you up, we don’t have to talk about that until you are ready.”
“Sorry about that. It should never have happened, and I could have really hurt you.”
“But you didn’t.”
Awkward silence again. I could keep my silence all day when it came to secrets other people weren’t supposed to know. So, don’t ask me why I just blurted it out.
“Wren let it slip you think I’m your mate.”
Faust snapped his pencil in half and growled.
“Fucking witches. They can never keep their mouths shut. I would have told you, eventually. I know you aren’t a shifter and feeling what I’m feeling. I meant to win you over and make up for how I acted when we first met. I wouldn’t tell you until you got out, and there wasn’t this fucked up power dynamic between us. No one can know about this, Rei. It’s one thing to bribe the guards, but if anyone thinks you’re fucking one, they’ll kill you. I’d never do that while you’re in here, but if anyone suspected the moon chose you for me, you’d be the next one found in a pool of blood.”
“That’s not a very good pep talk for this whole mate thing, Faust.”
“I would have loved to have had this conversation far away from this place and made a pretty speech, but we can’t do that in here. This is important, Rei. No matter what happens in this office, you have to pretend like you hate me when we step outside of it. I really hope you still don’t, though.”
“I don’t hate you. I just don’t see how things will not be super awkward from now on.”
“It doesn’t have to be. We can talk about anything except the whole mate thing and what you are.”
I wanted to tell him. Hauser seemed to think people would hurt me if they knew. Every single fox in Silverhold knew I wasn’t like them, and they wanted to protect me. They beat the shit out of Venus for me even when they knew. That was all part of her master plan, but I still appreciated the gesture.
Faust wouldn’t hurt me. I knew enough about mates to know that much. He wouldn’t tell anyone, and it probably wouldn’t change anything between us. I was going to tell him before. Still, it was a pretty big fucking omen Astrid’s body was found right when I was about to tell him. It had to mean something.
Which meant there was no way in fuck I could tell him about my escape plans. There were plenty of other things to talk about, right?
“Is that why you recruited Wren?”
“It’s not just that I respect her as a fellow assassin. She didn’t deserve to be in the hole. Brody is a bully, and her friend just died. He shouldn’t have beaten her and thrown her down there. He’s a fucking idiot, and he should have been fired when he burnt down an entire wing of the prison.”
I grunted. That much was true, but we needed it to escape. I didn’t have a computer here for research, but I needed to learn as much as possible about my mark.
“Brody’s kind of an idiot, yeah?”
“He was trying to fry bacon on a hot plate when he set the prison on fire. Who brings uncooked bacon to work? He’s one of those assholes who microwaves fish every day for lunch. He must pick the nastiest fist possible. It reeks, and I swear, he does it on purpose.”
I knew that pain all too well.
“Before Hauser found me, I lived in the dorm for a year. My roommate ate nothing but tuna fish, and she was horrible about washing her dishes. The smell was unreal.”
“I think Brody’s nose is broken. I’m pretty sure some shrimp he’s brought in here has been off. I mean, show some respect. There are wolves in here. I can smell it down the hall.”
“Is there something wrong with him?”
