Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“Not at all.” Niamh fell in step. “I see ye’ve got yer computer there. The pub is as good a place as any to get started. Soon as ye have a wee pint to settle yer nerves, that is.”
We walked for a moment in silence. Fred looked over her shoulder again at the house and sky above it.
“Just so that we’re all on the same page…” Ulric looped his arm through Fred’s. “When you twist and move too much in that jacket, you give us a peep show.”
Fred looked at him blankly before glancing down at herself. She shrugged absently. “I’ve never much cared about the construct of nudity. Why should we feel embarrassed in our own skin? And why, please tell me, should women go to extra lengths to hide our breasts when men don’t have to? I’ve seen guys with bigger boobs than mine! But because men have sexualized them—the instrument with which we feed our young—we’re forced to lock them down with uncomfortable bras and always cover them up to stop someone from feeling aroused. How is a man’s arousal a woman’s problem? What if I get turned on by a man’s boobs? Should he then shackle them down like society tries to shackle ours? Nah. I don’t want to sled the slippery slope of logic on that one.”
A crooked smile had worked up Jasper’s face. “Free the breasts! I’m in.”
Fred nodded once, then took a deep breath. “I’m used to being thought of as very odd.”
“Ye are definitely very odd, make no mistake,” Niamh said in a drawl. “It’s not ’cause of yer thinkin’, though. It’s because ye dress like a whacko.”
Ulric spat out a laugh, then patted Fred’s forearm. “The good news is some of us, including the vampire, are also very odd. And dress like whackos. And look, Niamh tells us you make magic on that computer! So, really, you fit right in. You’re just like us—you just don’t shift or zap people or suck blood.”
“When it comes to that last one, be thankful,” Jasper muttered.
“No nudity in the house, please,” I said as we reached the end of the street and turned. “That goes for men as well as women.”
I did have to admit, aside from not being magical, Fred really was a great fit. Loose morals, weird as hell, outgoing, and not overly concerned with skin. If she could get past the magical thing, which still had her whole body tense and the blood drained from her face, we’d be rolling.
At the moment, that was a very big if.
We continued to talk about all things magical as we neared the bar. Butterflies filled my stomach. I’d seen Austin just that morning, but it didn’t matter how much time had passed—I always looked forward to seeing him again. Everyone said the obsession for each other would fade with time, that once our mating was settled, we wouldn’t have this never-ending craving for each other. It hadn’t yet. If anything, I felt closer to him than ever and happier than I had a right to be. He wasn’t perfect by far, but he was perfect for me.
My “bestie,” a guy I called Sasquatch because of his general hairiness, stood just outside the door, sucking on the end of a cigarette. When he saw me, he scowled, as he always did. His cigarette was only halfway finished, though, and he was cheap. He wouldn’t finish in a hurry just to crowd in front of me and slow me down. He loved to annoy me, but wasting half a cigarette was too high of a price.
“No life, huh? You’re starting to day-drink now?” he said in a taunting voice. “Lush.”
He was purposely trying to goad me—I knew that. He loved to push my buttons. But Lord help me, I just couldn’t seem to ignore him.
“Are you kidding me?” I demanded, stopping at the door. “You beat me here! What are you even talking about right now?”
He smirked and took a draw from his cigarette.
“Is he one of them?” Fred asked quietly.
“Not one of ours, at any rate,” Jasper murmured. “Thank God.”
The bar wasn’t slammed at this time of day and in the middle of the week, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t busy. Half the bar was lined with chatting, laughing patrons. The tables were nearly full, and the crack of a pool cue hitting a ball echoed from down the stairs. They only moved the pool table to the side in the evenings to make room for more people. A few people stood around the walls. The middle of the space was mostly clear.
Austin stood behind the bar at the far end, one hand braced against the edge. He’d been speaking to the two people in front of him, but they were forgotten when he noticed me. I claimed his whole focus. His sparkling cobalt eyes entranced me, and I felt like I was walking on air as I approached him.