Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 121924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
I felt my lips twitch. “Damn, I’ve never seen Bevan’s face so red.”
She looked at Quillen, saw he was in deep conversation with Soule, and then nudged me with her elbow. “Not sure if you’ve noticed, but Jelani has a bit of a thing for you.”
I whipped my head back to face her. “What?”
“A few males here do,” Nakoa told me, keeping her voice low. “But Jelani warned them off.” She cocked her head. “You didn’t sense that he’s interested in you?”
“Not really,” I replied. “I mean, he flirts with me, but he flirts with everyone. So I didn’t think anything of it.”
“Ah,” said Khalida. “Well, I’m pretty sure he plans to make a move if you join the Order—which I’m quite confident that you will.”
I scratched my cheek. “Hmm.”
“What does ‘hmm’ mean?”
“It means I’d rather that he didn’t. I’d prefer to have an arrangement with someone, like what you have with Quillen. And from all I’ve learned, Jelani isn’t big on exclusivity. He likes the freedom to do whatever he wishes with whoever he wishes. Which is fine, just not my style.”
Her nose wrinkled. “That’s true. I’d say he might be different with you, but …”
“But it’s likely that he just wants to be the first to fuck me,” I supplied.
“Maybe,” she conceded. “But not in a cold way. It would be more like he wants to get there first because if someone offers you an exclusive arrangement and you take it, he might never get there at all.”
I shrugged. “Whatever his reasons, I’d rather he didn’t make any moves. Try to talk him out of it. Tell him I’d want an arrangement. That would be enough.”
Her brows lifted slightly. “I could do that. It should work. And if it doesn’t, we’ll know he’d want more. Would that change things for you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“I don’t get why it means so much to you, Anara,” Nakoa cut in. “Exclusivity isn’t necessary.”
At those words, Soule’s head swerved toward her. “Exclusivity what?”
“Isn’t necessary,” Nakoa repeated. “It’s better to have the freedom to share a bed with whoever we like.”
Soule scraped his lower lip with his teeth. “And yet, when she”—he slid a look at a nearby female Lykaon—“came onto me a few months ago, you didn’t react too well.”
“I told you, you can sleep with anyone but her,” Nakoa said, all reasonable.
“Except for Khalida. And Layna. And—”
“So there are some exceptions to the rule. So what?”
Sighing, Soule looked at me and mouthed, “We’re exclusive.”
Feeling something brush my leg, I glanced under the table to see Zinc licking up crumbs. No foods bothered their digestion, so Laelaps could—and did—eat anything.
The canines were fed four times a day—which wasn’t even particularly necessary, since they could go days without eating—but they’d still lap up any crumb they could find.
I snatched a chunk of bread from the tray, tore off a piece, and fed it to Zinc beneath the table. Only once his chomping sounds faded did I pass him another piece.
Right then, Jelani appeared and took the spot across from me. “I had a word with Bevan.”
“Thanks, but you didn’t have to.” Having fed the last of the bread to Zinc, I raised my tankard. “I’m used to him being a dick.”
“You shouldn’t have to be used to it.” Jelani lifted the heavy pewter jug and splashed beer into a tankard. “And he needs to understand that it isn’t going to happen anymore. Not merely because I’ll punch him if it continues, but because things don’t work that way in the Order. We look out for each other.”
I smiled. “Well, aren’t you cute.”
His lips kicked up. “I am. Don’t forget it.”
“Don’t forget what?” asked Layna, plopping her butt on the bench beside his.
“That I’m cute,” he told her.
She gave him a once-over. “You’re all right, I guess.”
I bit back a smile and drank a swig of mead. Khalida, Nakoa, and I suspected that the two Delphiae were resisting acting on their attraction because they didn’t want to ruin what a close friendship they had. Watching the pair bicker, I strongly suspected that they’d end up in bed together at some point.
Laughter sliced through the air, drawing my gaze. It was coming from Keyes, who sat with Talon, Ajax, and a few others. They always sat at the corner table nearest the door, and no one else ever claimed it just in case they showed up. It was pretty much reserved for them at all times, no matter how crowded the place became.
A curvy Phoenixian officiate leaned back against the wall near the table, her gaze locked on Talon. Skye commonly orbited around him, desperate for his acknowledgement and attention. Which spoke of a lot of optimism, since he’d shown no interest in the nine years she had been here. But I felt it was also her way of discouraging other females from coming close.