tip of my tongue when I heard the back door open. Mom’s shoes scuffed on the back porch, and her voice came on its heels.
“Dinner’s almost done,” Mom said. “Alexis, would you like to eat with us?”
“Yeah, Mom, she’s staying for dinner,” I called out as we got up.
“I am?” Shade whispered with a little bit of menace in her voice. The alpha wolf in her wasn’t always fond of being told what to do, and even as her gothi , I didn’t get much leeway where that was concerned. An adviser can only get away with so much before wisdom is more wise-ass.
“Yes, you are,” I said. I brushed grass off my pants and stood up. “Unless you want me to end up killing poor Winthrop.”
“Oh, we can’t have that,” she said with a mischievous smile. “I’ll do my best to distract you.” As she said it she arched her back, and I failed miserably at the whole not-ogling-her-thing as her body did interesting things to her shirt.
“By the way, we’re heading to the Underground tomorrow,” I said as we headed for the back door. “And then we’re going to the Hive. I … want to show you … what my world’s like.”
“You mean, when no one’s trying to kill you,” she said flatly.
“That, too,” I said a little too casually and held the door open for her.
Gage skipped out on dinner, and on the rest of the evening, too. He slipped in late, waking up Mom when he rang the doorbell. He was about as quiet as a dump truck as he crept into my room and got in the bed. Junkyard and I laid there, still and quiet, until I heard his breathing slow and fall into the rhythm of sleep. A few minutes later, I closed my eyes again. He yawned and stretched at an unholy hour, and I propped myself up on one elbow. Junkyard got to his feet and headed for the door, waiting to head outside.
“You snore,” I said
“What the ..?” he yelped. He rubbed his eyes, then looked more closely at the blanket I was sitting on. “Is that where you slept?”
“Yeah,” I said as I got to my feet.
“You didn’t have to sleep on the floor,” he said. “I could have taken a couch or rented a room.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said as I grabbed my running shorts. “I always sleep on the floor.” His mouth was still working on making words as I left the room. The next time he managed to make his mouth work was when we were in the car and pulling out of the driveway.
“Why do you sleep on the floor?” he asked.
“Because I do,” I said, which was a lot nicer than what I wanted to tell him.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“To meet my friends at the park.”
“Do you involve mundanes in everything you do?” he asked.
“They’re my friends,” I said. “Not mundanes, not cowan or any other shitty thing you want to call them. And yeah, we do a lot of stuff together. Deal with it.”
“Mun—normal people, people like Lucas … in the end, when it counts, they will turn on you.” He sounded almost sad as he said it, and he shook his head like he was telling me some unfortunate truth.
“You don’t know Lucas and Wanda,” I said as I pulled into the parking lot for Founder’s Park.
“I know cowans,” Gage said. “They envy us as much as they fear us. We wield powers they can barely comprehend, and they destroy what they can’t control or have for themselves. They’ll blame you for anything that goes wrong in their lives, and they’ll betray you to the first thing that offers them an easy way out.”
“You,” I laughed, “still don’t know my friends.”
“Neither do you,” he said as he got out of the car. Junkyard followed me as I got out and we headed over to the bench where Lucas and Wanda were waiting. Both of them had on gray sweat pants, but Wanda’s tank top was red while Lucas wore a baggy white t-shirt. As usual of late, Wanda had her head bent over her phone, and Lucas was leaning back with his arms across the top of the backrest. As soon as we got close, Wanda put her
“Dinner’s almost done,” Mom said. “Alexis, would you like to eat with us?”
“Yeah, Mom, she’s staying for dinner,” I called out as we got up.
“I am?” Shade whispered with a little bit of menace in her voice. The alpha wolf in her wasn’t always fond of being told what to do, and even as her gothi , I didn’t get much leeway where that was concerned. An adviser can only get away with so much before wisdom is more wise-ass.
“Yes, you are,” I said. I brushed grass off my pants and stood up. “Unless you want me to end up killing poor Winthrop.”
“Oh, we can’t have that,” she said with a mischievous smile. “I’ll do my best to distract you.” As she said it she arched her back, and I failed miserably at the whole not-ogling-her-thing as her body did interesting things to her shirt.
“By the way, we’re heading to the Underground tomorrow,” I said as we headed for the back door. “And then we’re going to the Hive. I … want to show you … what my world’s like.”
“You mean, when no one’s trying to kill you,” she said flatly.
“That, too,” I said a little too casually and held the door open for her.
Gage skipped out on dinner, and on the rest of the evening, too. He slipped in late, waking up Mom when he rang the doorbell. He was about as quiet as a dump truck as he crept into my room and got in the bed. Junkyard and I laid there, still and quiet, until I heard his breathing slow and fall into the rhythm of sleep. A few minutes later, I closed my eyes again. He yawned and stretched at an unholy hour, and I propped myself up on one elbow. Junkyard got to his feet and headed for the door, waiting to head outside.
“You snore,” I said
“What the ..?” he yelped. He rubbed his eyes, then looked more closely at the blanket I was sitting on. “Is that where you slept?”
“Yeah,” I said as I got to my feet.
“You didn’t have to sleep on the floor,” he said. “I could have taken a couch or rented a room.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said as I grabbed my running shorts. “I always sleep on the floor.” His mouth was still working on making words as I left the room. The next time he managed to make his mouth work was when we were in the car and pulling out of the driveway.
“Why do you sleep on the floor?” he asked.
“Because I do,” I said, which was a lot nicer than what I wanted to tell him.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“To meet my friends at the park.”
“Do you involve mundanes in everything you do?” he asked.
“They’re my friends,” I said. “Not mundanes, not cowan or any other shitty thing you want to call them. And yeah, we do a lot of stuff together. Deal with it.”
“Mun—normal people, people like Lucas … in the end, when it counts, they will turn on you.” He sounded almost sad as he said it, and he shook his head like he was telling me some unfortunate truth.
“You don’t know Lucas and Wanda,” I said as I pulled into the parking lot for Founder’s Park.
“I know cowans,” Gage said. “They envy us as much as they fear us. We wield powers they can barely comprehend, and they destroy what they can’t control or have for themselves. They’ll blame you for anything that goes wrong in their lives, and they’ll betray you to the first thing that offers them an easy way out.”
“You,” I laughed, “still don’t know my friends.”
“Neither do you,” he said as he got out of the car. Junkyard followed me as I got out and we headed over to the bench where Lucas and Wanda were waiting. Both of them had on gray sweat pants, but Wanda’s tank top was red while Lucas wore a baggy white t-shirt. As usual of late, Wanda had her head bent over her phone, and Lucas was leaning back with his arms across the top of the backrest. As soon as we got close, Wanda put her
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