won’t let you.”
“Excuse me?” I said, taking her a little aback. “You won’t let me?”
She let her arms fall down and stretched them until her shoulders popped, then wrapped herself back up in those leathery, velveteen wings. “Maybe that was a little bit strong,” Jamie said. “But I won’t let you leave without at least knowing why.”
“Why what? Why I’m leaving? Why do you even care, is my question. I’m just a pureblood human. I don’t fit in here, right?”
I dropped my box of folders with a little more of a thud than I expected then blew a fallen curl out of my face. The half day since I last saw Erik was starting to get to me, I guess. As much as he’d gone on about addiction, it was me who was feeling the pangs of withdrawal. This was the longest I’d gone without... well, gone without, since we started in with the torrid, secret affair.
There was an ache in the middle of me, and it wasn’t just one that needed physical satisfaction. I missed the way he threw his hair around. I missed the way he looked at me, and the way he made me feel. But most of all, I missed his voice, soft sometimes, and sometimes gravelly, lusty and hard.
“You’re torn up, and that bothers me because for all my cool acting, I hate seeing people sad,” Jamie said. “It’s not just about Erik, either. I’ve been around long enough to know that look.” Jamie took a deep breath. “Christ, have I been around long enough. And the reason I care is because I always liked you, even if it isn’t really my thing to act like it. Semi-related to that, you’re good for Erik. He’s my friend, and besides; what’s good for the alpha is good for the town.”
She took a deep breath, reached out, and tapped me on the head when I looked away. “Scratch that. You’re the best thing for Erik, not just good for him.”
“Really?” I said.
I happened to look down into my box and see a picture of my preacher uncle. Immediately, my thoughts turned to Ohio, back to my family, and all the things I’d left behind.
“What’s wrong?” Jamie asked. “Something in the box got you upset?”
“No,” I said. “It’s just... pictures of people I haven’t seen in a while.”
With smoothness that would make an Olympic gymnast jealous, Jamie pulled one clawed foot, then another, off the rafter where she hung, and flipped to the ground, landing without a sound. She slid her hand around my face and turned me toward her.
“I’m not going to read your mind,” Jamie said. “Haven’t. That’s rare. Usually the first thing I do is plumb the depths and see what there is to see. You’re different, though.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” I lied again and took another short glance at Uncle Ted. I shook my head just a little from side to side in a way that I thought imperceptible but that obviously wasn’t. “It’s just pictures.”
Jamie sighed heavily. “Suit yourself,” she said. “I can’t make you talk. I’ll let you keep your secrets, whatever they are, but I have to say something about the other thing. Erik is... well, I know about you and him, because I’m not an idiot. And I’ve never seen him this happy. But... you have to understand what a huge thing it is to go from the two of you being a casual item to you being the alpha’s actual, official mate.”
I looked up at her, my eyes pregnant with tears though I wasn’t entirely sure why – I guess a mixture of bad memories, everything with Erik, and the impending possibility that I was headed right back to Ohio and right back into all those terrible memories was just too much. “I don’t want this to be over,” I said. “I can’t take it. I can’t take all the drama and the politics and...”
I sniffed and trailed off.
“This shit did come on pretty quick, huh?”
“It’s all this... Oh my God, why am I telling you this?” I groaned and ran my hand through my hair.
“Because you obviously need to tell someone, and I’m here,” she said.
“Excuse me?” I said, taking her a little aback. “You won’t let me?”
She let her arms fall down and stretched them until her shoulders popped, then wrapped herself back up in those leathery, velveteen wings. “Maybe that was a little bit strong,” Jamie said. “But I won’t let you leave without at least knowing why.”
“Why what? Why I’m leaving? Why do you even care, is my question. I’m just a pureblood human. I don’t fit in here, right?”
I dropped my box of folders with a little more of a thud than I expected then blew a fallen curl out of my face. The half day since I last saw Erik was starting to get to me, I guess. As much as he’d gone on about addiction, it was me who was feeling the pangs of withdrawal. This was the longest I’d gone without... well, gone without, since we started in with the torrid, secret affair.
There was an ache in the middle of me, and it wasn’t just one that needed physical satisfaction. I missed the way he threw his hair around. I missed the way he looked at me, and the way he made me feel. But most of all, I missed his voice, soft sometimes, and sometimes gravelly, lusty and hard.
“You’re torn up, and that bothers me because for all my cool acting, I hate seeing people sad,” Jamie said. “It’s not just about Erik, either. I’ve been around long enough to know that look.” Jamie took a deep breath. “Christ, have I been around long enough. And the reason I care is because I always liked you, even if it isn’t really my thing to act like it. Semi-related to that, you’re good for Erik. He’s my friend, and besides; what’s good for the alpha is good for the town.”
She took a deep breath, reached out, and tapped me on the head when I looked away. “Scratch that. You’re the best thing for Erik, not just good for him.”
“Really?” I said.
I happened to look down into my box and see a picture of my preacher uncle. Immediately, my thoughts turned to Ohio, back to my family, and all the things I’d left behind.
“What’s wrong?” Jamie asked. “Something in the box got you upset?”
“No,” I said. “It’s just... pictures of people I haven’t seen in a while.”
With smoothness that would make an Olympic gymnast jealous, Jamie pulled one clawed foot, then another, off the rafter where she hung, and flipped to the ground, landing without a sound. She slid her hand around my face and turned me toward her.
“I’m not going to read your mind,” Jamie said. “Haven’t. That’s rare. Usually the first thing I do is plumb the depths and see what there is to see. You’re different, though.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” I lied again and took another short glance at Uncle Ted. I shook my head just a little from side to side in a way that I thought imperceptible but that obviously wasn’t. “It’s just pictures.”
Jamie sighed heavily. “Suit yourself,” she said. “I can’t make you talk. I’ll let you keep your secrets, whatever they are, but I have to say something about the other thing. Erik is... well, I know about you and him, because I’m not an idiot. And I’ve never seen him this happy. But... you have to understand what a huge thing it is to go from the two of you being a casual item to you being the alpha’s actual, official mate.”
I looked up at her, my eyes pregnant with tears though I wasn’t entirely sure why – I guess a mixture of bad memories, everything with Erik, and the impending possibility that I was headed right back to Ohio and right back into all those terrible memories was just too much. “I don’t want this to be over,” I said. “I can’t take it. I can’t take all the drama and the politics and...”
I sniffed and trailed off.
“This shit did come on pretty quick, huh?”
“It’s all this... Oh my God, why am I telling you this?” I groaned and ran my hand through my hair.
“Because you obviously need to tell someone, and I’m here,” she said.
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