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“Then why didn’thepay for the damages, Pres?” Nora blinked, waiting on his explanation.
He waved his hand and turned to me to divert the conversation to another subject. “I thought we were talking about Tate. Are you in school, or do you work?”
“I, uh, work security for a nonprofit.” Kind of true.
Fane snorted under his breath. “That’s one way to put it.”
“Can you fight?” Dylan pantomimed a few karate moves.
“She thinks she can.” Fane casually sprinkled pepper on his food as if he didn’t just insult me.
I dropped my fork to my plate with a clatter. “I beat you.” Sort of.
His brows dipped down his forehead. “I would have demolished you if we hadn’t been interrupted.”
“Oh, you mean when Ziva showed up?” I hoped that evil slut was burning in hell.
He set the pepper down with a little more force than necessary. “Actually, I was referring to the first time when your littlefriend, Hawk, followed you.”
“Remember when we used to fight like that, honey?” Ephraim gave a dramatic sigh and leaned his cheek in his hand. “Good times.”
Fane glowered at his uncle before silently returning to his plate while I did the same. The demon shifter douche would not get me all riled up in front of his family and make me look bad—not that I cared what a bunch of shifters thought of me.
“How’s Alpha John?” Nora asked her husband. “Has he found out who broke into their lands and started the fire?”
Ephraim swallowed his food. “It was a young male from the Eventide pack. He thought it would impress his alpha.”
“My dad’s the Mohan pack liaison.” Dylan gave a proud grin. “He gets to travel to other packs and stuff. That’s how he met my mom. They’re not fated mates, but they don’t mind.”
“Oh, uh, cool.” I reached for my tea. They’d probably completed a mate bond, which meant they were stuck together forever now.
The Claiming would happen when the dominant partner declared his—or sometimes her—claim on the other in some primal, animalistic act. I wouldn’t be surprised if pissing on your significant other like an animal marking his territory was involved. Later, there was sex and biting to complete the bond.
Totally disturbing.
A dark voice in the depths of my subconscious laughed as images of Fane sinking his teeth into me while I writhed below him on a bed of leaves inundated my mind, making my blood simmer and pulse rise.
Yeah, disturbing, all right.
“Speaking of alphas.” Nora scooped up a few pieces of macaroni with her fork, her gaze lingering on Fane. “Alpha Camus plans to retire soon. He’s mentioned it in a few meetings. Naturally, it’ll go to his beta—unless anyone challenges Dorian.”
Fane absentmindedly nodded, but his body had turned to stone. If I poked him, he probably wouldn’t even feel it.
“You could take Dorian, Fane.” Dylan grabbed another piece of chicken from the platter in the middle. “You could take anyone.”
The demon shifter’s chest rose and fell at a rapid pace, and the hair on his arms lifted. Was he going to shift?
“It should be you anyway, Fane.” A scowl pulled at Preston’s mouth. “Your dad was the beta and—”
“Preston,” Ephraim warned.
If Fane’s dad had been beta and died—theywerespeaking about him in past tense—his son should have taken his position if old enough. And the beta was next in line for alpha when he stepped down unless the alpha had a strong offspring.
“Fane’s better than that jerk Dorian,” Preston blurted. “He’s only beta because of the alpha’s daughter.”
The muscles beneath Fane’s flesh twitched, and a low rumble thundered through him.Holy hell. He was about to transform right at the table.
I clamped my hand on his thigh and dug my nails into his jeans. He turned in my direction, his nostrils flaring and irises glowing too bright. Rage boiled within him, but for once, it had nothing to do with me. I made a show of breathing slowly in and out through my nose.
