Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 79726 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79726 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I wave a hand. “Enough about them. Tell me about you.”
“Me?” she laughs. “Pretty sure my boring life isn’t going to interest a dude who’s been around for thousands of years.”
“But you are my consort,” I declare. “All of you interests me. I want to know your past so I may know what has shaped you and brought you here to this moment.”
She takes another bite of her food and averts her eyes.
I frown. Hannah-wife is happy to chatter about herself, but I suppose Thing/Kharon’s consort is slower to open up. Unless you get her talking about her favorite subject, which consists of the types of blades best for killing a man. But I have a feeling it is not a former life as an assassin that keeps Lo-Ren’s lips shut so tight.
“Why will you not speak?”
When she looks back at me, her dark eyes seem lit with some fire I cannot understand. “Is this how it works in your world? You demand people jump, and they ask how high?”
I think back to the rest of my dealings with mortals, and though she has mentioned a particularly peculiar request, I answer honestly. “Yes.”
Her mouth drops open. “And that’s how you expect this to go with me?”
I frown again and blink. “You are a mere human, and I am a god. So it would be wise for you to do as I command.”
A squeak comes out of her as she leaps to her feet. “Are you serious?”
Though I am fond of humor, especially at one of my brothers’ expense, I was not making a joke. Yet, I sense the danger possible in how I respond. Which confuses me because things had been going so well up until now.
“Sit down,” I say reasonably. “Let us finish this meal and continue speaking as nicely as we have until this moment.”
She makes a scoffing noise, picks up her napkin, wipes her mouth, and then tosses it furiously down on the table. “No, thank you.”
I sense the thank you is not sincere and narrow my eyes. “Why have you become so intractable?” I question. “I was expressing interest in your past. I thought that would please you.”
She puts her fists on the table and leans in, once again making strong eye contact. But whereas before, there was a sizzle when our gazes connected, now there is a hard challenge there. “Sure. But first, you have to tell me more about the sleeping guy on the other side of your head.”
Heat floods my chest, and I take to my feet as well, mirroring her stance across the table. “That’s none of your concern.”
“Ha,” she cries. “So it’s fine for you to command me to tell you things, but I can’t ask about the elephant in the room?”
“My brother is hardly an elephant.”
“You know what I mean!”
We glare one another down. And then she snatches up the wine bottle and strides away from the table toward the stairs. “I’ll be spending the rest of the evening in my room.”
When I start to follow her, she turns around and glares at me. “Alone.”
The word rings out in the room, stopping me in my tracks.
I’m left dumbfounded as she and her gorgeous, swaying hips stomp away from me.
Chapter Six
LAUREN
The gall of that man! God. Guy. Whatever.
To think I’d just open up and spill my guts cause he said so. Hypocritical bastard! I knew he was too good to be true.
I take another long swallow of the wine. And then giggle. I know it’s got to be some sort of sin to swill wine this expensive. The last time I drank wine straight from the bottle, it was Two Buck Chuck. I’d just dramatically stomped out of my boyfriend’s apartment, which we shared, with a suitcase full of my shit and gone to a hotel.
Which I could only afford for one night.
But that one night, I got drunk off my ass, promised myself I deserved so much better, and swore that things could only look up from there. Right?
Ha.
Hahahahahahahahaha.
I moved back in with my mom after racking up a week at the hotel on my credit card and coming to my senses that I had nowhere else to go. After a month with her, I was back at my cheating ex’s door, begging for another chance because I was so miserable with her. I figured maybe a nice-ish cheater with a three-bedroom in Uptown was better than my childhood bedroom and a hateful mother tearing into me every time I walked into the kitchen.
Lemme tell you, I thought that was rock bottom.
Nope.
Rock bottom was learning he’d already moved the new bitch into the master bedroom and thrown out the rest of my shit when I didn’t come back for it after a week. We’d been together seven years.
Seven years and all I got was a heartless boot to the curb when he upgraded.