“I’m trying so hard not to laugh.”
“I appreciate the restraint. But that’s not even the highlight of my morning. Fenris asked me to be his girlfriend.”
Megan yelled and whooped so loud I dropped the phone. While I was scrambling to pick it up, I thought I heard, “It’s about damn time.”
“What did you say?”
“What did I say?” she parroted.
“Megan, I’m being serious.” I quickly explained about Fenris acting out of sorts the day before, his confrontation with his dad, Jenna’s comment about scent conditioning Fenris, and finally Fenris’s solution to all of his problems. “I want to help him, but I’m not sure what he’s thinking. He said it was going to be real, but then said our relationship wouldn’t change. We’d be doing all the same things we’ve been doing, spending time together and talking and stuff, and he’s going to continue to respect my boundaries. Then, he grinned and said dating me was going to be fun. I think he’s going to test every boundary I have.”
“I think you’re right. But I also think you’re worrying about nothing.”
“Am I? He bit my collarbone this morning. It was on purpose to see how far he could push my hunger.”
“And how far did he push it?”
“Far enough.”
“If he’s not walking with a hitch and a limp third leg, I doubt that.”
“Megan. Please. I need advice from you, not my mom.”
She laughed.
“My advice is this. Be yourself. Tell him what you like and what you don’t like. And if he crosses a line, suck all the emotions from him like you did to me. I’ve worn you like a backpack more times than I can count, and you’re very effective at behavior modification.”
“You forget that his most potent emotion is lust. I can’t take that.”
“Why not?”
“I refuse to make a love slave out of him or anyone.”
“You didn’t make a love slave out of Mrs. Quill, did you?”
“She’s happily married. It’s different with some couples.”
“Maybe it’ll be different with Fenris.”
“You’re starting to sound like him, and it’s not helping. I want advice on how to keep things from getting to the point that I want to feed from him.”
“Stay well-fed?”
I huffed a sigh and decided to change the subject.
“Find anything out about the banshees yet?”
“Are you missing me?” she asked playfully.
“So much. I’m still worried about you coming back, though. And it’s not selfless worry. What if you take one look at me and want to send me to hell?”
Megan was quiet for a moment.
“You’re one of the nicest people I know. I find it hard to believe that one mistake would tip the scales out of your favor. But I know what you’re saying. I’ll talk to my mom and see if there’s a way we can know before I see you. Meanwhile, do stuff to help people…like giving Fenris a good belly rub.”
“Have you had more than one conversation with my mom? You sound a lot like a succubus today.”
Megan laughed and made me promise to keep her updated on operation Eliris. That didn’t help settle my nerves regarding Fenris’s plans for the day.
On the drive to school, all I could think about was how everyone would react to the news that Fenris and I were a couple now. I thought of Jenna and cringed. She and the other girls weren’t going to take this dating thing well. Hopefully, Fenris would let them down easy.
Emory was hopping out of the bed of an oversized pickup truck when I parked. He did a double-take when I got out of the car.
The body-hugging jeans, sneakers, and semi-transparent top weren’t the warmest clothes I owned, but they were cute and said that I was trying to look good, which was what a girl in a new relationship would do. I’d even carefully applied a bit of makeup to enhance my eyes. I’d been nervous about the balance between looking nice and calling too much attention to myself.
He walked my way, making me think I’d missed the mark for balance.
“Morning, little bit. You look pretty today.”
“Thank you, Emory.”
The earnest glint in his gaze let me know I’d gone too far in thanking him. Before I could think of a way to stave off an unwanted admirer, a cherry red convertible pulled into the lot, distracting us both with the music blaring from its speakers.
Jenna parked then waved while Willow and Laurel both called out a cheery, “Good morning,” from their sentinel positions in the backseat. Fenris, sandwiched between the pair, grinned at me.
Just before the roof started to go up, he hopped out and strode toward us.
“There’s my girl,” he said, walking right up to me to playfully lick the tip of my nose. My eyes flickered. He grinned.
“Miss me?”
I could sense the confusion and hurt emanating from the girls coming up from behind him.
“Be nice, Fenris.”
“I am.” He moved to stand beside me and glanced at Emory. “Ready for another Game Night at the Roost?”
“My ears are still ringing from the last one. Might not be a good idea.”
Fenris waved away the giant’s concern.
“If the Council is willing to ignore the banshees’ warning, then so am I. Why not have fun while we can?”
Emory nodded slowly.
“You have a point.”
No, Fenris usually had a purpose behind everything he did, and I worried what one lay behind his desire for a repeat Game Night.
“Mom’s thinking about doing a special opening night at Club Blayz for Uttira’s youth,” I said, shivering lightly. “Maybe that would be better than a Game Night?”
“Much better,” Fenris said with a widening smile.
“I heard about the club your mom’s building,” Jenna said. “Adults only and really fancy, right?”
I could still feel the confusion and hurt coming from her, but she wasn’t looking at me with anger.
“As fancy as she can make an old sawmill. It looks nice. A lot nicer than the Roost.”
“And she’s letting us see it first?” Willow asked. “Why?”
Jenna elbowed Willow, and the girl immediately flushed.
“Uh, I mean, when?”
“I’m not sure. It looked close to being finished the last time I saw it, so probably soon.”
“We can’t wait,” Jenna said with a kind smile.
Uncomfortable with all the attention and growing colder by the second, I glanced at the door.
“I really need to get inside. I wanted to catch up with some stuff before class starts.”
“I’ll come with you,” Fenris said. “I’ll see you girls later.”
They didn’t try to follow us as we headed for the doors. I wanted to ask Fenris so many questions, like if he’d said anything to them beforehand, but knew it wasn’t the time or place.
Once we were inside, he surprised me by threading his fingers through mine. When I glanced at him questioningly, he winked, which did nothing to clarify what he was up to. Holding hands was definitely outside of the scope of our existing relationship. However, it was something couples did, and I’d agreed to be his girlfriend in truth as long as he respected my boundaries.