She laughed. “Why would I run?”
His voice became clearer, not muffled as it had been, which led me to believe he had taken off his mask. “Because… I am your mortal enemy.”
Blue feigned shock by gasping. “You told me you were a Mage.”
“Do you still trust me, Tabitha? I’m not going to hurt you.” Glass sounded like a little boy in that moment—insecure, hurt, unsure of himself. His tone belied the person I knew.
I pushed Christian back when he started kissing my neck.
“Why would you date a Mage?” she asked, trying to pry information out of him. Blue was unflappable and always stuck to the rules.
“Because… because Chitah women don’t want me. The others rejected me.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Really?” he snapped. “Quit trying to be nice. I can smell your insincerity. The last thing I need is a woman’s pity.”
“Pity?”
Now Christian and I werebothpeering around to look at them. Blue had two or three feet of distance between them. Glass held his oversized mask in one hand, eyes downcast. I glanced up and searched for our team. We weren’t supposed to cluster together in one area in case the suspect took off on foot. Christian caressed my neck with one hand and sent a text to Viktor with the other. Apparently his kilt had pockets.
A woman nearby shrieked with laughter as a man pursued her. They disappeared around the side of the mansion.
“We don’t have privacy,” Glass said. “I can’t talk to you here.”
“If you can’t talk to me here, then you can’t talk to me anywhere. I don’t see why Chitah women wouldn’t find you attractive.”
“Are you saying I need to stick with my own kind?”
Blue was growing frustrated but tried to maintain composure. “Why do you keep twisting things around?”
Christian placed his mouth against my ear. “His hair is naturally black. I noticed it a while ago. Sometimes Chitahs will dye it.”
I remembered seeing Glass’s dark roots, but it hadn’t occurred to me that he colored it. I’d been around long enough to learn that traits deviating from the norm were considered defects. Esteemed women chose men with desirable qualities to father their children. I’d observed the same to be true with most every Breed who could procreate. Relics chose partners with specific skills to ensure their children inherited only the best traits. No one wanted defects—physical or otherwise. God,no wonderhe’d resorted to online dating. It was probably the reason why his kindred spirit rejected him. But of all Breeds, why would he choose a Mage?
Then again, why not? I bet he felt superior, knowing he could kill them with one bite. He hadn’t revealed to Wyatt what his Breed was, so he was luring these women on false pretenses. I wondered if they panicked when they met him, if he scented their fear or disgust.
Glass sought women with the characteristics he desired—ones he couldn’t have.
“Tabitha, I don’t want to spoil our evening. Let me explain. At least come to my car where we can talk privately.”
He was trying to lure her away. He probably had his gun and handcuffs in his car, but all it would take was a bite with two fangs to paralyze her.
Christian wrapped his arms around my waist. “Patience.”
I hadn’t noticed I was shoving against him to get at Glass, trying to lift my skirt for the dagger strapped to my thigh.
“Why didn’t you just tell me the truth?” Blue pressed.
“The truth?” He laughed haughtily. “Would you be here if I’d told you the truth? No. People say they want the truth, but that’s a lie. Don’t you see? The truth is an illusion; we only want the fantasy. The truth keeps us from having it. Tabitha, please don’t run away.” Glass erased the distance between them, reaching out to cup her face in his hand. “I’m looking for my princess. I’m a loyal male. You can trust me.”
“Bullshit!” I yelled. It was an impulsive reaction, but I didn’t like how close he was getting to Blue’s neck.
Glass spun around, and his canines punched out. He took a deep breath, nostrils flaring as he tried to figure out who was interrupting his failed attempt at wooing.
I stalked toward him so he could get a better whiff of betrayal and anger.
“Mind your own business,” he snarled.
