“And?” he prompted.
I took a sip. “That’s all I wish to say on the matter.”
“All right, let’s see.” Taylor counted on his fingers. “It can’t be anybody with a mate already, so that leaves Saffron, Viol, and Jade.”
Hearing Jade’s name made my shoulders stiffen. Unfortunately, that was enough of a reaction for the fellow apex predator to notice.
“So, you’re friends with Jade?” Taylor asked, a teasing note in his voice.
Damn my physiology. I scowled. “I wouldn’t call us friends.”
A smirk curved Taylor’s mouth. “Just like you wouldn’t callusfriends?”
“It’s been an arduous process, but I do consider you my friend,” I said dryly. “Jade, on the other hand...”
“Is something more?”
“Absolutely not!”
Taylor didn’t balk. In fact, his expression grew even more smug. “Sure, I believe you, Alaric. But if that’s the case, can you explain why you’ve been here two nights in a row?”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “How do you know that?” I demanded.
“The baby powder smell follows you, remember?”
I narrowed my eyes at the pompous tiger. “All right, fine. I’ve visited Jade twice—and both times were to discuss important matters. That’s all.”
“And you couldn’t discuss these important matters during the Games.”
“No, because they were private.”
“And surely you couldn’t pull Jade aside for a one-on-one conversation.”
If I was in cat form, my tail would’ve lashed hard enough to smack my glass off the counter. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Taylor set the jerky down. “Listen, Alaric. If you like Jade, why bother hiding it?”
I huffed. “I don’t like him. He’s an aggravating, pretentious know-it-all.”
“Sounds familiar,” Taylor teased.
I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t anything like Jade. For one, my sexual proclivities were more tame... or at least, that’s what I’dthought until I stumbled into his den of sin. Since I was in polite company, I shoved those thoughts out of my mind.
“He’s not my type,” I stated. Part of me figured I’d believe the words more if I spoke them into existence. It didn’t work.
“Describe your type, then,” Taylor said. “Since the rest of the alphas on the Dragonfate Games haven’t been to your taste.”
Despite my best efforts to worm my way into any alpha’s heart, it always ended in failure. But Taylor was right. In all honesty, the previous four alphas—Crimson, Thystle, Cobalt and Aurum—weren’t to my taste. Yet my inner desperation for a mate drove me to madness. I’d thrown myself at them like a moth to a flame, hoping to be chosen as their fated mate, and I was burned every time.
Could things be different with Jade?
I sighed, taking another sip of milk. “My type, hm? To start, he would be rich. That’s mandatory.”
Taylor snorted.
“What, do you want me to lie?” I asked.
His amber eyes glinted with amusement. “No. Keep going.”
