I snort at her. “Probably. Hopefully, it’s the land where handsy guys get sent to have their dicks snipped at for all eternity.”
She full-on belly laughs and I feel a warmth at my back as arms are wrapped around me. As soon as I smell something spicy and masculine, I know exactly who it is that’s holding me.
“You have experience with these handsy men? Those who touched you without consent?” Finn growls into my ear.
The answer is, sure, but nothing major. A few times when I was a teenager and while I’ve been out on tours or on the town with Jet, but I’ve got a feeling it wouldn’t be a good idea to admit this to Finn, I don’t need to set off my dragon on a rampage.
“You know their names and addresses? We could pay them a little visit and I’ll happily tear their arms off and beat them with them until they recognize the error of their ways.”
That’s… gross, but an oddly romantic sentiment.
I twist around in his arms and pat his chest. “I’m all good now, Finn.”
“Yes, you are,” he mumbles, nuzzling my neck. “Safe. Home.
12
Soren
The next morning, Echo gets a call from her sister to say that she has some information that might help with our search for Wren. Brogan’s family stayed until well into the small hours. And we’re all a little delicate this morning. As much as I’d like to spend the day lying down, moving as little as possible and continuing the conversation from yesterday with my mate, Wren has now been missing for a week and I know that with every passing day, our chances of finding her trail decrease.
That I’m even considering spending the day talking to someone and bonding over conversation is enough to make me worry I’ve been body-snatched and my brain replaced with someone else’s, someone social who enjoys interacting with others. But I found I enjoyed yesterday. I’ve always enjoyed being around Brogan’s family on the rare occasions we have the opportunity to visit, but yesterday was the first time I didn’t stick to the sidelines and rather than finding it exhausting, I enjoyed it.
If the pounding in my head is an indication, I enjoyed it too much.
Finn stays home while Echo, Brogan and I visit Echo’s sister, Jet, and I can tell as soon as we step through the door that it won’t be an enjoyable visit.
Perhaps it’s the fact that I used up all my polite socializing chips yesterday, so when we step inside the flat and Echo’s sister eyes me like I’m a piece of meat, it instantly has my hackles rising and a scowl forming on my face.
“You didn’t need to bring the stripper with you, sis. And who is this handsome hunk of muscle? Is he a treat you’ve brought me for being a good girl?”
She’s drunk, despite it being barely ten in the morning and despite her being the one to call Echo first thing. Jet reaches out as if to touch Brogan and Echo slaps her sister’s hands away, standing in front of the two of us like we need her protection.
“Jet, hands to yourself. These are my mates, Soren and Brogan.”
“Mates?” Jet cocks her head a little too far to one side, nearly unbalancing herself as she takes us both in. “Thank the fates and all that jazz. Lucky, lucky you. Now, shall we see what we’re working with here? What fate”—she spits the word like it’s a disgusting slur—”has lumbered you with for all eternity? A life shackled to a subpar dick is no life at all. Remember that, sis.”
Echo cringes, taking a step back. “Jet. Please stop talking.”
“But you should really check it out, compare them with your mental database.” Jet slaps a hand to her face. “But surely if fate matched you up, none of you will ever have seen anyone else naked, right? You’re meant to be together, so it’ll have felt oh so wrong sleeping with someone else.”
Echo blushes and I feel a surge of anger go through me. Not at her, of course, at her sister trying to embarrass her and succeeding.
“Quiet,” I snap. “Neither of us cares what happened before we met. All we care about is what happens in the future.”
There’s a moment of silence which Echo breaks, turning around to look at Brogan and me with a sweet smile on her face.
“Could you guys wait outside a sec? I need a word with Jet. As you can see, when she drinks, she turns into a raving bitch.”
It’s the first time I’ve heard Echo call someone a curse word and for some reason, it hits me like a kick in the gut. She looks about two seconds away from bursting into tears and that makes me want to do something totally new for me, to draw her close and soothe her ills, make her feel better. Anything to get rid of the look of hurt rising in her eyes. I don’t, of course. We had an actual conversation yesterday, one where I managed not to sound a total raging dick, but that doesn’t mean that she’ll want me manhandling her.
She gets enough of that from the dragon who can’t seem to keep his hands off her, or his clothes on, while she’s around.
Not that Echo seems to mind, if the way she was eyeing his chest is anything to go by.
Since I’m not a child, I’m notjealousthat she looked at him like he was good enough to eat. It also doesn’t make me feelthreatenedthat both the dragon and Brogan are so much more comfortable at showing easy affection with her.
We traipse out into the hallway outside as though we’ve got lead in our boots. Brogan shoots me a concerned look and I just shake my head.
