I appreciated his reminder that true love existed outside of mating bonds. Not that I’d doubted it. After all, my parents had loved each other, and they hadn’t been fated mates. “That’scrazy.”
“Yeah.” He studied the dusky road ahead. “So what are your plans for the bigeighteen?”
I rubbed my palms against my jeans to stop myself from fidgeting. “That’s still a long time fromnow.”
“Five weeks isn’t thatlong.”
I moistened my lips. “I’m not much of a birthdayperson.”
“You used to love birthdays. You used to request fireworks. I almost set myself on fire lighting one up for you.Remember?”
“I remember.” The bottom of his jeans were still smoking when he’d jogged back to us. “You cursed so much your mom joked she would go on a huge shopping spree thanks to all those pennies you owedher.”
The memory made me smile, but it also made my eyes heat up and my lips wobble. This year would be the first birthday I’d spend withoutMom.
He must’ve sensed my sudden sorrow, because he touched the top of my hand. “How about we don’t talk aboutbirthdays?”
“Yeah,” Icroaked.
“Tell me more aboutLA.”
I discreetly wiped my wet lashes before feeding him tidbits of the years we’d spentapart.
“It wasn’t all bad,” I said, flipping my phone over and over. Its screen suddenly lit up with amessage.
LIAM:Don’t worry, but don’t leave your patio door unlocked, okay? I’ll be there in anhour.
How was I supposed tonotworry?
ME:You think Everest will ambushme?
LIAM:Just lock upOK?
My nerves churned.OK, I typedback.
August glanced my way, and the car swerved a little. “What?”
I stuck my elbow on the armrest and cradled my head. “It’snothing.”
“You forget I have an internal lie detector. You’re scared. Why are youscared?”
“I’m not scared.” I shook my head because my words didn’t seem to convince him. “Annoyed, but notscared.”
“Why are youannoyed?”
I sighed. “Liam seems to think Everest didn’t fleeBoulder.”
August side-eyedme.
“You know what he did to me,right?”
“I heard pieces of the story. How about you start from thebeginning?”
I glanced over at my uncle, who had drool leaking from his mouth. Even though he was asleep, I kept my voice low as I recounted how Everest convinced me I’d killed Liam’s father with the three anti-shifting pills I slipped him the night I’d paid him a visit. Which led me to tell August about the escort agency, about my alliance with the Pine Pack Alpha, about Evelyn’s kidnapping, and my cousin’sblackmail.
I scratched a fleck of dried blood off the inside of my wrist. “I can’t figure out if Everest was wishing I would die or if he was hoping I would killLiam.”
Although splashed with moonlight, August’s face was too dark to read. “Your cousin was alwaysshifty.”
