"You laughed at me when I offered," Darius pointed out.
"I laughed at the idea that you think fate might have paired us together. I have no intention of ever mating with someone, and I’m not particularly interested in sex. Fate can't possibly hate you that much."
"Have you evertriedsex?" Darius checked.
"Some things don't need to be tried."
"Well if you ever change your mind, you know I'll make a bargain for it." Darius winked at her, putting that asshole mask back on.
Hewasan asshole. It wasn't all a mask.
But he was a loving asshole. No one cared as fiercely as Darius did, even when he didn't show it.
"I'm sure I'll take you up on that." Rae's voice dripped with sarcasm.
I managed a small smile.
They got along surprisingly well, all things considered.
"So people are going to know she's his mate when they see his shadows stuck to her like that?" Darius asked.
"Yeah. You can't make shadows cling to someone you don't have a mate bond with. Not like that. They're repelled by most people."
"So if you tried to wrap yours around me..." Darius trailed off.
"I wouldn't. But if I did, they'd refuse."
"Try it," he dared her.
I almost thought he might've been trying to see how her magic felt to him.
"No." She glanced at me, her lips curving slightly when she saw me in the outfit. "He's going to lose his shit when he sees you baring so much of your skinandyour scars. That's pretty fucking ballsy. I had mine covered with ink."
Dare's attention had never wandered from the Wraith. "You have scars?"
"Yeah. Guess all three of us can bond over our childhood trauma. Woohoo." Her voice was dry again. "I prefer showing off the ink."
"Tattoos and bargain marks don't always mesh well," I explained. "Bargain marks have life of their own."
"And they fucking itch when you have enough of them," Dare said.
"How many do you have?" Rae asked.
"I don't know. At least a million. Don't want to let any of them go, or I'll end up making deals with people I already know aren't mine."
"You'll find a cute little coffee nerd soon," I promised him.
"Coffee nerd?" Rae looked skeptical. "I can't see you with a little werewolf like that blonde Callum is with."
I couldn't, either.
I wasn't going to say that, though.
Dare's stomach growled loudly, and he changed the subject. "Do we have time to stop for food?"
I let out a slow breath, closing my eyes as a wave of overwhelm hit me.
"I'll grab something on the way out," he said instead. "Want to wait in the car?"
