I manage to sleep through the next two hours as Axe listens to a symphony of violins and fluttering flutes. A pothole in the road jolts me awake, lifting my head from where it has slumped against an arm of solid muscle.Oops.
Not even an hour after lunch, Axe pulls off the freeway to stop into a fast-food restaurant, jogging back to the car about ten minutes later with three double cheeseburgers with extra bacon.
A half-smile forms on the lycan’s lips. “Man’s gotta keep that hungry wolf in check.”
I watch in horror as he annihilates the first sandwich in three bites, only to cringe at the sight of crumbs collecting on the impeccably clean floor mats.
“Everyone has their vices,” he shrugs, dabbing the corner of his mouth with a crumpled napkin.
As we whip back onto the interstate, I suddenly feel far less insecure about mine.
Axe peers at me through his periphery, cracking the windows. "I'll bet you have a sweet tooth, don't you?"
I tear my gaze away from the endless stretch of snowy tundra. "What makes you say that? Is it my scent?"
He shrugs. “Just a hunch.”
My lips betray me, tugging upwards. “Alright, fine. I'll let you in on a little something," I begin, shifting in my seat so that our shoulders are nearly touching. "If you're trying to get on my good side, a little chocolate won't hurt. But if it’s my heart you’re after, then you’ll give me black licorice."
"Doesn't that taste like rat poison?"
"Don't tell me you’ve ingested arsenic before.”
"Let's just say that when I was a teenager, Qinnu and I were involved in some outrageous prank warfare."
The lycan’s eyes twinkle with mischief as he recounts the days when he and Qinnu would conspire against his older sister and her friends.
"Demi, being three years older, first in line for the Alpha title, and a total snob, thrived on humiliating the warrior initiates. On multiple occasions, she and Tesni would steal our clothes while we were in the showers or right as we were returning from shifts. Make us walk all the way to the front of the property where they were hanging out with the girls by the courtyard to get them back. Another time, on a hot afternoon after training, she fooled Qinnu into guzzling a protein shake blended with toxic mushrooms she found in the woods.”
I fight the urge to gag. "That's awful. I mean older sisters can be ruthless, but . . .”
"Oh, she was a terrorist. But we got her back. Took almost a month to plot it out, but we got hergood."
"Do tell,” I say, finding this meddling side of him quite appealing.
"Later that spring, she and her partner at the time were planning to attend a school dance—Spring Fling, was it? Anyways, the morning of, the girls drove to Hichano to get instant tans and Qinnu paid the front desk attendant a hundred bucks to fuck with their formulas. When Demi and Kiersten took their goggles off, we could hear their screams from the parking lot."
"Good gods.”
Axe snickers. "Those blondes were so dark it looked like they were coated in shit. Needless to say, they didn't go to the dance. Their big date night was spent sulking and scrubbing it all off."
"Wait. Demi and Kiersten weretogether?”
It isn't extremely common, but lycans can find their mate in someone of the same gender. Of course, offspring don’t come naturally for them, though.
He fumbles with the radio, annoyed by the static blare of lost reception. "Demi ended things with Kiersten shortly after she met her mate, Chris."
For some reason, Axe stiffens at the memory.
Axe
To avoid the enforcer tolls along the Heartlands, I steer northwest, parallel to the Bissex border. Within three hours, Vessa and I reach Lake Verdant. Named for its jewel-colored waters, the emerald landmark is legendary among the Silverback wolves of Belcarra. Surrounded by miles of robust cedars and spruces, its waters are unusually warm year-round, drawing humans, bears, and other locals during the waning months of summer. It also happens to be one of my favorite places to get away when given the rare opportunity.
Through her window, Vessa watches the sun slowly set over the sparkling lake, hooking a wisp of hair behind her ear. "How is that real?"
As I try to find a way to answer her, my nose catches a foul, coppery stench. Blood. Lots of it.
Human male and canine, my wolf detects.We should alert Demi.
