Anya thinned her lips. No, they weren’t all dead, but that didn’t mean she trusted Del-Rey to contact them. She would have to do this one herself. Because that pain was scary. And even scarier was Dr. Armani’s supposition that it was emotional changes causing it. Because Anya knew she only wished she could hate him.
CHAPTER 8
“My nails look so pretty.” Ashley sighed as she threw herself beside Anya on the couch in the community room and lifted her hands up for inspection three days later.
French-tipped, a brilliant stripe running diagonally across each of them through a rich, lustrous vermillion. They were pretty nice.
“Cute,” Anya stated as she flipped a page in the magazine she was pretending to read.
Ashley curled her legs under her and stared back at Anya.
“Get a haircut?” Anya asked her.
“Oh yeah.” Ashley flipped the shorter back and sides. “Alpha sprang for it. But I’m still six weeks without new shoes, video games or splurge money for the mall. That sucks. He’s being mean about cutting weeks off too. Remember, though, you can’t have that ceremony until after my punishment. I want to look really pretty for it.”
Anya had thought about that ceremony, though Del-Rey hadn’t mentioned it. Hell, she had even looked at dresses herself, as though it meant something to her.
“Hmm,” Anya muttered as she flipped another page.
“You’re horny,” Ashley whispered. “Alpha make you sleep with him last night?”
Anya glared at her. “I had to have been out of my mind when I bargained for your nails rather than my bed.”
Ashley grinned impishly. “It’s because you love me best. I’ve been rubbing it in too. Sharone and Emma are so put out with me.”
“Emma doesn’t have kitchen duty,” Anya informed her. “Del-Rey put her in the office instead.”
“Only because she put that knife of hers under a Feline Breed’s throat when he wanted a sandwich,” Ashley laughed.
Anya closed her eyes and laid her head back on the couch. “I want kitchen staff, Ashley. A cook, someone that can bake.”
“Ohh, chocolate. Yummy,” Ashley sighed. “I had chocolate cheesecake and coffee in town.”
“I hate you,” Anya muttered, uncurling from her seat and moving away. “Get away from me, chocolate breath, before I kill you.”
No caffeine, no chocolate. No masturbating. No nothing for the bad little Coyote mate that didn’t want to f**k. She snorted at the thought of it.
“Hey, let the alpha give you a little somethin’-somethin’, and you can do coffee and chocolate.” Ashley caught up with her easily.
Anya harrumphed at the thought. “I’m not that desperate yet.” She was dying for him. So aroused she was liquid heat, and Dr. Armani was scratching her head over it. All hormone levels were fine and dandy. Just great. Emotional response, Dr. Armani had said and smirked.
Emotional her ass.
“Come on, Anya, you know you want him.” Ashley skipped beside her, her pouting lips spreading into a smile. “You could just eat him all up like he’s chocolate himself, couldn’t you?”
“I’m going to shoot you,” Anya mumbled as she headed for her room.
“Where are you going? Don’t you have coya stuff to do?” Ashley asked her. “I heard Brim bitching at Sharone over your reports.”
“Did them,” Anya stated. They hadn’t taken long.
She was dying for Del-Rey’s kiss. It was eating her alive. She wanted to bite that lower lip and then lick it all better. Then she wanted to get serious about it and lick him all over.
“Don’t you have a party tonight?” Anya asked. “I already bought my dress. Thank God I didn’t wait till the last minute on that one.”
“Yes, something. City council shindig. Their yearly schmooze fest from what I understand.”
“Yeah, Del-Rey has a team out now going into place in case of snipers. He says his neck is itching.” Ashley reached back and scratched at her own neck. “So is mine. Do you think he’s messing with my mind?”