a bit” she hadn’t meant in a way he was more familiar with. The idea of having a vampire chomp on him was enough to make him go into conniptions, so he didn’t pick over what he imagined the details might be.
“I liked it,” Ashi had said while he was a quivering, broken heap on the floor. Christoph couldn’t imagine and didn’t want to know why. He was hoping he didn’t like it. At least no one could bite him but Mouse. That meant John would keep his distance—a blessing. Secure as he was in his own sexuality, the thought of being bitten by a guy and liking it was way too much for him to handle.
He realized he had been rubbing the little cross-shaped scar on his arm. He stopped.
Clarisse turned her attention to Christoph, still grinning. “I saw ye cringe there. Don’t be such a prude, ye don’t know what ye’re missing. And trust me, ye cannae do much better than being claimed by Mouse here. Unless ye’d rather be mine.” That grin only widened, the wicked gleam in her eyes growing brighter at his horrified reaction.
Without waiting for his answer, she started toward the door, reaching out to ruffle his hair on the way. “I’ll start a betting pool on when ye fold, lovey. Between your fear and Mouse’s prudishness, I’ll start the bet at a fortnight, minimum. This is going to be great fun, I’ll wager.”
Christoph rubbed his face again, feeling a headache coming on. A betting pool? Oh, God. This was as bad as when one of his packmates started a pool on when Gavin was going to get a girlfriend. It had been going for ten years and had amassed to quite a hefty sum.
Mouse, for her part, was positively mortified and wouldn’t show her face for a good, long while. Clarisse had embarrassed her beyond belief.
Especially because she was completely right.
Analie grinned after Clarisse’s shadow and moved back to the table to finish her work. It was a perfect time to sneak away and read more, but she didn’t want to make Isabelle blow an artery. She scribbled away in silence for a good hour before Christoph spoke up.
“You say Mouse is nice.”
“Yep.” Analie glanced at him.
“How is she nice? I mean, what kind of nice is she?”
“I dunno. She’s just nice.” Analie picked up her compass and started up on the next page. “She’s not Goliath-nice. She’s… gentle.”
Christoph picked up the blanket and covered himself with it. “You like her?”
“‘Course I do. Mouse helped me stay sane my first week here.” At that, she turned and fixed Christoph with a very unnerving stare.
Christoph ducked his head slightly. “Uh, yeah. That’s good.”
“Yeah. It is good.” Analie turned back to her work.
“I’m sorry,” Christoph said.
Analie looked over at Christoph. “No, you’re not.”
“I am.”
“No, not for putting me in your place. You still think it was a good idea,” Analie snapped. She shut her book and turned to face him. “You’re sorry you’re stuck here. You’re sorry I’m faster and stronger and freer than you.”
Christoph frowned at her. “Look, I said I was sorry.”
“I know you are.”
“Can you accept that?”
“No. You’re not sorry about my predicament, you’re sorry about yours.”
“Your ‘predicament’ seems to be going pretty good for you,” Christoph shot back.
“Yeah. Know what? It is. I am getting damn good schooling. I have friends here. I am not going to be bitten. I can still shift. I have a pack to go back to. I doubt you’ll have one.”
Christoph flinched. “They’ll accept me back.”
“Uh, no, they won’t. You screwed up big time.”
“What are you complaining about anyway?” Christoph demanded. “If you have it so good here, why are you mad at me?”
“Let me think about that. Hey, maybe it’s because you took me away from my family, my friends, and my home.”
“You have it better here than there! Gavin couldn’t hire a tutor for you or even keep you in anything better than secondhand clothes!” Christoph shouted.
Analie stared at him. Her eyes flooded with gold. “You... you tail-biting worm! Don’t you ever talk about Gavin like that!”
“Royce has done better for you than Gavin, that’s all I’m saying.” Christoph glared at her.
Analie stood up slowly. “I don’t care whose lapdog you are,” she snarled, fangs growing. “I don’t care if you’re a packmate or an exile.”
Christoph stared at her as she grew in size. She was quick-shifting and it looked like she was going full wolf. Usually that meant one sorry hazmat crew with