Fractured (The Deep in Your Veins Series Book 5)(10)

I nodded, understanding. “He didn’t respect your need for independence.” I knew her well enough to know how much she needed that.

“He took it personally,” said Paige. “Like I do things for myself to spite him. He doesn’t see that I’m just being me. It quickly became clear to me that I’m not right for him. He needs someone different.”

I pursed my lips. “So calling you cold as ice…that was his ego talking. It took a beating when you didn’t make him the centre of your world.” What a little shit.

Paige shrugged one shoulder. “I guess so. I mean it when I say he’s not a bad guy. He’s just not for me.”

Ava put a hand on Alora’s arm. “Hang on, what did Max have to do with this?”

Eyes brightening, Alora smiled. “Ah, well, Evan heard that—”

Paige waved a hand. “Alora, seriously, just get to the important part.”

“Well apparently, Max told him that badmouthing you was immature, shitty, and disrespectful. Stuart’s drunken response was a snort followed by, ‘It’s not like she’ll care; she’s stone cold…until she’s in bed; then she’s all fire.’ Max didn’t like that. He told Stuart to zip his mouth shut before he said something he’d regret but couldn’t take back. Stuart accused him of ‘having a little thing’ for you.”

Ava flashed a megawatt smile. “Ooh, this is getting really good.”

Nodding, Alora went on, “Max just shrugged and said, ‘Some guys like strong, independent women. Others feel threatened by them.’ The implication was clear. Stuart lunged for Max, but the bystanders intervened before anyone could even throw a punch.

“Hmm, maybe Max does have a little thing for you, Paige,” said Ava.

My BFF snorted. “Max has a little thing for everyone.”

Alora’s smile dimmed. “Okay, I can’t deny that his dick doesn’t seem to be very discriminating. But that’s only if the rumours are to be believed. What about you? Do you like him?”

“What’s not to like?” said Paige. “He’s cute, strong, fun, and he’s got a great body.”

“I sense a ‘but’ coming,” said Alora.

“But I don’t want to be with a slut.”

“Like I said, they could be just rumours. There are always rumours about guys who are that hot.”

Ava turned her smile on me. “Speaking of rumours, I heard Butch is kind of wild in bed. All dark and dominant. That true?”

I gave her my best mysterious smile. “A lady never tells.”

“So is it true?”

“Are you implying that I’m not a lady?”

“I thought you already knew that.”

“Bitch,” I chuckled.

Imani, Jared called telepathically. Come to the beach house. Sam would like to see you.

Blinking in surprise, I replied, Sure thing. “Girls, I’m done for the night. According to Jared”—I tapped my temple—“Sam wants to see me about something.” Maybe she had more questions about my nest. That wasn’t a pleasant thought.

After saying my goodbyes, I headed for Sam and Jared’s home. I’d been inside the beach house a few times before, and I loved it. The place had such a cosy, relaxing feel to it. They must have heard me coming up the steps to the porch, because Jared opened the door before I had a chance to knock.

As we passed the noisy living area, I asked, “Is that Sebastian and Luther I can hear grumbling at each other?”

Jared’s lips pressed together. “Yes. They’re playing on Sam’s PlayStation.”

The image made me laugh as I entered the kitchen, where Sam was sitting at a table, drinking an NST. “Imani, come sit.”

Accepting her invitation, I pulled out the chair opposite hers. “So, what’s up?”

“In the interests of full disclosure, I’m letting you know upfront that we’re going to forewarn Butch about your past with Marco,” she told me. “He knows that Marco is your Sire, but he doesn’t know the arsehole was also once your boyfriend. If he finds out another way, he might go ape-shit. It will be hard enough to stop Butch from killing Marco on this trip.”

I shook my head. “If you order him not to hurt Marco, he’ll follow that order.” Regardless of what Butch said, he was a good soldier.

“He would if this was about anyone other than you,” said Sam. “Look, I’m not going to pretend I don’t know that Butch is suddenly all up in your space.” When I didn’t comment, she added, “I heard he went to your apartment last night.”

I should have remembered that nothing that happened on this island stayed secret for long. “We just talked.”

Sam cast me an impatient look. “You know you’re crap at lying, right?”

“I can so lie.”

Jared snorted a laugh. “Um, no, you can’t.”

“Well, seven of the eight voices in my head say you’re wrong.”

He laughed. “Back to the subject of Butch…he looked really concerned for you in the arena. He even asked me to tell you to take a break. I thought about it, but you seemed to need to escape your thoughts for a while.”

It was exactly what I’d needed.

“So, why is he back in your space?” Sam asked me.

I couldn’t tell her. Not when I hadn’t even told my best friend, and not when I wasn’t even sure how I felt about it. I didn’t want other people’s opinions to colour what decision I made. And Sam no doubt intended to tell me that I should stay clear of Butch. “If you’re going to warn me that it’s in my best interests to stay away from him, you don’t need to. He already told me he thinks he’s not good for me.”

“He probably isn’t,” said Sam. “I don’t mean it in a bitchy way. But we have to be straight here. Butch is…he’s not broken, but he’s fractured.”

I could agree with that.

“He’d be a difficult mate. He’s an alpha, which automatically makes him a bloody handful. He has qualities that make him great at his position. He’s confident, disciplined, forever alert, and loyal to a fault. He’s got a brilliant, strategic mind. And he doesn’t let fear hold him back; never flinches at anything.

“But he’s also very dominant. And he’s so direct, his words often come out cold. That means he’ll be overbearing and absentmindedly hurtful in a relationship. He needs a mate who’ll be careful not to take things too personally and to give him a lot of room to fuck up. But she’d also have to push back or he’d walk all over her.”

She wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. Not wanting to hear any more reasons a relationship with him would be hard, I said, “You really think he needs to know that Marco’s an ex of mine?”

Sam’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she allowed the subject change. “I do. He’s never said anything, but I think he found it hard to see you with Dean. He can be jealous when it comes to you. So when he finds out you used to date Marco, he’ll want to see him dead even more than he already does. It really is best if he hears the truth from us.”

“Let’s be honest,” began Jared, “if the situation was reversed, what would you do to Butch’s Maker?”

My back teeth locked. “The question is: what wouldn’t I do?”

A slow smile surfaced on Sam’s face. “I like that answer.”

Well, it was true.

“I actually doubt Marco will start any shit,” said Sam. “The reunion   will be awkward, though. Still, we can deal with ‘awkward.’ And if Marco does act like a tit, you can take him. And I can watch, smiling with glee the entire time.”

“She’s not kidding, by the way,” Jared told me.

I smiled. “I didn’t for one second think that she was.”





(Butch)



A few hours before dawn, I was sitting across the kitchen table from Sam after receiving a telepathic summons from Jared. “Imani’s been here,” I noted, picking up her scent.

“We need to talk to you about her,” Sam replied simply.

Everything in me froze. I flicked my gaze from Sam to Jared to Sebastian; they all looked equally serious. “What about Imani?”

Sinking into her seat, Sam said, “After she told us about her past, I had a little chat with Mona and Cedric. I wanted to know more about Marco. According to them, he’s a cunning, intelligent, smooth-talking predator who’s so cold he’s dead inside. Still, he doesn’t go around Turning unwilling humans.” Sam leaned forward. “But something made him do that to Imani. Until her, he was happy without the responsibilities of running his own line; he was happy owing loyalty to only his Sire and his nest. She changed that somehow.”

“She’s his first-born?”

Sam nodded. “She doesn’t believe that he cared for her, even though they were a couple while she was human—which is something you’re best knowing upfront.”

Oh, fucking were they?

“Stop growling and listen. She also doesn’t believe that he tried tracking her after she fled. She’s right about that. And that’s just bloody weird. If nothing else, he should see her as a possession that he lost. He appears to be just ignoring her existence. Does that make sense to you?”