Refuge(75)
“I am never wrong about these things. He is a temperamental one so he was probably in a bad mood. Hell, I thought he was going to rip someone’s head off this morning. I almost pitied you having to train with him, but it looks like you survived in one piece.”
“Barely.”
Chris chose that moment to walk in for lunch, and he smiled and waved at me as he passed us. Jordan’s eyes followed him appreciatively for a moment before she looked back at me with a sly smile. “So, Nikolas has some competition, does he?”
The girl never quit. “Chris is my cousin, Jordan.”
Her eyes grew round. “Cousin? Why didn’t you say something before?”
“I found out last night.”
It took her a less than thirty seconds to make the connection. “But he is Tristan’s kinsman. Does that mean . . . ?”
“Tristan is my grandfather. His daughter, Madeline, is my mother.”
Her eyes grew round. “Holy hell! That is crazy! You found out all of that last night?”
“Tristan told me who he was almost weeks ago. I didn’t want people to make a big deal of it, so I asked him to keep it between us for now. I guess it won’t be a secret much longer.”
“No shit. Talking about winning the orphan lottery.”
“I would have settled for not being abandoned by my mother in the first place.”
“Mommy issues. Gotcha.” Jordan leaned across the table with a gleam in her eyes. “If you are Lord Tristan’s granddaughter, does that make you a lady or something?”
“God no, or at least I hope not. I’m having trouble just getting used to the idea of having a grandfather who looks a few years older than me.”
“Especially one so hot.”
“Ugh! Do not even go there.”
She burst out laughing, drawing the attention of some of the people around us. It was obvious by their stares that Jordan’s laughter was not an everyday occurrence, and they were probably wondering if I had spiked her water or something.
She pursed her lips and studied Chris who was sitting with Seamus and Niall. “Hmm. You know, I’ve always liked blondes.”
I ducked my head to hide my smile. Poor Chris, he thought human girls were aggressive.
“Just the two ladies I wanted to talk to.” Terrence stopped at our table carrying his lunch tray. “You girls up for a party Saturday night?”
“A party?” Jordan’s eyes lit up. “Will it be better than that one you guys threw last month, where you all got drunk and passed out by midnight?”
“A lot better.” He ignored her barb and laid his tray on the table so he could lean down to say in a low voice, “A townie party.”
“I’m in,” Jordan declared without asking for details.
“Wait. Are we even allowed to go?” After our trip to Boise, I wasn’t sure Tristan would let me go anywhere without a bodyguard. A party wouldn’t be much fun with one or both of the twins looming in the background.
Terrence smiled. “Josh and I go to Butler Falls all the time, so I doubt anyone would have a problem with it.”
“And they can’t say no if you don’t ask,” Jordan added. “That usually works pretty well for me.”
“You mean sneak out?” Tristan said they believed the Master thought I was dead so I was safe from that threat, but he was feeling overly protective after the demon attack and I didn’t want to worry him.
Jordan snorted. “You so don’t strike me as the type to ask permission before you do something.”
“It’s not that simple. I did some really stupid things before I came here, and I almost got my friends and my uncle killed. I promised Nate I would be more careful.”
“Well, it’s gonna be a hell of a party,” Terrence said. “Our friend, Derek, has a killer pad and he keeps his bar well stocked.”
Jordan swung her gaze from me to Terrence. “I’m still in. Anything is better than Saturday night hanging out here.”
Terrence straightened and picked up his tray. “Cool, and maybe Sara will change her mind by then.”
I watched him walk over to join Josh before I turned to Jordan. “I thought you two couldn’t stand each other.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Na, Terrence just knows how to flip my bitch switch and I know how to get a rise out of him. We hooked up once last year, but we both realized that was a huge mistake.”
Jordan and Terrance? I speared a piece of pineapple with my fork and chewed it, trying to figure her out. Hanging out with her was like having a friend with multiple personalities; you never knew who was going to show up next.
“Anyway, whether or not you go to the party is probably moot.”