“You came.” Makya stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “You do have brass ones, don’t you?”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t have any at all, Makya. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a girl. Now, for the second time today, could you please get out of my way?”
Makya’s eyes took their time traveling up and down my body, finally affixing his leer on my chest. I felt more naked in my jeans and the faded Journey T-Shirt I stole from Dad’s closet than I had in Talley’s swimsuit cover-up. “I think you’ve moved well beyond girl, Scout.” He reached out and grabbed a strand of my hair, brushing his thumb over the tips.
“If you don’t take your hands off me I’m going to break every single one of your fingers.”
“Oh, you like it rough, do you?”
Shifters are not preternaturally strong or fast. Instead, their muscles are simply in the best condition possible. Could I bench-press a Humvee or run so quickly human eye couldn’t detect me? No. Could I pin Makya’s hand behind his back so quickly ninja would be jealous? Damn straight I could.
“That’s it, baby. Hurt me good.”
Was he serious? How was I suppose to deal with an idiot who wanted me to hurt him?
“You do understand I can and will break your arm, right?”
He laughed. “I’m getting turned on just thinking about it.”
Ewwww.
“Dude, I think she’s just not that into you.” Jase ambled up, a plate stacked high with food balanced on his hand.
“Hey, man. I was just getting to know your sweet little sister better. She is fine. I bet you’re glad you’re not really related so you can tap that.” I moved my head out of the way just in time. As it was, Makya clipped my ear when his head collided with Jase’s fist. I gave his arm an extra twist and muttered, “And I’m not his little sister,” before tossing him face-first on the ground.
“I fixed you a plate,” Jase said, ignoring the litany of curses coming from his blood-splattered cousin on the ground and the gawking stares surrounding us.
I met Jase’s eyes, my stomach giving a now familiar lurch. Everything else became nothing more than background noise as he soundlessly offered me the food. I might not have been on top of Shifter customs, but in my heart I knew accepting it meant something. The question was, was it something I was willing to give him? If it was forgiveness, then no. I wasn’t ready, and very well may never be. But was I willing to begin considering the possibility? To start rebuilding what was once the most important relationship in my life? Could I do that without betraying Alex or myself?
As I weighed the possible implications of taking him up on his offer, Jase’s face began to slowly crumble, making my decision for me. “Thank you,” I said, taking the food from him. He was my brother. I had to at least give us a chance to fix what was broken between us.
I stepped over Makya’s prostrate form and made my way to the place where Talley was looking from me to the beaten coyote on the ground and back again. I had already devoured a hotdog and half a cheeseburger by the time I made the twelve steps it took me to get there.
“Let me guess. That wasn’t proper Shifter etiquette.” I wiped some mustard off the corner of my mouth and contemplated whether I wanted ribs or a pork chop next.
“Etiquette-wise you were fine. It’s the besting Makya part that has people a little shocked.”
“Why? Makya is a loser. I could have taken him without the lycan advantage.”
“Scout, Makya is one of the highest ranked juvenile Shifters in the Pack. There are only five people above him.”
Makya was suppose to be strong and dominant? That was just sad. “Who are the five?”
Talley raised her eyebrows as if I was missing something obvious. “Toby, Jase, Charles, Charlie, and Robby.”
I choked on a bite of ribs and desperately wished Jase had thought to grab me a Mello Yello. “Jase and Charlie? Seriously? Like Jase Jase and Charlie Charlie?”
“How many other Jases and Charlies do you see around here?”
The dynamic duo in question were standing off to the side of the crowd with Toby and a few men I didn’t recognize. Jase and Charlie flanked Toby, and I noticed none of the other men would meet their eyes as they talked to them. “Jase and Charlie are Dominant?”
“Their grandfather was made Pack Leader at the unprecedented age of eighteen. Jason took his place when he turned twenty-two. After Jason’s death there was a bit of unrest, some of the cousins felt they were more capable of taking over than Charles was. He had to take on a lot of challenges, but he managed to keep the top spot until Toby was ready to take over.” Charlie’s dad, I noticed, was keeping to himself. He was also on his second case of beer for the evening by the glassy look in his eyes. “No one has ever challenged Toby because there is no need, he was obviously the most dominant.”