Teeth and Wings (Race Games 2)

“Did you come here to admire my shelves and ogle me or to speak whatever business you have?” Radley asked suddenly, his brows raised.

Cricket jerked her eyes away from his chest and met his eyes. She couldn’t hide the wince from her own face or the flush of embarrassment. “I apologize.”

He tilted his head. “You apologize a lot for a fae. In all my years, I’ve heard maybe one apology from your species, and it wasn’t a serious one.”

Cricket curled her fingers into her jeans. He was right. She was apologizing far too much but it was a defense mechanism to her nervousness. Lisi often told her never to apologize. Snapdragons didn’t apologize, but still, here she was, apologizing every few moments.

“Right, well. . .” Cricket huffed under her breath. She’d been about to apologize again and only just stopped it, but it still lingered in her throat. “Mr. Whiteclaw, I appreciate you taking the time to listen to what I have to say.”

“If you’d get on with it, we can finish up this business and I can shower off a day’s work,” the alpha grunted. “And you can call me Radley. We’re hardly as formal as you lot here.”

Cricket tried her best to ignore the rudeness, to keep her back straight and her shoulders back like any good Snapdragon, but she couldn’t help the twitch of her fingers against her thigh.

“Yes. Of course. I don’t mean to take up your valuable time.” She sighed and forced herself to relax. Though she did so physically, her mind was as tense as ever. “I find myself in a situation where I’m in need of a teammate for the next Race Games.” Short and to the point seemed to be the best avenue here, so Cricket spit the words out, just like he’d wanted. However, she wasn’t expecting the snort of laughter that left him.

“Then you came to the wrong place,” he replied. “The Chesapeake Clan has no need to enter those barbaric races.”

Cricket curled her hand tighter into the jeans at her thigh, trying her best not to let her emotions get the best of her. He was going to force her to use her last name.

“I can pay heavily, and I will. I just need someone to be my Navigator and help me.”

Radley crossed his arms, dragging her attention briefly to his shoulders again and the strength there. “We don’t need your money.”

Cricket would beg to differ. She’d done her research before coming here, knowing the Clan could use all the money they could get with their growing numbers, but she wouldn’t push the issue and insult them. She needed Radley on her side, needed him to want to help her, but if he wouldn’t do so willingly, she was prepared to force the matter. She just didn’t want to be like her father.

“You must need something—” she tried again, choosing to barter rather than insult.

“The answer is no,” he said, cutting her off. “Besides, if I were to race in the games, you wouldn’t be who I’d pick. No offense.”

Cricket scowled, suddenly very annoyed with the man before her. How had she ever thought him attractive with a personality like that? Every part of her body tensed, and, because of her emotions, the glamour fell on her wings, revealing them in all their glory. With that reveal, dust rained down from the slight appendages, drawing a groan from Radley’s mouth.

“Full offense taken,” Cricket growled, crossing her arms. Then, because she felt like being petty, she flicked her wings open just barely, and more dust went flying through the air.

Radley growled. “Do you know how long it takes to get glitter out of a house?”

The curl of Cricket’s lips only brought another growl to his and he narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Probably the same amount of time it would take to get rid of your foul attitude.”

His eyes widened just slightly in surprise at her retort.

Game on, wolf, Cricket thought. Game on.