“Not a one. He told me some stuff. Enough for me to understand why he is the way he is. And no, I’m not expanding on that. He told me those things in private.”
“True, but did he say that he didn’t want you to repeat them?”
“No, but he also didn’t give me the green light to share them, so I won’t. All I will say is that I can see why he shies away from getting deeply involved with women.”
Imani hummed. “So, like, he was betrayed by a fiancée or something?”
“You can throw as many theories at me as you want—I’m not going to confirm or deny anything. And in my position, you wouldn’t do it either.”
Her shoulders lowered in defeat. “You’re right, I wouldn’t. You know, I’m kind of surprised that you two got round to talking about whatever issues he has. I didn’t expect to hear that you’ve been having deep conversations.”
“Max can talk to anyone about anything—he keeps very few things private.”
“Well, yeah. But this is one of the subjects he never touches. Maybe he feels like he owes you an explanation as to why he’s not offering you anything real. Or maybe he just thinks that if he can make you understand why he’s this way, you two can become friends after the sexytimes are over.”
It seemed more likely to me that he’d felt comfortable sharing because he’d known I’d be able to relate to some of his personal issues. But I didn’t say that, because if Imani heard ‘personal issues,’ she’d start tossing more theories at me. It seemed better to distract her. “Do you still not find human blood the least bit appetising?”
She threw me a sour look for changing the subject. “No. I still can’t consume NSTs either, but Butch has no problems with me feeding from him all the time. I just don’t like that he’s constantly having to replenish his hunger for blood, though.” She paused as she pushed open the front door of the store. “It still feels weird not having fangs anymore. I mean, I never actually liked having them. I used to complain about them. But it still feels odd.”
“I’d find it kind of strange, too,” I said as we headed to the refrigerator, where she snatched a bottle of water. “But I can’t say I’d perceive it as a terrible loss.”
We both rounded the aisle, and then I inwardly cursed. Because behind the counter stood Ursula. Apparently she’d switched jobs, because she normally worked at one of the other stores.
“Wonderful,” Imani muttered under her breath.
Ursula’s gaze slammed on us as we crossed to the counter. What could only be described as pure scorn rippled across her face as her eyes met mine. “I was sure you were bullshitting me, and I was right,” she said to me, all sass. “Well, congrats. Whatever game you were playing with Max paid off, didn’t it?”
Imani turned to me, her face lighting up. “Ooh, was it like a sex game? Because I’m fond of those.” Yeah, Imani was like me—she enjoyed fucking with annoying people, too.
Ursula sniffed at me. “It won’t last, you know. What’s going on with you and Max won’t go the distance.”
“I appreciate the heads-up.” I waved my hand, adding, “Could you maybe speed things along?”
Instead, she folded her arms. “What, you think I’m wrong?”
“No, it’s just that I’m in a rush here—gotta go feed my velociraptor. Benji gets seriously cranky when he’s hungry.”
Someone snickered behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the cute waitress I’d caught Damien ogling at the Binding ceremony. There was a glint of amusement in the human’s eyes. I gave her a quick smile and then turned back to Ursula just in time to see her take payment for Imani’s water.
Ursula then shook her head at me. “I don’t know what Max sees in you. I just don’t.”
I shrugged. “That’s okay. Not all people have good taste.”
“Well, just so you know, I intend to file a complaint about the restroom incident. You laid your hands on me, you refused to let me leave, you threatened to harm me. And if it hadn’t been for Max, I’m quite sure you would have hurt me. I’d expect better from a member of the legion.”
“That’s nice, dear.”
Imani smiled at me. “She’s sort of adorable, isn’t she? ‘File a complaint.’ Like it’ll be a blip on your radar when we have so much more important things going on.”
“Don’t think saying shit like that will make me think it’s not worth it.” Ursula’s eyes sliced back to me. “No, I will file it. It will be taken seriously. You will be held accountable. Sam and Jared will make sure of it, because your behaviour reflects on the legion. And being part of it doesn’t give you the right to do whatever the hell you want. So be prepared for a temporary suspension, bitch.”