Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

LILLY

Three dozen white roses sit on a table before me, their sweet aroma filling the bedchamber.

“Jason?” Inara asks beside me with a smirk on her lips. It’s not a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question judging by her stance. She wants all the details. I give her a coy smile and nod, decidedly not thinking about how well the night had gone. “Oh!” She whispers, clearly reading the memory on my face. “Oh it was like that, huh?”

I roll my eyes, turning away from her and letting myself fall back into the soft comforter of the bed. “No, not that,” I say, chewing my bottom lip and not mentioning how close I’d come to doing exactly that. “Part of me wanted to, and he was definitely down, but… I don’t know, something threw off the vibe.” I huff out the last bit as my friend joins me on the bed, snagging one of the pillows to her lap.

“Thoughts of a certain high lord?” She asks, and I grip my bottom lip between my teeth, fangs poking into the soft flesh.

“Uggh… what the hell is wrong with me? It’s like he pops in at the most inopportune times. I could have gotten…” I let my words trail off.

“Laid?”

I giggle. “Yeah, that… and maybe a mating bond.”

Inara sits straight at that, eyeing me hard. “Mating bond?”

“I dunno, maybe?” I groan, flipping onto my side and hoping the look I’m giving her will buy me some pity. She only laughs. “He’s kind, and funny, and seriously beautiful. Like, it's almost hard to look at him. Unlike my grumpy-assed fiance-to-be. I’m lowkey waiting for him to shift and that dragon devour me.” I shiver at the thought, though I’m not sure if it’s the good kind or not. “Clearly Jason is the better match.” I say firmly and sit up. “You know what. I’m going to go find him right now and do exactly what I should have done last night.”

“Garrick?”

“No, Jason.”

“Right… and what about Garrick?”

I jump off the bed and yank open the closet door, rifling through my clothes to find something that says ‘I want you,’ but, you know, in a classy way. I scoff at my own thoughts. “ Garrick is the one that set this whole thing up. He can reap what he sowed.”

“Yeah but like… I dunno, It’s…” Inara comes up behind me shaking her head. She stops her statement short and I couldn’t be more thankful. I know exactly what she’s hinting at, and I can’t give into those thoughts. It doesn’t matter that just sharing breathing space with Garrick has my nerves on fire, or the way his gaze makes me feel truly seen, because there simply isn’t a future there. If he found out about me… what I am… And Jason wouldn’t feel the same? You’re just avoiding all of reality, huh? My mind calls out its own hypocrisy and I’m desperate to switch subjects. I pull out a teal summer dress and hold it out to my friend. “What about his brother?” I ask, pinning Inara with a knowing smirk that makes her instantly blush.

“Nothing. Obviously,” she says in a tone that I know means she’s lying.

“Mhmm.”

Inara rolls her eyes, taking the dress from me. “Felix is great in bed, but that’s all there is,” she says as she shoves it back onto the rack and pulls out a sky blue one. She sighs and continues, “And he’s not letting a damn thing slip.”

I nod once. Of course it wouldn’t be easy to dig out the High Lord’s secrets. I take the garment from her and quickly change, finding some new found resolve with the change of clothes. Now where’s Jason?