19. Addi

NINETEEN

Live a little? Live a little?

I've lived enough already, thank you very much. I obviously don't say that, though. The less he knows about me, the better. He offers his hand once again and I don't know why I do it. I can analyze the hell out of it later, but I place my palm flush against his.

My breath is lodged in my chest at the contact, just as it was earlier. I didn't retract by choice. Although, if anyone asks, I'll lie through my teeth. It was the initial contact, the shiver that ran across my skin from such a simple touch.

He pulls me along before I can protest and we step through the double wooden doors a moment later. The noise gets louder as the diner comes into view. The secluded setting outside made me suspicious that we were in wolf territory, but the people inside confirm it. Just because Brody says it, doesn't mean it's true.

Tables are bunched together, a sense of warmth and family filling the space as country music plays in the background. A few people glance our way, but otherwise, they're all soaked up in their own bubbles, having a good time.

My initial walls that barricade me begin to soften but don't completely disappear. I'm not dumb. I have no idea where I am or how safe it is, but my survival instincts aren't going off.

"Oh. My. Gosh. Is that my Brody? Please tell me it is. Then explain to me how the fuck you have managed to convince someone to spend time with you. Especially someone this damn pretty."

"You don't give me enough credit, Janie," Brody protests as a woman with a slicked-back brown ponytail comes into view. She smiles at him warmly and knowingly. Not like a mother. She doesn't seem old enough for that. Maybe a big sister. I don't know, but it surprises me when he releases my hand to hug her.

Wolves are loving among themselves, not usually with outsiders. And as much as I'm an outsider, so is Brody. A mage is definitely not a wolf.

"No, the problem is you give yourself too much credit," she retorts, patting him on the back before her gaze shifts to me. The warmth remains, not as vibrant as it was for Brody, but I don't get the sense that she wants to run me out of the building, at least not yet.

"That's mean," Brody states with a pout, and she cocks her brow at him.

"It's a fact. Something mages deal well with usually. Except for you, it seems."

"Please, if I were any other mage, I wouldn't be here," he retorts, and she huffs.

"You're damn straight, and that's because we're the Kenners. We don't let just anyone onto our land."

Noted.

Brody grabs my hand without breaking eye contact with Janie, as if offering me reassurance at her words. Glancing around the room, I notice a few more people staring our way, some with glares that are hard to deny, and my back stiffens.

This isn't a good idea. I know it.

"Is Cass joining you, or is it a table for two?" The hope in her eyes is clear, but it quickly diminishes with Brody's head shake. Cass, as in Cassian? The grump wolf on campus that is also friends with Raiden and Kryll? Dammit. I should have known.

"Table for two."

She waves him off, hiding her face as she grabs two menus and starts to lead us to a table. "I'm just wishful thinking."

"He'll come around. It's just going to take time. The pack is the pack. He doesn't know how to differentiate one person's thoughts and emotions from another. He thinks if his father believes it, you all do."

Janie stops at a slightly secluded booth and I shuffle along the red leather seat without a word as she wraps Brody in another tight embrace. "I hope he does come around. I miss him."

"You miss his grumpy ass? Please, you should be enjoying the peace and quiet."

She smirks in response, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

I'm definitely eager to know what they're talking about, but it's not my place. Besides, the information doesn't matter to me. Even if Cassian's downtrodden face and march around campus hold me captive. It's not my business. Even if he were of another origin, I wouldn't ask. Nobody gets involved in wolf business. Period.

Left with our menus, I focus on the options before me. "What do you usually go for?" I ask, bombarded with so many choices that look good.

"Do you have any allergies or dislikes?" Brody asks, and I shake my head. "The steak is insane, the ribs are mind blowing, and the crab is so good my eyes water." I snicker at his descriptions, which makes his shoulders relax and his smile match mine. "I'm going for the steak, medium rare because anything pink I can put in my mouth is like a little slice of Heaven." He winks, his words drifting over me as he leans closer, bracing his elbows on the table. "I'm referencing your pussy by the way."

Oh. My. Gosh.

"You are something else," I grumble, hiding my face behind the menu, but his chuckle still reaches my ears.

"I know. One of a kind, Dagger."

I pretend not to hear him, and I'm thankfully saved by the server, who comes over a few moments later.

"Brody. Fancy seeing you here."

"Hey, Leticia. How are things?"

The glare she gives him makes my muscles clench. If he brought me to a diner where he fucked the waitress, I'm leaving now. Not because I'm jealous, far from it, but I've had enough drama this week. This only serves to push me over the edge.

"Where's Cass?"

Brody shrugs. "I don't know. It's my friend's birthday and I wanted to treat her to some good food to celebrate. We only turn twenty-one once, right?"

She doesn't smile and her eyes narrow, darkening when she turns to me, but it's not a bad vibe toward Brody or me that I'm getting. Something tells me it links back to Cassian.

"A friend from the academy?" she asks, distaste pulling at the corner of her mouth.

"We're just here for some food, Leticia. Not to get involved in any Kenner business," Brody says with a smile, hoping to diffuse whatever threatens to rise, and to my surprise, she sighs, tapping at the device in her hand.

"Whatever. What do you want to eat?"

"Steak, medium rare, and a bottle of house beer," Brody rattles off. "And for my friend…"

"I'll take the steak, too, please. Medium, with an orange soda, please."

"You're not going to get a drink?" Brody interjects, frowning at me.

"I'm getting an orange soda."

He waves his hand dismissively. "No, I mean alcohol. It's your birthday. Celebrating age too. Don't you want your first drop of liquor at legal age?"

Shaking my head, I turn to Leticia, who is still standing beside us, her irritation palpable. "Just the orange soda, thanks," I reiterate, and she dashes out of sight a moment later. When I tilt my face back to Brody, I find a questioning look crinkling the corner of his eyes. "I don't drink. Ever."

"Like, never?"

Wetting my lips, I slink back in my seat. "Nope."

"How?" The disbelief is evident on his face, tempting me to feel a lick of embarrassment, but I don't.

"It doesn't really matter," I offer with a smile, hoping to end the conversation, but his stare only deepens.

"Tell me. I want to get to know you."

This isn't what I was expecting from him. I was expecting to be taken out drinking or dancing or something that held little to no conversation so he could get me drunk enough to fuck me later.

"I just haven't. I don't like the idea of being out of control, I don't like the thought of hiding from my problems at the bottom of a bottle, and I don't like the trust you have to put in others to not overstep when you're in that state."

He nods, and I can practically see my words turning in his mind. "Fair enough," he offers, like he understands where I'm coming from, and it leaves me a little surprised. Not that I show it. Instead, I try to redirect the conversation.

"So, tell me about you."

"There we go, she's getting into the swing of it now," he says with a smirk, and I roll my eyes.

"No, I'm just trying to steer the talk away from myself," I answer honestly. "The fact that we're in a situation where conversation can even happen is shocking in itself," I add, and he gapes at me, dramatically slapping his hand to his chest.

"I might be a player, Dagger, but I can get to know you before I fuck you."

"I think I just threw up in my mouth," I grumble, clutching my stomach, and he snickers.

"Please, do you want me to lie? Do you want me to sit here and pretend I have pure intentions? Since you stepped out of your room, all I've thought about is wrapping your hair around my fist and running my tongue over your tits. There's nothing wholesome about me, so I'm not going to pretend there is, but I can hold a conversation. If I wanted to fuck limp limbs, I'd give good old Pamela a go," he states, waving his palm at me to reconfirm his reference.

My thighs press together despite my best efforts.

He's not affecting me. He's not affecting me. He's not affecting me.

"What else should I know about you?" I push, trying to pretend my heart isn't racing.

"Me? What you see is what you get. I grew up in Foley Hill, I'm hilarious, I don't care for drama, and I believe in trying to save people. No matter what." His eyes hit mine and I know he's referencing the human we helped earlier in the week from another one of Vallie's tirades.

"Thank you for that," I breathe, the words foreign on my tongue. I never thank anyone. Not because I'm rude, but because I do what I can, when I can, by myself.

He waves it off. "My father is also Orion Orenda."

I frown, recalling the name, but it takes me a moment to place it. When I finally remember where I've heard the name, I gape at him in surprise. "As in the member of The Council," I clarify, remembering the few times I've seen him on the television.

"Yup." He practically grimaces as he acknowledges the connection.

"You sound…ecstatic about that fact."

He scoffs. "Good assessment." He taps his fingers on the table as he looks at me. "Have you ever been forced into something because your bloodline says so? I didn't get to choose my ancestors, yet they get to choose my life choices."

My jaw falls slack as I gape at him. Despite his humor and charisma, I have to remember he's a mage; full of wisdom and prophecy most of the time, but it's strange hearing it come from his lips.

Our drinks arrive, but it's not Leticia that brings them over. I murmur my thanks, but they're gone too quickly to hear it.

"That's relatable," I admit, taking a sip of my orange soda.

"How so?"

I find him staring at me intently, intrigued by what I have to say, and I gulp.

Fuck. I should have kept my mouth shut.

Clearing my throat, I downplay it the best I can. "It's just, back home, on the ranch…ranch life isn't for me, but that didn't matter to my family. We're born into these lives with our paths already laid out for us."

"You get what I'm saying."

It's slightly impressive that he doesn't try to degrade the example I give him. He sees the connection without thinking he experiences worse than me. If he knew the truth, he would think differently, but that's not necessary. It's not for him to know. I hold my secrets closer to my chest than I do my daggers.

Food arrives a moment later and my eyes widen in delight at the size of the steak on my plate. I think I'm in Heaven from the sight and smells alone. We both cut into our food and the moment the meat melts on my tongue, I groan. "Holy fuck."

"Right?"

"I need to know how they did that," I mutter in awe, blinking at the food like it's a gift from Heaven.

"Magic, and not the real kind either. It's Janie's husband in the kitchen, Jake. He's the best chef I've ever met in my life. I've tried to replicate it with real magic, too, but it doesn't compare," he admits with a grin.

I take another bite, and another, beyond lost to the delight on my tongue, when the double doors slam open with a thunderous hit, vibrating the entire room. Everyone goes still and the music stops as we all turn to the source of the sound.

Cassian prowls through the doors, hands clenched at his sides as his gaze trails over the room before landing on Brody and me. Raiden and Kryll are a step behind him, and my chest tightens.

"Why do I think we're in trouble?" I ask, unable to tear my gaze away to question Brody, who curses under his breath.

"Because we are."

"Why?" I finally turn to glance at him, guilt etched all over his face. "Why?" I repeat, frustration creeping up my spine as I glare at him.

"Fuck." He glances over his shoulder, trying to see how far away his friends are before he quickly turns back to me. "Because Cass left the pack to attend the academy with us and he's been exiled by his father. He's not supposed to be here."

Well, fuck.

All of that, and here he is. What shit has Brody got me involved in?

Gulping, I spin back to the wolf with his eyes set on us just as he appears beside our table, palms slamming down on the wood, clattering the cutlery as he turns to Brody.

"You are so fucking dead."