Page 39 of The Kingdom of Ruin

“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?”

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