Page 15 of Glamour & Gumballs

“Reid and Kyle were talking about bringing you to the end just because you’d refuse if I picked you,” I said against his chest.

He grumbled. “Bastards.”

“Why are they so sure?”

“I had a mate,” he said.

I blinked. My eyelashes probably tickled his chest when I did.

I thought mating was permanent.

“Not a bonded mate,” he said. “She wasn’t compatible. Just a human.”

Oh.

So he didn’t really have a mate. He had just loved someone.

Which seemed more like a real mate to me than the loveless bond I’d end up with, but I wasn’t about to say that.

“I’ve never been interested in repeating the experience,” he said. “They’re all aware of that.”

Ah.

So it hadn’t ended well.

Or she’d grown old and he’d taken care of her until she passed on, which sounded worse in some ways. Better in others.

“Well that works out for me,” I said. “Because if it keeps raining like this, I’ll need a heater every night.”

He chuckled again.

It was still so quiet I almost wondered if I’d imagined it.

“I have a question, from one unwilling player in this game to another.” I was still speaking against his chest, but it didn’t seem to bother him.

Another strong gust of wind blew through, and I shivered a bit. One of his wings wrapped carefully around my back, blocking out all of the remaining chill. The pressure of it was surprisingly pleasant.

“Alright,” Rhett said, after a few minutes. “What is it?”

“If I were to possibly want to create some chaos, how would I do it?”

There was a moment’s pause.

A long moment.

“Why?” Rhett finally asked.

“Personal reasons that I’d rather not share.”

After a period of silence, he said, “Pheromones.”

“Pheromones?” The confusion in my voice was thick.

“Yes.”

I gave him a minute before saying, “I’m going to need you to clarify. I have no idea what you mean by that.”

He let out a slow breath.

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