Page 142 of Scars Like Wings

Quinn gripped my thighs possessively as the concern in her eyes heated into rage that she turned onto her cousin. “What the fuck did you just say?”

“He was asking me about my scales and what happened on my birthday,” I explained, watching as Quinn’s eyes turned molten. It reminded me of the breakfast after the party where we had first met, her body taking on that same tension and her face taking on that same lethal quality like a lioness ready to pounce on its prey.

Cooper squinted, his eyes becoming calculating as he locked onto where Quinn gripped my thighs tight enough to leave a mark. A distant part of me that clearly didn’t know how to read the room and situation hoped she did.

Quinn’s voice was deep, menacing when she spoke. “I would love to know why thefuckyou were looking so hard, Cooper.”

“I suggest you take some of that bass out of your voice. I wasn’t looking at your girl likethat, Quinn. I was simply asking some questions?—”

“That havefuck allto do with you and arenoneof your business.”

“They were just questions. Shit, you would think that this girl is your fated mate or something.”

I turned my head immediately to Cooper.Fated mates?They couldn’t have fated mates…? In the supernatural community, you didn’t even joke about fated mates because it was that sacred. So, he couldn’t be serious. That would mean that they could have?—

“Doesn’t matter if we are or not, she’s my girlfriend and you shouldn’t ask her fucking questions that make her uncomfortable.”

“Quinn—”

“Hey, what’s going on?” Cole asked, swimming over to us along with Simone and the others.

“Quinn is—” Cooper started before Quinn stopped him.

“Cooper was simply fucking off,” She practically snarled at him. Her eyes were so hot that I feared she would actually melt Cooper by looking at him. With his mouth set into a thin line, Cooper got up and walked away back to the house.

“Byrdie, are you okay? What happened?” Simone asked.

“He was just asking a lot of questions and being a prick,” I answered.

“Oh, Bee, I’m so sorry,” Maisie said. “I was sitting here the whole time; I had no idea. I didn’t hear anything.”

“Yeah, he was talking super low for that reason, I think.” I looked over at Quinn, who was still looking at where Cooper had walked away. “How did you know?”

Quinn’s hot, golden eyes cooled as she met my gaze. “I had done a dive, and I noticed you weren’t looking. I was going tothink nothing of it, but you just had this look… I just knew something was wrong, so I came right over. I’m so sorry he’s such a dick, baby girl. Are you okay?”

I rubbed Quinn from her hands up to her shoulders. “I’m much better thanks to my super heroine over here.”

Quinn smirked, squeezing my thighs. “Anything for you,mi tesoro.”

After a bit more reassurance, Maisie, Simone, and the others went to do their own things. After the drama with Cooper, the moment of group fun passed for now. As everyone went their separate ways, Quinn shifted her hands closer to where my thighs met my butt. With ease, she lifted me from the pool’s edge into the water. I wrapped my legs tighter around her, while my arms encircled her neck. She kept her hands on my thighs as she swam us over to the edge of the infinity pool that overlooked the dock we had teleported to along with the beach and ocean blue. There, she sat on the bench, making me straddle her wide hips. Her fingertips grazed where my thighs met my ass, and I wanted them to go higher, to grip my cheeks, to squeeze them even harder than she had my thighs earlier?—

“Is this okay, sweetness?” Quinn asked.

“Oh, this is fantastic,” I answered, kissing the tip of her nose. “Thank you so much for coming to my rescue.”

“Of course! I’m so sorry. He has been acting so strange the past week or so, especially with me. I don’t know why. I really came close to asking him not to come on this trip. He’s been annoying thefuckout of me.” Quinn shook her head.

“He’s kind of always been weird to me, but I feel like it has increased by a thousand percent or something. Cooper is the only one in your family who seems like he doesn’t like me.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that he doesn’t matter then. I couldn’t care less about his opinion.” Quinn started to absentmindedlyrun a finger up and down my spine. “To be honest, only my mom’s opinion of anyone I’m with means anything to me.”

“Speaking of…” I readjusted in her lap. “I was not expecting to meet your mom today.”

“Yeah…” Quinn ran her hand through her wet curls that were already starting to dry enough to increase in volume again. “I hate that I sprung that on you like that. I wasn’t expecting her at all. Otherwise, I would have given you some time to prepare mentally. She came home hella early this morning after one of her work trips ended sooner than expected. So, she’s home now for a few months at least. The rest of the Trinity should be home soon, too, along with my Dad.”

“The Trinity?”

“That’s what we call my aunts and my mom,” Quinn chuckled. “Everyone tries to come around for the holidays, even if they are just taking a break between assignments or if we have to have our dinners a day or two before or after.”

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