Page 80 of Fighting Furry

“Old Hollywood actress,” Stasia said. “From when the films were all black and white. Our pale skin wasn't so noticeable then.”

“Why is your skin pale?” I asked. “Obviously you can walk around in daylight.”

Stasia shuddered. “Just because we can doesn't mean we enjoy it. Let me know when you want me for that campaign.”

Alpha popped back up next to Stasia and waved goodbye. Desiree hung up and he blipped out of sight.

“I take it you know this Lila Dumont?”

“She's a fighter,” I said. “The one who broke my arm.”

Desiree's brow wrinkled with confusion. “I thought her name was Lioness.”

I rolled my eyes. “That's her stage name.” I gave Desiree her number and, in less time than should be humanly possible, Lila's face filled a screen. Didn't anyone work?

“Jules,” Lila preened. She was wearing a sports bra and had her hair back in a sweaty ponytail so I assumed she'd been in the middle of a training session. “Saw you were faking that broken arm. Not that I'm surprised. You'd use any excuse not to fight me again.”

I rolled my eyes. “I wasn't faking, Lil. I got bitten. By a werewolf. Haven't you seen TMZ? It's amazing how fast I heal now.”

Her eyes widened and she froze. Then she laughed, a very fake laugh. “Oh, Jules, such a kidder.”

“Are there other people around?”

She bit her lip. “Yeah, and I'm going to hang up on you, unless you give me one good reason not to.”

“You fucking owe me,” I said. “And I'll let everyone know exactly how much if you don't take yourself somewhere private.”

She rolled her eyes and yelled over her shoulder for a five-minute break. Her head bounced as she walked, phone held so we could see her face and not where she was going. A door shut and she sat. “I don't owe you a damn thing, Jacobs.”

“You do. And you know it's true, otherwise you would have already hung up on me.”

“I don't even know you.”

Wishing I could reach through the phone and put her in a headlock until she listened, I rolled my head and forced a smile. “I won't even mention what you owe me for fighting me when you're a fucking vampire and I was a human. But how about Jesse Bentley?”

Her lips had gone tight when I'd mentioned her being a vamp, but she laughed at the name I'd dropped. “Seriously, Jacobs, that was three years ago.”

“He was my boyfriend. I actually liked him.” He had great abs and he was good about giving me space. He'd been a decent boyfriend and she'd ruined it, because I will not continue to date a man who's fucking someone else. Especially not when that someone else is my arch-nemesis.

“Well, you obviously weren't keeping him satisfied, Jacobs.”

I growled and lunged at the screen, but Desiree grabbed my elbow and yanked. She didn't move me, but she made me hesitate. “Focus on what's important, darling.”

I drew in a deep breath. “The council is going to kill Axel for exposing werewolves. I'm going to expose myself as a werewolf on national T.V. to save him.”

Lila's expression tightened. “What the fuck does that have to do with me?”

I had to play this exactly right or I'd lose her. “I'm going to explain why we killed those vamps. I'm going to tell the world that vampires feed on werewolves against their will, that they're stronger than us and can enthrall us. If you want to put in a good word for vamps everywhere, I'd suggest you join me and explain that the vampires we killed were rogue vamps, acting alone.”

She smiled but it seemed forced. “Why would anyone believe you, Jacobs? What kind of proof do you actually have? And even if you do prove vamps are vicious, no one knows I'm anything other than human.”

I had nothing and she knew it. Fuck, I was going to lose her. “The truth?” I asked, because I was all out of convincing lies. “I'm desperate, Lil. I love Axel. He's domineering and huge and he has a town full of people he's responsible for, but I love him and I can't just stand around and let him die.”

Lila yawned. “This is deadly boring, Jacobs. I really should get back to my workout.”

“It could make you money,” I said, desperate.

“How?” she asked, sneering like I was ridiculous. Maybe I was, but I knew Lila had expensive tastes and she'd lost two sponsors the month before for starting a bar brawl over a pool game. She was competitive as hell and had the temper of a wild boar.

“Just imagine the possibilities,” I said. “Being a vampire will set you apart, make you interesting to everyone, even people who don't watch fights. You're the fighter who will live for eternity, who will be kicking ass for eternity. You won't need sponsors, you'll be so huge. I'll bet this could get you a movie deal.” I was totally talking out of my ass, but if I knew one thing about Lila, it was that she was insanely jealous of my acting career, short as it was.

Her sneer deepened, but I saw the calculation in her eyes. She was considering it. “Or everyone could hate me. I could get locked up by the government and become their favorite guinea pig.”

“That's the whole point of the reveal,” I said. “We do it our way, on our terms, and we make sure we're so damn famous and likable that no government or scientist will dare touch us.”

In the distance, someone shouted her name, but she didn't take her eyes off the phone. “Fine,” she said. “Just tell me where to be and when.”

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