Page 26 of Frayed Owner

“She cooks,” Tracey muttered. “Did you know she cooked?”

I opened my mouth but then closed it. “Mother made a comment that I should be sent to the same cooking classes that Clare and Jean were. I think I knew it was part of their finishing school stuff?”

“I’m right here and can hear you,” Clare drawled. “Yes, we took basic perfect housewife shit.” She chuckled. “Fuck, I didn’t even swear in my own condo, always worried Mother or Father would find out. It’s really fun. I’m five years old that it tickles me so much, but it’s fine. Also, I was never allowed to cook so manycarbsfor myself. I’m going to get fat.”

“Don’t do that when you’re so gorgeous,” Jasmine said as she came in looking over something. “Fuck them. Have balance. Be healthier all around. That’s what I’m going for. I’m going to try to start running once we get the addition put on. Not Bevin’s crazy runs but she—her aura is so much lighter after she runs. I want that.”

“I prefer swimming but yes,” Tracey agreed.

Clare seemed to consider that. “Yeah, that’s better. I’ve dabbled a bit with protein pancakes and—you didn’t have any of that in your fridge and I just asked the guards—I didn’t know—”

“If you want to handle the food for the cost of your staying here,please do,” Tracey cut in, clearly picking up on something I didn’t.

Clare seemed glad that she had, so that was nice.

I thanked Clare and then loaded up two plates and sat down, going back for juice and a sports drink. After a moment of thought, I brought some berries for Quinn and he was over the moon, thanking me for not hating him anymore.

“You have to act better,” I told him gently. “Love goes both ways—kindness does. Just because—you guys have wounds and I do too. I don’t want to be friends with people who I constantly have to say no to or tell to step back over the line. That’s horrible for me and…”

Steam was about coming out of Wyatt’s ears and pain all over his face at the same time. That was what made me trail off.

“That wasn’t meant for you,” I mumbled and focused back on Quinn.

No, it wasn’t meant for him, but it didn’tnotapply to him either.

And that wasn’t my fault.

Quinn told me his side and that a lot of times I would laugh or seem more playfully exasperated with him instead of actually upset. And he didn’t think it was over the line if I would also call him for comfort. He saw it more as the teasing Wyatt did with his friends, “ribbing” instead of bullying, and he was very sorry that he hurt me.

“Okay, I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and start over,” I told him when he was all done. “The main point you need to understand is we didn’t know each other well and your master knew his friends for a long time to behave that way with them. So you can’t take those kinds of cues to behave with someone new.”

“That makes sense,” Quinn accepted.

“Also, your warlock is in a very,veryprecarious position, Quinn. He’s a professor young, and you know how he has suffered more than anyone. People look for any fault or flaw to pick apart. You cannot be that flaw to him.”

“I’ve been good in his classroom. I’ve been really good,” he defended.

“I know. I’ve heard, and that’s why I’m willing to start over. I believe you were acting out because you needed more stimulation and to get out your energy. You needed more attention, and—I think you’ve matured as well. We all need to learn from our mistakes.”

“I want to. I want to be good for Derek too,” he mumbled, sounding contrite, not just saying what he thought I needed to hear.

“Okay, then let’s do this,” I hedged before taking several gulps of my juice. “If Professor Wyatt agrees, how about you hang out here when he’s working with the large familiar housing? You’ve been doing great in class and on your bed and he’s been defending you, but it’s a lot of stress on you both. The familiar housing is complete now and he’s going to be busy with that.

“He’s in charge of the study and will be the one published. So it’s going to be alotof pressure on him. And I know you’ve been getting bullied by some of the large familiars there. That’s not a good environment for you when you’re working on yourself. So I know you like it here and there are always nice familiars to hang out with, right?”

“Yeah, plus, you let me hunt here and it’s fun,” he agreed. “I like Woodchuck. We play.”

“Woodchuck likes you too,” I said firmly, knowing the familiar did feel that way. “But I worry she might get bullied by some of the new familiars coming in. There’s going to be a lot of people now and she’s just a tiny ferret. So she could use help reminding people of the rules and keeping order. So I’ll trust you with that responsibility and being her right hand, okay?”

That was what Quinn needed. Faith. Someone to have that sort of faith in him. Even Wyatt had rolled his eyes at the idea of getting Quinn to behave, which… Why would he work on being better if no one thought he could do it? It was the same with people.

Hell, it was why most of the youngest kids in the world were spoiled brats from what I’d read.

Iwasn’t a good example of it, but from what I heard it was cliché for a reason.

I looked at Wyatt and he was studying Quinn with such a soft look that it warmed my heart. His familiar was talking excitedly and it touched the warlock.

“That would be great if it’s not an imposition,” Wyatt agreed. “I didn’t know he was being bullied.”

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