Page 19 of Mane Full Of Stripes
Anslem turned to say something to Ella, so Jost flipped Otto off, then smiled sweetly when Ella spotted Otto doing the same thing to him. “Otto! Stop that.”
“But he did it first.” Otto pointed at Jost. “Tell him off as well!”
“I didn’t do anything. I’m sitting here thinking about tonight and trying not to throw up.”
“Oohh, I got a date with my mate, but I’m too scared to—”
“Otto. Stop that now,” Anslem demanded.
“Why is it always me getting into trouble? I’m not the one who picked a dickhead to shack up with! I have more—”
“I know what I did. I suffered because of it, and I don’t need you throwing it back in my face. I hate you sometimes. Why did you have to have more after me? Couldn’t I have been an only child?” Jost glared at Otto, who glared back.
“Both of you need to apologize to each other.” Ella stood next to the table, holding a wooden spoon. Jost saw it and swallowed. He’d felt that on his ass when he’d decided to use Ella’s flour as fairy dust and threw it all over the living room. Not a mistake he made again.
Otto continued to glare at Jost as he muttered, “Sorry.”
Jost sighed heavily. “Same as him.”
“Jost,” Ella warned.
“Fine,” he spat. “Sorry Otto, that your single brain cell can’t function in normal society.”
“Mom!” Otto shot up and pointed at Jost. “You didn’t beat him enough as a child. Is it because he’s an omega?” Jost flipped him off, then winced when Ella cuffed him around the back of the head.
“Sorry, Otto,” Jost narrowed his eyes at Otto, who stuck his tongue out at him, then jumped back when Ella threatened him with the wooden spoon.
Freya chose that moment to walk into the kitchen. She took one look, turned on her heel, and walked back out. “Smart move,” Anslem murmured. “Not you too. Sit down and behave. Let’s try to act like a normal family for once.”
“That’ll be hard with him.” Jost pointed at Otto, who flipped him off again then sprinted from the kitchen when Ella shouted his name. “Why have him?” Jost asked. “Wasn’t one child enough? I have to tolerate that?”
“That is your brother, and it wouldn’t be so bad if you two didn’t go out of your way to annoy each other.” Anslem touched his tablet. “One day. Just one day of you two getting along would be great. Do you think you could do that?”
Jost leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “I can try,” he mumbled. Not that he wanted to try. Otto was an annoying little fuck, and why did they have to have him? They had him and Freya. Couldn’t they go without sex after two kids? Why have a third? Ugh! Now he was thinking about his parents having sex. Gross. Who wanted to think about their parents going at it? Now he needed to bleach his eyes from the image that had just popped into his head. Eyes or his brain?
No, he needed to forget about Otto the stinky brother from hell and think about Apollo, his gorgeous mate who terrified him and made him hot all at the same time. Sighing, Jost closed his eyes and tried to forget about his non-existent brother. Otto who?
Chapter Ten
Afteralongconversationwith Sena’s friend, Sandy, the dazzle meeting was the last place Apollo wanted to be. He wanted time to consider what Sandy had told him, but instead he sat at the head of the table, waiting for the dazzle meeting to begin.
He hadn’t called it this time, but he knew who had and he suspected the reason why. As everyone settled, Apollo waited and wasn’t surprised when Brenner stood and addressed them all. “It’s come to my attention that our dazzle leader is keeping something from us. He was spotted out on what appeared to be a date with a lion shifter. I think—”
“Please tell me what my private life has to do with you or anyone else sitting here?” Apollo leaned back in his chair, arms folded across his chest. “Or is it that as dazzle leader, I’m not entitled to one, Brenner? I wasn’t aware that once I became dazzle leader, I signed all rights to privacy away?”
Brenner blustered, coughed, then asked, “Is it true?”
“Is what true, Brenner? That I’m entitled to a private life? I do believe that is true, unless you disagree?”
“We are only concerned about you being seen with one of those shifters.” Brenner straightened and smiled at everyone gathered around the table. “Surely you can see why that would concern us? You with a lion shifter?”
“I’m not sure why that would concern anyone? They live among us. They work with us, their children attend the same school ours do. I haven’t heard of a single lion shifter hunting or attacking one of our own. So, tell me, Brenner, why is my private life or who my friends are anyone else’s business but my own?”
Brenner bristled and narrowed his eyes at Apollo. “You are our leader because we elected you. You need to put our interests before anyone else.”
“And where is it that I haven’t done exactly that?” Apollo watched Brenner glance around the table and realize that no one was agreeing with him. “I’m waiting, Brenner.”
“Brenner’s right, Apollo.” Martha turned to face Apollo. “Your priorities should be with us and not the lions.”
