Page 20 of Choosing Jenny
CHAPTER 7
Jenny
“Ican’t speak for anyone else here, but death has more appeal than a lifetime with you, Rex,” I said with a sweet smile.
He laughed sharply. “I wasn’t talking to you, dear. Your sister’s treason disqualifies you from such a thing.” His eyes blatantly dipped to the low neckline of my dress. “Though there are other things youarequalified for. Tell me, do you enjoy begging as much as the Orne does?”
“My eyes are up here,” I said to him.
His gaze remained on my breasts, a lewd look on his face. “I’m not interested in your eyes, Hollinger.”
Rhonda reared up from Longshot’s arm, scales flaring protectively, her gaze fixed on Rex. Longshot didn’t move to stop her from launching at him, if that’s what she chose to do.
Rex sighed at Rhonda. “I’m not threatening her, worm.”
“No, but you are irritating Jenny,” Longshot replied in an even tone that contradicted the fierce look in his eyes. “And that irritates Rhonda, an unadvisable habit.”
“The worm cares for the human?” Rex laughed, genuinely amused. “Life is endlessly fascinating. Another reason you all should be kissing my ass right now.”
“All but me?” I asked, arching a brow. “Since I don’tqualify?”
He slid his smarmy gaze back to me. “Justice has declared that no one associated with your sister is eligible for endless lives. Permyrequest.”
“Soyou’rethe reason I don’t get to live forever?” I asked, staring directly into his eyes and not backing down an inch. “Not my sister?”
He scoffed. “You can blame her and her murderous friends for that.”
“No, I’ll blame the man who made the choice, thanks.” I gave him a tight smile.
A brief moment of annoyance passed across his features. “As you like it.”
But I wasn’t ready to let this issue go. “Rex, you attacked Sarah and her friends, then tried to trick them and attacked again—”
“Until your sister subsumed me into her body,” he snapped. His voice was like gravel and all the joking light was gone from his purple eyes. “She forced my ghost into herself—”
“What?” Surge asked, shocked and mystified. “How is that possible?”
Rex’s jaw clenched as he glanced at the magician. “Sarah Hollinger is the contra.” His voice was flat and final.
The room stilled. Surge, Longshot, and Discord’s eyes turned to me. Even Rhonda was surprised, as she swooped her head my direction.
I shrugged sheepishly. “Guess I forgot to mention that.”
Rex’s gaze narrowed on me. “There’s no reason to think you can’t do the same thing as your sister, so—”
I laughed, as if he were a fool. “She’sthe contra, not me.”
“I don’t trust anyone in the Hollinger gene line,” he stated adamantly, then glanced at everyone else at the table. “You would all do well to follow suit. Everyone knows humans are untrustworthy—”
“Everyone says the same about the tailless,” Mal said, glaring at Rex.
“Yes, but that’s bullshit,” Rex argued.
“Youarethe Councilor of Bullshit,” Longshot said. “You would know.”
Rex chuckled, relaxing once again. “I do prefer that to my actual title of Councilor of—”
“No one cares,” Discord cut him off.
