Page 15 of Taste of Forever
“Nah, I’ll take my chances.” I finished my cigarette on a long drag and crushed the butt under my boot. “She’s out there and I’m not giving up on finding her.”
Rebecca sighed. “I didn’t want to do this, but calling Thorne is my last resort and Iwilltake it.”
I frowned. “You’d really do that? Tell my dad on me?” Thorne wasn’t my actual dad, but as head of the ruling clan, he was basically everyone’s dad.
“Unless you go somewhere else and leave our donors alone.”
“No can do, Becks. This is fate. Temkra’s chosen someone for me, and has challenged me to find her.” I brought a hand to my chest. “I’m on a quest from the goddess. You wouldn’t deny me fulfilling my destiny, would you?”
“God, I hope your mate teaches you something about ego.” Rebecca turned with a huff, heading for the door. “I’m calling Thorne.”
“Fine. But just remember, tattlers get…rattlers!”
She slammed the door closed before my rhyming skills could really land.
I returned to the bench with a bemused Des staring at me.
“Tattlers get rattlers, huh?”
“Yeah, you know. Rattlesnakes. They’re all over Shadowburn.” The dragon shifter territory was essentially one big desert, which I avoided going to whenever possible. Too much damn sunlight, thank you.
“I believe the original saying is snitches get stitches,” Des informed me.
“I know but she’s just a human. I didn’t want to come off too threatening.”
“A rattlesnake bite is less threatening than a wound that needs stitches?”
“Not a bite necessarily, just the presence of the snake itself. Doing its hissing, rattling thing. Scary, but not life-threatening.”
“Does your little rhyme differentiate between the two?”
“Sure it does. It’s not tattler-mites get rattler-bites.”
“Ah. Well I’m sure Rebecca interpreted that as you intended it.”
“She totally did.”
My phone rang just then and Des chuckled when he saw Thorne’s name across my screen. “You’re in trouble.”
“No way. I’m his favorite.” I answered the call. “Hi, Dad.”
“Get away from the blood bank or I’ll post you at Sapien for a week straight,” Thorne drawled. “If you want to stare at humans so badly, I can certainly arrange that.”
“Dad, come on,” I protested. “I have to find my blood mate. You know how important this is.”
“Stop calling me Dad. This isn’t a human sitcom,” he groused. “You’ll find her again if it’s meant to be. But the blood bank provides an important service and you’re stressing them out.”
“But what if I miss her?”
“You’ll live another day. But right now you’re fucking with the balance of Sanguine. You’re hampering other vampires from getting the blood they need. So quit camping out, or I will drag you away behind my motorcycle. Am I clear, Laith?”
Such a Dad thing to say.
“Yes, Da—Thorne.”
“You really are a child,” he groaned. “No wonder she split right after you fed from her.” With that final heartwarming sentiment, he hung up.
“Hey.” Des smacked my arm as I put my phone away. “What if she’s from Sapien, like Amy and Tavia? She might’ve snuck away to get a taste of therealSanguine and had to hurry back before she got caught.”
