Page 34 of Destined Prey
Mate.The word still felt too big for his mouth and exactly right under his skin.
“The Destinies?” Anne laughed. “God, stop talking, Lacey. You’re gonna make me pee myself laughing.”
“Well, at leastthenyou’d have an excuse for pissing yourself, unlike the other times,” Lacey retorted.
“I haven’t ever—”
“Twelve years old, and you dreamt you were on the toilet,” Lacey interrupted. “And weallremember that.”
“Can you two not start bickering so we can grill Ben?” Emil asked. “And Lacey, a lot of people piss the bed when they have dreams like that. Just watch it, because what goes around comes around.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Lacey replied. “So, spill, Ben. What’s it like?”
Ben strode to the recliner and sat. There was no way they’d leave him alone until he answered at least a few questions. “It’s incredible. There’s this bond that’s almost instant, and you know that person isit, the One.”
Casey winced and wandered into the kitchen. “I’m going to see what we have for dinner.”
“Did he get hurt?” Ben asked the others.
“I’m fine,” Casey called back over his shoulder. “Just hungry.”
“We could go run and hunt tonight,” Robin suggested. “We haven’t since the fight.”
Ben caught the micro-winces Casey tried to hide; the alpha was running hot and frayed at the edges. It made Ben itch to get everyone under the trees, let the moon pull the poison out.
“We’ll see,” Casey replied.
Ben wondered if Casey was telling the truth, or if he was hiding something. He wondered what had happened after he and Jack left the shop, leaving Rhett and Casey there together. Ben hadn’t seen Rhett for more than a few minutes over the past two days. He’d seemed surly, but as far as Ben knew, that was just Rhett being himself.
Maybe Casey needed a good run.
“What’s the bond like?” That question came from Robin. For once, he didn’t sound sullen or bitchy.
“It’s amazing, like nothing I could have imagined. Scary, too, because you feel someone else in your head. You feel their thoughts and hopes and emotions, and at first, maybe you can’t tell that’s what it is. I didn’t know. There was just this buzzing,bits of gibberish stuff happening. We’re working on being open to each other.”
“Can you shut it off?” Anne asked. “Because frankly, that seems intrusive and not something I’d ever want to have happen. The idea of someone else being in my head—just, no.”
Ben didn’t argue with her. He supposed there were plenty of people who wouldn’t want such a bond. “I was able to block him, yes. I don’t think it’s necessary, though. Jack isn’t going to go prying around in my head. Maybe it’s a mate thing, a compulsion not to violate one’s mate.” Which made sense, if mates were to cherish one another. A mental violation would be as bad, at least, as a physical one. “It’s about respect, and trust. That’s my take on it, anyway. I wish there was someone else I could ask about it, someone else who had found their destined mate.”
Robin’s features pinched into one of irritation. “Well, I guess as rare as it is, we’ll all have to just watch you with your destined mate and wonder why it didn’t happen to any of us.”
“Geez, Rob, could you be any more of a selfish asshole?” Lacey asked, swatting his arm.
Robin yelped and swatted her back. “Stop hitting me! And I never said I wouldn’t be happy for them, for fuck’s sake!”
“Language!” Casey called from the kitchen.
Robin gave another eye roll. “Anyway. Iamglad Ben found his destined mate. I’m just jealous because I’ll never find mine. And who else would put up with my moody ass?”
“Robin,” Casey snapped, still in the other room.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. You sure are being picky about us cussing lately,” Robin said. “What gives?”
Casey didn’t answer, but Ben was reminded of Casey and Rhett’s taut confrontation in the auto shop.
He didn’t dwell on it, however, since his brothers and sisters kept asking him questions, then pushing him to invite Jack andRhett to dinner the coming weekend. Since it was Monday, Ben thought he could swing an invite.
“I don’t think Rhett will come. Him and Casey hate each other.”
