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Max and Dad shared a long look before Max finally spoke. “That might not be the best thing right now.”
“Why not? She’s my friend. She has a condo in Denver. If she’s around, there’s no reason I can’t hang out with her.”
“Let’s just say the fey aren’t happy with the pack,” Max said.
“I understand that the fey are mad, but Cosette’s not just fey. She’s my friend. Friendship overrides all that political nonsense.”
“She’s fey first. Just like we’re pack first.”
I nearly growled. They were pissing me off. Time to make my exit.
I started to brush past my father, but he stopped me. “I know you’re friends with her, but I want you to be careful. Colorado has a heavy fey presence. Donovan is meeting with the queens to smooth things over, but until that happens, do everyone a favor and heed your brother’s warning. Leave Cosette alone.”
I blew out a breath. Arguing wasn’t going to get me anywhere. “Fine. Maybe Ciara will go shopping with me.” Ciara was kind of like my nanny, but more like my mom slash best friend. We talked about everything, and when I was first cursed, she was the one who’d pulled me back from a deep depression.
But she’d been avoiding me since I got to Colorado. It wasn’t like her. We’d never even fought before. A shopping trip would be a good excuse to find out what was going on. If I’d upset her somehow, I’d make it right.
“Good. I think that’s a much better idea,” Dad said.
I leaned back. Dad’s hair was a darker blond than the rest of ours, but all of us had his blue eyes. "Okay." As soon as I said the word, I wanted to take it back. I understood his point, even if I thought he was wrong. Now more than ever, it was important to protect my friendship with Cosette.
I’d text her anyway—just to say hi. I didn’t think she’d answer, but reaching out wouldn’t hurt anything. At least I didn’t think it would.
“Thanks for understanding.” Dad grasped my shoulders, pushing me back just enough to brush a kiss on my forehead.
“Love you, Dad.”
He tapped me softly on the chin and turned, leaving the room without another word. Micah, Matt, and Miles followed him, but Max hung back.
I was by far closest with him, which was probably weird because he was nearly twenty years older than me. My youngest brother was only a few years my senior, but Max had always understood me the best. He gave me the freedom to be myself without any judgment.
He wrapped an arm around me. “That was an impressive maneuver. I’m not quite sure how you got out of my hold.” He squeezed me a little tighter before letting go.
“It’s best if you come to term with reality now. I’m just flat out better than you.” I gave him my best grin.
“No. You cheated. I know you pulled power from Donovan.”
I shook my head. “Nope. All me.”
“I refuse to believe that.”
Laughing, I headed for my room. “Refuse all you want. Doesn’t change the fact that I beat you fair and square.”
“No… It just… I can’t…” He growled. “Tomorrow I’m calling in the rest of the pack. We’ll see who’s having a fun time after they’ve been at you for a day.”
I rolled my eyes, even if Max couldn’t see it. The rest of the pack had been too nervous about fighting me. If I got hurt, would the mighty Donovan come after them? The fact that there was even a question meant there was no way Max would get them to join in on their “training” session.
I lifted a hand, waving at him without turning around. “Looking forward to it.”
Maybe Donovan was right. Maybe I wasn’t giving myself a fair shot. If I could beat Max…
Plus, our bond was relatively powerful. I could already pull a decent amount of power from Donovan, and I wondered what we’d be able to do once we had our Full Moon Ceremony and completed our bond.
With someone as powerful as Donovan, anything was possible.
Chapter Two
Two things happened on the way to the mall. One totally expected. The other a complete yet welcome surprise.
