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“Rose, I’m sorry,” I whispered. “Come on, little boxer. Let’s get to the truck.”
“I do have parents, by the way,” she said. She was a statue in the doorway, refusing to budge. “I never talk about them. I never eventhinkabout them.”
My grip on her arm relaxed but my fingers remained. Her flesh was warm and lovely. I didn’t want to release her. “I won’t mention it again.”
“They were so upset when I decided to start the inn with Sasha. They told me I would get myself into all sorts of trouble.” She huffed, blowing a lock of hair away from her cheek. “They said wolves like Sasha and Charlotte are no good because they come from such troubled backgrounds.”
I frowned. “How rude of them to say.”
“Yes, you would know about being rude, wouldn’t you?”
I closed my eyes. “I deserve that.”
“You deserve a lot of things, Matty, but not rudeness. Not blatant disrespect.”
“So? What’s your point?” I opened my eyes. “Your parents disowned you. You’re a gorgeous woman who’s a fucking badass. They’re missing out on that.”
“They were such elitists. They didn’t think mingling with vampires was…” She shook her head while her eyelids fluttered, disgust written on her features. “They thought it was all so impure. Poisonous.”
I lowered my gaze. While I didn’t necessarily disagree with that, it wasn’t my place to say. “You’ve never told me this.”
“Why would I?” She laughed, the sound hosting no humor. “It’s not something I evenliketalking about. Spending any time thinking about them is just a damn waste.”
“There you go cursing again, little boxer.”
“It makes me so angry to think there are wolves out there who truly believe we should all be separated from each other.”
I sighed. “With the way the war is, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
“But what if we could stop it?” Her eyes brightened like sunflowers blooming to collect rays of the sun. “If we could end this whole thing, then we could actually live together. Peacefully.”
“I admire your spirit, but I don’t think it’s possible.”
Some of her hope dimmed. But it didn’t disappear. “Matty, I know it’s hard for you. I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. Get into my truck. Tell me more about these bastard parents of yours.” I smirked. “Like where they eat and live. Normal stuff.”
She squinted at me. “If you’re thinking about harassing them, then you’ll be sorely disappointed when I tell you they live in California.”
“California. Noted.”
She shook her head. “Matty, don’t worry about it.”
I took her hand and led her toward the car, the ring around my neck suddenly taking on a new weight. It was much fuller now, pumped with love. And it sang to me when I held Rose’s hand. “I should be tellingyounot to worry, dear.”
“Matéo, what are you thinking?”
“I’m sure you can figure it out.” I squeezed her hand twice. “You’ve done it before.”
She sighed. “I think that was a fluke. There’s no way I can read you just by touching you.”
“Oh?” I halted near the truck door. “Do you want to test that?”
“Right here? Right now?” She glanced around. Nothing but the birds sang. “I guess it’s as safe as the inn in broad daylight.”
I smiled deviously while setting the tube on the driver’s seat. It wasn’t going anywhere. Just like us.
With my forehead against hers, I whispered, “Tell me what I’m thinking about.”
