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“And what about the drink from last night? Did italsosmell and taste like something you like?”
Mia thought of the candied violets flavor—which was exactly like the candy her grandmother used to give her. And the hint of nutmeg with a bit of alcohol, like really good eggnog.
“Iguessso,” she said defensively. “But that doesn’t mean anything. Maybe only people with two X chromosomes can smell and taste this stuff—itismade especially for the women in the Dome.”
“But what fucking effect is it having on them?” Sev demanded. “What is itdoingto them?”
“It’s not doing anything to me except making me happy in the middle of a stupid, crappy situation,” Mia snapped. “Give it back.” And she held out her hand.
“No.” Sev went to the sink unit and poured the rest of the delicious smoothie down the drain.
“Hey!” Mia exclaimed, completely outraged. “Of all the high-handed, asshole things to do! What the hell, Sev?”
He frowned at her and jabbed one long finger at the cup.
“I have abadfucking feeling about this stuff, Mia. I don’t want you drinking any more of it—not one more drop. Understand?”
“Who do you think you are?” Mia exclaimed. “My father? My Master? Well I’ll give you a clue—you’re neither one, you big jerk! You’re supposed to be my partner and that means we’reequals.I don’t take orders from you!”
She marched over and snatched the insulated cup from Sev’s hand. Then she took it back to the middle tube on the counter and filled it with the delicious grapefruit smoothie again.
Sev was leaning against the sink, arms crossed, glowering at her, his golden eyes glowing. Mia lifted her chin and took a long drink, deliberately facing him as she did so.
The smoothie was every bit as sweet and tart as her first one had been, but somehow now it tasted bitter in her mouth. Nevertheless, she drank the whole thing while he watched her. Then she slapped the cup down on the counter and went to take a seat at the small, two-person table.
Eventually, Sev came over and sat across from her. Without saying a word, he began to eat.
Mia looked down at her own plate but she only picked at her food. To be honest, she was feeling extremely full and had kind of a stomachache—probably the result of pouring so much icy smoothie into her empty stomach. Plus, though the food smelled really good, the blue eggs just lookedwrong.Sev had fried them sunny side up and the bright blue yolk looked like viscous, gooey paint when she popped one with the fork-like eating instrument, which had only two tines.
But it wasn’t breakfast that was occupying her mind. What was wrong with her partner? Sev had never acted like this before—so high-handed and controlling. He was treating her like a little kid. It wasridiculous.
One of the things Mia had always valued in the big Kindred was the fact that he treated her like an equal despite their extreme height difference and their different genders. She wondered what in the world would make him suddenly start acting like a chauvinistic jerk?
They ate in silence until there was a sudden knocking at the door. The sound made Mia jump and nearly drop her two-tined fork.
“Shit!” she exclaimed.
“That must be Brother Jonash,” Sev remarked—the first words he’d spoken since the “smoothie incident” as Mia had dubbed it in her mind. “I’ll get the door.” He rose and pointed a finger at her. “Remember you promised not to do anything that would make these people force me to punish you.”
“What? Like ‘disobeying’ you?” Mia demanded sarcastically.
Sev frowned.
“Yes,exactly.” His voice came out in a low growl and his golden eyes flashed.
“Sev—” she began but her partner had already left the kitchen.
Mia watched him go, wondering what in the world had gotten into him.
FIFTEEN
SEV
What the fuck had gotten into her? Sev had to swallow the growl that was rising in his throat as he went to the front of the domicile to get the door. He and Mia almost never fought and he disliked being on the outs with his partner—especially in a place where they needed to stick together.
He knew she thought he was being high-handed but he couldn’t help it—he had such a bad fucking feeling about that damned drink! It might seem irrational, but every instinct he had was shouting at him that it wasbadfor her—fucking horrible—and he was worried that drinking too much of it might harm her in some way.
It wasn’t like he thought the stuff would give her cancer or anything…more like it might be laced with some kind of mind-control drug. Or maybe it would change her body in some way. Sev didn’t know—he only knew that there was something wrong with the mixture that came from the brass tube in the food prep area and he didn’t want his partner drinking any more of it.
