Fractured (Deep In Your Veins, #5)(35)
Surprisingly, Ava hadn’t spouted any insults. She’d admitted that she worried this wouldn’t end well, but she also said we made a cute couple. She could see that I was happy; that Butch made me happy. That was good enough for her.
According to Ava, the other girls’ anger had cooled a little. At this point, they were mostly just concerned about me. Paige, however—who continued to ignore my calls—was still nursing her grudge. Knowing my BFF well, I was pretty sure she was holding onto her anger to cover her hurt feelings; Paige didn’t like to show pain as she saw it as a weakness.
I didn’t like knowing I’d hurt this person who had protected me several times over the years—a person who had been sent to kill me but had instead chosen to join me. But there wasn’t a lot I could do until she was prepared to hear me out. I’d thought about tracking all of my supposed friends down to say my piece, but I agreed with Butch that I didn’t need to explain myself to them or anyone else.
As for his squad…Salem and David had decided to stay out of the matter, though they had made it clear to Butch that they would be pissed if he messed this up. Max seemed to have backed down, since he was no longer standoffish with Butch. Then again, he wasn’t exactly warm with him either. The rest of the squad were, in Sam’s words, acting like twats…as if they were all simply waiting for him to let me down and walk away.
It was a shit situation, and it meant I spent many hours debating whether to bitch-slap these people who, though their hearts were in the right place, were being too judgemental. Butch didn’t seem as infuriated by it, and I figured that was because he was used to people thinking badly of him. He was used to being judged.
That wasn’t something I liked at all. He didn’t—
“You’re in deep thought,” said Butch, placing a coffee-flavoured NST in front of me.
Unscrewing the lid, I sipped at the drink. “You can’t walk around bare-chested and expect me not to disappear into my fantasies.”
He snorted, not buying that. “What were you thinking about, baby?”
“Nothing new. I’m just annoyed that most of the people we call friends won’t even give us—this—a chance.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
He didn’t seem totally convinced. “I’m trusting that you’ll tell me if something about us is bothering you. I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“Nothing at all is wrong, I swear. I sometimes worry that you might miss having your space, but that’s it.”
“My space?”
“You’re used to being alone.” I took another sip of my NST. “Isn’t it strange for you to suddenly have me with you all the time?”
His eyes narrowed. “Is this your way of telling me that I’m taking up too much of your space?”
“If it were that, I’d just say it. It’s you I’m concerned about. I swear I won’t be upset or offended if you choose to have some time alone.” I wouldn’t. I’d totally get it.
Cupping my chin, he breezed his thumb along my lower lip. “I spent almost a year without you, baby. Not real keen on being away from you now. Just give me this, all right?”
I swallowed. “Okay.”
“Good girl.” He turned, grabbed our plates, placed them on the bar, and took his seat. “Now eat.”
As the taste of biscuits and gravy hit my tongue, I groaned. “I have to say, your cooking skills are much appreciated.”
He smiled. “I’m glad, but you won’t be benefitting from them tonight.” I must have looked petulantly disappointed, because he chuckled. “The new Mexican restaurant opens tonight, remember?”
I’d completely forgotten about that. “Then I don’t mind missing your skills for one night.”
After breakfast, we dressed and headed for the conference room. It was the first meeting we’d had in three nights, since Sam and Jared had wanted us to focus on training and being at our best. Silence fell as we entered. Only Ava, Salem, David, and Max greeted us. Some of the guys frowned at Butch, the others ignored him. As for the rest of my squad...they didn’t even glance my way. Butch’s hand supportively tightened on mine.
We took the empty seats between Salem and David, and I cast them both a smile—acting like it didn’t hurt that my friends were behaving this way. Butch’s arm hung over the back of my chair, his hand rested on my shoulder. The move was both possessive and protective, and I very much doubted it went unnoticed.
It wasn’t long before Sam, Jared, and Luther entered. Once they had taken their seats, Sam said, “Evening all. We have some news. Marco called an hour ago. The dragon shifter Alpha agreed to speak with Imani.” She looked at me. “He’s refusing to allow you to step on his territory, though. He’s much too wary of the legion, and he’s far too protective of his drove to take any chances.”
“So where will the meeting take place?” I asked.
“The land that borders both theirs and Lazarus’ territory. Marco will be with you as a friendly face. Butch, David, and one of Evan’s vampires, Ian, will go with you.”
Paige frowned. “Ian?”
“He can teleport,” said Sam. “If there’s a problem, Ian will get them away from there fast.”