Page 28 of Brick
Since Alli appeared so youthful, it was easy to forget that she was several hundred years old. “Is air conditioning your favorite modern convenience?”
“Well, television is pretty awesome, and indoor plumbing.”
She peeked at her friend. “You’ve definitely seen a lot, huh?”
“Yep.” She looked over her shoulder and then said with a low voice, “You didn’t mark each other?”
“We decided to wait until we get to know each other better.”
“That’s sweet. But doesn’t your wolf want that? He’s your truemate.”
“Yeah, she does.” It made her ache sometimes how much she wanted to truly belong to Brick. He was everything she’d ever imagined for herself in a mate and more. Sexy and protective and so damn sweet. But she wasn’t ready to pull the proverbial trigger on the mating because of that lurking fear in her subconscious that told her things were too easy right now.
“You’re waiting for the other shoe to drop? With your old pack or that arranged mate?”
“Yeah. I’m used to being on my own and keeping my defenses up. It’s hard to let someone into that because of how much I worry.”
Alli put her arm around Jade briefly in a hug. “You’ll do it when the time’s right and it will be amazing.”
“Do fallen angels get truemates?”
“I’m not sure. I feel like everyone has a truemate, but if I hadn’t fallen, I wouldn’t have feelings about finding a truemate. Angels aren’t mated, period. But fallen angels? The ones I know aren’t mated, and I’ve never heard of any who are.”
“What other fallen angels are around here?”
“Darien, who works for Mishka, the vampire master of Cleveland, and Paris. He runs Lykos.”
“The shifter bar?”
“Yep.”
“A fallen angel runs a shifter bar.”
Alli chuckled. “Sure, why not? He’s strong and fast so he can keep up with shifters, and people listen to him. Plus, he can kick ass and he’s easy on the peepers.”
It was Jade’s turn to laugh. “Maybe Brick and I can meet you at Lykos sometime.”
“To get a peek at a cute angel?”
She rolled her eyes. “To have a drink.”
“Sure, sure.” Alli giggled. Jade imagined that if she still had wings, they would shake with her laughter, rustling like tinkling bells.
“Anyway,” she said, giving Alli a nudge with her elbow, “how did your time at Lykos go? Did you dance with anyone?”
As Alli told her about her time at the bar, they wandered the territory. Jade liked having Brick watching her back so she could relax and enjoy the time with Alli, who had a funny take on pretty much everything she did.
They stopped near the edge of the creek that wove through the territory and Jade stared at the water that babbled along the bank. “You haven’t heard from Evelyn?”
“Not since the last message,” Alli said, shaking her head. “But it’s not unusual for her to go a while between emails. Before I helped Sadie get away from the pack, I hadn’t heard from her in a long time. Are you worried?”
“A little. I don’t want her to get hurt because she helped me.”
Alli hummed, twirling a leaf between her finger and thumb. “She’s smart and resourceful. We just have to trust that she’s okay. In her last message, she said the alpha was suspicious but didn’t have proof that she’d helped you. I’d say she’s in the clear.”
“Yeah, I hope so. I’m really glad she helped me. If she hadn’t gotten me out when she did, I wouldn’t be with Brick.”
“She’s a good female.”
