A Mate for Griffin by Charlene Hartnady

private conversation,” Griffin blurted.
    “Private?” Lance snorted. “Yeah right. Don’t listen to the boy.” Lance’s gaze finally locked with the female’s.
    “It’s definitely a private fucking conversation.” Griffin growled, unable to help himself. There was no way in hell he was going to allow Sarah to endure this. She was already unsure about their goal. It wouldn’t take much for his plans to fall apart.
    Lance chuckled. “If I didn’t know better, I would say that you were jealous. You don’t have to be. You have a female but if you don’t get what you need from her…” Griffin could see that Lance was joking. His friend was trying to get his message across but was going about it all wrong.
    “Fuck you and fuck that!”
    Chuckling, Lance stood up and walked to the group of females. “I’ll be back in a second.”
    “I’m timing you, asshole.” Griffin said, making sure he projected his seriousness.
    “What’s got into you?” Lance said over his shoulder as he neared the females. He didn’t wait for an answer, just kept on walking.
    “This is a bad idea,” Sarah whispered. “Maybe we should go back. He’s not interested, he’s trying to push me onto you and didn’t even remember my name.”
    “Didn’t you see how he checked you out as we were approaching?” Griffin kept his arm loosely slung over her shoulders.
    She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure he checks everyone out.”
    “No, he doesn’t.” Lance might not be picky when it comes to bed partners, but Griffin knew he didn’t give every female he came across heated stares. It made him want to punch the male even though it was the reaction he had been after. It also pissed him off that Lance hadn’t seemed to remember her name. What the hell was wrong with him?
    “Doesn’t check everyone out?…Yeah right,” she mumbled.
    The vampire females broke out into peals of laughter. Lance was being his charming self. Trying to organize himself a female for this evening. Not that he had to try very fucking hard.
    “Hey…” He cupped her jaw. “We spoke about this. It’s going to take time. I told you he might be an asshat and that we would need to persevere. Do you remember me saying that?”
    She nodded.
    “Good.”
    Sarah tried to smile but he could see that her eyes were clouded. She looked hurt and rightly so. They had known that this wouldn’t be a walk in the park. “He’ll come around. How could he not?”
    “You’re really sweet, Griffin.” She paused. “I’m starting to think that maybe I was wrong about him.”
    “Don’t say that. Please don’t give up on him.” He removed his hand. “He’s a good male. He really is. I know that it’s hard to see that through all the bullshit sometimes.”
    “A good guy…” She didn’t look convinced. “Maybe when it comes to being a friend to you. I can see that he cares for you by the way, even if he won’t admit it.” She smiled. It made her look even sadder. “What’s this whole thing about drinking and…you know?” Her cheeks infused with a hint of pink.
    “Rutting?” He watched with fascination as pink became red and her eyes averted.
    Griffin had to stifle a chuckle. So timid. It was endearing. It must have taken enormous guts to pursue Lance the way she did in the beginning.
    “Yeah…what you said. Lance seemed pretty adamant that you should be doing both. Are you putting yourself at risk because of Lance and I? Not that there’s a Lance and I.”
    “Nah. He over-exaggerates.” Not really, but he couldn’t tell her that. He really needed to get to Eleanor. Blood would make a big difference. No sex, he would have to deal.
    She looked at him as if to say that he was full of shit. “He doesn’t seem like the drama queen type.”
    “You would be surprised,” Griffin mumbled. “Look, as to the drinking”—he looked around to make sure that no one was watching—“I will go to Eleanor once we are done here. I will take what I need from her