amused.
“TJ, have you thought any more about what I said?”
“No, James.”
With a heavy sigh, he picked up his chair and walked around to Sara’s side of the table, wedging it in between her and the hulk who’d carried the pitchers.
“Hi. I’m James. You’re pretty. What’s your name?”
She couldn’t help returning his grin. “Sara.”
“Sara, you’re fae, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, partly.” It felt so weird to say it out loud like that. “Why?” She gave TJ a what’s with this guy look, but her new friend just rolled her eyes and kept talking to a big guy with a shaved head.
“You know, Sara, I’m more open-minded than a lot of wolves.”
She started in surprise. “You’re a werewolf?”
His goofy leer made her laugh. “I am. Are you afraid of werewolves, little girl?”
“No, but I’ve only met one so far.”
“Well, you need to meet more.”
“Back off,” TJ said. “She’s new in town.”
James leaned on the table, blocking her view of TJ. “Anyway,” he said loudly, “as I was saying, I’m more open-minded than a lot of wolves. Lots of wolves are afraid to date fae women.”
“Why’s that?”
“’Cause y’all are crazy.” He leered at her again. “But, see, I like crazy. I don’t want to, but I can’t help it. If there’s a hundred females in a bar, and only one of ’em’s ever keyed her boyfriend’s car and held his dog hostage because she thought he was cheating on her, that’s the one I’ll end up with.”
“But I’m not crazy.”
He raised his eyebrows in an exaggerated expression of surprise. “Huh?”
“No, really. I’m part fae, but I’m not crazy.”
“Damn. I might love you. You got a talent?”
She caught her breath and blinked. This was even weirder than having someone ask if she was fae. After a lifetime spent hiding her talent, now she was talking about it like it was normal.
“Well, do you?”
“Um, yeah. It’s—it’s my memory.”
“Your memory.”
“Yes. I have eidetic memory—total recall.”
He winced. “Ooh. Sara, that’s not a great feature in a girlfriend.”
“She’s not a car, jackass,” TJ interjected.
James ignored her. “How come fae chicks never have the ability to bend like Gumby, or suck a tennis ball through a straw? Something useful, you know?”
She nearly sucked a margarita up her nose when she started laughing.
“No, really,” he went on, all wide-eyed sincerity. “I mean, if evolution had been more on the ball, it would’ve been—”
“All right, you’re done here.” A big hand grabbed James by the back of his T-shirt and hauled him to his feet.
She looked up—the hand belonged to Bryan, and he wasn’t smiling. In fact, he looked a little scary. James apparently thought so too, because he put his hands up in a placating gesture. “Oh—hey, Bryan. Didn’t see you there, bro.”
“Move along, bro. The rest of you too.” All the other guys stood and started collecting their pitchers and glasses.
“He wasn’t bothering me,” Sara protested. “They were just talking to us!”
“Well, they’re done now. Buh-bye.” He backhanded a couple of guys on their heads as they shuffled off.
TJ was laughing. James was too. He bowed and blew her a kiss. “It’s okay, Sara. The big jarhead can’t help it.” He danced out of Bryan’s reach and joined his buddies on the other side of the room.
“Why’d you do that?”
He set a small bag on the table, pulled the chair up close to her, and flopped down. “Because they’re lunatics.”
A guy and a girl had shown up with him. It had to be TJ’s best friend, Lark, and her fiancé, Taran. He was tall and beautiful, with golden hair and a scar on his face. She had chestnut hair and legs Sara would’ve killed for. Lark smiled at Sara while the guy said, “They’re not lunatics. They’re rugby players.”
“Same thing,” Bryan groused. “Too many headbutts. And James is a smart-assed beta. Smart-assed betas bug the shit
“TJ, have you thought any more about what I said?”
“No, James.”
With a heavy sigh, he picked up his chair and walked around to Sara’s side of the table, wedging it in between her and the hulk who’d carried the pitchers.
“Hi. I’m James. You’re pretty. What’s your name?”
She couldn’t help returning his grin. “Sara.”
“Sara, you’re fae, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, partly.” It felt so weird to say it out loud like that. “Why?” She gave TJ a what’s with this guy look, but her new friend just rolled her eyes and kept talking to a big guy with a shaved head.
“You know, Sara, I’m more open-minded than a lot of wolves.”
She started in surprise. “You’re a werewolf?”
His goofy leer made her laugh. “I am. Are you afraid of werewolves, little girl?”
“No, but I’ve only met one so far.”
“Well, you need to meet more.”
“Back off,” TJ said. “She’s new in town.”
James leaned on the table, blocking her view of TJ. “Anyway,” he said loudly, “as I was saying, I’m more open-minded than a lot of wolves. Lots of wolves are afraid to date fae women.”
“Why’s that?”
“’Cause y’all are crazy.” He leered at her again. “But, see, I like crazy. I don’t want to, but I can’t help it. If there’s a hundred females in a bar, and only one of ’em’s ever keyed her boyfriend’s car and held his dog hostage because she thought he was cheating on her, that’s the one I’ll end up with.”
“But I’m not crazy.”
He raised his eyebrows in an exaggerated expression of surprise. “Huh?”
“No, really. I’m part fae, but I’m not crazy.”
“Damn. I might love you. You got a talent?”
She caught her breath and blinked. This was even weirder than having someone ask if she was fae. After a lifetime spent hiding her talent, now she was talking about it like it was normal.
“Well, do you?”
“Um, yeah. It’s—it’s my memory.”
“Your memory.”
“Yes. I have eidetic memory—total recall.”
He winced. “Ooh. Sara, that’s not a great feature in a girlfriend.”
“She’s not a car, jackass,” TJ interjected.
James ignored her. “How come fae chicks never have the ability to bend like Gumby, or suck a tennis ball through a straw? Something useful, you know?”
She nearly sucked a margarita up her nose when she started laughing.
“No, really,” he went on, all wide-eyed sincerity. “I mean, if evolution had been more on the ball, it would’ve been—”
“All right, you’re done here.” A big hand grabbed James by the back of his T-shirt and hauled him to his feet.
She looked up—the hand belonged to Bryan, and he wasn’t smiling. In fact, he looked a little scary. James apparently thought so too, because he put his hands up in a placating gesture. “Oh—hey, Bryan. Didn’t see you there, bro.”
“Move along, bro. The rest of you too.” All the other guys stood and started collecting their pitchers and glasses.
“He wasn’t bothering me,” Sara protested. “They were just talking to us!”
“Well, they’re done now. Buh-bye.” He backhanded a couple of guys on their heads as they shuffled off.
TJ was laughing. James was too. He bowed and blew her a kiss. “It’s okay, Sara. The big jarhead can’t help it.” He danced out of Bryan’s reach and joined his buddies on the other side of the room.
“Why’d you do that?”
He set a small bag on the table, pulled the chair up close to her, and flopped down. “Because they’re lunatics.”
A guy and a girl had shown up with him. It had to be TJ’s best friend, Lark, and her fiancé, Taran. He was tall and beautiful, with golden hair and a scar on his face. She had chestnut hair and legs Sara would’ve killed for. Lark smiled at Sara while the guy said, “They’re not lunatics. They’re rugby players.”
“Same thing,” Bryan groused. “Too many headbutts. And James is a smart-assed beta. Smart-assed betas bug the shit
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