“We’ll keep it casual,” Jake said. “You don’t even have to change. I like the smell of plaster dust and sweat.”
“Hold up,” Jasper said. “I was trying to be the gentleman here, but if you’re going to make her go on a date anyway, then the date is mine. For one thing, it’s true, I was the first one to actually note that you are attractive…and for another, this guy is just a terrible date.”
“You said there’s a bowling alley around?” I said. “How about we just all go and…”
“Whoever knocks over the most pins gets the goodnight kiss,” Jake said.
“Nobody gets a fucking goodnight kiss. That’s my final offer. I’ll pay for all the balls and pins and stuff. Otherwise I’m writing you a check for a fair price and calling it a day.”
They both started laughing at me now, Jake more boldly while Jasper was still trying to hang onto a shred of politeness. “Have you ever been bowling before?”
“Excuse me for spending all my time working,” I said, but I knew this was one of those moments where I couldn’t hide where I’d come from. When you were trying to cling to the shreds of a lost royal dynasty, you didn’t take your daughters bowling. Thanks, Mom and Dad.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jake
“LOOK AT THIS.” Our cell phone service returned halfway into town and I had found a photo of Helena’s graduation or prom or, I don’t know, what did you call that debutante coming out thing? A cotillion?
“Yeah, I’ve…seen that photo,” Jasper said, glancing at the tiara and forced smile of a presumably teenage Hel. Of course we’d first encountered her at the auction of a one-bedroom cottage in Connecticut, where she showed up looking exhausted but came to play ball, bidding up to fifty grand before dropping out with one silent stamp of her foot. It was hard not to keep looking at the willowy young blonde witch who came out of nowhere like she’d been doing this forever.
But a rival was a rival, and we could all do without any more rivals, so I can’t say I was happy about it. And when I heard she came from the von Habsburg-Nicolescu clan I was even more annoyed. Why did some rich bitch need to be horning in on our territory?
Slowly, I started to notice that this wasn’t a hobby for her. The girl was all-in, and her family was nowhere in the picture.
“I should’ve known I’m not the first one to hunt around for old photos. Man, she looks miserable,” I said.
“I know. That’s what makes her hot now.” Jasper was driving in the lead with Helena’s truck bearing down on us on the two lane road.
“You want to speed up a little?” I said.
“I’m going the speed limit. She’s the one riding my ass.”
“You wish. Well, go five miles over. This road is empty.”
“I’m not going to plow into a deer.”
“That was a fluke. And it was crazy lucky, if you’ll remember. Nice, clean kill. It made delicious sausage.”
Jasper was the more level-headed of the two of us, of course—there was always one. He was the one who made sure we didn’t overpay for houses, and stuck to a schedule, and in the early days he stopped me from some bad remodeling decisions that were just what I happened to like. It’s true that I have a weakness for log cabins, and I actually like wood paneling on walls. I think it’s a wolf thing. Primal. You want to feel like you’re in the woods. I also feel that an old camper parked on your property makes for a sweet guesthouse. But unless your buyers are also wolves, I quickly learned that Jasper was right.
“So…are you really…into her, or are you just messing with me?” Jasper said, after a stretch of silence.
I laughed, with a touch of nervousness. “I don’t know, man. I mean, she is more your type than mine.”
“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”
“But you should have just taken the date for yourself,” I said. “I gave you an opening.”
“You fucking humiliated me, and you know it.”
“It had to be done! You weren’t going to tell her.”
“I just don’t know if I should really be gunning for a girl like her. That’s going to be way too complicated. She’s still an Ethereal witch. We’re wolves. It’ll bring unwanted attention.”
“Stuff like that never stopped anyone, if you fall in love,” I said.
Jasper gave me a quick sideways glance like, Don’t get all romantic about it. He was more practical with relationships, too. When I do fall for someone, I’m all in.
“Have you heard about her brother?” Jasper said, after another long moment.
“Wasn’t he aiming to be on the warlock council or something like that?”
“No,” Jasper said. “Aunt Susan told me that the family disowned him because he’s in a bond marriage.”
“Holy shit, really? That can’t be true. A guy like that?”
“You never know with Aunt Susan, but…” Jasper shrugged.
“Bond brothers or bond sisters?”
“Brothers.”
“I don’t believe it.” A bond marriage? No way. Human wizards didn’t share like that. Usually only demons still practiced it regularly, to strengthen their position in the magical world. Bond marriages occurred when a clan or group of close friends, either male or female, agreed to share one mate. If Helena’s brother was truly in a bond marriage that meant he and two or three other warlocks had sworn their loyalty to each other and to one woman, sharing her in every way.
Shit, I was getting hard just thinking about it since I already had Helena on the brain.
Not that I had any desire to share.
“It is very hard to imagine,” Jasper agreed. “I’m sure Hel wouldn’t be into it. She seems like she hasn’t even
