Mad, Bad & Dangerous

Bael was sitting where she’d left him, gnawing on one fingernail. She hadn’t seen him look so uncertain since she’d met him-but then, she reminded herself sternly, she hadn’t met him very long before he’d buggered off again.

They hardly knew each other. This was insane.

“Look,” she said, sitting down again. “This is stupid. We can’t be those mate things because I’m not Nasc.”

“Neither is the queen.”

Dammit, he had a point. “Well, are you sure they’re these fated mates?”

Bael nodded morosely. “Yes. They even gave me details.”

A piece slotted into place in Kett’s head. “You talked to them about this?”

“Had to talk to someone! I haven’t been able to have sex with anyone since you!”

A small touch of pride warmed Kett. Then irritation squashed it. “Is that how you found out where I live? Chance told you?”

Warily, he nodded.

“She is so dead.”

“Don’t you threaten my queen.”

He said it mildly, and Kett snorted. “She’s my cousin. And I could definitely kick her ass.”

“Look, we’re not talking about her.”

“No, we’re talking about your recent fit of insanity. I say recent, because based on the evidence so far, they seem to hit with the same regularity as the sunrise. Bael, I’m not your mate. We hardly know each other!”

“Chance and Dark hardly knew each other. In fact, he tried to kill her several times, but they still-”

“Still not talking about them,” Kett said, glaring at him.

He was a loon. Well, she already knew that, but he was twice a loon now. If he thought she was going to jump for joy at his mad proposal-because that’s what it was, a proposal, horribly mixed in with a fait accompli-then he wasn’t just insane, he was also stupid.

Why her? She was a divorced ex-con with a crippled leg and a mad family. She wasn’t young, she wasn’t beautiful and she did nothing but yell at him. All she had in her favor was that she was great in the sack, and frankly Bael could probably get that anywhere.

Kett didn’t like fate. She didn’t like the idea that things were meant to happen and there wasn’t any way to change them, and she really didn’t like the idea that there was a preordained destiny out there for everyone. Especially for herself.

She’d heard enough predictions about how she was going to either go insane, get locked up in jail or die young-or all three-to be completely sick of it.

Even if two out of three had come true already. And sitting here listening to Bael, she wasn’t entirely sure about the third.

Added to which, she didn’t want a mate. Husband. Boyfriend. Whatever. Other people got in the way-they always had, they always would. Other people got you hurt, or they got hurt because of you.

Alone was best. It always had been.

Kett ran her hands over her face. It was just as well she couldn’t currently change her shape, or Bael would probably think it was a sign they really were meant to be together. She needed to make it clear to Jarven that Bael wasn’t to be told-in the unlikely chance that Jarven actually decided to speak to anyone, that was.

“Well, look,” Bael said. “There is one way to be sure.”

“What’s that?”

He cocked his head. “Actually, two.”

Kett stubbed out her cigar. “Go on, then.”

“Well, you could have sex with someone else. If you’re my mate, that should be impossible.”

Kett opened her mouth to tell him there wasn’t anyone within a fifty-mile radius she’d even consider having sex with, but then it occurred to her the idea had merit.

She had to pick up Striker and Chalia tomorrow and take them to Elvyrn. She hadn’t planned on staying, but maybe if she did, she might find someone to hook up with. Nuala was always trying to set her up with someone. The idea of a single woman in her thirties seemed to be completely unnatural to her stepmother.

Yeah. She’d go to Elvyrn, endure the family Yule gathering and shag some stranger. Then she could prove to Bael that this was all bollocks.

Shag a stranger. She used to do it all the time when she was younger. Why in the Realm had she stopped? It was always so-

Empty .

Exciting!

Sordid .

Liberating.

Sad .

Cool.

Childish .

Adult.

Pathetic .

She sighed. “Okay, what’s the other option?”

“Well, you could have sex with me.”

Kett snorted. But Bael seemed to be serious.

She tried to ignore the stab of heat that came from the idea. “What would that prove?”

“That I’m your mate.”

“Er, no. It wouldn’t.”

Although, it would be an excuse for more of those fireworks Bael had given her last time… No. Bad Kett.

“Well, it would to me.”

“You’re not the one who needs convincing!” She hoped her hard nipples weren’t visible through her shirt.

“Yes, I am. I need to be convinced my penis isn’t broken,” Bael said plaintively.

Kett laughed. She couldn’t help it. She clinked her mug against his and stood up. “Well, you try, I’ll give you that.”

“This isn’t funny,” Bael said, standing too.

“Is to me. And look at it this way. If I didn’t think it was funny, I’d probably be beating you up. Bael, you’re a nutball. I’m not sleeping with you. End of story.”

Chapter Six

“This doesn’t mean anything,” Kett moaned as his mouth closed around her nipple.

“Mmm,” Bael agreed, a rather wonderful vibration.

“I’m just horny. And like I said, there are no other men around here. Or I’d be letting one of them suck my tits.”

His hand slid around her waist, under her shirt, and his fingers dipped under the edge of her dragonskin jeans. The cold wind bit against her skin and she gasped.

“Whose idea was it to have sex outside?” she demanded breathlessly, her head falling back against the cold stone of the pub wall.

Bael raised his head and the wind chilled her wet nipple.

“Yours,” he said, his voice husky. “Still, it’s one way to ward off the chill.”

“Speaking of,” she said, “I’m about to get frostbite to the nipples.” And she pushed his head back down to her breast. Bael laughed and ran his hot tongue around her cold flesh, making her see stars. His gloved fingers started unfastening her fly.