Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 106646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
"Maybe Bridget is one of those girls that doesn't like to show weakness," Shail offers. "Maybe she doesn't like needing anyone. She was in pain and scared and it probably hurt her feelings that O'jek was quick to abandon her."
I frown. She makes it sound so reasonable. "You have never argued with B'shit," I say. "She makes you doubt yourself."
Shail chuckles. "No, I haven't. I don't try to argue with anyone. I figure there's room enough for all kinds of opinions." She pauses. "But I know you two argue a lot."
"If I say the sand is green, she says it is brown." I shake my head with frustration. "I think she does it just to get under my skin. She likes to make me mad."
"I imagine you make her mad, too. Or maybe this is her way of flirting."
"Flirting? By making me mad?" I am not certain, but Shail might have an odd idea of what flirting is. "Does V'za do this to you?" In my arms, Z'hren grabs another bite of stew and holds it up to me, trying to feed me. I lean down and obediently take it from him, and he giggles happily, grabbing another piece of stew and holding it aloft so I can eat again. "You are supposed to be eating, too," I chide him.
"There's plenty of food," Shail says, amused. "You can both eat. And as for arguing with you…well, haven't you heard the phrase 'pulling pigtails?"
"No." I eat the next bite Z'hren offers. "What is a pigtail?"
"It's a knot of hair, kind of like a braid. A style. I'd show you, but I don't have enough hair." She runs a hand over her shorn head, the black stubble of her mane speckled with gray. "Think of it like a type of braid. And pulling pigtails is when a little boy pulls on the hair of a girl he likes to get her attention. He makes her mad, of course, but he just wants her attention, even if it's bad attention. Maybe this is how Bridget makes sure that you want her. She keeps testing you."
This…makes a strange amount of sense. "You think I should pull on her braids to get her attention?"
"That is absolutely not what I said." She raises a hand, shaking her head. "Let's forget about hair entirely. What I'm saying is that maybe Bridget pushes you and makes you argue because she needs to make sure if you're going to be there for her. Has she been abandoned in the past?"
I think of our conversations, late at night. I try to recall if she has mentioned such things before, but I only remember her mentioning her mother. She mentions her a great deal, so they must have been close. "I do not think so."
"Maybe it's not that, then. Maybe it's simpler. Maybe she's just jealous of Daisy? You do spend a lot of time with her, and Daisy's very pretty and sweet. She knows she's attractive, and maybe Bridget sees that as a threat."
Z'hren smashes a bit of root against the side of my mouth when I do not eat quickly enough, so I stick my tongue out and wait for him to feed me. When he is satisfied, I chew, and respond to Shail. "I want her to be jealous of D'see. That is all part of the plan."
"What plan?" Shail sounds skeptical.
"D'see says if we make B'shit jealous, she will come running to my arms."
"Or she'll go running the other way," Shail replies dryly. "That's a dangerous game you're playing. If she realizes what you're doing, she's going to be really upset. You two need to be honest with each other and how you feel."
"I am honest!" My protest is interrupted by Z'hren shoving another piece of food into my mouth. Impatient, I chew quickly and when I can speak again, I continue. "B'shit knows how I feel. She knows I feel she is my mate. Resonance could not make me want her more."
Shail watches me with that motherly look and then sighs. "Look. I know what it's like to be in love with someone without resonance. I'm not saying it has to happen for people to be happy. But the core of any relationship is honesty and openness. Let's try and reverse it. What if you found out that, say, Bridget was going to I'rec's furs every night?"
"It would not happen," I say immediately. "I'rec does not want her because he knows she is mine."
Shail pinches the bridge of her nose. "R'jaal, then. Let's say she was going to R'jaal's furs. And let's say it made you upset."
I frown at the thought of B'shit kissing R'jaal. Of B'shit making those soft little moans when R'jaal touched her. I want to snarl at the thought. "Of course it would make me upset—"