Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“You got that fucking right,” Grath growled. He looked down at her yearbook again and flipped another page. “Who are these females?” he asked, frowning.
Mattie looked where he was pointing and felt her stomach tighten.
“Oh, those are the popular girls,” she said. “Amanda Hutchinson and Lacy Albright and Taylor Morris.”
“So…these were the females who tormented you?” Grath demanded, frowning.
“Yes. And yes, they all still live in Christmasville and no, you can’t kill them,” Mattie said, half amused/half alarmed at his instant protective response.
His frown deepened.
“I would never hurt a female. But there’s something about these three…” He stared at the picture of the three “queen bees” of Robert G Warren High School in their skimpy cheerleading outfits. “Why can I see their skeletons practically poking through their skin? Is there something wrong with them?” he asked.
Mattie looked where he was pointing and felt a giggle rise in her throat.
“They’re just thin—that’s what human men like,” she told him. “At least in my culture.”
“Your culture is wrong,” Grath said firmly. “Why would a male want to be with a female he might break in half by accident?”
Mattie laughed.
“You got me, but that’s the way it is. These three practically teased me into an eating disorder back in high school,” she remarked, tapping her fingernail on the old black and white picture.
Grath scowled.
“I’d better not see any of them, either.”
Mattie sighed.
“Well, I hope we don’t, but you never can tell. Christmasville is a pretty small town.”
“Then let’s stay in the domicile,” Grath suggested. “There are too many humans in this town that deserve to be on my ‘get the fuck pounded out of them’ list as it is! I don’t need to meet any more.”
“We can try,” Mattie said doubtfully. “But we’ll have to see what my mom has planned. Right now we need to get down to breakfast.”
“If that means more of your mother’s cooking, I’m ready.” Grath declared. “She certainly has a way with food.”
Mattie smiled.
“I’ll tell her you said that—she loves it when people compliment her cooking. Come on—let’s get dressed and go get some of it.”
Grath agreed and started digging around in his packing cube for clothes. As Mattie dug in her own suitcase, she told herself everything was going to be fine. They just had to stay in the house and avoid the rest of the town as much as possible and they would complete this “mission” they were on with no problem—she was sure of it. Everything was going exactly according to plan.
She had no idea how wrong she was.
THIRTEEN
MATTIE
“What’s that?” Grath asked, frowning as he pointed to the sprig of green hanging over the kitchen doorway. “Some kind of holiday weed?”
Today the big Hybrid was dressed in tight, black trousers and high black boots, which were a usual part of the Kindred uniform. But on top he wasn’t wearing anything but a dark blue t-shirt which showed off the elaborate black tattoos swirling up his muscular arms. Mattie had been tempted to tell him he would be cold, but then she remembered his ability to control his body heat and decided he would be just fine, no matter how cold it got outside.
“It’s not a weed—it’s called mistletoe,” Anna said, answering Grath’s question before Mattie could open her mouth. “You hang it up in the doorways during Christmas so you can steal a kiss from anyone standing under it. See? Ethan, honey, come here—will you?”
“Hmm?” Her husband came wandering in from the other room, a questioning look on his face.
As soon as he got to the doorway, Anna put her arms around his shoulders and drew him down for a kiss. Ethan’s eyes widened, but he put his arms around his pregnant wife and kissed her back eagerly, making Mattie laugh.
“See? That’s how it’s done.” Anna stepped aside, tugging her husband by the hand. “Your turn, Sis,” she said, grinning at Mattie.
Mattie felt her heart start to drum in her chest.
“Oh, I don’t know, Anna! I don’t, uh, want to put Grath on the spot!”
“Don’t worry about me.” Grath was already moving to stand under the mistletoe—he was so tall the green sprig brushed the top of his hair. “Come here, baby,” he murmured, holding out his arms to Mattie. “Give me a kiss under this holiday weed.”
Anna stifled a laugh and Ethan was grinning too.
“That’s right, Mattie—give him a kiss under the ‘holiday weed,” her brother-in-law said.
Mattie bit her lip. This really was going too far, but how could she refuse? If she didn’t kiss the big Hybrid, Anna and Ethan were going to be suspicious! She remembered what Grath had said back in her bedroom—that if they had to cross a few physical boundaries to fulfill their mission, that was just too bad. And anyway, how bad could one little kiss be?
Hesitantly, she stepped up to Grath. She was wearing boots with heels on them, which made her a little taller, but she still had to stand on her tiptoes to reach his mouth.