Page 43 of Beginning at the End
He put his hands on her shoulders as she sipped at her hot cocoa.“Never leave your underwear somewhere unless you want an alpha to use it to track you.”
She blinked.“It was all clean.”
“I can currently track you via my car seat.Don’t mistake my manners for indifference.”His hands were warm on her shoulders.
Unable to bear the intimacy of that statement, she looked up at him.“Do you trim your nose hair?”
He grinned down at her, his teeth flashing white.“Trying to deflect the moment?”
“You know me so well.Seriously?The nose hair thing?Those are some great genes if you don’t need to.”
He chuckled.“You know I am angling to have you test to see how those genes work with yours.”
“I was getting that impression.You aren’t subtle, and you are so very old.”
He ruffled her hair, and she hissed at him.Actually hissed.
Kern and Rhymbia were staring at them when Eudora looked at them.She sighed.“What?”
Rhymbia laughed.“You two are socute!And he’s scary good-looking.”
“Yup.I know.He knows.Hostesses at restaurants know.The people who get him coffee know.The night guard at the office knows.His brother knows and thinks it is fucking hilarious.”She ticked them off on her fingers.
Kern’s eyes glowed, and he laughed.
Eudora looked at Sern.“Can you take a basilisk gaze?”
“Yes.”
“Cool.I can too.No need to wear the lenses while drinking cocoa, Kern.”
Kern blinked.“You are a special beta?”
“Sort of.I am the same kind of beta as Persephone’s sister-in-law.Different flavour, but same general type.”
Rhymbia said, “What kind of beta?”
“Um, strength?It isn’t as useful as you think.”
Rhymbia blinked.“How strong?”
“Whatever I need.”
Rhymbia smiled.“I could have used that a time or two.”
“You had it when you wanted it.Still do, for that matter.”
“Oh.Right.”Rhymbia blushed.“Forgot about that.Wait, how do you know?”
“The knowledge that comes is more useful than the strength.I can see energy signatures and know what they do.”She pointed to Sern.“I can also spot his folk at a distance.”
He smiled and lifted her hand to his lips.
“So, are you finished arguing about my underwear?”
“We are.Though it is a topic I would like to revisit.”
She glared at him.“No.”
