Page 64 of Filthy Fae

Leaning back in my seat, I glanced over at Scarlet’s sister. When Zeezee had first entered our school a year behind Scarlet and me, I’d thought the similarity between sisters was uncanny. Now, I couldn’t even see a resemblance. Their heart-shaped faces, lips, and big eyes were the same shape, but their energy couldn’t be more dissimilar. “You know what’s the biggest difference between you and your sister?”

Zeezee aimed a mocking smile my way. “Public opinion?”

“You’re both good at reading people,” I said. “But she uses it to make sure everyone feels comfortable, while you use it to hurt wherever and whoever you can.”

I could tell from the twist of her lips that my statement hit home, but I felt no satisfaction with it. Zeezee was a fucked-up person who caused Scarlet no end of grief, but Scarlet loved her.

A disembodied voice asked who I was here to visit. When I answered, a door opened in the cliffside. Throwing the van into gear, I pulled into the elevator and glanced back to see it closing behind the van.

“You know,” Zeezee said after a few seconds. “That’s pretty fucking funny coming from you.”

She clearly wanted me to ask her for clarification, but I wasn’t interested, so I just waited for the door to open at the top of the cliff before I threw the van into drive again.

“Out of everyone, I feel sorriest for you, Mack,” Zeezee said after a second.

“I thank you for your pity,” I said dryly.

“I really do.” She leaned far enough into the dashboard that I’d have to ignore Zeezee to avoid her gaze. “You and Scar have been in love for how long now? Zane told me that you two were pretty much a couple all along, and Scarlet was just going through the motions with him. Like, maybe he’s the one who cheated, and everyone hates us for it, but he was only a convenient shield Scarlet shoved between you two. She could give a fuck about Zane.”

“He didn’t deserve her,” I said.

“We did you both a favor,” Zeezee said. “We took away her shield. And she finally lets you get close, right? But she starts fucking three other dudes along with you.”

“What’s your point?” I gritted out. She had a point, though. I couldn’t deny that. I’d been waiting for Scarlet to clue me in ever since her first true mate mark appeared. The fact was, I was on borrowed time. We both knew she couldn’t deny her true mates. I would never have that bond with her.

“The point is, here you are,” Zeezee said. “Still. You’re going to fuck Scarlet in front of a crowd of assholes just because she gets off on voyeurism.”

“Maybe I do, too,” I said.

“Nah.” Zeezee shrugged one shoulder. “You get off on making my sister happy.”

I shook my head, but for some reason, I had a hard time meeting her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make someone else happy,” I said. “Maybe you should try it sometime.”

“Not at the expense of making myself happy.”

“It’s not at the expense of my own happiness,” I said. “I don’t have a problem with having an audience, so I don’t see how it matters.”

“It matters because you’ve spent years acting like the best fucking boyfriend on earth to my sister, but she’s still jerking you around. She’s never going to stop because as much as my sister is in love with you, she cares about what everyone thinks of her. No, she cares about what she thinks everyone thinks of her. We all accepted your relationship years ago.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Zeezee sighed. “Maybe I’m a bitch, and Scar is a saint, but at least I’m not a liar who strings my partners along. They know what they’re getting from me. I don’t mess with their heads—or their hearts. Look what you’ve already lost for her. Do you really think you and Scarlet are going to live happily ever after when this is over? You’re smarter than that, Macklin.”

Slamming on the brakes, I squealed into Oxonos’ driveway. The van jerked to a stop and shuddered. Not having any response, I threw open the door and jumped out. A peel of laughter came out of the horrid woman, and I quickly closed the van door, muffling the sound.

Damn her. Damn Zeezee.

The girl reveled in biting the hand that fed her, taking advantage of Scarlet in every way she could get away with. I couldn’t take anything Zeezee said at face value. She wanted her sister’s unhappiness, as if that would somehow validate something. There was absolutely no point in letting her get to me. My thoughts soothed my anger as I crossed to the front of Oxonos’ home and knocked on his heavy wooden door.

No one answered, and it took me a moment to realize why. I was supposed to stay in the van and call the man.

I made sure that my phone was to my ear as I reentered the van, signaling to Zeezee that I wasn’t interested in continuing our conversation. After three rings, the garage door to the house opened, and I pulled in alongside an Ecomarion. My Ecomarion.

As Zeezee and I opened our doors, so did the doors of my former car. Naveen grinned at me from the front seat of my SUV.

“Sweet wheels, brother,” he said, bobbing his eyebrows. “Are you driving around a kid’s soccer team? Because with your driving record, I don’t think a job in transportation is the right career for you.”

“Don’t get too used to my Ecomarion,” I said as I hopped out. “I’m taking my car back as soon as the queen’s anger cools.”