She wrapped a strand of her hair around and around her fingers. “I’ll go with you, I can’t wait.”
I snorted. “Oh yeah, I’ll bet you’re dying for your bowl of cardboard and piece of fruit.”
She flipped me off. I wrinkled my nose and stuck my tongue out at her. Very sisterly-like.
“So what happened with you and Brax in the prison?”
Her question caught me by surprise.
“What do you mean?” I hedged as I shuffled through my drawers, grabbing some clothes for the day. I went for the warmer items. The open window had let in some icy winds. It was freezing outside.
I could feel Mischa’s eyes locked on me. “Let’s just say he always had that too-gorgeous-brooding thing going on, but now he’s so intense. Like something happened.”
I slammed the drawer shut, clothes clutched in my trembling hands. “You mean besides the fact I was kidnapped by a crazy scar-guy and an ancient homicidal vampire, then almost raped and killed right under his nose.”
Yeah, I was unnecessarily harsh, but I didn’t want to think about Braxton’s intensity right now. It gave me thoughts that I didn’t know what to do with. Or what box I could put these feelings in. I liked my life, I didn’t want to lose anything. My heart was just too fragile to risk.
Mischa’s face fell, the smile wiping itself off like magic. “God, Jess, I am so sorry, that was really insensitive of me.”
I shook my head, waving my free hand at her. “No problem, I know you didn’t mean anything.”
And she hadn’t, my sister had an innocence about her, an innocence most of us in Stratford had lost long ago, despite the fact we were pretty much imprisoned in the town, an innocence that could only have come from … no freaking way – she couldn’t really be. I’d likened her to it when she first arrived but there was no way.
“Are you a virgin?” I blurted.
Okay, tact was definitely not my middle name. I probably could have asked that a million different ways.
Mischa blushed, red as freaking lava. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before lowering her eyes to stare at what must be the sudden appearance of a sixth toe on her left foot. That’s how hard she was concentrating.
Holy effing hell? How was this even possible? No, not the toe part. The virgin thing was much crazier.
“How is that possible?” I repeated aloud. “We’re shifters, we need sex. It keeps our animals from ripping some asshat’s face off.”
A need that I’d been ignoring for too long now, it was going to make itself known soon. I mean, we aren’t like nymphos or anything, we could go a long time without sex, but at some point after coming into our powers – it was seventeen for me – we started to get the hot flushes, the urges to touch and be touched. I’d never heard of a twenty-two year old virgin shifter.
Mischa lifted her face, which was back to a ripe tomato color. “Now you sound like every man I’ve ever known. Babe … I like neeeed sex. I’ll die without it.” Her male mimicking was spot on.
I couldn’t halt the peals of laughter. Who would have thought that not even twenty-four hours since … Vlad … that I could be doubled over, holding my aching-laugh-stomach. Safe, with my sister. It was a gift.
When we’d finished losing it, she perched on the edge of my bed.
“So now that you know I’m yet to cash in my V-card, do you think I’m a loser?”
Her face, the mirror of my own, was blank. But the green eyes were depthless and in them I could see her pain and fear. I’m guessing she’d been called a loser on more than one occasion.
I dropped in next to her and put my arm around her shoulders. “No freaking way. I think you’re awesome and clearly a strong woman who knows her own mind. I’m sure the fact that your wolf was suppressed allowed you some reprieve from the hormones.”
She clunked her head onto my shoulder. “Yeah, but now I think I’m feeling them double-fold.” Her voice was an embarrassed whisper.
I snorted. “Well, it looks as if you and I both need to get some action. But I need to warn you-”
She lifted her face and met my gaze, interrupting me. The pause between us was extended.
“Still takes me by surprise,” she finally said. “Like looking in a mirror.”
It was eerie.
I nodded. “Yes, it takes me by surprise too, but back on point. Remember that we can find our mates through sex, and once you find your mate, you will be bonded to that shifter for life. So just be aware.”
“You’re making that sound really negative. Mom and Dad are so happy and in love. Why don’t you want that for yourself?”
I sat there for a few moments, then shrugged it off and waved her question away with a grin. I knew the reason, deep down in my heart, for why I was afraid of a mating. But now wasn’t the time for this confession.