Page 58 of Gray

“Huh?” I asked.

Gray slowly blinked at me. “I’ll get sleepy if I beat him up, so I need you to do it for me.”

I turned to Raiden. All six foot seven of him. He was nothing but solid muscle on top of that. The silly grin on his lips showed his true colors though. The dude was like a massive teddy bear.

“How ’bout it?” Raiden nodded to the billiard table. “Wanna settle this over a game of pool?”

I grabbed a stick from the rack. “What are the stakes?”

“You win, I cook you whatever you want. Sky’s the limit. If I win, you have to get me a box of donuts from the bakery on the other side of town.”

“Is it always food with you?” I chalked the end of my stick.

“Always.” Raiden grinned and set up the game. “Humans go first.”

Gray lightly tugged on my shirtsleeve. “Be careful. Ray plays dirty. He makes you think you have it in the bag, then he swoops in and kicks your butt.”

“Hey.” Raiden pointed at him. “Quit telling your man all my secrets.”

Your man.Why did that make my heart beat faster?

I started the game, knocking a stripe into the upper-left pocket. I pocketed a few more before it was Raiden’s turn.

It felt good to do something so normal. No monster hunting or talking about supernatural wars between good and evil. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d relaxed with some friends and shot some pool.

“Hey, Ray?” Gray asked. He and Clara had sat on the small sofa together, him in her lap.

A prickling of jealousy stabbed at my chest. I wanted to be the one he cuddled up to.

“What’s up, Smalls?”

“Stupid Galen made me mad earlier. I need you to kick his butt.”

“He made you mad?” Raiden asked.

“Yep. He was bein’ mean to Mason.”

“You know how Galen is.” Raiden pocketed a ball before lining up another shot. He was kicking my ass just like Gray said he would. “He doesn’t trust anyone but us. Sometimes not even then, depending on the day. Give him some time to come around.”

Alastair walked into the room. “Hate to break up the fun, but the game will have to resume later.”

“Ah, why?” Gray whined. “It was just getting good.”

“Konnar called. He wants us to go to Krave tonight.”

I ran the name over in my head. Konnar.

The vampire.My blood pressure spiked, and I squeezed the pool stick. How could they associate themselves with monsters?

Gray’s brown eyes suddenly flashed to me. He slid off Clara’s lap and came over, slipping his arms around my waist. My anger subsided, if only a little.

“Perhaps you should stay here,” Alastair said to me with an apprehensive stare. “Konnar has a no-violence policy in his club, and you don’t seem as though you can control yourself. You’re safe here with us, but I can’t promise the same if you threaten one of his people.”

“One of your people, you mean.”

“Mason…” Gray pouted up at me.

“Why are you so friendly with vampires?” I asked Alastair, that rage Galen mentioned bubbling to the surface. “They hurt people. I thought you were supposed to protect humans, not cozy up to their predators. Unless you’re not as good as you claim to be.”