Page 10

Chapter

Ten

“We’ll take two of your specials and two margaritas,” Mason ordered after we were seated at one of my favorite restaurants just outside of the mall.

They set a basket of chips and a cup of salsa down and Mason immediately grabbed a chip and dipped it in the salsa.

I stole it from his hand and popped it into my mouth. “Stolen food always tastes better.”

He rolled his eyes and got himself another chip.

The waiter brought out our drinks and I clinked mine against his. “To a successful first date.”

He smiled and took a drink before saying, “Your snake form is much larger than the last time we saw you.”

“Yeah, I seem to continue growing,” I said. “From some research I’ve done, it seems like I should stop growing in the next year or so if the animal and I are the same.”

“Interesting,” he said as he ate another chip.

“So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?” I asked him.

He shrugged. “My only plan was this date.”

“Do you want to go have some fun?” I asked.

“I’m always up for some fun with you,” he said with a nod. “What did you have in mind?”

“You’ll have to wait and see,” I said and danced in my seat at the sight of our food coming. “First, food!”

After we finished our food and met Ezio at the SUV, I whispered the location in Ezio’s ear.

He laughed and nodded. “You got it.”

We pulled up to an inconspicuous white, rectangular building with no sign over the one door that served as the entrance.

“What is this place?” Mason asked as we climbed out.

“I’m going to stay out here,” Ezio said. “Holler if you need me.”

I saluted him and pulled open the door. “Welcome to a super fun night you’ll never forget, Mason.”

He walked inside and his eyes widened when he saw the signs inside announcing the business as a black light indoor miniature golf.

Skipping up to the counter, I put cash down and smiled at the teenage boy working behind the counter. “Two please.”

“Y-Y-Yes, Princess. Right away.” His eyes were wide as saucers as he tapped on the cash register.

Another teenage boy behind him stepped forward and said, “You’re even prettier in person than on TV.”

Chuckling, I flipped my hair over my shoulder and said, “Thank you, that’s so sweet.”

Mason growled softly, and the boy took several steps back with a hard swallow.

“Here’s your ch-change,” the boy at the cash register said and held out a shaking hand with a few bills.

I took it, careful not to touch him. “Thanks!”

“The clubs are by the door over there,” he said and pointed towards the entrance to the course. “And you can pick your colored balls from there as well.”

“Thank you,” Mason said, put a hand on my lower back, and pushed me towards the main entrance.

Talking softly out of the side of my mouth I asked, “Are you really acting possessive in front of teenagers?”

“I don’t care how old they are, I don’t like seeing other men drooling over you,” he whispered back.

We each grabbed a small golf club and picked out golf balls. I chose blue while Mason picked green.

As soon as we stepped through the entrance, the blacklights started reacting to our clothing and the balls in our hand. The first hole was decorated as a rainbow unicorn that you had to hit the ball into its mouth. Once through the mouth, the ball would roll through the unicorn and it would poop it out into the hole.

“Want to make a bet?” I asked as I set my ball down on the starting point.

“I hate making bets with you,” he grumbled. “You and Trey.”

“That’s because we always win them,” I said with a wink.

“Name your stakes,” he said with a sigh.

“If I win, you have to spend a day with me in your avian form.” He wasn’t opposed to his bird form, but he preferred to be in his human form.

He scowled. “I get to shift if you’re in danger.”

I nodded.

“Fine. If I win, you have to send those earrings back to the dragon douche,” he said.

My eyes widened. They really hated Luca. Was it for more than the interactions I’d witnessed? Why give back my gift? They were a birthday gift, not a courting gift.

“Fine,” I agreed and held out my hand.

He shook my hand, smiled wide, and waved for me to play. “Ladies first.”

I hit the ball, but it bounced off of the side of the unicorn’s mouth and back towards me.

Mason put his ball down, hit it, and it sailed straight through the unicorn and into the hole, giving him a hole in one.

My mouth dropped and I said, “Beginner’s luck.”

After four more tries, I finally got my ball through the unicorn.

The next hole was a dragon themed hole where you had to hit it up the dragon’s tail, up and over its back along its spine, and down off its nose into the hole.

Once again, Mason got a hole in one.

“How are you so good at this for your first time?” I asked.

“I never said it was my first time,” he replied as he spun the club.

I scowled and asked, “When did you play this?”

“On a double date with Trey, we played and I got obsessed with it afterwards. I played occasionally after that, too.”

A painful ping went through my chest. “A double date, huh?” I asked, trying not to let him see that hearing it upset me. I set my ball down and prepared to try to hit it.

“His mom set him up a few times and he begged Kay and I to go. We took turns going with him,” he continued, oblivious to my discomfort.

“Hm,” I replied and hit the ball. My hit was too hard and it bounced off the dragon’s tail and zoomed right back towards my face.

Mason caught it right before it hit my face and scowled at me. “You okay?”

No. No, I was not okay hearing that they had gone on dates with other women. I hadn’t gone on a single date. I hadn’t kissed a single person after the last time I had kissed Mason. Not a single guy in college. I knew I was acting crazy, but I couldn’t stop my emotions as they swirled higher and higher out of control. As the spell activated and tried to alter my normal emotions further. As the darkness begged for me to break something … someone.

“Fine,” I ground out and tried to snatch the ball from his hand.

“Lily, why are you upset?” he asked.

“I’m not,” I lied.

He grabbed a strand of my hair and showed the glowing piece to me. “Liar.”

Exhaling harshly, I admitted, “It upset me to hear you went on dates.”

He smiled. The jerk smiled. “Ah, I see.”

My anger grew and his aura swirled around him, reaching out towards me. “Did you kiss them? Or fuck them?” I asked.

He shrugged. “What’s it to you? You cut us off, remember?”

“You know why I cut you off.”

“I know why you cut Kayden off, but his comment had nothing to do with me,” he countered.

“You’re all a packaged deal,” I reminded him.

“And yet you only kissed me.”

“No,” I said and shook my head. “I’ve kissed each of you.”

His brows furrowed. “You kissed them, too? When?”

“When we were younger, before I left for college,” I answered.

“That makes Trey’s partners even more confusing,” he whispered as he looked off, deep in thought.

Partners? As in … sexual partners?

Hissing at him, I spun around and threw my club on the ground. “I’m going home.”

Was I overreacting? Yes, but my darkness when stirred around them seemed to make theirs react and it became like a spiral making me more and more irrationally angry.

Mason snatched my wrist, pulling me back so hard that I stopped and spun around, my hands going up to his chest to keep from falling. He pressed his mouth to mine and rubbed his fingers along my cheek. “These are the only lips I’ve ever kissed.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

He nodded. “Honest.”

“I don’t want to hear about your guys’ conquests. What happened while we weren’t talking?—”

“Lily,” he whispered, “you’re acting completely unlike yourself.”

Pushing away from him, I turned away so he couldn’t see my face and said, “You don’t know who I am. I’m not the same girl I was four years ago.”

“Did something happen?” he asked.

“Lots of things happened,” I replied and headed towards the exit. My powers had changed, grown, and gotten out of control. There had been a time that I had almost killed someone without meaning to. As much as I tried to be the sweet, pretty princess that the public thought I was, there was a darker side. The side from the spell that I couldn’t always keep at bay.

“We’re not the same either,” he said softly.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, and willed myself to calm down. To stop overreacting. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

His arms wrapped around me and he squeezed. “Come on, let’s finish our game so I can win.”

“Why do you hate Luca so much?” I asked and picked up my club.

“It’s obvious that he’s a playboy and yet he is trying to court you, which is unacceptable. He’s not good enough for you.” Adding so quietly that I didn’t think he meant for me to hear, “I don’t think there’s anyone who’s good enough.”

I hit my ball and it sailed perfectly along the dragon and into the hole.

We finished playing with no more angry incidents and I lost … horribly, but I was smiling at the end and so was Mason, which had been my plan all along.

“We should probably head home,” Mason said as we headed outside. “There’s probably demon hunts to go on.”

“You guys have been constantly busy, so why are you staying here?” I asked.

He looked at me like that was a stupid question. “We came to claim our mate, to finalize that promise we made, remember?”

Oh, right.

“I—”

He put his finger over my lips and shook his head. “Your parents are right. We need to prove to you that we’re your best choices. And to get to know each other again after being apart for so long.”

Opening the back passenger door, he waited until I climbed in before closing my door and getting in on the opposite side.

“You two have fun?” Ezio asked as he started the SUV.

We both nodded.

“Good. Where to now?”

“Home,” Mason said. “We have adult responsibilities to get back to.”

“Well, you do,” I countered. “I’m going to go home and take a nap.”

He rolled his eyes at me and a small smile appeared at my teasing.

Our ride home was just as silent as the trip out, but this time it was a more comfortable silence.

He helped me carry my bags of gifts into the house and up to my room. Pausing at my desk, he glared at the calendar book Mom had left there.

“Thanks for today,” I said to distract him. “It was fun.”

He turned around to face me and said, “Don’t forget to send back that douche’s earrings.”

“I don’t see why you’re so adamant I send back a birthday gift, but I’ll do it.” I had already planned to just throw away the hotel key.

“I had fun today and I’d like to do it again. Find an open date on your calendar and add my name to it and text me. Oh, and can you unblock our numbers now?”

Pulling out my cell, I let him watch as I unblocked their numbers, confirming that Trey was right and I had blocked all of them. “Done.”

He gave me a full smile, kissed my cheek, and said, “See you later, Lily gator.”

Before I could respond, he was jogging out the front door.

That phrase, that silly, childish phrase was the one he’d said to me when we’d said goodbye when I’d gone to college. It was a phrase he only said to me when we were alone, too silly for him to say in front of his friends.

And it made my heart pound to hear again.

Flopping down onto my bed, I smiled up at the ceiling. Even with the demon attack and my emotional outburst and insanity, today had been a great day.

I just hoped the other days were just as awesome.