Four-Letter Words by Evans, Gabrielle (best novel books to read .txt) 📕

“You’re being careful, right?” Leader Tuesday, Raith’s mate and Zasha’s boss, furrowed his brow and pursed his lips while he waited for an answer.

Snorting with laughter, Zasha pushed a stray lock of hair back from Thane’s forehead. “Yes, sir. I take a sip every four or five days, just to appease him, but I get most of what I need from donor bags.”

“Yes, he does,” Thane grumbled.

This was a fact, and it shouldn’t bother him as much as it did. It was a sore subject, and he admitted he could be overly sensitive about Zasha’s source of nutrition. Something wasn’t right, though.

The easygoing smile on Zasha’s lips didn’t match the icy look in his eyes. His fingers tangled in Thane’s hair, and he tugged just hard enough to let him know it wasn’t a loving gesture. The vampire was clearly goading him, pressing all of his buttons just to piss him off. Thane just didn’t know why, and he was far too stubborn to rise to the bait.

“Good.” October winked at Zasha like they were sharing some inside joke, and Thane got the distinct impression that he was the punch line.

Talk turned to Haven and the happenings at the coven after that, but Thane was barely listening. “What the hell?” he demanded in a harsh whisper against the shell of Zasha’s ear.

“Later,” Zasha replied out of the corner of his mouth.

“Honestly, I don’t know what to think, but there are still pieces that aren’t adding up.” Torren finished speaking, and everyone in the room looked to Thane, clearly expecting him to say something. The only problem was that he didn’t know what they were talking about or why they thought he’d have the answer.

“The coven in the mountains that held you,” Lynk supplied for him through their telepathic bond. He didn’t say anything else—telepathically or aloud—but he watched Thane with narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow.

“I was there for nearly two years, and they fed from me often.” There was more to the story than just being used as a living blood bag, but Thane didn’t need to traumatize his family with the gory details. The things he’d suffered weren’t important to discovering answers, and he was already getting enough pitying looks to last him a lifetime.

“Axton was the only person who ever talked about witches, though. Well, that I can remember. The first few months after I left Belgium are kind of a blur.” Meaning he’d spent six months in a drug-induced haze, unable to defend himself against the onslaught of torture. Again, not something he wished to share.

He was saved further questioning by a loud crash from Wren’s room. While everyone else negotiated who would investigate, Thane’s thoughts strayed back to Zasha’s uncharacteristic behavior. If he’d done something to offend the vampire, he didn’t know what it was, and therefore, had no way of rectifying his mistake.

“C’mon.” Rising from the arm of the chair, Zasha took his hand and tugged. “Come with me.”

They slipped from the room without a word, but Zasha didn’t lead him back down to the basement. Instead, he marched across the foyer and through the front door, right out into the night. Thane followed at a more leisurely pace, careful to close the door behind him. “Where are we going?”

“This is good.” Zasha turned to face him, and the first thing Thane noticed was the coolness of his voice didn’t match the heat in his eyes.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Thane leaned back against the side of the house and adopted a casual expression. “Okay, what’s going on with you? What was all of that in the living room?”

Whatever fight was in him seemed to drain away. His shoulders slumped, and he hung his head with a barely audible sigh. “Thane, why is it so hard for you to let me take care of you?”

Since it was an argument they’d been having for weeks, the question didn’t surprise him. Unfortunately, he had no other answer than the one he’d given a hundred times. “I do let you take care of me, but I’m not a child or an invalid. I can walk up the stairs and sit in a chair all by myself.” Thane stopped and cleared his throat. The sarcasm and mockery in his tone weren’t necessary.

Strangely, instead of debating him, Zasha rested his fists on his hips and bobbed his head. “I’m sorry about that. I guess I was showing off for my leader, trying to prove I was being a good mate.”

“Why do you have to prove anything to anyone?” It didn’t make a lot of sense to him, but he’d never had an alpha or a leader. As the oldest brother, Torren was the closest thing he’d ever had to a leader, but the guy was still his sibling. If he didn’t agree with him, he’d tell the asshole to shove it.

“He went to bat for me,” Zasha explained. “When I thought Lynk was my mate, October stood behind me and supported me. My mistake made him look like a fool.” He paused to take a deep breath and scrub a hand over his face. “I wanted to show that even though I was wrong, I’m still worthy of that loyalty.”

Thane got it, but it still hurt. “And what about my loyalty?” Did his leader’s approval mean more to him than Thane’s affection?

Jerking his head up, Zasha pinned him with a curious stare and frowned. “I don’t…” After another few seconds of silence, a slow smile spread across his face, and he rolled his eyes as he sashayed closer. “I’m hungry, Thane. I was a little stressed, which didn’t help, and then I got your scent in my head.” Zasha stopped just shy of actually touching him, but his body language said he yearned to be closer. “I was trying to warn you without being obvious.”

He’d