The New Girl Read Online Free Page B

opened bottle of premium liquor, but the tall redhead had put away quite a bit too. She sighed and set aside the empty bottle.
    Drei opened his mouth to ask her again, but she held up a hand to him. “I know because I heard it. I wasn’t lying about that. I just didn’t hear it with my ears, that’s all.” She cast a tired smile in Cat’s direction. “Don’t sweat it, honey. If you’re Other, than I am too. At least you’re not alone.”
    He’d been concentrating on trying to interpret her explanation of how she came by her knowledge, but her last words drew Drei’s speculation to a halt. There was an edge of bitterness and sadness in them that made his hands clench into fists. Cassandra had been alone. She knew what alone was.
    “I don’t understand.” Cat’s voice was small. For the first time since he’d met the feisty Mundane reporter, she sounded genuinely scared to Drei. Em wrapped his arm around her and held her close.
    “I’m not sure I do either.”
    Cassandra leaned her long frame against the counter behind the bar, her porcelain skin flushed from the alcohol and her unease. “I don’t really either. I only know what I’ve heard.”
    “You keep saying that.” Grig shook his head, clearly as lost as the rest of them. Cassandra’s shoulders tensed and she lifted her chin, as if she was about to plead her innocence to a crime but knew no one would believe her. She focused her bottle green gaze on Grig.
    “You’ve got that line from The Princess Bride running around in your head now.” It was a statement, not a question. Drei frowned, but Grig blinked. Cassandra moved on to Em. “And you’re wondering how come the lab rats didn’t immediately detect whatever it was the vamps suspect about Cat’s blood. Which I don’t know the answer to. Because none of the vamps were thinking about.” She gritted her teeth. “Because I can read thoughts.”
    Cat, Em, and Grig all began exclaiming and talking at once at Cassandra’s admission. But Drei just stared at her, an emotion washing over him that took him a moment to recognize. Embarrassment. Heat actually prickled in his cheeks. Had he ever blushed before in his life?
    He didn’t doubt for a second that she was telling the truth. Which made him think about what she might have heard in his head. The answer was ‘a lot’. Every time he’d been in her vicinity since the moment he’d laid eyes on her, he’d been thinking about what he’d like to do to her body, and all the different ways he’d like to do it. Had she heard all of it?
    Though she was still looking down, not meeting anyone’s eyes, Drei thought he saw the corner of her mouth twitch. He swallowed heavily. He didn’t feel bad, exactly. Just, exposed. Was that why she’d always taken so long to serve him? Was she pissed because of what he’d been thinking about?
    Cassandra snorted. “No. Not exactly.”
    Drei’s gaze flew to hers, colliding with the amused twinkle in her eyes. He gritted his teeth as fresh heat stung his cheeks. Grig frowned at Cassandra. “Not exactly what?” But then he followed her gaze to Drei, took in the flush on his brother’s cheeks, and started laughing. “What’s the blush for, big brother? Had a few thoughts –” And then Grig snapped his mouth shut, blood staining his own cheeks. He dropped his eyes to study the suddenly very interesting bar top. “Oh. Uh. Right. Sorry.”
    He mumbled that in Cassandra’s direction. Drei felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to punch Grig in his pretty boy face.
    “What are you apologizing for, asshole?”
    Grig wouldn’t look at him. Drei growled. Cassandra shook her head, her silky red hair shifting across her bare shoulders. “You’re not just living in glass house, Andrei. You’re living in a glass mansion . Maybe, don’t throw stones.” She quirked a brow at him. Drei wondered if she knew that made him want to kiss her.
    Her lips twitched. “As does apparently everything I do.”
    “Yeah, well