Blooded Mate

Chapter 61 - Native Cousins

After school the following week, Ethan was joking with his best friends as they walked to the car park. More accurately, Brent swooned while Eri stood over him, hissing in a caricature imitation of a vampire protecting his wolf.

They looked so ridiculous that Ethan could not even get mad if he wanted to.

"Fuck y'all," he said with a smile he was trying not to show. Then, he shoved Brent, who was closest to him, nearly sending him down the rest of the way.

His friends burst out laughing. They would likely tease him for the rest of the week. But Ethan did not mind.

"C'mon, we'll be late," he urged.

He lengthened his stride, though his eagerness was for their workout, but rather for what came next.

The night after his accident, Ethan had visited the sixth floor of the hotel. He had refused Chris' recommendations to leave until Jan came out and promised to see him every evening after training.

Tonight would be their second date.

"Ethan!" A messy dark, blond hair bounced as some guy jumped and waved his arms, trying to catch his attention.

Ethan paused. So did his two best friends. The boy looked familiar, but he could not place him.

"You know him?" He asked under his breath.

"Yeah, that's Kyle," Brent answered.

Ethan's brow arched in question.

"You know, Kyle," his dark friend insisted. "He was at the camp with us. I hear he's even dating your cousin now."

"Huh?" As far as Ethan could tell, he had no cousins. The boy was almost upon them before a crucial bit of info clicked into place. Camp.

The only camp he had been at with Eri and Brent was that ill-fated one at Willow Creek Lodge. So the fake-cousin being referred to here must be Emily.

Uhh, he thought as the confusion cleared from his face.

"Hey, Ethan," the boy panted once he got close, flooding them with the smell of sweat mixed with that slightly raw beef scent Ethan had come to identify as human. Then, seeing his two friends next to him, Kyle scowled.

"Still mad?" Brent taunted. "As the football captain, you shouldn't be holding grudges. It ain't healthy."

"You were betting against our team!" Kyle accused, his voice rising.

"Hey, don't blame us. You were losing. I support the team, but that ain't reason enough for me to lose money."

Eri snorted, which deepened the blush coating the captain's cheeks.

"Next time, I'm not getting you seats." Kyle declared, then turned away from them. "By the way, Ethan, do you know if your cousin is coming for the Thanksgiving Games?"

"Oh.. uh... I'm not sure. But I can find out."

He had not spoken with Emily in a while. Apart from a few messages checking up on each other, they had barely kept contact. He scratched his head as a touch of guilt colored his ears. Considering how heavily he had crushed on her just a few months ago, Ethan now seemed like a horrible friend after Jan came into his life.

"Can you? I'll be grateful. But don't mention my name. I want to surprise her," Kyle said, beaming at Ethan.

"Sure."

"Thanks." And Kyle took off, running after a group wearing letterman jackets.

"I'd totally forgotten about the games. I didn't think I'd be spending Thanksgiving here." Ethan muttered to his friends. "It would've been my first outing as a wolf."