Free Save the Last Vamp for Me by Gayla Drummond Page A

guest, I was polite.”
    “We did raise you to be polite, but not to let yourself be pushed around.” Mom frowned. “I’m guessing wolf shifter society is patriarchal?”
    “You have no idea. The men didn’t do jack during meals except eat and talk, and I was the only woman at the table. Nick’s mom and Patrick’s girlfriend did all the cooking and clean up both times. I think they ate in the kitchen.” My scowl had made a comeback. “Nick bragged about my cooking.”
    Logan had gotten himself under control. “You’re a really good cook, so that’s not a bad thing, right?”
    “It wouldn’t be if his dad hadn’t acted like that was way more important than my job.” I hesitated. “His dad just assumed I’d quit working once we married. You should’ve seen his face when I said I wasn’t going to quit my job for years and years.”
    “Once you married?” Tonya’s eyes were wide, and her brows so high, her bangs hid them. “Um, did Nick tell them something different from what you told us?”
    “Oh, no, nothing like that. I think Keith doesn’t comprehend the possibility that a woman can resist a marriage proposal. He has everyone’s lives planned out. Including mine.”
    With an exaggerated shudder, she said, “Sounds like he needs a swift kick in the b....”
    Mom tsk ed, cutting her off. “Now, now. Violence doesn’t....”
    It was my turn to interrupt. “Did I mention I’d have to ask permission to see you, or to have you come visit?”
    Mom’s face tightened, her lips thinning. “He told you that? Maybe he does need a swift kick.”
    That did it. I laughed and flapped my hand at her. “Doesn’t matter. Even if I did marry Nick, we wouldn’t live there. No way, no how. I’d be too tempted to use my abilities on Keith and Patrick, probably every time they opened their mouths.”
    Tonya side-eyed me. “But not Nick?”
    “I like him.” I usually won when we argued, too.
    “So you are thinking about marrying him?” Terra didn’t look up from her bag stuffing.
    “It’s like someone telling you not to think of pink elephants. I can’t not think about it,” I explained.
    “Oh.”
    “You’re young and you have plenty of time to decide if you want to marry Nick, someone else, or not marry at all.” Mom took the bag I’d finished. “Don’t stress over it.”
    “Good advice, but not so easy to follow. The longer we see each other, the higher the chance he’ll think things will go the way he wants.” I grabbed another bag. “After yesterday, I’m kind of thinking we should take a break.”
    No one rushed to tell me that was a great idea. Then again, none of them said it was a bad one either. “Oh, come on. I have the Give Me Advice sign out.”
    Tonya shook her head. “Not me. I do not give romantic advice to my elders.”
    “Ouch, way to make me feel old.”
    She grinned. “I’m unrepentant.”
    “Brat.” I glanced at my mom. “You’re up.”
    She shook her head. “I’m not an expert on shifters, much less young men.”
    We both looked at Logan, who began stuffing the gift bag he held as though his life depended on it. Terra snorted. “You don’t want his advice.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because he’ll tell you stuff like ‘go with your instincts’ and ‘you’ll know when someone’s the right one’. It’s not actually helpful.”
    “That was good advice,” Logan protested. “And it’ll work, if you use it.”
    “Right. I told you I liked Devon, and you came back with a list of reasons he’s totally inappropriate,” she shot back. “One was ‘he’s a snot-nosed smart ass’.”
    He shrugged. “He is. Kid’s got an ego bigger than our building.”
    My mom laughed. “Most teenaged boys have large egos, or at least pretend they do. So do most teenaged girls.”
    “Hey, we resemble that remark,” Tonya said, waving her hand between Terra and herself. “At least the teenaged part.”
    “I said most, not all.”
    “If yours gets too big, Mom will