Winter's Dawn (30 page)

“Used to being the boss now.” John laughed as he took the boxes. “I know, Max. What’s wrong with your father that he has you doing everything?”

“He’s in semi-retirement.” Max grabbed another box and set it on top of the others, hiding John from view. “You got those?”

“Hey, I’m not as big as you, but I’m strong too,” John said defensively. “God, but you’re bigger than you were in high school and I thought that was impossible. I can’t get over it. I still play football. What do you do to stay fit?”

“Sex,” Max offered as he picked up the bags, slinging one over each shoulder and then carrying the rest by hand. “Lots and lots of it.”

John laughed. “That’s changed too. You were never interested in girls. We started wondering if you were queer.”

“Not queer,” Max snorted. “I’ve got other problems, but certainly not that.”

“At least you’re getting some now,” John sighed, sounding a bit lost as he followed Max back towards the town house. “I’m not so lucky.”

“Yeah, John, not a great thing to talk with me about.” Max’s voice was low as he fought down the urge to growl at him. “I’m not near drunk enough to keep from killing you.”

John laughed. “You want to keep your little cousin young forever, eh, Max, ol’ boy?”

“That would be ideal,” Max told him as he pushed the front door with his foot, opening it further for John. “Help me out with that, will you?”

“Sure, Max,” John said, his voice becoming slightly dazed with adoration. “I love Susie. I respect her. If she wants to wait until we’re married, I’m good with that.”

Max turned around, arching an eyebrow at John, who was still hiding behind the boxes. “Marriage is a new development. She’s only seventeen, you know?”

“Eighteen in a month,” John reminded him needlessly as he dropped the boxes in the foyer. “My mom was married at eighteen.”

“Susie’s not marrying you at eighteen,” Max promised him. “My father would kill you before I could.”

“Forget your father, I’d kill him.” Adam walked back towards the front door with a glass of whiskey in his hand.

“You are an odd dog.” John frowned at Adam. “And you have no accent? How does a chap from Norfolk talk like he’s from Middle America?”

“I am an expert linguist.” Adam took a long drink of whiskey and then rasped, “I blend into my environment.”

“Susie’s an expert linguist too.” John smiled proudly. “Did you know she speaks six languages? That takes genius.”

“I’d agree with that.” Adam grinned at Max. “So what would that make me? I speak eight.”

“You don’t speak eight,” John said in disbelief.

Adam leaned against the wall and arched an eyebrow as he took another drink of whiskey. “I don’t tell lies.” His voice was low in warning. “If I say I speak eight languages then I mean it and doubting me is an insult.”

“You were right,” Max told Susie when she walked into the foyer. “He doesn’t blend. I need what he’s having, only in larger quantities.”

“A party.” John smacked Max’s shoulder again. “I bet I can drink you under the table. I’ve got two and half years of college under my belt.”

“Oh, this is going to be fun.” Adam smiled broadly. “Let’s bet money.”

“No betting. That’s not fair.” Susie narrowed her eyes at Adam before she turned to John. “Max can drink his fair share, attempting to drink him under the table would be unwise.”

“I’ll bet that not only can Maxwell out drink you, but that that he can drink four times more than you.” Adam reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Max will take four shots to your one and I bet five hundred dollars you will drop before him.”

“I’ll raise that bet.” Max reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “I’ll drink six shots to every one you take and I’ll add a thousand dollars to Adam’s bet.”

“Don’t say yes, John,” Susie told him and then sent a glare to Max. “He can actually do that.”

John placed a hand against his muscular chest in offense. “You’re insulting my manhood.”

“Yes, Susan, don’t insult his manhood,” Adam said with a chuckle. “We’re doing a little male bonding here.”

“You are trying to make him sick!”

“And win fifteen hundred dollars in the process,” Adam added. “If I had known what fun there was to be had here in Boston I would have come sooner.”

“Hey, you did switch accents,” John said, obviously impressed. “You sound like you belong here in the Yard. That was neat.”

“I’m so talented.” Adam smiled once more. “So what’d you say, John, is it a bet?”

“It’ll be the easiest money I’ve ever made.” John grinned as he turned Susie. “You’ll be holding Max’s head tonight. No one can out drink me. He’ll drop in fifteen minutes.”

“Right.” Susie shook her head. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Chapter Seventeen

“Okay, stop, Max.” Susie tossed back her own glass of whiskey and rasped past the burn, “You’ve won.”

“The bet was that he dropped.” Adam leaned his elbow against the coffee table they were all sitting around and studied John. “He hasn’t dropped.”

“He hasn’t stood yet, either,” Susie argued. “He’s going to be ill if you don’t stop.”

“A bet is a bet.” Max grabbed the whiskey bottle and filled up the six shot glasses in front of him. “What’d say, John, you ready?”

John squinted at Max, his eyes dazed and confused. “How many have you had?”

“How many have you had?” Max countered. “Yours are easier to count.”

“Um.” John pulled back, frowning as he thought. “Ten, I think.”

“Then Maxwell has had sixty.” Adam smiled over the rim of his glass that had also been refilled several times. “I’m good at math too.”

“No one can drink sixty shots,” John slurred as he picked up the bottle. He sniffed it in confusion. “This bet is rigged.”

“Did he just insult your integrity?” Adam growled as he reached over and grabbed Max’s shoulder. “Do you know who this is?”

“That’s my buddy Max.” John looked up from the bottle to frown at them. “I love you, ol’ boy. I missed you when you disappeared.”

“Gods.” Adam laughed, leaning heavily against Max. “That’s funny, that is. This puppy loves you.”

Max shoved Adam off him. “You’re drunk too.”

“Not enough for this.” Adam held out his glass. “Top ‘er off.”

“Danielle is going to kill me,” Max said as he refilled Adam’s glass. “Don’t get sick.”

“Ah, I can get sick with my mates.” Adam took a drink out of his newly refilled glass and then raised it to gesture at John. “And I love you more than this puppy does.”

“Very likely,” Max agreed before he turned back to John and pointed to Adam. “You’ll notice he’s stopped blending into his environment.”

“Hey.” John gave Adam a lazy smile. “You’re right, he’s British now.”

“I was always British,” Adam told him, his accent extremely pronounced. “I’ve been British for a hundred years and I’ll be British a hundred years from today with the Gods’ blessings. I just live in this wretched country because I have obligations here.”

“Liar.” John laughed. “You look younger than Max and I. What are you, nineteen?”

“What did I tell you about calling me a liar?” Adam asked as he set his drink on the coffee table. He reached down with remarkable speed given his current state and pulled out a large, silver knife. “I stab males who call me liars. I won’t kill you because it’s against my religion, but I will hurt you.”

“Okay.” Max sighed. “Put it back. You aren’t stabbing him.”

“Give it here.” Susie reached over and took the knife from him, being careful not to touch the silver blade. “You’ll burn yourself if you try to put it back.”

“In a really unfortunate place.” Adam laughed. “Danielle would be so hacked off.”

“Who’s Danielle, mate?” John asked, attempting to imitate Adam’s accent.

“Oh, don’t do that.” Adam shook his head, his eyes wide in horror as he picked up his glass again. “Don’t butcher the Queen’s English.”

“You’ve been throwing around accents all night.” John raised a finger and pointed at Adam. “Why can’t I?”

“Because I do it well.” Adam took another long drink. “Don’t ever do that again. My ears still hurt.”

“This is sort of fun.” Max chuckled. “Adam is the life of the party, who knew?”

“Red wolves are always the life of the party.” Adam ran a hand through his dark, auburn hair, pushing it away from his face and then turned back to John. “And to answer your earlier question, Danielle is my mate and she is beautiful.”

Max meet Susie’s gaze. They both laughed at the bizarreness of the situation they had created for themselves.

“Might as well let him go now. We’ll just relieve John of a few memories,” Max said, before he turned back to Adam. “You think Danielle is beautiful?”

“Gods, yes,” Adam exclaimed passionately. “The most beautiful female I have ever laid eyes on.”

“Adam.” Max raised his eyebrows as he tilted his head towards Susie. “The queen is present.”

“You’re beautiful too, Susan.” Adam took another long drink before his eyes glazed over. “But, Danielle is really beautiful. John, you would die if you saw my mate. She’s got big—” Adam gestured to his chest, holding his hands out in front of him, the whiskey splashing out of his glass. “Like that, and she smells so good during the full moon and she feels so good all shiny and slick with oil. I wish every day was a running day. I could pleasure her forever and be a real happy wolf.”

Max laughed again and then tossed back one of his shots. “Gods, I am so using this against you when you are sober.”

“This is horrifying.” Susie laughed with him as she refilled her glass. “Really, really horrifying.”

“Mmm.” Adam hummed, his eyes still glazed over as he stared off into space. “She’s a sexy wolf. I will die without her for three long weeks.”

“You won’t die.” Max rolled his eyes. “If I can go five days of every week without seeing Susie, you can last until the running.”

“Come on, Max,” John argued. “He’s talking about his girl, not his cousin. Where’d you meet Danielle?”

Adam smiled lazily. “I’ve always known Danielle, she’s my—”

“Okay,” Susie cut off Adam. “Don’t finish that thought.”

Adam’s smile turned nostalgic. “Four brothers and I got her because I was the most handsome.”

“Was?” John asked, frowning in confusion, because he was obviously having a hard time following most of what Adam was saying. “They better looking than you now?”

“No.” Adam shook his head as he frowned at his glass. “They’re gone now. They just weren’t as good of hunters as I am. Rogue hunting is dangerous business. One bad silver wound and you’re gone. They weren’t as lucky as Maxwell.”

“Luck is relative.” Max reached over and clasped Adam’s shoulder affectionately. “You are a brilliant hunter. I don’t tell you that enough.”

Adam smiled again. “Yes, I know. I am a good hunter. The best. Except for you, Maxwell, but you have an unfair advantage.”

“True,” Max agreed. “I haven’t hunted in a while. Which is fine, I don’t love it like you.”

“You hunt, Max?” John asked in surprise. “I hunt. We should go together sometime.”

Adam frowned, leaning his arm against the table in bewilderment before his eyes widened in understanding. “Oh, he’s talking about game hunting. Max doesn’t hunt for game. He has others to do that for him.”

“I’ve hunted game,” Max argued, even if he knew it was a blatant lie. He had never hunted for food.

“When?” Adam snorted, a grin tugging at his lips. “At the running?”

“Very funny, Adam.” Max took another shot. “I don’t eat at the running. So if you start making jokes about females hunting for me again I am going to get mad. I could hunt game if I wanted. I’m certain I am capable.”

Adam waved him off, before he turned back to John. “Forget Maxwell. I am a very good game hunter. When I crave venison, I go kill it myself. That’s half the fun. I hunt for Danielle too.”

“You want to go sometime?” John asked as he tossed back the shot in front of him and then pointed to the rest of the shots in front of Max. “Do it, Max. Finish them off.”