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He rolled his eyes, still smiling. "I'm the one with no real challenge, remember?"
"You ready to bet on something yet? Or are you still too afraid?"
"Watch it," he warned, "or I might take back your Christmas present."
"You got me a present?" I hadn't expected that.
"Yup. But if you keep back-talking, I might give it to someone else."
"Like Meredith?" I teased.
"She isn't even in your league, and you know it."
"Even with a black eye?" I asked with a grimace.
"Even with two black eyes."
The look he gave me just then wasn't teasing or even really suggestive. It was just nice. Nice,
friendly, and interested. Like he really cared. After all the stress lately, I decided I liked being
cared about. And with the neglect I was starting to feel from Lissa, I realized I also kind of
liked having someone who wanted to pay so much attention to me.
"What are you doing on Christmas?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Nothing. My mom almost came down but had to cancel at the last minute … you
know, with everything that happened."
Mason's mother wasn't a guardian. She was a dhampir who'd chosen to just be domestic and
have kids. As a result, I knew he saw her quite a bit. It was ironic, I thought, that my mom
actually was here, but for all intents and purposes, she might as well have been somewhere else.
"Come hang with me," I said on impulse. "I'll be with Lissa and Christian and his aunt. It'll be
fun."
"Really?"
"Very fun."