Blooded Mate

Chapter 48 - Recognizing Human

They kept their conversation very light for the rest of the afternoon, focusing on the game and famous landmarks in town. Cody's innocent enthusiasm infected them, and Brent was happy to show him around.

The whole afternoon went by smoothly, apart from one sickening moment during the basketball game.

In the joy of celebrating their school's nine-point lead, Eri forgot to update their bodyguards of their status. As a result, all their phones rang at the same time. They spent several frantic minutes on video and voice calls, proving their safety and convincing Zyga and their protectors not to call off the rest of the day.

Brent cringed, listening to his father go off on the phone.

Ethan felt even worse. His ears were about to fall off from Zyga's tongue-lashing. Sighing, he wondered who would drive him insane first: his overprotective guardian or his recalcitrant mate.

The final whistle for the game rang, and the stadium erupted into joy as students from Gray Oaks High celebrated. People jumped and cheered, hugging each other and patting their shoulders in congratulations.

All except four unfortunate boys who sat slumped in their seats as if their school had not just won the game.

Ethan sighed. "Let's just go home. This is worse than prisoners on parole."

Eri nodded morosely, but Cody's voice broke through their dark haze. "Ethan, I'm hungry. Brent said he knew the best burger place in town. Can we get some before going home?"

"Oh yeah, sure. Let's go," Brent agreed, perking up before anyone could respond.

Ethan's eyes narrowed at his friend.

And his suspicions were confirmed half an hour later when his friend gave the perky waitress a bear hug, kissing her on the cheek while she half-heartedly tried to bat him off.

Ethan frowned at the display. Who's the player here? I haven't even hugged Jan properly.

They settled into their usual booth, where his little brother impatiently drummed on the table for their food. Then Cody flashed the girl a charming smile as their order arrived, and the fragrant, steaming aroma wafted up into the air.

"Aww, you're so cute," the waitress cooed, squeezing his cheeks. "Let me know if you want extra fries or soda, ok."

Now, it was Brent's turn to scowl.

The mouth-watering smell of perfectly grilled burgers chased away the dark clouds surrounding them.

"Hmm," Cody moaned, meat juice trailing down the side of his mouth.

Ethan smacked the embarrassing little imp on the head with the paper menu. But after tasting a fry, he had to agree with his brother, though. Today's food was much more flavorful than the last time he was here.

Oh, shit! I can taste things again.

He rolled another fry on his tongue, relishing the salty, starchy tang he had missed in a while.

Motivated, he picked up his burger and bit deeply into it. The seasoned flavor danced on his palate like never before. His taste buds were much more sensitive now, and he could not help but follow Cody's appreciation with a moan of his own.

Just like his first moon, Jan's arrival had revived his sensory buds, but Ethan did not dwell too long on it. He wanted to focus on the simple pleasures tonight. There would be enough time to explore the perks - and problems - of being with his vampire mate.

"Would you like anything else?" Their perky little waitress asked, coming to stand next to Ethan at the booth as she avoided Brent's groping hands.

The dark boy flashed her a broad suggestive smile, completely failing to answer her question. Eri rolled his eyes at their besotted friend and shook his head at the waitress.

"Oh, you have ketchup on your cheek," she said, leaning over to hand napkins to Cody. Ethan got a whiff of her scent and frowned. He leaned closer to her and sniffed, momentarily forgetting the burger in his hands. The waitress's smile faltered as she leaned away from Ethan's intrusive nose.

Eri's eyes grew wide while Brent's narrowed into a frown. Finally, the quiet around the table alerted Ethan to his absurd actions.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He apologized to the waitress, who offered him a puzzled look and quickly left.

"What the fuck, dude?" Brent burst out as soon as she was out of earshot.

"Easy, she just smelled funny. That's all," he answered.

"Funny how?" Eri asked.

"Like something was missing."

"Huh?"

"You know, that musky sweaty scent we all have... the one that gets a little heavy after training. She doesn't have it at all. She smells a bit like raw beef. Not sure if it's from the kitchen." Ethan wrinkled his nose.

Brent and Eri shared a look, then burst out laughing.

"What?" Ethan asked, eyes shifting between the two.

"She's a full human, dumbass!"

"Of course, she's hu- oh!" Understanding flooded Ethan, widening his eyes. "They all smell like that?"

Eri nodded, wiping away a tear or two of laughter. "You probably never noticed because you hadn't found your wolf. As you stabilize, you'll become more sensitive to these things. But I'll suggest not sniffing random people, or you'll get slapped."

"Or worse. My sister tricked me into smelling her and let one rip right in my face. It took days to get the smell out. It was horrible," Brent added, swiping his nose as if the stench still remained.

"Noted," Ethan answered, grateful for the warning. He would not put it past Cody to try a stunt like that.

A/N

Hi lovelies, thanks for reading.If you loved it don't forget to vote, comment and add to your library.

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Next chapter is already being edited. I will post it in a couple of days.

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