The Beta

LVI

"Do you think Sarah will be here?" she asked me.

"I doubt it. She doesn't want to leave Titus."

The reminder of my best friend's condition took a chip out of my mood. I didn't want to think about problems I couldn't fix right now. Tonight, we were supposed to celebrate the turn of a moon cycle, a fresh start. Although the guilt of what I did to Titus might never go away, I could at least distract myself with other things. Eventually the guilt would fade.

"Want something to drink?" I led her to the coolers set up a few yards away from the fire.

"Is there any soda?"

I released her hand to dig around until I retrieved a can of Coke and Sprite. Faye chose the Coke. After cracking open our beverages, we headed over to the wood logs situated around the Pit. Faye rested her head on my shoulder and sighed.

"Hey, you know something?" I whispered.

"What?"

"I love you."

"Well, I love you, too."

"And one more thing."

She quirked an eyebrow.

Posting a placid look on my face, I said, "I think you're kinda hot."

"Really?" she replied. "I've never been called hot before."

"If anyone else calls you hot, I'll have to knock out a few teeth. But I do think you look stunning in that dress."

"I'll wear this dress forever if you do the same," Faye bargained.

"I look that good, do I?"

A grin stretched across her face. "Like a lumberjack."

"Mhmm. I could get used to that."

"Me, too. So go chop down a tree for me."

I laughed. "Anything for you, darling."

"Good," she said while leaning in to kiss my cheek.

We quieted for a few minutes to just stare into the dancing flames. Fire had always captivated me. It was so wild and mysterious. People gave themselves more credit for taming it than they should; fire was no one's master.

"Faye, Rian."

Our heads lifted to acknowledge Aunt Fanny. She offered a closed-lip smile. She sat on the other side of Faye.

"How are you, Fanny?" Faye inquired.

"Just fine." She glanced at the fire before turning back to my girlfriend. "How are you?"

Smiling, Faye answered, "Good. I'm doing well. All things considered."

"I heard about what Titus did. It's a shame the doc had to knock him out. Poor kid just isn't himself."

"He's going to get better," I told them. "The doctor's going to find a way to heal him."

Faye gazed at me through a sympathetic look. On the other hand, Fanny didn't bother to mask her disbelief.

"You better start praying if you think that," she retorted. "If you're into that praying stuff. Nobody's ever seen someone react that way to a killing spree."

"It wasn't a killing spree," I growled through clenched teeth. "He killed one Rogue. One death was all it took."

When it looked like Fanny was going to argue, Faye jumped up from the log. "Rian, will you take me to get some food? I'm starving."