Page 268 of Commanding Blood And Bonds
“Hey, Mom!?” I cringed at the screech. “Glad to know you’re alive after months without so much as a word, Freya Porter, so help me God.”
“I know, I’m sorry. It’s been…wild here.”
“Look, I’m all for liberation, or whatever it is y’all do in the south for fun, but do your thumbs work?”
“Yes, my thumbs work,” I muttered, hanging my head. Was Cyrus—oh my God. He was grinning at the sidewalk.
“And I guess your number didn’t change? Did you drop your phone in the bayou or something?”
“Mam,” I quacked.
“Where the hell have you been?!”
“Studying,” I said emphatically, eyes flicking to Cyrus with a pointed look. “And passing tests.”
Not technically a lie. He snorted as he opened the passenger door for me. I flipped him off before stepping into the truck, grinning despite myself.
“Are you even listening to me?”
No. “Sorry, Mama, got distracted.”
Silence. That eerie, preternatural, pissed-off-mom silence. “Did something cute go by?”
I pressed my lips together as Cyrus slid into the driver’s seat beside me in one smooth motion. “Maybe.”
“Freya Lynn Porter, you better not pull an August on me.”
“I solemnly vow not to run off and marry the first pretty brunette I see.”
Cyrus glared at me as he turned the ignition. It was a physical battle not to smirk.
“So. What’s going on? How’s school? Do you have friends? Your dad and I were talking about coming for a visit.”
“Uhh—it’s really not a great time. I’ve got…midterms. Totally swamped.”
Cyrus pulled into traffic, then gave me a look. “Midterms? In February?”
I covered the mic. “I will kill you.”
He snickered and turned back to the road. “Just saying.”
“Wait. Who are you with—are you with him now?!”
“What? No, just some limp-dick asshole in traffic.”
“Freya. Sometimes I worry we damaged you with how much you swear. It’s like we raised you in a locker room.”
“Actually, studies show swearing is linked to higher IQ.”
“I’m teasing.”
“I know,” I said, smiling. “Listen, Mama, I gotta go. I’ve got class. But…I missed you. Just wanted to hear your voice.”
“Well, fuck, I was hoping to talk.”
“And you wonder where I got my mouth.”
“I never said that. I said we damaged you.”
