Honkytonk Hell: A Dark and Twisted Urban Fantasy (The Broken Bard Chronicles Book 1) eden Hudson (best book club books txt) 📖

“Howdy, girls,” Jax said, plopping down on the couch between Harper and Scout. “Come to watch me solve some vamp crimes in Blood City III? The graphics are so good you can smell the stench of death.”

Harper kissed his cheek and stood up.

“That game is offensive and inaccurate,” she said. Then she looked at me. “We need to talk to Desty.”

“Rain check,” I said. I headed for the stairs, imagining what I’d walked in on yesterday—Tough shirtless, playing guitar, and looking like a hillbilly rock star—versus a catfight I would undoubtedly lose to Redneck Revenge Barbie and Sex Kitten Skipper.

“No,” Harper said. “This is important.”

Inside, I threw a tantrum. I just wanted to go hang out with Tough! Why couldn’t the universe or God or whatever let me do one thing I wanted? Even if we laid around and listened to music again, even if we didn’t make out, being with Tough would make me feel better.

“In the kitchen,” Harper said.

“Fine,” I said, hoping I sounded more bitchy than spineless.

I followed them into the kitchen and took the chair by the wall. Scout leaned against the sink, the better to glare chainsaws at me. Harper didn’t sit down.

“You know human outsiders can’t move into Halo,” Harper said. “Eventually you’re going to have to leave.”

“I didn’t plan on staying,” I said. “I just wanted to get my sister back, but that’s turning out to be more complicated than I thought it would. You saw her with Kathan last night.”

“So you’re just going to hang around here until her brain rots?”

Thanks for not hitting below the belt, Harper.

“There’s a way to keep her brain from corroding,” I said. “But I’d have to be Kathan’s familiar, too, and I’m pretty sure that would bring about the end of the world or something. And anyway, I don’t want to leave yet.”

“Because of Tough,” Scout said.

It wasn’t a question, so I didn’t bother answering.

“Trust me, I know it’s hard not to love that guy,” Harper said. “But you can’t have him. For one, you’re not good enough, and for two, you and your sister belong to Kathan.”

“The warden sent his rent-a-cop around to make sure Harper and I know not to mess with you,” Scout said. “Otherwise, I would’ve shivved you when you walked in, you bitch-ass punk.”

“Stop with the prison act, Scout,” Harper said. “I’m being serious.”

“I am, too. She is a punk,” Scout said, pushing away from the sink. “Tough would never go for her. I bet he was just looking for someone to blow off steam with.” She cut her grey eyes to me. “Did you guys screw yet?”

The sunburn on my cheeks glowed. I might not be a militant bitch-doll like Scout and Harper, but Tough wasn’t just some user, not the way Tempie thought human men were. If Tough didn’t like me—if he’d just wanted sex—we would’ve done it yesterday instead of just making out, right?

Right?

“Okay, we’re fine then,” Scout said. “He’ll kick her out soon.”

I stood up so hard my chair smacked into the wall.

“You obviously don’t think much of Tough,” I said. Nice one, self, just lacking in meanness, wit, and the dismount. I tried to regroup. “He’s not the kind of guy who’d have sex with someone he didn’t care about.”

Scout thought that was hilarious.

“All you’re doing is proving you don’t know him, honey.” The way Scout said “honey” was the way Tempie would have if she was trying to make someone feel stupid. It was really effective.

“Shut your mouth, Scout,” Harper said.

“Why?” Scout asked, looking me in the eyes while she twisted the knife. “It’s true. Tough was screwing a vamp he hated for the last five years. Hard and hot and often.”

Then it was like watching a replay of yesterday when Harper cornered me against the sink, except Scout didn’t flinch or try to get away like I had. She stood her ground, even when Harper was in her face, snarling, “You think it’s so fucking funny Tough had to do that? If there had been any other NP in Halo who would’ve given him protection—”

Scout shoved Harper out of her way.

“Whatever. I just thought Desty should know. But if you don’t think we should tell her…” Scout turned around and left the kitchen, waving her middle finger over her shoulder.

I chewed on the inside of my bottom lip while I listened to Jax tell Scout goodbye, then the screen door slam. Harper was glaring down at the table. I pushed my bangs out of my face and set my chair up.

“She likes Tough,” Harper finally said. “She has since she was little. She’s just jealous.”

“Oh,” I said because it seemed like Harper was waiting for me to acknowledge that I’d heard her and because I couldn’t get any other words out.

“I just wanted to tell you to leave him alone,” she said. “When Tough gets it in his head that he likes a girl, he goes crazy for her. I don’t want to see him hurt again. With Mitzi—with the vamp Scout was talking about—” Harper shook her head. “Tough’s not some huge man-whore or anything. Some people talk shit about him, but… He didn’t start off hating Mitzi. He liked her at first, but Mitzi was a bitch and he was himself. He doesn’t know any other way to be, you know?”

After a few seconds, I was able to nod.

“Rian really did come by to tell us you belonged to Kathan,” Harper said. “He said it’d be safer for Tough if you just went to the Dark Mansion with your sister.”

I tried to care that Kathan had moved to the Threatening People You Love phase, but I was stuck on Tough going crazy