"These beasts were all brought down by Rory," Jasper said smoothly, his voice carrying that infuriating, polished confidence that made Dax's eye twitch. "There's no sense letting good resources rot in the dirt."
He turned his gaze deliberately toward Dax, the faintest curl of arrogance at the corner of his mouth.
"Dax, why don't you help clean them up? You're one of Rory's suitors too, aren't you? Surely you wouldn't refuse her a little assistance."
Dax's jaw clenched so tightly his teeth nearly ground together. The sound was sharp enough that Rory caught it even from where she was cradled in Jasper's arms. She also caught the unmistakable glint of smug satisfaction in Jasper's eyes.
He's doing this on purpose again, she thought, torn between irritation and reluctant amusement. She wanted to scold him, truly—but compared to Dax's constant maneuvering and silent competitions, her so-called "obedient" serpent was dangerously hard to resist.
