"Being all of nineteen, with the conviction of immortality all teenagers have, I was more than willing to swagger around, doing all sorts of stupid things. One of our absolute favorite things to do was to go trespass somewhere exciting and climb things people aren't supposed to climb. You guys know what a construction crane is?" I waited for confirmation; when both men nodded I flashed them a smile and continued. "Okay, so these things are stupidly tall, but they're basically made for climbing. We used to drive around town in the evenings and look for good spots to go have adventures."

"This sounds more like bragging than an embarrassing tale," Dain drawled.

"I thought we were supposed to let her tell the story, my prince," Zhiolas said with irrepressible cheer.

"I only gave that command to you," came the rejoinder.

"Shush, both of you," I said, laughing. "Anyway, one night, Marcus and I decided to go climbing with a couple of his buddies, all of whom were just like him. I was the only girl, so of course I had to match up, right?" I leaned back in my chair, watching Dain for his reactions with a sparkle in my eyes. "I put on a real tough-girl outfit, ripped jeans and combat boots with a black tank and blood-red lipstick, and I brought out my very best swagger."

I lifted my chin and put on an imitation of my tough face, mouth a little pursed, eyes narrowed, and brows drawn together. Zhiolas blew me a kiss, which got him a glare and a low, rumbling growl from Dain.

I pretended not to notice the byplay, though I found it pretty charming. "We all get up the crane, do stupid stuff very high up, yadda yadda. Everyone was totally buying that I was just like them, one of the guys, and I was loving it." I leaned forward, a smile playing on my lips. "Well, we all start going down, one after the other, all laughing and ribbing each other. But as soon as I get my feet on the ground..." I paused for dramatic affect.

"A rat!" I said in a girlish shriek, thrusting myself away from the table and clambering onto my chair to point past the two men.

Eyes darted in my direction from the wedding party, and both Dain and Zhiolas' heads whipped to where I was pointing, which was a perfectly ordinary flagstone.

Zhiolas got it first and started laughing, turning back to me. "Tell me you didn't."