Chapter Fifteen #2
‘It was the equivalent of me catching a ball of sharp, jagged glass and effortlessly crushing it with only my hand while in no way causing damage to myself.’
Ripper did a slow blink. She’d said it with a casual tone, like it was no big deal. Going by the reactions of those in the grand hall, that wasn’t the case at all. ‘Did you know in advance that it wouldn’t harm you to catch it?’
‘I figured it probably wouldn’t.’
‘You figured?’
She chuckled. ‘Kidding. Yes, I knew. But they didn’t. It spooked them because it isn’t easy to hold magick that’s not your own – it should be like trying to grab oxygen out of the air. That I destroyed the ball without causing harm to myself only unnerved them more.’
‘When you say it isn’t easy, you’re playing things down, aren’t you?’
She only gave him a slow smile. So secretive, this witch. But he sensed that another reason she was stingy with information was that she was so very unused to people being intrigued enough to ask her such questions.
Fishing her keys out of her purse, she tipped her head to the side. ‘Not to nag, but have you found a wolf who’ll Change Paisley?’
‘Crew has offered to do it. If she’s happy with that, he can do it as soon as she’d like.’
Emberlyn’s eyes lit up. ‘She’ll be excited. I know your agreement to accept her into your clan had nothing at all to do with me, but thank you. She’s wanted this for as long as I can remember.’
As Emberlyn opened her car door, he caught it and said, ‘I want you to know . . .’
A slender brow lifted. ‘What?’
‘I wouldn’t have left so fast last night if I hadn’t needed to check on my brother. I don’t leave a woman the second I’m dressed – I’m not that guy.’
‘I know.’ She twisted her mouth, a cautious glint in her gaze. ‘Tell me honestly, though. How much of what happened was you getting back at CeCe or venting your frustration about the situation?’
Ripper hadn’t considered that her mind would go there. An oversight on his part, really, since he’d turned up at the manor all worked up about the shit show at the bar. It was no real surprise that Emberlyn was asking herself – and him – that question.
He pinned her gaze with his. ‘What happened with me and you had nothing to do with her. Did it feel like anyone else was on my mind?’
‘Not in the moment, no. But then this morning, I started to wonder.’
‘You want raw honesty? I fucked you because I wanted you so bad I ached with it. That’s it. She had not one thing to do with it.’
Emberlyn gave a slow but accepting nod.
‘We both ignored this thing between us for years. We’ve been dancing around it since we became allies. I don’t think there’s a way we wouldn’t have acted on it. It was just a matter of when.’
Her wariness having steadily drained away, she hummed.
‘You may be right about the latter. I just didn’t think you’d get past your reservations about witches.
But then you did, and it happened on the same evening you were furious with a woman you deeply care for.
So I had to know for sure if that had spurred it. ’
‘I get it. And I want you to feel sure. Do you?’
‘Yes. You wouldn’t lie about it.’
Mollified by the certainty in her words, he let out a long breath. ‘The fact that I scent-marked you should have put that worry to rest.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘You sure don’t seem sorry you did it.’
His shoulders lifted and fell in an unapologetic shrug. ‘Why would I be? I don’t want anyone else touching you. It makes perfect sense that I’d want to make that clear.’
She looked away, sighing. ‘Werewolf logic.’
He leaned forward slightly, subtly sniffing her. ‘I wasn’t the only one who left a mark. I can still smell your magick on me.’ He liked that indication that the possessiveness wasn’t one-sided.
‘You haven’t asked when it will fade. Are you interested in knowing?’
‘Not really.’ Ripper didn’t think she’d permanently mark him, or that she’d refuse to remove the scent if he asked, so he wasn’t concerned. He backed up a step. ‘Don’t forget to pass on what I said to Paisley. You can let me know her response later.’
‘Later?’
‘Yeah, later when I turn up at your place to have you again. You had to know that was coming.’ Before she had a chance to say anything, he turned and walked away.
The moment Emberlyn entered the hub’s empty reception area, she was greeted with an almighty scowl from Paisley, who was being condescendingly patted on the head by her twin.
Behind the desk, she slammed her hands on her hips. ‘Ripper put his scent on you and you didn’t tell me? Seriously?’ She threw up her arms. ‘I find out everything second hand with you.’
‘Not everything,’ Emberlyn contradicted, approaching the desk. ‘And I fully intended to tell you this morning. It just seems that someone else beat me to it. Who?’
‘One of Carver’s clan. He came in with some laundry five minutes ago; said he heard from his Alpha that you smelled of Ripper. I’m assuming this means you two have been sexing each other up – something else you haven’t told me.’
Joining her friends behind the desk, Emberlyn rolled her eyes. ‘Enough with the whining. We’ve only had sex once. It happened last night. What did you want me to do, call you straight after?’
‘Obviously.’
Kage snorted and then leaned into Emberlyn. ‘Oh, yeah. I smell him on you.’
Paisley mimicked his move. ‘I can only pick up a faint whiff of a masculine scent. I wouldn’t be able to tell whose it was. Considering he marked you, I’m guessing he doesn’t intend for last night to be a one-time thing.’
‘I got that impression,’ said Emberlyn.
Paisley tossed her a playful snarl. ‘Lucky bitch. He’s yowzah.’
‘That’s one way to put it.’
Kage folded his arms. ‘Tell us about the meeting. All I’ve heard is that it went in the favor of both you and Ripper. Carver’s apparently furious about that.’
‘He looked it when he left.’ Emberlyn gave them a quick rundown of the meeting.
Kage scowled. ‘I can’t believe that little shit Ames struck out at you.’
‘I did contaminate his water.’
‘But you didn’t hurt him, you were just illustrating how easy it would be for you to contaminate anything.’
‘And I think I got my message across, but I suspect they’ll still blame me for the curse jar activity.’
‘Another thing you kept to yourself,’ Paisley snarked.
‘The land is no longer mine, so it wasn’t my business to share,’ Emberlyn pointed out. ‘Ripper wanted to keep it quiet.’
She only sniffed. ‘Well, I’m glad that the will wasn’t overturned.’
‘I doubted it would happen,’ said Kage, ‘but I was worried all the same. Mostly because I know you’d burn down Bellcrest before you cowed to any demands for you to give up the manor.’
‘Am I that predictable?’ asked Emberlyn.
He snickered. ‘No, I just know how much you love that house. And since the moment you began fighting back as a kid, you’ve never let the coven push you around. You wouldn’t ever go back to a time when they got to bully you.’
No, Emberlyn wouldn’t. If the majority of the coven wished to hate her, they were welcome to do so – it was no skin off her nose. She didn’t care about being liked, she cared about being left to live her life in peace.
‘I hate that they make out like you’re the problem,’ said Paisley. ‘The only true problem they have with you is that you’re so powerful they can’t take you on. You’re not a bad person, aside from your habit of not keeping your bestie well informed.’
‘We’re still on that, huh?’
‘We’ll stay on it until you shape up regarding this matter.’
Hoping to change the subject, Emberlyn pointed at the panda studs in Paisley’s ears. ‘Cute earrings.’
‘Yeah, if you’re seven,’ Kage playfully sniped. ‘Or childish – that fits.’
Paisley bristled. ‘I may be in touch with my inner little girl, but I’m not childish.’
‘You collect stuffies,’ he reminded her.
‘Collect, not play with. Lots of people collect toys and figurines, mongrel.’
He wagged a finger. ‘You can’t call me a mongrel now that I’m a werewolf.’
‘Why? Because it’s made you sensitive?’
‘No. Because it’s considered a very big insult to werewolves.’
‘Bro, it’s always an insult. And the bigger, the better.’
‘Anyway,’ Emberlyn cut in, ‘I have a little something you’ll want to hear, Paisley.’
Her gaze gleamed with interest. ‘Do go on.’
‘Ripper said that Crew has offered to put you through the Change.’
Paisley’s eyes went wide. ‘Wow. Okay. Right.’ She puffed out a breath, cupping the back of her head. ‘Damn, this is really gonna happen. Did Ripper say when it’ll take place?’
‘He said it can be as soon as you like.’
‘Tell him I’m happy to do it asap.’ Paisley gave a little clap, her smile bright as the sun. ‘I’m so excited. It feels a little surreal. I wasn’t sure it would ever actually happen.’
‘Always copying me,’ Kage muttered tauntingly.
His sister’s eyes narrowed. ‘One thing. Name one thing you’ve done that I’ve copied.’
‘Okay.’ He lifted his chin. ‘When we were five, you got so jealous I could talk to “invisible people” that you invented an imaginary friend.’
Paisley’s head jerked back. ‘No, I didn’t.’
‘Oh, you forgot Echo?’
‘He was real.’
‘Then how come I couldn’t see him?’
‘Because you weren’t looking hard enough, and he blended with the background – that’s what geckos do.’
Kage’s brows flitted together. ‘Wait, he was a gecko?’
‘Yes.’
‘Back to what we were talking about just now,’ Emberlyn again interjected, ‘would you like me to come with you while you break the news to your mom and dad, Paisley?’
She sighed. ‘No, I like you too much to put you through that. Speaking of parents . . . Michael’s will hear that Ripper scent-marked you. Since it’s not something werewolves do lightly, they’ll guess that you two are sleeping together. I don’t think they’ll react well to it. Just saying.’
Emberlyn sighed, her shoulders dropping. ‘I kind of wish you hadn’t.’