Chapter Twenty-eight
Admiring the skirt on a fashionably dressed mannequin, Emberlyn spared her friend a quick look. ‘You’re muttering to yourself again.’
Paisley huffed. ‘I can’t help it. I love my mom, I do, but how hard can it be to respect a “Thanks for the dinner invite but I have plans” response? I already had dinner with her twice in the past week. The damn woman seems to hear the word “no” and feel compelled to change a person’s mind.’
‘Kind of like Ripper.’
Paisley waved that away. ‘No, as a member of his clan, I can confirm he respects boundaries. He just doesn’t acknowledge that you have any.’
Emberlyn snorted. Ripper was someone who kept a relative distance between himself and others; someone who liked personal space and alone time.
But it seemed that once he attached to a person, that changed in a very big way.
And over the past six days, it had become apparent that he now thought himself exempt from her boundaries.
All of which should technically irritate her but didn’t.
The guy might have barged into her life and planted himself firmly in it, but she wouldn’t want him to be anywhere else.
‘Retail therapy usually improves my mood,’ added Paisley, ‘but it’s not working today.’
Yes, Emberlyn had noticed. They’d been to two other stores before this one, and Paisley had had a face like a smacked ass the entire time.
A few clothing stores could be found in Chilgrave.
This particular one was run by, and catered to, werewolves.
The lighting was gentle and the background music was low, accommodating their enhanced senses.
Also, every material was softer than normal so as not to aggravate their slight skin sensitivity.
Street sounds drifted through the door that had been propped open, as did the magnetic scents coming from the neighboring coffeehouse.
A few other shoppers were browsing the store.
Salespeople wandered about, doing this and that.
Clothes of all material were spread around – some clothed mannequins, others hung on racks, the rest could be seen on shelves and tables.
‘At least she wants to see you,’ said Emberlyn, her heels clicking on the faux oak floor as they ambled further into the shop. ‘It’s good that she’s over her snit.’
‘Totally, but I can’t sit through another awkward family meal this week wherein she sporadically cries and my dad fails to look me in the eye. Besides, I don’t want to miss our double date.’
‘Ripper still isn’t impressed that you and Crew invited yourselves along to our date.’ Emberlyn edged her way through a narrow gap between racks, frowning as a hanger got caught on her sleeve. ‘He’ll probably chase you away.’
‘No, he won’t. Though he likes having you to himself, he also likes seeing you surrounded by his clan. It eases his protective instincts. He wants you to have that circle of safety.’
Emberlyn felt her brow pinch. ‘Says who?’
‘Crew, Kerr and Logan. They talk about you two a lot.’
‘Saying what, exactly?’
‘They’re just pleased that their Alpha is content. He’s been alone a long time, and he gives so much of himself to the clan. Neither of which is healthy for any werewolf, but particularly not for an Alpha. Werewolves aren’t built to be alone.’
‘Is it affecting you now that the Change has fully settled into your cells?’
Paisley placed a hand to her stomach. ‘There’s like this urge to belong.
To stay close to our clan. To watch over each other.
So I can totally get why Ripper eats up your time and pokes his nose into every aspect of your business – it’s, like, encoded in his DNA.
He has to know you’re safe and well. Crew is the same with me, but I don’t at all mind. To be honest, it’s a two-way street.’
Emberlyn felt her lips hitch up. ‘I’ve noticed that you seem to be getting along very well.’ They spent a lot of time together.
‘I can’t say for sure that anything serious will come of it. I’ve learned that he typically tends to avoid “serious”. But then, so does Ripper. And you, for that matter. Now look at you both – you make a true power couple.’
‘Power couple?’
‘Yeah. You both scare most of the townsfolk. That makes you both socially powerful. Put the two of you together and bam.’ Paisley’s eyes widened in interest. ‘Ooh, nice purse.’ She plucked it off a peg and turned it this way and that.
Emberlyn snickered at how easily Paisley was distracted by something shiny.
‘Not a nice price tag, though. Ugh.’ Paisley returned the purse to its peg. ‘So what were we talking about? Ah, how scary you and Ripper are. I’ll bet the coven’s idiotic faction is quailing in its boots. They massively fucked up last weekend by setting you up like that.’
They had indeed. The day after Emberlyn and Ripper had paid a visit to those who’d attacked, Reena had turned up at the manor.
She hadn’t been too happy that some of her coven had had the fear of God instilled in them by Ripper, but she did understand why he and Emberlyn had confronted those members – or so she’d claimed.
Emberlyn still didn’t trust her. Never would. But she’d keep up the temporary truce for as long as necessary.
Reena was unfortunately no closer to identifying the witches of the faction.
It was driving her nuts. She also worried that divisions would form in the coven.
While it was good that all were now intent on unmasking the faction members, considering them traitors for bespelling their own, it meant that many were also looking at others with distrust.
Often people came to Reena claiming that this person or that person ‘had’ to be part of the faction. But they had no evidence, so she could only promise to ‘look into it’. That was never enough for her witches, meaning they weren’t happy about her inaction.
Basically, the coven was ripe with issues right now.
Gasping, Paisley plucked a tee from a rack. ‘This is so cute.’
‘It has a werewolf with devilish horns printed on it.’
‘Yeah. Cute.’ Metal scraped metal as Paisley flicked through the hangers on the rack. ‘Please have my size, please have my – aha.’ She grabbed a particular tee, grinning broadly. A grin that faltered ever so slightly as her eyes slid to something behind Emberlyn.
‘What?’ Peering over her shoulder, Emberlyn tracked her friend’s gaze to the glass-front window. CeCe’s friends were passing the store – fast. And totally avoiding looking at Emberlyn.
‘Are they still keeping their distance from you?’ Paisley checked.
Emberlyn turned back to her. ‘Yes. Which is good, because I’m rather tired of Ripper having to butt into situations on my behalf.’
‘You’re tired of it, or you’re worried he’ll tire of it?’
‘A little of both. Anyway, it seems to be working, because I haven’t heard a peep from them or CeCe.’
‘They have been keeping a low profile lately.’
‘Wise of them. Because I don’t think Ripper was bluffing when he warned them what the consequences would be if they kept coming at me.’
‘He wasn’t bluffing. A temporary ban is no joke.
You’d lose that feeling of belonging. You’d have no one to run with on a full moon.
And not one clan member would lift a finger for you.
’ Paisley exchanged a brief smile with a worker tidying shelves.
‘Joining another clan wouldn’t be an option for them – no other Alpha would accept a temporarily banned wolf, because they’d be interfering with a punishment. ’
‘Kerr told me he wouldn’t be all too shocked if CeCe switched clans.’
‘She might. I mean, she has to know at this point that neither Ripper nor Logan will ever be hers. Right now, she has a front seat to the Emberlyn and Ripper show. Getting some distance would be healthy. But she may have the feeling that it’s her clan, so why should she have to leave?’
‘I suppose we’ll see.’ Emberlyn glanced down at the items draped over Paisley’s arm. ‘You gonna buy those or what?’
‘Yes.’ Paisley patted them. ‘Checkout counter here we come.’
They left the shop moments later . . . just as Dez and Ward were heading into the nearby grocery store. Both clocked Emberlyn, averted their gazes and hurried along.
Paisley hummed. ‘It’s a nice change that they didn’t snarl at you or anything.’
‘I suppose neither of them want Ripper to come knocking on their door.’
‘He would, too. He’s in hyper-protective mode right now. Woe betide any who attempt to harm you. If he doesn’t fuck up their shit, you will . . . and you’ll do a much more dramatic job of it than he would.’
Oh, totally.
Stood on his doorstep, Ripper folded his arms. ‘What part of “It’s not a double date” are you failing to understand?’
Crew gave him an easy smile. ‘Don’t be a grouch, it’ll be fun.’
‘No. No, it won’t.’ Ripper tilted his head. ‘What is it, you want some sort of buffer between you and Paisley? You’re thinking of calling things off?’
‘No, nothing like that.’ Sighing, Crew scratched the back of his scalp.
‘Look, her parents are being a problem, okay? They say they accept the twins’ new situation and that they want to fix things, but then their mom will cry and their dad will act all weird around them.
’ He lowered his arm back to his side. ‘Kage isn’t all that bothered by it, but Paisley is.
Emberlyn is family to her, and she’s the only person outside our clan who supports Paisley. ’
‘So, because you want Paisley to have people around her who make her happy, I should share Emberlyn tonight and let you horn in on our date?’
‘Yeah.’
‘No.’
Crew exhaled heavily, his eyes dancing. ‘You know, you’re a little too greedy with your witch’s time and attention.’
‘As are you with Paisley’s. What of it?’
A snort popped out of Crew. ‘Okay, you got me there. But at least make an exception for tonight. Paisley’s mom has been bugging her all day. She needs cheering up.’
‘No one has ever claimed that I have any way of lifting their mood.’ Ripper didn’t even do well at lifting his own.