Chapter 6
Effie Harlow
I’d been overwhelmed by the idea of wealth from the moment I’d come to Silver Falls University, specifically since meeting Caedmon and Ryder. I hadn’t even realized how wealthy someone could be until then.
The knowledge of how little I had felt like a weight on my chest, making me feel inferior compared to them. Not good enough. Not for them, not for this experience, not for this life. Not for any of it, really.
But then I remembered the men behind the wealth. I remembered that it didn’t matter to them, that it was just a tool, in their mind. That it wasn’t something to judge someone by.
Although I had to admit, in moments like this, buckled up as we landed a private jet in Kyoto—more than half a world away from where I’d been before—it became harder to remember. It became harder to feel grounded in that knowledge.
“Mon ange, I can feel you thinking.” Caedmon’s voice was a low rumble from my right side, Julian’s hand intertwined with mine to the left. Since coming out of that back room, he’d held me captive on his lap, rubbing his nose against his bitten mark as if trying to imprint his scent on me.
Well, trying wasn’t accurate because I’m positive that is exactly what he was doing.
I wouldn’t lie, I loved it. I loved whenever my mates did anything like that—anything that brought our wolves closer.
I loved all of it, and even now, with his eyes closed, he clearly had no intention of letting go of my hand.
“I am thinking a lot,” I admitted, looking around the jet and letting out a small breath. “It’s just a lot, the jet and going to a new country. I’ve barely even been anywhere in the U.S.! It’s just…a lot.”
My response felt lame. I wasn’t telling Caedmon anything he didn’t already know, but I wasn’t sure how to express how I was feeling. I didn’t want to sound like it was a bad thing, because I wanted to have new experiences with my mates…it was just intimidating.
Caedmon looked concerned, and maybe slightly confused. “I want you to be comfortable more than anything. If this makes you uncomfortable—”
“No,” I promised, squeezing his hand. “Don’t change a thing—I’m thankful Ryder thought of the jet; I just need to get used to it. I don’t want anyone to change because of me, okay?”
Caedmon nodded, looking more perplexed than even before. “I…I’m confused.”
Julian chuckled but didn’t say anything, Caedmon narrowing his eyes but otherwise ignoring him.
“About what?”
“Sometimes you like the things I spoil you with, but other times I know it makes you uncomfortable. I just don’t understand where the line is.”
Oh.
“I guess I’m figuring it out also,” I admitted. “I like when you get me things because it makes you happy, not because of the actual thing. So when it’s something like a jet where we’re using it just as a part of normal life…that’s the overwhelming part.”
Caedmon inhaled and nodded. “So I’ll just make everything a gift.”
I broke into a giggle, tilting my head up and looking at his lips.
A beautiful smile stole over his face, and he gently pressed his lips to mine before deepening the kiss.
I think he was being serious, but the suggestion had been adorable, I wouldn’t lie.
That also wasn’t a word I would normally ever use to describe Caedmon.
“Not everything,” I said against his lips. “If this is your lifestyle, I want to get used to it, because I can tell you’re comfortable with it. Just may take a little bit.”
“Anything you need is yours,” he promised. “I know that probably doesn’t help, but it’s true.”
I knew it was.
He inhaled and looked out the window. It was nighttime in Kyoto—around nine p.m. but on the following day, as we had been flying for nearly thirteen hours.
“I wish we were traveling for leisure,” he said. “I want to show you so many places, Effie, and I want to do it without pressure or threats hanging over your head.”
“I feel like I’ve brought all of this on you,” I whispered.
His throat produced a rumble. “No. I go where you go; it’s that simple.”
And I believed that completely.
Suddenly a bump caused the plane to jolt, and I let out a small whimper of panic.
Caedmon had distracted me successfully for most of our descent, but now…
well, now I was feeling every bump. I curled into my seat as Caedmon cursed, and Julian sat up fully from his lounge position, tightening his hand in mine reassuringly.
“Just a bit of turbulence,” he promised, although his eyes held more concern than I would’ve liked. Luckily, it really did appear to be turbulence, only occurring a few more times, and when we landed it became clear that the reason was the storm that was hovering over the airport.
It felt almost like a sign as lightning and thunder cracked, the jet going dark and allowing us to see the storm in its full glory. When we’d come to a full stop and the lights in the cabin came back on, I stood up and stretched.
“There’s a car ready to take us where we need to go,” Ryder said, his face filled with tension. I knew he hated being back here, and I found myself feeling guilty, not for the first time, for bringing him into this.
I stepped into the aisle, Caedmon and Julian moving towards the front of the plane as Ryder walked over to me, his brow dipped.
“Don’t, Effie,” he murmured, brushing a piece of hair from my face. I guess the guilt was evident on my face.
“I can’t help it,” I said, my eyes downcast. “I know you don’t want to be here.”
“I want to be with you,” he argued, tilting my chin up so I had to hold his gaze. “More than anything, I want to be with you.”
Nodding, I followed him through the jet towards where Tore was waiting.
Ryder moved past as the fenrir wolf stopped me and helped me put on a coat.
I was staring up at him with affection, heat lighting his eyes like a wildfire there before he grasped my jaw and kissed me hard.
I sighed happily against his lips while melting into him, my hand sliding up to the center of his chest.
“I love that you smell like all of us,” he murmured, looking almost confused by his own words.
I knew from experience that fenrir wolves weren’t nearly as in touch with their animalistic sides as other wolf types, but Tore was very much the exception.
I think he was still getting used to it, though.
“I always want to,” I admitted.
“That won’t be a problem,” he rumbled, his eyes flashing with uncertainty. “I need you to promise me something, lil bit.”
“Okay,” I agreed instantly.
“Since mating, my magic has been all over the place,” he leveled, “especially in reaction to you. If I take anything too far or start to scare you, if I’m too aggressive towards other people, or possessive, I need you to stop me or at least call me out on it.
The thoughts I’m having are irrational, and I never want to freak you out. ”
“Like what?” I asked, more curious than anything else.
He shook his head. “I don’t even want to say, especially the violent ones. Just promise me.”
I didn’t want to lie to him. “If I feel scared, I’ll say something,” I promised. “But Tore…I like you being possessive, and I like when you act on your wolf magic. I like it a lot.”
A deep rumble left his throat, sounding far from human. “I’ll remember that, lil bit.”
I hoped he did.
The captain appeared at that moment, handing us an umbrella as Ryder motioned for us to come down a set of stairs.
The rain poured from above and the wind whipped against my jacket, but the dark SUV was parked right at the bottom of the stairs, so I was quickly ushered in.
The heat from it immediately surrounded me as I slid in and positioned myself between Dakota and Tore, the first wrapping a hand around my thigh possessively.
Despite the ever-present intense energy when it came to Dakota, he seemed different—as if our mating had calmed him down, made his magic relax a bit. I understood that completely though—I couldn’t express the relief I’d felt at finally marking all of my mates.
“How far is the drive?” Julian asked as Ryder got in, the door closing and the SUV taking off.
“To the estate? Probably twenty or so minutes. My parents will be there to greet us, no doubt.”
“And that’s okay?” Tore asked, looking immediately concerned and protective. “I thought we were avoiding your family.”
“They hate my grandfather.” He sighed, adding, “Sort of.”
“I’m going to meet your parents?” I asked.
Ryder’s eyes warmed. “Yes, kitten, but don’t worry—they’re harmless.”
Somehow I doubted that.
As the conversation turned more casual, my eyes grew heavy, the exhaustion of traveling catching up to me.
“Effie.”
Theresa’s voice had me nearly jumping out of my skin as she appeared behind me, yanking on the back of my shirt. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Cooking,” I whimpered, staring down at the pan where chicken was sizzling, wondering how I had messed up this time. “I’m cooking dinner for us.”
Theresa turned me around sharply and narrowed her eyes, moving them over my shoulder. “More like wasting our food—why would I want to eat something like that?”
Tears stung my eyes at her harsh words. I knew I wasn’t good at cooking by any means, but I’d been trying to do something special since it was the anniversary of them taking me in.
“Right, this was silly,” I said, blinking away tears. “I can stop—”
“I’ll take over,” Theresa scoffed. “Go. Outside, now.”
I felt like a dog being punished from the house.
Without another word I slipped out the door, immediately regretting not grabbing a jacket but also not wanting to go back in there.
Suddenly the sound of her television show began blasting, and I realized she’d wanted me out of the house mostly to just have alone time.
Somehow that felt worse than her hating my cooking.
I wiped at my eyes angrily, hating that I was shedding tears over her.