Chapter 11
“That is a mountain of food,” Allie said when she walked into the kitchen.
“I figured Josh might be one for eating a lot,” Selene replied and continued slicing cucumbers.
“He is,” Allie said. “But even for Josh, this is overkill. I guess it’s a good thing that Fen’s coming too.”
The knife slipped, and Selene almost amputated her pinky.
“What did you just say?” She stared at Allie, willing her niece to have misspoken.
“Fen called this afternoon and asked if he could drop something off at the house for you.” Allie put on an oh-so-innocent smile. “Josh thought it would be nice if he came to dinner too. You weren’t around to ask, but I decided it was a great idea.”
Selene continued to gape at her niece. Allie kept smiling, eating up the moment with obvious delight, and pointed at the food.
“And I was right. Now you won’t have heaps of leftovers.”
“Allison.” Selene’s tone was dangerous. “Do not try to play matchmaker for your favorite aunt.”
Allie batted her eyelashes at Selene. “I have no idea what you mean.”
She turned and skipped out of the kitchen, calling, “But Fen sounded very happy. He’ll be here at six thirty!”
Selene glanced at the clock and panicked.
It was almost six. She’d planned on dining with the kids in her T-shirt and yoga pants.
Now that Fen was joining them, she actually cared about the way she looked.
She set aside her kitchen prep, dashed up the stairs, and discarded her loungewear in favor of her most flattering pair of jeans and a draped linen-blend shirt.
Glancing in the mirror, she decided there wasn’t time to do anything with her hair, so she pulled it up into a casual twist that she fixed in place with a vintage hair comb—bronze, not silver.
That she kept some antiques in her bedroom hadn’t been a complete lie.
She hurried back to the kitchen and rearranged the food from a buffet on the counter to a more formal setting on the kitchen table.
She scanned the room one last time to make sure it was clear of any silver utensils or implements.
The doorbell rang as she was pouring glasses of water.
Selene took a deep breath, smoothed her shirt, and went to the door.
“Good evening, Selene.” Fen smiled and handed her an armful of crimson tulips and an envelope. He was also dressed casually in jeans and a dark-blue merino wool sweater that set off the gray of his eyes.
He absolutely took her breath away.
“Thank you.” Selene admired the abundance of red blooms in her arms. “These are lovely.”
“From our gardens,” he said. “On a clear day you should come to see them. They’re quite expansive. It would be a lovely walk.”
“That sounds very nice,” Selene said, unsure if it had been an offhand remark or an invitation. “Please come in.”
She looked at the envelope, and her heart sped up. “Would you like me to open this card now?”
“It can wait.” He stepped through the door.
When she closed it and turned, he was right there. Inches away. One step and she’d be in his arms. He was watching her, perhaps considering . . .
She panicked.
Selene pivoted toward the staircase. “Allie! Josh! Fen’s here. Please come down for dinner.”
“You have a beautiful home,” Fen said, taking a step back and glancing around the entryway.
“Thank you,” she said, breathing a bit easier now that there was space between them but wondering what would have happened if she hadn’t called for Allie and Josh. “It might be a little cramped compared to what you’re used to.”
“But less drafty,” Fen remarked, and Selene laughed.
Josh and Allie came down the stairs like a herd of elephants despite there being only two of them.
“Hi, Fen!” Allie beamed and threw her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug.
Selene’s eyes widened at her niece’s show of affection. Fen smiled and returned Allie’s embrace, lifting her off her feet with a chuckle.
“Hello, Allison,” he said. “That’s quite the welcome.”
“I’m just so happy you’re having dinner with us,” Allie said brightly. “Aren’t you, Aunt Sel?”
“Of course.” Selene swallowed a groan. How hard was her niece going to push the matchmaking thing? “Allie, would you find a vase for these?”
She handed the tulips to her niece.
Allie leaned in, her whisper conspiratorial . . . and obvious. “He brought you flowers?”
“Yes, it was very thoughtful,” Selene said quickly. “Vase. Now.”
Allie trotted away, giggling.
“Josh, why don’t you show Fen into the kitchen.” Selene needed a moment. Or an hour. “I’ll be right there.”
“This way.” Josh waved, and Fen fell in step alongside the younger wolf.
Selene went to the living room and dropped onto the couch.
Taking a deep breath, she stared at the card Fen had given her.
It was heavy cardstock, and the flap had been sealed with bloodred wax.
She fought the temptation to open it and discover its contents, instead forcing herself to set it on the writing desk.
Right now she had guests, and as Fen said, the card could wait.
She found them already seated at the table, and when she walked in the room, Josh and Fen exchanged a glance. They were both grinning like kids on Christmas morning.
“What?” Selene asked, self-conscious under their beatific gazes.
“You made sushi,” Josh said.
“It’s raw meat.” Selene approached the table. “I thought you’d be able to eat it.”
“We can.” Fen said. “And we’re delighted. It was incredibly kind of you to prepare something we can all enjoy together.”
Selene smiled, more than a little pleased by his words, and took her seat between Fen and Allie. “I’m glad it works for you. I wasn’t sure what to make.”
“It’s perfect.” Fen smiled, and Selene’s heart did a backflip.
More cardiac acrobatics. Wonderful.
Dinner proceeded with none of the tension that had marked their meal the previous evening. Fen and Josh both appeared to enjoy their sushi immensely, though Selene noticed they ate only the sashimi and touched none of the rice or rolls on the table.
I guess the raw-meat-only thing is a hard line.
Conversation flowed comfortably, and while, for the first part of the meal, Selene watched for signs that Josh had changed his mind and told Fen about the dagger, everything seemed to be fine. She let herself relax.
When they’d finished eating, Josh and Fen cleared the table.
Selene leaned back in her chair, feeling deeply content and fizzingly happy with the evening.
She’d successfully hosted a dinner for, as Nat described, a “very old, incredibly powerful” werewolf pack leader. How many people could say the same?
“Aunt Selene, may Josh and I be excused?” Allie asked. “I have to watch a PBS documentary for my American history class.”
“Sure, Allie,” Selene said. “Fen, you’re welcome to join them if you’d like. I’ll take care of the dishes.”
“They can go ahead,” he replied. “I’ll help you clean up.”
Allie and Josh headed for the living room, leaving Selene and Fen alone in the kitchen. The room suddenly felt much smaller and charged with electric tension. Selene’s dreamy contentment devolved into sparks of nerve.
She went to the sink and filled it with hot water and dish soap.
“If you give me a towel, I’ll dry.” Fen came to stand beside her.
She pulled a dish towel from a drawer and handed it to him.
“When was the last time you did dishes?” she asked, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. A wolf king in the kitchen faced with a stack of dirty dishes after being served dinner. How often did that happen?
He paused and then laughed when she passed him a wet plate. “I honestly can’t remember.”
“I thought that might be the case,” she said with a quiet laugh.
For a minute or two, they focused on the dishes without speaking.
It was Fen who broke the silence. “Selene, I want to apologize for my behavior last night.”
“You don’t have to.” She scrubbed a plate more vigorously than necessary and kept her gaze firmly on the sudsy water. “I’m sorry I left so abruptly. I was very rude.”
“No, you weren’t,” he said. “The fault is solely mine. I haven’t . . .”
He fell silent. She stopped washing and looked over to find him wearing a sheepish grin.
“You haven’t what?” she asked, puzzled by his expression.
“I haven’t wanted to pursue a relationship for many years. And I’ve never attempted to court a human.”
Court? Selene bit back a laugh. There were those werewolf formalities again. In truth she found the whole notion of courtship rather sweet.
“Last night I responded to my attraction as I would had you been another wolf, and I worry that I intimidated you.” His eyes were gentle, and she had to look back at the bubbles in the sink. “That troubles me.”
“You did a little,” Selene admitted. “But I know you didn’t mean to.”
“Will you accept my apology?”
“Of course.” She kept her focus on the dishes.
“And an invitation to dinner at Ciel on a night of your choice?”
“You’d take me out to dinner to watch me eat?” She shook her head at the idea but couldn’t deny the thrill of his offer. Ciel was the only fine-dining restaurant in Avondale.
“I would enjoy the conversation and your company,” he said. “And Ciel serves an exceptional beef carpaccio and lamb tartare. You wouldn’t be eating alone.”
She turned to face him. “Fen, I’m deeply flattered by your interest. And I don’t want you to take this the wrong way. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.”
“Dinner at Ciel?” He played innocent.
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
He watched her closely. “And why is what you mean a bad idea?”
She began to dry her hands. “Josh told me about your mate. I’m so sorry. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more horrific story.”
His expression hardened, and he looked away. “Losing Miriam and our other packmates is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. And I’ve seen many terrible things in my time in this world.”
Her name was Miriam. Selene wanted to know so much more about Fen’s mate. What did she look like? Where was she from? Why did he fall in love with her?