Page 44 of Awakened and Betrayed
“Nevada. Las Vegas, to be exact,” he supplies with disinterest.
“That’s right, Las Vegas.”
She looks over to me and offers a smile. There’s nothing warm or friendly to be found in its depths. It looks like I might not be the only one unhappy with this arrangement, but that seems strange since if she is Becket’s mother, then one of her mates is Elder Albrecht. I glance around her and spot him a couple of seats down from her.
“Yes, quite the adjustment,” I offer vaguely, and equally as cool.
“Shame, that business about your uncle. It’s been quite the shock around town.”
Her murky blue eyes give a spark of delight, and I know I’m not going to like wherever she’s going with this.
“And what business would that be?”
Everyone around the table is watching the exchange. There’s a mixture of tension, disapproval, and excitement floating about. The whirlpool of emotion in the room makes it hard to pinpoint who disagrees with what she’s trying to do, and who wants to see me brought down a peg.
“Well, between the crumbling of the coven and his rank being stripped.”
She pauses mid-sentence and looks to her mates and the others around the table. Some meet her eyes, mirroring her amusement. Others maintain blank facades, not offering her the validation she’s so obviously seeking. She lets out a little, amused huff.
“It’s no wonder he’s gone into hiding. I wouldn’t show my face either.”
Bitchy Witch Barbie gives me a smile that’s meant to look innocent but misses the mark by a mile.
“Well, with a face like that, no one would blame you if you wanted to spend more time indoors.”
Nash chokes on the wine he’s drinking and Becket tenses beside me. His mother’s face scrunches up indignantly, making her even uglier than her personality alone accomplished. Becket’s lucky he got his looks from his dad.
I gesture in her direction with my fork, keeping it classy and mature. “See, that face right there. No one should have to live with the nightmares it must cause.”
She begins to turn a deeper shade of purple.
“That’s enough,” Elder Albrecht chastises, as he turns to his ever-reddening mate and mumbles something in her direction.
“I’m sorry. I’m confused. I thought we were starting the shit-talking portion of the evening. Don’t tell me she can dish it, but she can’t take it?”
I meet his glare with a blank face and a slight tilt of my head. Enoch slaps Nash’s back a couple times as he tries to reign in the coughing fit caused by the aspiration of his wine. Becket’s mother throws her napkin on her plate and shoots a murderous glare my way. Her chair scrapes loudly against the marble floor as she stands dramatically, and stomps out of the room. None of her mates move to join her.
I lean back in my chair and look around the table at the remaining guests, half of whom I haven’t been introduced to.
“Anyone else want to have a go? Unlike some, I promise I can hang with the best of ‘em. Give me your best shot.”
“No, I think that’s quite enough dramatics and entertainment between courses.”
Elder Cleary raises his eyebrows and gives me a patronizing grin.
“So, how is training coming along?” he asks, quick to change the subject.
I roll my eyes at the fact that he’s asking about me but not at all talking to me. His question is addressed to his son as if Enoch is my master. Like the good little soldier that he is, Enoch begins to fill everyone in on what we’ve been doing and my overall progress. I tune him out.
I do all I can to keep from showing that what Becket’s mother said hit its mark. I’m not going to show any weakness around these people, but I can’t keep her words from swirling around my head. What did she mean Lachlan’s rank was stripped? Is he no longer a paladin? Why the hell would they do that? I make a mental note to call the guys as soon as I’m out of here and away from Enoch and the others. I need to know what the hell that bitch was talking about.
Since the elders removed me from his house, I’ve tried hard to keep from thinking about Lachlan and the others in his coven. I guess I felt that there was no point picking at that wound by wondering thewhysof it all; that sure as hell isn’t going to help heal anything. Lachlan never struck me as the type to hide or mope. So if he’s disappeared, that sets off a few alarms for me. I would assume that the guys would have said something. But maybe not. With my intense training and their moving into our new house, news about Lachlan could have easily been pushed to the back burner. It probably doesn’t help that talking with me about Lachlan and the others is still weird. We all kind of try to avoid it at all costs.
The rest of the dinner passes uneventfully. Thank fuck, dessert looked and tasted like cheesecake, or I’d be way more pissed as I wait for Enoch and the others to say their goodbyes so I can get the fuck out of here. I’m starving. With the exception of dessert, I only had a couple of bites of the nine-thousand different courses they served tonight. I debate whether or not these assholes will stop somewhere so I can grab something to fill the gnawing hole that is my stomach, or if I should call one of the guys and see if they’ll bring me something.
Elder Cleary moves to stand next to me, and I try not to visibly stiffen at his proximity.
“You’ve made the night much livelier than it typically is,” he tells me, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “We usually have smaller, more intimate gatherings for Sunday dinner, but everyone was dying to meet you, and we couldn’t resist getting them together for your first official dinner. Next week won’t be nearly as intense.”
