Raelya smirked. “So you can not cook, and you can not handle cloth arts? Do not say it too loudly. Elisa would have a fit.”
Andrei snorted from across the table where he’d begun laying out the table, taking the place settings from the hutch. “Don’t I know it?”
I smiled at him, pleased to feel less alone in my ineptitude. “I take it you’re no good with such things either?” I came around the table and began helping him with laying it out.
Andrei waggled his eyebrows and gave me an exaggerated grin in response.
Raelya shook her head. “Elisa just believes that everyone should be able to take care of themselves if they were on their own. She has a good point. I have always tried to learn from her.” Raelya smiled fondly, admiration apparent in her eyes.
Elisa walked in just then with a large dish. She glanced around at us, seemed to approve of our work ethic, and settled her addition onto the table. She was followed by two young men and a young woman I’d yet to meet. As they all unburdened themselves of the dishes she’d obviously recruited them to bring, the three began to seat themselves, as did Andrei and Raelya. Ralof walked in, carrying nothing, and brought himself to the head of the table. Elisa took the place opposite of Ralof, and soon I was left standing there looking uncertain as everyone else looked up at me.
I glanced over the table hurriedly and noticed that Raelya had set a place for me right next to her. I gave her a grateful smile and pulled out my chair. As I settled down, I happened to catch eyes with the young woman who’d settled down just opposite of me. She was slender and youthful, with a voluminous cloud of lavender hair. She wore an oversized, wide-necked shirt that hung off one shoulder over a tank top and shorts. When our eyes met, she halted all motion and stared back at me. I held her gaze for a moment, feeling that deep-down place rising up inside of me. I remembered what Ralof had said too late; before I thought to pull myself away from her gaze, she blinked once and dropped her eyes, tilting her head just a little to one side. The deep-inside part of me felt rather satisfied. I hoped I hadn’t just done something wrong.
Feeling somewhat nervous, I glanced around the table to find that no one seemed upset or surprised. That was good. Everyone was just sitting there, waiting, it seemed. I glanced up toward the head of the table and Ralof arched a brow at me quizzically as I realized I was the last person to turn my attention to him. Ralof drew his steady gaze across the room, making it clear that he was speaking to all of them. “Everyone, we have a new-comer among us.” He gestured to me with an open hand. “This is Dakota Shepherd.”
I flashed everyone a grin. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you all. Well, some of us have met already.” I smiled at Raelya and then at Elisa. Elisa hmph’d lightly. Raelya just smiled at me warmly.
Ralof continued after I shut up. “You have met Elisa, Raelya and Andrei. I’ll let the other three introduce themselves.” I looked toward the others expectantly.
The lavender-haired girl put on a sunny smile and waved at me in the most adorably exaggerated way. “Hi! I’m Stephana Lindquist, but everyone calls me Steph.”
I smiled at her. “Nice to meet ya, Steph. I like your hair.” I also liked her particularly bright and cheery-colored aura. Though I wasn’t sure how socially acceptable it was to compliment the visual projection of another’s soul, so I decided to keep the admiration to myself.
She beamed at me. “Thanks! I’m loving this color, but it was a total accident. The dye was supposed to be darker, but now I hope I can get it to do this again when it wears out.”
“Maybe if you look it up online? I mean, someone’s bound to have had the same outcome. Maybe you can find out what caused it?” Being helpful is good. Doin’ great so far! I told myself.
Steph lit up, grinning brightly and hopping in her chair slightly. “That’s a great idea! I bet I can find out how! Thank you!” I just nodded and smiled. She leaned to the side and wrapped her arms around the bicep of the young man sitting next to her. “This is Kenneth.”
Kenneth looked up at me with that mild shyness I usually associated with well-behaved younger men. “I’m Kenneth Lynwood. Nice to meet you.” He was a little toned, but otherwise lanky, with tousled brown hair and green eyes. He wore jeans and a camo tee, a style rather common to these parts. He didn’t seem to mind Steph’s familiarity despite otherwise seeming shy.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ken.” He was surrounded by light yellowish hues with some browns mingling through and a few lines of darker grey.
Kenneth shook his head. “It’s Kenneth. If you would.” He seemed a little embarrassed, as if worried he’d offend me by insisting.
“Sure! Sorry. Force of habit. I have this thing about nicknames… My bad.” Well, that’s one misstep out of the way! Moving right along to the next one!
I turned my attention to the other young man. He was a little shorter than average for his age. As far as I could tell, all three of these were just teenagers, though this one looked a little bit older than the other two. He had jet black hair in a longish cut that just brushed his shoulders in places. His aura was a blurry confederation of greys with a few lighter and darker areas, and some white near the center. He wore a white shirt in an unusual style with broad, straight sleeves and a pair of loose gray trousers that seemed to go with it. He returned my friendly smile by placing a fist into his palm and bowing toward me seriously. “I’m Elliot Lost. Pleased to meet you.”
“Wow!” I geeked awkwardly. “That is a cool name!” The young man regarded me levelly, seeming unsure how to respond. “Sorry. Just, that sounds like ‘main character in a movie’ material to me! Elliot Lost.” I grinned to myself enthusiastically. Elliot just smiled at me politely. I wasn’t sure if he secretly approved or if I was just being hopeful.
Ralof cleared his throat, saving me from myself. “Now that introductions are out of the way, let us have dinner.” The other wolves all turned their attention to the Alpha, waiting for something familiar. Ralof lifted his plate with one hand and began loading it up from the dishes on the table. He acquired a healthy serving of each dish, then settled his plate back onto the table. As soon as he did, the table exploded with movement as the other wolves all began to pick out their meals from the waiting bowls and plates. Everyone was really polite when you consider that they were literally a pack of wolves. Andrei seemed to purposefully exaggerate the ravenousness with which he acquired his own meal, though I couldn’t be certain that he wasn’t hamming it up to mess with me. Elisa just waited for everyone else to be finished, rolling her eyes with an air of exasperation. She muttered something in her native tongue that I mentally translated as “Children”.
10
Heading Home
I stayed just a while after dinner, sitting with Ralof on the comfortable sectional as we chatted lightly about my introduction to the pack and he assured me I hadn’t blundered it up. Andrei started through the room after a while, having stayed behind to help clean up after dinner, along with everyone else. Ralof had excused himself, and me, being that I was a guest. Ralof called out to Andrei as he passed. “Andrei. Did you show Dakota your tattoos?” I’d just asked Ralof about them a moment before. I turned in my seat to face the pack’s second. Andrei stopped where he was and nonchalantly pulled his shirt over his head, revealing that the incredible ink on his arms and neck covered just about every inch of his torso as well. After a few seconds, he spun to show me his back which was equally covered, and that the ink on his neck disappeared into his hairline.
“Wow. That must have taken forever. Did it hurt?”
Andrei grinned at me. “Oh yeah! But it was a long time ago. So it doesn’t matter now, eh?” He threw his shirt back on cheerfully and came over to join us on the couch. I smiled as he settled in next to me, seeming easy with my presence.
“I thought about getting one once. But I could never decide on what I wanted, so I just didn’t.” I frowned at myself as an uncomfortable section of my life began to surface in my memories and I regretted me
ntioning that particular point of conversation. I hoped silently that no one would ask me to explain further.
“Oh yeah? What made you want to get one then?” Great. Andrei smiled at me easily.
I started fidgeting. “Uh… well… Just, I had a girlfriend once who was a tattooist. And she kept offering to do it. But I just never thought of anything I figured I’d want for life. You know?” Deflect. Deflect. Deflect. I shifted tactics. “But you know, maybe now I will. Maybe I could get something wolf-related.”
Andrei smirked. “That might be more difficult than you’d think.”
“Oh? Why?” I shifted in place. Good. Topic evaded.
Andrei glanced at Ralof who gestured at the group of us. “Because werewolves regenerate when damaged. We tend to push the ink back out before it has a chance to settle in.”
I frowned, looking up at Andrei, who was, I noted, grinning like a maniac. “Then how?”
Andrei flexed an arm at me. “I’m just awesome like that. Once something gets around me, it wants to stay that way.”
I smiled despite feeling perplexed. Elisa snorted as she entered the room. “Hmph. Is that where the smell comes from then?”
Andrei flashed her a cheesy grin. “The smell of awesome? I’ll claim the credit.” Elisa rolled her eyes and started up the stairs. I found I already adored them both.
Ralof was smiling when I looked back to him. He glanced at his watch then back to me. “When do you need to be home?”
I blinked. I’d completely lost track of the time. “Oh! Uh… What time is it?” Ralof showed me his watch which read that it was nearly six. I grimaced. “I actually need to get going. If that’s okay?”
Ralof nodded easily. “I will drive you home.” He rose and headed for the door.
I stood, frowning. “Are you sure? I can just call a cab. I don’t want you to have to go out of your way for me.”
Ralof was already seated on a wooden bench near the entryway, slipping on his boots. “It is no trouble. Besides, I want to make sure you get home safely. You are still new to the supernatural world, and there is much yet for you to know.”
“All right, if you’re sure.” Ralof gave me a look and I stopped arguing. I turned back to Andrei and offered a hand. “It was great meeting you.”
Andrei stood and took my hand briefly, using it to pull me into an unexpected hug. “You too! Don’t be a stranger, okay?”
I grinned as we parted. “I’m sure I’ll be around.” Andrei gave me a winning grin, then slipped past me and went out into the back yard. I moved over to the door and slipped my feet into my shoes without bothering to untie and retie them properly. Ralof stood and lifted a keyring from a hook by the door.
From behind me, I heard a soft voice. “You are leaving?”
I turned to face Raelya with a smile. “Yup. But I’ll be back around soon, I’m sure.”
Raelya held her arms out, asking. I answered with a happy hug. “It was good to meet you, Dakota.” She smiled at me as we separated.
“You too, Raelya. I look forward to seeing you again. And tell your mo— eh, tell Elisa I said thanks for dinner? It was great.” I grinned as Raelya grinned and shook her head.
“If I did, she would just roll her eyes. But you are welcome, regardless.” She followed me to the door, leaning into Ralof’s side briefly as he opened the door. Ralof bumped his forehead against Raelya’s head gently then headed out for the truck with me in his wake. I wondered, as we climbed into the vehicle, if I would eventually understand what that gesture had said to them.
Ralof explained more about werewolves on the forty-five minute drive home. As I listened, I marveled at the fact that I was moderately okay with the idea that I was one of them. Before visiting the pack house, I had been nervous and uncertain. I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of being a big, furry monster with a bad temper. But after meeting Ralof’s family, and the few other members of the pack, I felt for the first time, in longer than I could remember, like I was leaving home, rather than trying to get back to it.
11
Invitation
“Dakota?” Amorie’s creamy voice filtered through my phone’s speakers from where it lay on my bed. It was just past seven. I’d made it home about fifteen minutes ago, gotten into the shower, and I’d still been in it when the phone had rang. Knowing it would be Amorie and having no desire to miss her call, I’d hopped out in a hurry and put it on speakerphone as I started towel-drying my hair, my body still dripping on the carpet.
“Amorie! Hi.” I tried to sound casual, instead of rushed and drippy. “How was your day?” I winced at myself as soon as I said it.
Amorie let a pause hang in the air before replying. “Uneventful. And yours? Did you meet with Ralof?”
Great. At least she had a sense of humor. “Yep!”
“How did it go?” She sounded hesitant.
“It went great. We talked. He told me what I am. Then he took me back to the pack house to meet the fam. Had a great time overall.” I tossed the damp towel at my bathroom door and turned to rummage through my dresser for underwear.
“I am glad to hear it. So, I imagine that means I was right about what you are?”
“Well, if you put your money on me being a werewolf, you oughta go collect.” I slipped on some panties and tossed a bra on the bed.
“I see. I am glad I have not led you astray by sending you to Ralof then.”
“Not at all.” I opened my closet door and stared at the contents. “So, did you get to make those calls about the green burny hands?”
Amorie put on a playful tone. “Perhaps. I suppose that means you would like to hear what I found out, no?”
I grinned to myself as I rummaged through the hanging clothes. “Please, fair maiden. Do tell.” Did I really just say that? I didn’t remember being that cheesy when I flirted with normal people.
“I would be happy to tell you what I found out. Why don’t we speak over dinner?”
I stopped with a shirt in one hand and some jeans in the other. “Um. Sure! That’d be great.” Holy crap. She was asking me out. For real. I dropped the clothes I’d just picked in the floor and rummaged through the closet some more. “Where should we meet?”
12
First Date
I felt out of place as I entered the restaurant Amorie had invited me to join her at. It was a fancier place than I’d ever set foot in. Even in the dressy black slacks and loose, silky v-neck shirt I’d chosen, I felt practically naked as I eyed the attire of the other customers— hell, even the wait staff was better dressed than I was. I momentarily considered going back outside and calling Amorie to let her know I wasn’t dressed properly when the hostess approached me and bowed politely. “Miss Shepherd? Miss Amorie is expecting you.” She gestured for me to follow, so I did. The hostess, like most of the other people around me, had that desaturated look. I skimmed the crowd in passing, but didn’t notice any auras. She led me to a booth in a dimly-lit corner where the candle on the table flickered and cast its dancing light on Amorie’s fair face.
She rose to greet me and my jaw dropped. “Wow.” I helplessly devoured her form with my eyes. Amorie just swayed her hip to the side and smiled at me, seeming pleased with my reaction. She wore a glamorous black evening gown which wrapped around her form from side to side, forming a sash at her natural waist before rising to cover her breasts and glide gracefully across one shoulder. A cut out in the center of the cloth revealed the line of her cleavage. The dress flowed downward from the sash into a floor-length skirt which revealed a long section of her pale leg and thigh. Her hair was loose, curling softly about her shoulders, and diamonds dripped from her ears and throat. I peeled my eyes from her body to meet her amused expression with a smile. “You look... incredible.”
Amorie was kind enough to appear amused. “As do you, Dakota. I have to say, this is a big improvement from the security guard uniform. Even if that was also rather cute.” She looked me over pointedly, eyes lingering on the dipping neckline.
The quiet hunger in her eyes made me feel somewhat naked. Or maybe that was just because I had chosen to opt-out on the bra. My breasts were not so large that it was strictly necessary, and bras were harder to hide in a top with a low neckline like— wait. Did I just meet up with a vampire wearing a shirt with a low neckline? Well, crap.
“Thanks.” I glanced around nervously and moved to sit down. Amorie obliged me and sat as well. “I’m not too… under-dressed, am I?” I totally was.
Amorie smiled. “You look wonderful, ma chérie.” French! I figured out that Amorie’s accent was French.
I grinned like an idiot. “You’re too kind.” A waitress in a crisp white button-down and black slacks laid two glasses of water on the table, then, to my dismay, folded a napkin into my lap. When the waitress tried to give Amorie the same treatment, my stunning date took the napkin from her with a genial expression and folded it into her own lap. As the waitress departed, a man in a fine black suit arrived, bearing a bottle of wine. He and Amorie went through some kind of ornate wine-approving ritual before Amorie smiled and nodded her appreciation, earning a pleased expression from the man who poured a glass for each of us and left the bottle in one of those little tubs full of ice nearby.
I watched the whole thing with a ridiculously giddy feeling that I struggled to keep off of my face. I’d never seen something like that outside of a movie. Amorie smirked at me, obviously seeing through my casual mask. “Please, have whatever you would like. It is my treat.”
I glanced at the menu that had appeared in front of me without my noticing who had placed it there. “Normally, I’d complain because you treated last time… But I think this is a bit above my price range— Holy crap, that much for a six ouncer?”
Amorie’s smirk grew deeper. “It is no worry. Have what you want. Have ten steaks if you like.”
Awakened (Auralight Codex: Dakota Shepherd Book 1) Page 8