I watched the Madison brothers toss a football back and forth. They were two years older than me, which meant they usually ignored me at these events. And I only saw them at these events. They lived on the opposite side of the country. We didn’t cross paths all that much. I’d always thought Bassett was the sweet one. And even if he was a nearly identical physical copy of his brother, he was also the cute one. At least to me. The older I got, and the more every relative reminded me over and over that it would be my turn soon, I couldn’t help but daydream about him. It was going to be my choice between the brothers, and the decision was easy. We’d start a pack, control our own land, and we’d be happy. I liked my alone time, but I’d make an exception for Bassett.
I hoped I blended into the trees enough that the brothers didn’t see me. I enjoyed watching Bassett’s muscles flex every time he threw his ball. There were plenty of strong guys in my pack, but Bassett was different. Maybe it was because I knew he was going to be my mate, but there was something almost mythically strong about him.
Bassett caught the ball again and glanced into the woods. He tossed the ball to his brother. “I’ve got to go.” He headed into the tree line without another word.
Tony shrugged and walked off toward the party.
I considered staying put, but my curiosity got to be too much for me. I carefully and silently slipped into the woods.
I saw a blur of dark grey. Bassett had shifted. I pulled off my dress and hid it as best I could in the brush. It would be dirty, but that would be a whole lot better than being ripped to shreds. I was going to need something to put back on when I was ready to return to the party. Not that I was ever really going to be ready. I happily reached out for my wolf, holding on to the surge of strength and power as I let my human side disappear.
It took me a moment to find his trail again, but there it was. His scent was one I would never forget. It was woodsy and earthy. I followed, finally catching a tiny glimpse of grey again.
I held back. I didn’t want him to see me. Who knew where he was going. Maybe he wasn’t going anywhere. But I assumed he had some sort of destination in mind.
He turned and moved deeper into the woods. The music and laughter faded away along with most of the moonlight.
Then suddenly his trail went cold. I didn’t see him anywhere. I heard a faint rustling and slowly turned around. Was someone watching me? Had I been followed?
I tried to stay calm. I could make up an excuse. It was normal for a wolf to need to run.
Something grabbed me from behind. Before I could react, a grey wolf had me pinned to the ground. I tried to fight it off, but I was no match for the much larger wolf. Bassett.
He went for my neck, waiting for me to turn my neck in a sign of submission. I did. He was angry. I could feel it washing off of him. Was it because I followed him? It had been a stupid move. I was frozen in shock.
He moved off me and shifted back to his human form.
I lay there waiting for whatever it was he was going to say.
“What were you thinking?” He stood there, completely naked, staring at me. “Following me around? Huh? You thought that was okay?”
I couldn’t talk in my wolf form, and I wasn’t about to shift back and face him naked. I already felt completely vulnerable. At least my wolf form gave me a greater sense of power.
“Are you just going to stay as your wolf? Staring at me?”
I said nothing. I was frozen.
“Look, you’re probably a nice kid and all, but you need to stay away from me. I’m not interested in starting a pack with you. You’re too weak. Too small. I already know who my mate is going to be, and I can promise it isn’t you.” His voice was harsh. Cruel even. Nothing like I expected it to be.
“So run back to the party and leave me alone. You hear me? If I find out you followed me again, we’ll have a problem. I don’t want to hate my brother’s future mate.”
I felt numb. Broken. That was it? He was so disgusted by me he had no desire to honor the contract? It was supposed to be my choice, but he didn’t want to be chosen by me?
Numbness turned to hurt. I stood up and ran away.
Feminine laughter hit my ears as I ran back toward the party. I got a tiny glimpse of blond hair as I sped away.
I ran off the hurt until I knew I couldn’t anymore. If my parents discovered I’d run off, I’d be in huge trouble. I reluctantly returned to the spot where I’d hidden the dress.
I shifted back, any sense of power and control disappearing as I let go of my wolf. I reached into the bushes, and my hands came up empty. I checked the whole area. A dress couldn’t just disappear.
“Looking for this?” A voice called behind me.
I jumped behind the bushes trying to cover my naked body as Tony strolled down the path holding up a mass of pink fabric.
“I heard what happened. Can’t say I’m surprised. My brother can be a real jerk sometimes.”
Maybe Tony wasn’t so bad. Maybe I’d been focusing on the wrong brother all along. “May I have my dress back, please?”
“I don’t really get it. Sure you’re scrawny and not an ideal mate, but your family is strong and has lots of land. Starting a pack with you will be worth it in the end, even if the day to day together would be wholly unsatisfying. What skills do you have?”
Scrawny? Not ideal? Worth it? Hot tears stung my eyes.
“Hopefully your mouth can do better things than talk because you can’t even manage that.”
I didn’t know what else to do. I shifted back into my wolf and ran. I couldn’t go back to the reception without the dress, but I didn’t care. How was I supposed to go back there? How could I face anyone ever again?
I waited and waited. Maybe he’d drop the dress. He’d already humiliated me. What more did he want?
I sensed Tony and moved in that direction. I heard the sound of running water and reached the edge of a creek. That’s when I saw it. Pale pink floating down the river. I could swim better in my human form. I shifted, glad there was no one else around. I dove into the water, trying to catch the dress. I reached it, pulled it out, and returned to shore. It was soaked. Completely soaked. How was I going to face my parents? Or my sisters? They’d all start yelling at me for being irresponsible.
“You’re even scrawny in your human form, huh?” Tony stepped out from behind a crop of trees.
“Leave me alone.” I blinked back tears again—this time out of anger and not hurt—as I yanked the wet dress over my head. The fabric was cold and uncomfortable, but at least I wasn’t naked. “Leave me alone.”
“I will for now. But eventually I won’t be able to.”
“I don’t have to choose you.”
“Bassett doesn’t want you. He’ll be mated well before you come of age.”
“I’ll figure something out.” I turned and ran. I couldn’t run quickly in the dress, but it didn’t matter. I wanted to be anywhere but there.
Chapter Five
I wove through the crowd, doing my best to lose the Madison twins. I had no interest in spending a single minute more with them. Facing them brought everything rushing back. It was like I was fourteen all over again. Four years later I was a whole lot more comfortable in my skin, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t haunted by the most embarrassing night of my life.
“Would you care for an hors d’oeuvre?” A guy who looked my age but gave off the vibe of being much older asked. He was holding a tray of food that looked like mushrooms wrapped in bacon.
I shook my head. “No, thank you.” Normally I’d have tried one, but I had absolutely no appetite.
I headed over to the band. The louder the music, the easier it was to drown out everything else going on. Dastardly Deeds. That was the name of the band. At least that was the name scrawled across the drum. The drummer, a red-headed guy with just a hint of a beard beat on the drums like there was no tomorrow. I wished I could borrow his drum sticks. I needed an outlet for the emotions flowing through me. I could
n’t partake in my usual outlet. Shifting and running around the castle was out of the question. The invitation may not have said it, but I knew I needed to stay in human form.
Then all at once, the drummer stopped. The music changed. Gone was the thumping, loud, music. Replacing it was something slow—sultry. It was a siren singing; her lightly tinted blue hair wasn’t what was getting her the attention of nearly every male—and many females- nearby. It wasn’t even her nude dress that made her look naked at first glance. It was her voice. How nice it would be to be judged by your talent and not your looks or size.
I shook myself. I had to stop wallowing in self-pity. Delman was right. I had a choice. And my choice was to go it alone.
“I was a jerk back then, I get it.” Bassett elbowed his way in beside me. “But I was a kid. You can’t hold it against me forever.”
“I’m not holding it against you. I just have no interest in spending my life with you.” I kept my eyes fixed ahead on the band. I didn’t want to look at him.
“You were interested in that at one point. I saw the way you looked at me. The way you followed me.”
“Yes, and then you told me to stop. That you’d take another as a mate. That I wasn’t worthy of you. I remember it very well.” I gritted my teeth. I didn’t want to let him know just how much he’d hurt me.
“I was an idiot. My hormones were driving me.”
“So who was she?”
“Who?” He angled closer to me when a couple pushed through beside him.
“Don’t play stupid.” I had no patience for that.
“She was just a girl.”
“Just a girl? Just a girl was enough for you to treat me that way?” Not to mention no one was just a girl. Everyone had a name and value.
“Deedy,” he mumbled but was loud enough to hear over the music.
Deedy had blonde hair and had been at the wedding that night. Plus she was gorgeous. “But she mated with Bobby.” I remembered hearing about their wedding the year before. Like everyone else in our alliance, theirs was set soon after birth.
“She did.”
“Oh.” Understanding dawned on me. “So that’s what this is.” He’d been rejected and was now scrambling for a new plan.
“I already told you I was stupid.”
“Would you stop talking so I can enjoy the music?” I turned away from him.
“You aren’t enjoying the music.”
“Yes I am. Her voice is beautiful.” I closed my eyes so I could focus on it.
“And designed to lure men to their death.” Of course he had to interrupt.
I opened my eyes. “Not all sirens are bad.”
“And not all of me is bad.”
“No. It isn’t.” I was sure he had his good points. That didn’t mean I was going to take the time to find them. “But you are bad for me.”
“So what?” he snapped. “You going to pick Tony? Really?”
I wasn’t going to pick Tony, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t worth finding out what his brother would argue against him. “Why shouldn’t I?”
“Where do I begin?” Bassett cracked his knuckles. “Shall we take a seat?” He gestured to an open black leather couch along the wall.
I shook my head. “I’d rather stand.”
He looked at my empty glass. “You never refilled your drink.”
“No. I was interrupted.”
“You were watching the band. You were nowhere near the bar.”
That was beside the point. “Tell me what you want to tell me so I can go get my drink.”
“Or you could let me get you one.” He gave a toothy smile. It came off as predatory. I wondered if that was intentional.
“And you think I’ll still be here when you get back?”
“Fine. We can get drinks together.” He gestured toward the bar.
“Forget the drinks. Tell me what you wanted to share with me about Tony.”
“Why are you so interested?”
“Isn’t that what tonight is about for us? My deciding?” I eyed a tuxedo clad server with a tray of what looked like champagne. I nodded in his direction, and he walked over. I grabbed a flute, and he took my empty glass. It vanished into thin air.
“Nice parlor tricks.” Bassett smirked.
How had I ever been interested in this guy? I sipped the champagne. It was champagne—albeit a kind I’d never had before. The first sip was normal. The aftertaste was a series of different fruit flavored combinations. In short, it was really good. I took another sip.
Bassett cleared his throat. “Tony isn’t the right one for you. He’s a good brother, but he’d make a horrible mate.”
“Oh?” I studied the remaining champagne in my glass to see if there was any hint to the fruity aftertaste. I found nothing.
“Yes. He’d never put your needs first. He’s inexperienced.”
“Oh, and you are experienced?” I rolled my eyes. Was he really going to play it this way?
“Of course.”
“So the fact that you’ve slept around is supposed to appeal to me?” I laughed dryly.
“I wouldn’t call it sleeping around.”
“Then what would you call it?” I wasn’t letting him get off that easy. I took another sip of my drink.
“Having sexual prowess.”
I laughed so hard I choked on the champagne.
“Why are you laughing?” He didn’t ask if I was all right. Not that I really expected him too.
My cough subsided. “Sexual prowess? Really?”
“You’ll come to understand that’s important.”
“You think I want to start a pack with a guy like you? I don’t even want to know what you’d do with all the underlings.”
He straightened his back. “I’d be loyal.”
“I’m sure.”
“And you think Tony would be?” He put a hand in his pocket.
“Should I doubt he will?”
“Who the hell knows.”
“So what are the strikes against him again?” I was growing tired of the conversation even if I was the one who asked the initial question about Tony. “He’s inexperienced?”
“And can’t please you.”
“Anything else?” I was asking for strictly entertainment purposes now. Bassett wanted me to drop it, so I wasn’t going to.
“He’s just using you.” He crossed his arms.
“Using me?” I struggled to keep a straight face. As if Bassett wasn’t looking to do the same thing? “How so?”
“He doesn’t really want you. But he wants what your family offers.”
“And that’s not what you’re doing?” Might as well call a spade a spade.
“I understand that aside from your family you have a lot to offer.”
“Oh? I’d love to hear about that.” I felt a smile spread across my face. This was going to be good.
“You’re gorgeous. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.”
“When you were too focused on how scrawny I was?” I gestured to my small frame.
“I was stupid. I already said that.”
“So the only interest you have in me is how I look? We’re back to that again?”
“And your spunk.”
“My spunk?” I took another slow sip of the champagne, enjoying the aftertaste. I’d have to be on the lookout for more of this stuff.
“Yes. Your spunk.”
“Please tell me more about this spunk of mine.”
“Or you could let me,” The sexy-silky voice was back. Delman.
I turned, bumping right into him, spilling some of my champagne down the front of my dress. Most of it went down through the deep V-neck.
“Let me help you with that.” He pulled out a handkerchief from his jacket. Seriously? A handkerchief? He proceeded to try to clean up the spill. I stopped him before he could move beyond the fabric of the dress.
Bassett growled. “Is there a reason you’re bothering us, cousin?”
“B
othering you?” Delman’s shoulder rubbed against mine. “Am I bothering you, Kitty-Kat?”
“Her name isn’t Kitty-Kat.” Bassett sneered.
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. These boys who could not have cared less about me a few years ago were ready to go to bat with their older cousin over me. Right.
“Why are you laughing?” Bassett’s eyes were dark.
“Why do you think?” Delman put an arm around my waist. “Do you want to get out of here?”
I leaned into his arm. “Do you really need to ask that question?”
He smiled. “I thought you’d say that.”
“Wait.” Tony held up a hand as if in protest. “You can’t walk off with him.”
“Why not?” I’d put Bassett on the hot seat. Might as well do the same to his brother.
“Because this is the night you have to choose. You only have two choices.”
“Says who?” Delman grinned.
“Says us.” Basset scowled.
I knew my decision would have ramifications, but there was no chance I could choose either of them.
“Let’s get out of here.” Delman snapped his fingers, and then everything disappeared.
Chapter Six
“Where are we?” I looked around our new surroundings with confusion.
We were in a room with a roaring fire and a daybed type couch. There was a blue and yellow rug spread out between the couch and the fire. The walls and floor of the room were stone, as you would expect in a castle, but from as much as I could tell, the room didn’t even have a door. Even if there was a door, we definitely hadn’t used it.
“Just a room I made for us. I could tell you needed a break. But don’t worry. We are still in the castle.”
“A room that you made?” I pivoted so I was looking right at Delman. “So the stories are true?”
“The stories?” He got an amused expression. “Tell me about these stories.”
The Monster Ball: A Paranormal Romance Anthology Page 51