Friends and Family
“Get in here, and fill me in on everything!” Ashley grabbed my arm, and pulled me through the door to her apartment at the speed of light.
“Damn, Ashley, you’re a wolf now. That shit hurts!”
“Oh, crap! Sorry, I forget sometimes.”
“I’ll forgive you since you’re still adjusting.” I walked into the living room, and plopped down onto Ashley’s comfy couch, letting out a heavy sigh. “I didn’t even realize how stressed I was until you sucked it all out of me.” I pet the couch, like it was a living being, “good couch!” Ashley just laughed at me.
“So, how did it go? More importantly, are you nuts, or something? What were you thinking going on a date with both of them?”
“I was thinking, if we were in public we could settle some ground rules before things got out of hand.”
“Why don’t you just not date Mikael at all, if Evan is who you want?”
“It’s not that simple. I’ve tried ignoring Mikael, and it literally causes me pain. I’m talking shooting pains through my brain. Every time I see there’s a call from him and I don’t answer it-WHAP-instant headache. Every time he asks me to do something, and I say no, BAM-migraine central.”
“Oh my God! Jess, I had no idea.”
“That’s what it means to disobey a direct order, and its only getting worse. I don’t want to stroke out, or die from an aneurism, so I really don’t have a choice here. I needed them to both know that.”
“Did you tell them about the pain?”
“Not in so many words.” I picked at a piece of lint on my pants. “I mean, they were born into this life, so they must know what it feels like to disobey.”
“Evan probably doesn’t. Remember, his dad let him get away with a lot because he had two older brothers and he was different?”
“Yeah, maybe that’s why he seems pissy about all this, he doesn’t really know the consequences.”
“I bet Mikael does. He looks like the type to break all the rules, and gladly pay for them later.” Ashley waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“Seriously, Ash? How can you even joke about Mikael in a good way? I mean, he turned you, against your will.”
“Well, it wasn’t entirely against my will, just not the way I always pictured it going down.” She sighed, and moved her butt from where it had been perched on her coffee table in front of me, to the couch beside me. “I can’t be mad at him though. I mean, I’m happy. I am really happy, and Asi is everything to me. I can’t even imagine life without him now. It wouldn’t have happened if…”
“I get it.” I was beginning to think the lint on my leg was imaginary, because every time I looked down, I found more to fiddle with. Maybe it was just my nerves. “Well, I’m going to stay mad at him about that, anyway. I’ll be angry for the both of us.” Ashley just laughed at me.
“Do what you need to, but that could backfire on you. All that pent up frustration when you’re alone, on a hot date, and he moves in close…” She pounced on me and started tickling my sides. I retaliated, and in moments we were in a heap of giggling girl parts on the floor in front of the couch.
“You know I hate to be tickled,” I yelled at her breathlessly.
“I know. That’s why I did it. You needed to get the hell out of your head.” Ashley’s attention immediately went from me to the door as someone knocked. She jumped up and crossed the room in record time to look out the peephole. I was still getting used to the idea that Ashley wasn’t human anymore, and moments like this still sent a little shock through my system. She turned back to me with a quizzical look on her face, and then proceeded to open the door as I picked myself up off the floor.
“Oh, I’m sorry, were we interrupting anything?” Leanna, Antoine’s mate, asked with a knowing look when she saw me adjusting my shirt. Oh, she so did not know anything.
“No,” Ashley answered in her slightly snotty tone. She had apparently caught the accusation too. “What can I do for you?”
“Well, Annabelle and I thought we’d come meet the newest lady in our midst. It helps if we’re all on friendly terms, you see. Besides, if you’re with Asriel that means you will be around my Evan quite a bit. I just want to know who he has at his side.” Leanna glanced between the two of us once more before adding, “I do hope we weren’t interrupting anything.”
She didn’t sound like she hoped that at all. “Well, Eleanna, actually, the polite thing to do is to call before coming over. Ashley and I were having a conversation.”
“Mmm, so I see.” The disdain in her voice was evident. “Please, do call me Leanna, I prefer it.”
“Why don’t you both come in and ask your questions, we can be friendly for a while, so you get your quota for the day or whatever you’re trying for, and then you can be on your way.” Ashley added.
“How dare you? Both of you! Who do you think you lesser beings are speaking to? This,” the younger woman held her hands out reverently to Leanna, “is the Queen of our people.” It was the first time I had heard Annabelle speak since they came to town, and I hoped I never had to hear it again. She had a nasally tone to her voice that grated on the nerves, especially as she hit the shrieking high notes as she chastised us.
“Listen, apparently we’re getting off on the wrong foot. Come in, sit down, and get to know Ashley when she’s not being defensive because of me.” I said to them, pointing to the couch. Then I turned to Ashley, “I’ll just come back to hang out later, Ash.”
“That won’t be necessary. Please, do stay here and chat with us for a bit, Jessica.” I didn’t even respond, I just turned around and walked into Ashley’s kitchen. I was on the verge of losing it with all the De ’Lune Clan, not just the men, apparently.
“Just grabbing some drinks,” I called back. I brought out four Pepsi Throwbacks from Ashley’s fridge, and handed a cold can to each of the women, who were now seated. Ashley had taken her big wide chair, and that left one spot open on the couch between Annabelle and Leanna. After giving those two their cans, I turned and walked back to Ashley, “Scoot,” I demanded. She stifled a giggle and slid over so I could plop down next to her. We were stuffed into the oversized chair, but this was actually how we sat to watch scary movies together anyway.
“There was plenty of room over here,” Leanna scowled and patted the empty space on the couch beside her.
“It’s okay, we sit like this often.” Ashley took a moment to pat my knee with her hand, and smile up at me sweetly, as if she were more than just a friend. I nearly spit out my Pepsi.
“Clearly, you two were fast friends long before Evan and Asriel came into the picture. Your familiarity with one another seems to be that of…”
“Sisters?” I chimed in.
“Best friends,” Ashley added at the same time.
“Yes, those things.” Leanna added sharply. Then she calmed herself, “I apologize. We are not getting off to a good start, are we?”
“No offense, but your husband is making my best friend date two of his sons, when it was already clear that she and Evan were together. One of them turned me into a wolf, violently, I might add. These things kind of put your entire family on my bitch-o-meter. Jess is my closest friend in this world, and has been for years. I’m new to being a wolf, but even if I wasn’t, Jess trumps Kings and Queens in my eyes. She always will. I don’t like seeing her hurt, and what your family has done is hurting her. So, excuse the open hostility, but…” Ash stopped to take a calming breath, “just… you know, that’s why.”
For the first time since she got there, Leanna sat back and relaxed. “I understand.” She was staring off wistfully, “I had a best friend like you once too.” Ashley popped the top on her soda with a click and fizz, which brought Leanna back to the present, and she turned her eyes on me. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I can smell both Evan and Mikael on you right now. Have you seen them both already today?”
Just like that the rock in my stomach was back, weighing me down. “Yes, I had lunch with both of them.”
“Two lunches? You must have a very good appetite.” Annabelle shot out snarkily.
“One lunch, two men.” I snapped, glaring at her as I said it.
“Oh!” Annabelle chimed in surprise.
“Oh, that could not have gone well. Did they know you were seeing both of them at the same time?” Leanna asked, and there was real concern in her voice.
“Mikael knew. Evan didn’t.”
Leanna stood, walked over to where Ashley and I sat scrunched up, and kneeled down in front of us. She took my hand in hers. “I understand now. You came from that to the two of us just showing up at your door. It couldn’t have been easy, especially if Evan had no clue. You have my apologies for our intrusion at such an awful time.” She stood then, and walked back over to the couch to pick up her purse. “Let us leave the girls to talk, Annabelle.” For her part, Annabelle was still trying to pick her jaw up off the floor. I knew that Queens, as well as pack leaders, never kneeled before others. That was a sign of deep respect.
“Leanna, please, it’s fine. You don’t have to go.” I thought about it for a minute as Ashley pinched my back. “Maybe your insight would be helpful.”
“That would be lovely.” She seemed thoughtful for a moment. “Maybe we should skip the formalities of getting to know one another and just start with your lunch.”
Chances are, they would hear all about it anyway, so I told them all at once what had transpired over the course of our lunch, and how Evan had walked out leaving Mikael and I to decide things. “He acts like this is all my fault. It’s beyond frustrating, and Mikael…” I sighed before continuing. “He’s great about it, completely understanding, but just as frustrating because he knows how much it bothers Evan, and he doesn’t hesitate to poke that wound.”
Leanna smiled, “Mikael has always been the trouble maker of the bunch. It’s part of being the middle child, and needing to find his place, I think. Evan, has only been denied once by his father, and he has never known the pain that comes with disobedience. His father had his obedience because Evan loved him, and for no other reason. He is immune to Antoine’s demands. The rest of us are not immune though, and he has a hard time understanding why we can’t fight it if he can. His unusual birth amongst our kind gave him his ability.”
“I get that, but he thinks just because I’m supposed to be the white wolf, I can tap into some unknown power and push his father’s commands away.” She looked down at her hands. “I’ve tried, and I come away blinded by pain for my efforts.”
“You are the white wolf, and she does not come into her abilities all at once. Evan has not seen a white wolf ruler in his lifetime. You have to forgive him his ignorance. I wish I had advice as to how to handle that one, but I simply don’t know.”
“If it weren’t for Cla…” Anabelle didn’t get to finish what she was about to say, because Leanna cut her off, in a very obvious attempt to shut her up.
“Yes, well, we can speculate all day long about Evan’s motives, but the fact of the matter is, we need to help Jessica now.” She smiled up at me, and asked the question on everyone’s mind. “Do you still choose my son?”
“I want to be with Evan, but honestly, he’s making it very difficult for me right now.”
“I’ll have a talk with him, and see if that helps.”
“That’s probably not the best of ideas.” I looked from Leanna to Ashley, who was trying to hide a smirk from me. “I think I already made him angry enough by not telling him that Mikael would be at lunch with us. I don’t think his mom jumping on his back too will be a great way to top off the day.”
“Understood. Let me ask you a question though, why did you tell Mikael that Evan would be there, and not the other way around?”
“Evan wouldn’t have come, and it didn’t matter to Mikael. He hasn’t blamed me at all for this mess.”
“No, of course Mikael wouldn’t. Did you at least try to tell Evan, though?”
“I tried talking to him about all three of us getting together and hashing things out. Every time I did, he got angry at me and walked away. He didn’t want to hear about how much pain I was enduring to go against his father’s wishes for him. He didn’t want to hear about how every time I refuse Mikael’s calls or fail to go out with him, my head nearly splits open. He just sees it as all my fault, and the moment I bring up Mikael he throws accusations my way, and bolts.” I put my head in my hands, rubbing my temples, and trying to massage away a tension headache that was building. “I never used to get headaches,” I mumbled.
“Why don’t you like Mikael?” Annabelle asked out of the blue. “I mean, you keep saying he’s been very gracious this whole time when Evan has not.”
“The day I met Mikael was the day he attacked Ashley, and turned her. He didn’t exactly start me off with the best of impressions.”
“But it worked out for her. I mean she has Asi now.” The way Annabelle said Asi’s name made me think there was definitely more to this visit than met the eye.
“Yes, well, then Antoine forced me to date him, even though I was already falling in love with Evan. So, somehow that just doesn’t seem fair.”
“Yes, but, maybe Evan isn’t the one for you, and you just needed a push in the right direction.”
“Annabelle!” Leanna chimed in, “enough!” Leanna stood, gathered her purse, and nudged Annabelle to do the same. “I would like to extend an invitation for you both to join us for dinner. We came with the purpose to get to know Ashley, and I’m afraid we did a poor job of that. I do hope you will both join us soon.” Leanna walked over to Ashley and I as we both stood up. “Jessica, I do hope my boys treat you well. I know this is an impossible position to be put in, and everyone has their opinions as to who you should be with, but” she side-eyed Anabelle then, “I hope the choice will be yours, and made from the heart. Once you are bound, it cannot be undone.” When she caught Ashley and I cocking up our brows at her she laughed. “Okay, well clearly as a second mate, I am the perfect example that it can, but it should not.” With that, she took Annabelle and left Ashley and I to our own devices.
“Do you have ice cream in there?” I asked as she shut her apartment door and locked it.
“Chocolate with extra chocolate stuff in it.”
“I can always count on you to have all the good things!”
“Actually, Asi bought it. He said with all the stress you were under, you’d probably be by and need some girl time with ice-cream.”
“Can’t we just clone Asi, and give me one of him?” I batted my eyes at Ashley, she laughed at me and popped me in the nose with her spoon.
“He is all mine, and I think you already have your hands full anyway!”
I groaned. “Don’t remind me. You better hit me with a double of that stuff!”
“Yeah, okay. So, what do you think Annabelle was about to say when Leanna cut her off? Seems like it might have been important info.”
“I’m not sure. Honestly, Annabelle gives me the creeps, so I don’t think I want to know.”
“So, what now?” Ashley shoveled a spoonful of the delightfully super chocolate chunk ice cream into her mouth. After she swallowed she added, “what did you and Mikael decide?”
“We have a date tomorrow. It’s just a walk or something, nothing major, but hopefully between today’s lunch, and tomorrow, the headaches will subside for a while.”
“And when is your next date with Evan?”
I stuffed a huge spoonful of ice cream in my mouth to keep from answering right away. I hadn’t talked to Evan since he left the restaurant so I wasn’t entirely sure what would be happening with us. I swallowed and sighed immediately. “Who knows? I guess it all depends on when he gets his head out of his ass. It’s kind of hard to kiss with it stuck in there, you know?”
Ashley was howling with laughter at that. “Yeah, he better bring his A-game next time he sees you, because nothing short of that is going to put Bitch-Jessica back to bed.”
“You’re an asshat!”
“I know, that’s why you love me.” She blew a chocolaty kiss my way.