Gypsy Rising
I don’t point out that she hasn’t had time to think about much. Seems he enjoys being deliberately obtuse. I hate it when people take that from me. Seems hypocritical to attempt being the voice of reason.
Instead, I smile. “Good show, old chap. Glad you’ve gotten your balls reattached.”
He scratches his stomach, sniffing the air. “I’m going to go find a lot of fucking food, and then I’m going to retrieve my mate. I’ve already been away from her for too long.”
He turns and stalks his naked ass back inside the house, and I glance toward the town.
“She just left and you plan to go to her so soon?” I ask the annoying brute, who is definitely way out ahead of me now.
His rumble of laughter is all that answers me.
I’ve got my invite…so why I am I hanging out with them when I could be getting a drink from my lovely bride-to-be?
CHAPTER 18
VIOLET
“If you don’t stop laughing—”
Anna brays like a donkey with her next bout of laughter, as though my demand for her to quit mocking me right now is only fueling her hysterics.
“Y-y-you’re walking funny a-a-after fucking like a champion during a three-day sex-a-thon, and you expect me to resist having a commentary?” Anna asks me through her guffaws, quite literally rolling on the ground, as she zaps from place to place in front of my uneven strides.
I glare at her, as she slaps at the ground, her hand passing through, it as she feigns wiping tears from her eyes.
“It hurts when my thighs touch!” I hiss, idly wondering if my vagina will ever heal.
“I’m so proud of you,” she says, clapping for me, as I waddle by her on my way to push open the front door.
Just my touch ignites Mom’s magic, and the doors open.
Sighing in frustration, I try to walk as normal as I possibly can, wearing nothing but the curtain cape, and…come to an abrupt halt when everyone in the lobby stops to stare at me.
Looks like we have some newbies, because I don’t know all the faces.
A few tremble and drop to their knees, while Shera approaches with a glare and a wrinkled nose.
“You disappear for three days and return smelling like foul wolf sex? Seriously?!” she snaps, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Omegas have been lining up to join Sanctuary, and you’ve been off getting laid?” she adds on an irritable growl.
Speaking of omegas…
Leiza’s eyes widen, and she drops to the ground, abruptly bowing before me. Lemon, Mary, and Tiara all have the same fast reaction.
“Why are they bowing at your feet?” Shera asks more seriously.
I bristle, not liking where this looks like it’s heading. Those scars on my back don’t look like they’re going to be healing, regardless of the healing potions I’ve used on them. I weirdly don’t mind the scars, but…what do they really mean?
“I have a lot of questions,” I tell the omegas, who give small, short nods, not speaking, as they remain bowed on the ground.
I notice a few others quickly dropping and bowing to me as well, though they do so with terrified trembles.
“This is neat. Do those scars make you royalty or something? They can’t even see them,” Anna states from atop a banister near us.
“After I shower, I’ll see the four of you. Find Ingrid. I want her there too. And make sure the new wolves who’ve claimed sanctuary aren’t afraid of me, regardless of whatever in the hell has happened,” I add.
Leiza clears her throat. “As you wish.”
“Oooooh, she said that like you’re royalty!” Anna gushes.
“What have you done now, Violet?” Shera asks in a worried tone. “All I smell is a lot of werewolf sex. Have you even showered?”
“Not in three days. Emit wouldn’t let her out of his dastardly clutches,” Anna supplies on a wistful, romantic sigh.
“I could use a—”
A very pretty red cocktail is thrust in front of me by an omega I’ve yet to formally meet, and her hand trembles as she waits on me to accept it.
“Thank you,” I tell her with a smile.
She nods, eyes wider than they already were, and darts off without another word.
Shera shakes her head like the distraction is too annoying to deal with, and she hands the iPad to me. “I have so many things for you to look over and sign, and—hey! Where do you think you’re going?” she shouts as I start walking off.
“To take a long, cleansing shower, so people will hopefully stop being weird around me,” I answer without looking back, waddling my way up the stairs.
When I whimper, Anna snorts out a laugh.
“I hate you,” I inform her.
“Only because I love your pain,” she volleys.
I slam my door in her face, leaning back against the door for a moment to collect myself. It’s hard to get around the distracting thoughts of Emit’s body over mine, under mine, behind mine…
It’s all I can think about.
If I wasn’t so sore, I’d call him to come back and pick up where we left off now that he’s himself. Then again, he’ll probably ignore me for days on end now. They tend to do that when they’ve gotten what they wanted from me.
How do they not understand why that pisses me off?