Anything Worse Than PennyZilla
I was so relieved that the bed is still standing that I forgot myself and started kissing the bed. I mean who does that? Me! A crazy person! That's who. Now my mate is laughing at me.
He removes the pillow from his face after a while and sits up leaning on his elbow staring at me with bright eyes and biting his twitching lips.
“I'm sorry I didn't mean to laugh at you, sweetheart,”
“That's okay.” I guess.
“Then why are you looking so sad?”
“Haven't you notice? Our room is destroyed,” I almost wail.
“That's okay, sunshine, we'll replace everything.” He tugs at a lock of my hair playfully.
“And I kissed the bed,” I add sadly. “You've got a crazy mate.”
His eyes shine with laughter again. “I don't mind you kissing the bed. You can kiss it anytime you want. As long as you're not kissing anyone else, I'm good,” he answers with a smug smile.
“And for destroying the room.” He looks around then turns to look at me with pride in his eyes. “You're a wild woman. I couldn't ask for a better mate. You're a match for me in every way.”
He crawls up on top of me and starts kissing and nibbling on my shoulder and collarbone. Chills of pleasure are running up and down my body.
“You can use this chance...to umm” he mumbles between kisses “decorate.” His lips trail up to my neck. His hand runs down the side of my body, arranging my body into the position he wants. “..the way you want.”
Yeah! The room was much too masculine. I can re-decorate! Yes!
“I can go pick the furniture and everything!” I exclaimed, sitting up, starting to get excited about the possibility of making the room feel more feminine and more mine...uh, I mean ours.
“What? You want to do that now?” he asks, looking a bit dazed. Then he looks adorable with his messy hair and his strong eyebrows come down in a scowl that makes him look like a three-year-old being denied his favorite treat.
“Later,” he pushes me back down and pins my body with his.
Oh yes. Where were we?
***
Duncan is making lunch and a few humans are going back and forth, up and down the stairs. Some are fixing the walls and installing the door in our bedroom. Some are carrying boxes, replacing our destroyed furniture. I'd chosen and ordered them online. Constantine called in and asked them to be delivered today before lunch. They come right on time. Apparently, we are important clients since the furniture in this house needs to be replaced so many times. Having tons of money helps too.
“Just what did you guys do while we're away?” asks Lazarus, his eyebrows furrowing. His eyes fixed on the busy workers struggling to lift a heavy antique armoire that I ordered. It's one of those crazy things you do when you're shopping, like ordering an expensive armoire that you don't need, but you know would look good in your room that you just got to have it.
“Don't ask me. I wasn't invited,” says Caspian, biting his twitching lip. His eyes light up mischievously.
Lazarus and Serena just got in an hour ago. One has to wonder where they were and what they were up to the whole night last night and this morning.
***
During lunch, we discuss having my parents and my friends over for dinner sometime. Rumors are flying around and they must be very concerned. We all agreed that this also concerns them and they should be informed about what's going on.
“We'll find out when is the most convenient time for everyone and I'll let Duncan know of the dinner arrangements when the time comes,” agrees Serena. “Genesis and I are going to the mall this afternoon. We'll be back in a few hours.”
“What do you need at the mall? Why can't we come with you?” asks Lazarus. I guess they never had Serena going shopping with another girl before.
“We need girl stuff, you know..like new underwear, shoes, a new lipstick or something,” answers Serena, glancing at me.
Serena and I discussed going to the mall sometime today. We have to get rid of the boys for a couple of hours so that we can get a ring for Constantine and spend some girl time together.
“Yeah, boring girly stuff,” I add.
“Well, I won't call lingerie and underwear as boring girly stuff...you could model them for me. I won't mind,” says Constantine. He whispers the last part in my ear, but I doubt if the others can't hear him with their lycan super hearing.
Suddenly an inspiration struck me. “Yeah, it'll be fun having Caspian ogling us in underwear and lingerie. Let alone let him loose in a lingerie store. You saw what happened when he saw my underwear drawer right?”
Everybody groans and Lazarus extends his hands far back enough to smack Caspian who is staring at me with disbelieving eyes upside the head.
“Owww... what did I do?” he complains, rubbing the back of his head. “I got smacked for something I haven't done yet! How's that fair? Red, I swear you are one evil woman.”
In the end, the men agree to let us go off shopping on our own. I think they're planning on working out and doing weapon training and sparring. In other words, they're babysitting Caspian.
“Now behave yourselves. Don't do anything I wouldn't do and try not to miss me too much.” I grin at them.
“Anything she wouldn't do? That means we can do just about everything, but anything that makes sense,” I heard Caspian mutters under his breath. He's obviously still smarting over my underwear remark. Sorry, pretty boy! Not!
Constantine pulls me to him with a growl, and his mouth swoops down on mine for a soft yet demanding kiss. Pleasure coursed through me and I open my mouth for the invasion of his tongue. Ummm. It should be illegal for a man to taste and feel this good.
***
“Great! Now I feel like a kept woman.” I stare at the credit card with my name on it that Constantine slipped in my hand just after he kissed me.
“Oh, stop complaining, you! Admit it, you enjoy being Constantine's kept woman,” teases Serena.
Well, yeah, fine. Being Constantine's mate isn't the worst thing in the world. Okay, who am I kidding? It's freaking amazing! I grin as I look at Serena and she laughs.
We enter the jewelry store first where Serena helps me look for a ring for Constantine. I secretly took the measurement to his ring finger a couple of night before with a piece of string while he's asleep. I felt like such a creeper. Well, okay, so I am when it comes to my hot-as-hell mate.
The lady behind the counter shows us selection after selection of men's wedding ring. I just want a simple gold wedding band that wouldn't go over my budget of two hundred and seventy-three dollars and fifty cents. Serena suggests using the credit card and even offers her own money so I can get something that I really like, but I want to buy the ring with my own money. We finally found something that seems perfect for the budget that I have and Serena assures me that Constantine is going to love it.
“The guy is crazy about you, he'll love anything you give him,” she assures me.
We also manage to get something for Penny for her birthday. This time I have to use the credit card. We got her a matching set of a pretty white gold filigree bracelet, a necklace, and a filigree pendant with a single diamond in the middle from all of us.
***
I plan to give the ring to Constantine this weekend. I'm going to take us back to the cliff where he first told me that he intended to make me his and where he gave his ring to me. I'm going to ask Duncan to prepare some food for a nice picnic for us.
I feel excited and nervous at the same time. What if he doesn't like it? Arrgghh. I think I'm just torturing myself.
We also promised Penny that we would help with her birthday party preparations. The promise that I'm very much regretting at this very moment.
It's her 18th birthday party, so everything has to be perfect, according to Penny. Tonight might be the night she would finally meet her mate, she said. It's Friday just after school, and we have a few hours before her party tonight.
Right now she's standing in the middle of her living room with her hands on her hips, yelling at River just because he hung the banner a bit crooked. Then she's off to yell at somebody else. She's like a drill sergeant! May goddess help us all.
Earlier on, she glared at me for horsing around with her adorable five-year-old cousin, Danica. What? I just finished spreading the tablecloth like she asked me to, and Danica is seriously adorable! She has short straight dark hair like Penny's, chubby pink cheeks, and two missing front teeth. She has the cutest giggle ever!
Penny had also asked Constantine and Lazarus to help pick another long dining table at her uncle's because she didn't think that the table she already has at the moment is big enough. The guys jumped at the request. I'm guessing they're just eager to get away from her. Caspian practically begged to go along with them. Only Penny has the power to scare even the mighty lycans off like that.
I start calling her Pennyzilla in my head. You know, my ship name for Penny and Godzilla? I love that girl to death, but now I'm convinced there's nothing worse than a Pennyzilla.
“Genesis, Penny needs your help!” the little five-year-old Danica runs in yelling. I knew it! Penny's worse than a bride on her wedding day. Somebody has to put an end to this madness.
“Okay, sweet pea, where is she?”
She points her index finger to the kitchen and flashes me her adorable toothless smile.
“Thanks, doll.” She giggles when I tickle her belly as I walk past her.
“Penny?” I call out. Obviously, she's not in the kitchen. Where's that birthdayzilla now? I open the back door that leads into the backyard. A familiar scent assaults my nose the same time a sharp sting hit me at the back of my neck.
Ouch! I swivel around to come face to face with Mia.
“What did you do?” I touch the back of my neck. It still stings.
“Say bye bye princess.” She holds an empty syringe up with a smug smile.
“Bitch!” I grab her throat, and the smile disappears from her face. I squeeze hard even as my vision grows hazy and I lose the feeling of my limbs.
***
This is not my bed. My bed isn't cold and hard. The voice is too loud. Someone should go and take that yelling elsewhere. Owww. I can't move. I can't even feel my legs.
Wait a minute, where am I? My eyelids are heavy too, but I force them open.
I'm in some sort of a tiny room. There's no window. Sunlight is pouring in through a big gaping hole in the roof.
There's absolutely nothing in this room from what I can see. The bare, cold cement floor that I'm lying on is coated in thick dust as if it hasn't been used in a long time. I'm lying on my side, and my cheek is pressed onto the floor.
The voice is too loud, though. I know that voice! Logan?
He's yelling at someone. Suddenly, the door bursts open and Mia steps in.
“Oh, look! She's awake!” she says. Her voice comes out in an odd, croaky-whisper-yell sort of way. Her eyes are bloodshot, and there are red fingerprints around her neck.
“Look at what you did to me, bitch!” She spits. Ha! her voice sounds funny. I did that.
Suddenly her foot connects with my stomach. Over and over again. My fingers twitch, but that's it. I can't even move to stop the blow. The pain! Bitch!! I think she broke a couple of my ribs.
“Mia! Stop that!” Logan wraps his arm around her waist from behind and hurls her hard against the wall.
“Get out!” he yells.
“What are you going to do? Are you going to mark her, Logan? Huh? Are you going to mate with her now?” cries Mia in that funny croaky voice. Her bloodshot eyes are now welling with tears. “What? Are you in love with her now?”
“I said get out!” He shoves her roughly out the door and slams the door behind her. “And stay out!”
He walks over and kneels beside me. “I'm sorry, princess. Are you okay?”
Huh? Princess? I can't even open my mouth to answer.
He leans in, and I can see his eyes looking down at me with concern. He gently put his hands on my shoulders and pushes me to lie on my back. The pain in my stomach and my rib is killing me.
“I'm sorry it has to be this way, baby, but soon we'll be together.”
What the hell?
He's clean shaven, and his blond hair is perfectly styled today. His eyes that I used to find mesmerizing before are now staring down at me with tenderness and adoration. What I wouldn't give to have him look at me like this when I first found out that we're mates. Now I just want Constantine.
His fingers are gently rubbing the side of my dirty cheek. “You are so beautiful. I don't know how I didn't see it before. I was so stupid to reject my own mate. You were made for me. Mine! Don't worry, things are going to change. We'll be so happy together soon. The way we're supposed to be.”
You are crazy! Get your hands off me! Gah! I can only move my eyelids. Where's my big mouth when I need it?
He leans in further, close to my neck and breathes in deeply. “Goddess, you still smell so good, Genesis.”
I try to move away from him, but my body refuses to obey.
The door bursts open again, and Mia is standing there looking pissed.
“What do you want, Mia? I told you to stay out there.”
“She's here,” she answers with a lift to her chin. Her eyes are looking at Logan defiantly. I see the longing in there too. When her eyes shift to me, all I can see is hatred in them. “She wants to see you,” she adds before she leaves.
She? Who's she?
“She's going to turn you back into a werewolf, just the way you were before. Then I'll be able to mark you, and you'll be my mate again. Mine.” He leans in and kisses my forehead softly. “That lycan, Constantine, is going to kill you if he ever tries to mark you or mate with you again. He's going to have to leave you alone. He'll never have you again, princess,” he says. “He can't have you. He'll have no choice but to leave you alone.” He repeats determinedly, and with that he leaves the room, closing the door gently behind him.
No! No, no, no. Constantine! Tears start falling down the side of my face.