Nicholas came to me where I was standing by the new rosebushes. The expression on his face was a blanket of emptiness. I could not tell what he was thinking or what he might do next. Tony was waving Toryn to go toward the barns instead of the house and me. I told myself that I had nothing to fear in meeting Nicholas’ gaze. He wasn’t looking at me but at my neck. I raised my hand up and felt the leather strap and symbol Toryn had put on me.
Perfect.
“The longer you stay here the more you put Sidney at risk.” I sighed and let go of the symbol, letting my hands drop down to my sides. In that instant Nicholas broke the leather strap and then crushed the symbol into dust before stomping what was left of it into the ground.
“I’m sorry about-” He walked away from me and back towards the barns. Toryn didn’t try to come toward me and so I guessed that he had seen his symbol bite the dust. Nina came out of the house and was smiling at her cell phone as she punched the buttons.
“He’s back,” She pointed at her phone. “I’m going to go meet him. Can you get a ride back?”
“Nina, I don’t want to ride with-” She dashed to her big hummer and was peeling out. Sidney came out of the house to fuss but forgot when she saw the flowers. She was smiling and laughing and so happy that she forgot to be angry with Tony, who took the opportunity to stand by her.
“Look at them,” she hugged him and the look on his face told me everything I needed to know. He embraced her and had eyes only for her as she celebrated the flowers. “I should go get my camera.” When Sidney came back out to take pictures she kept giving Tony warnings with her eyes to stay away every chance she got. Adriel and Toryn left to make rounds on the property and I started helping her take pictures to kill time until they would get back.
“You’ve got an angry beau on your hands. That Nicholas is not happy.”
“No, he’s not happy,” I agreed.
She took a picture. “Is anyone protecting your virtue at that gypsy house?”
I immediately felt the blood scald my face. I knew all three werewolves could hear our conversation. “I’m protecting it.” I gave her a slight shake of the head when she looked at me.
“Well, Piper. We’ve had the birds and the bees talk. Why are you suddenly so shy? Does this mean you’ve-?”
“No. I haven’t and you’d know the guy very well before I’d take a step like that.” She nodded with satisfaction at me and put the camera in her pocket. “I bet if you just walked up to him and kissed him he’d forget to be mad.”
“Okay, thanks. That’s good.”
She was grinning as she said, “What? I’m not allowed to give advice?”
“He has excellent hearing.”
She turned and looked out at the barns where he was unloading the feed from the trucks again. “He can’t hear me from all the way over there.” Grandma Sidney laughed at me. “You have it bad for this one.”
“Tony has it bad for you.” That won me an ornery expression and my way out of the ribbing she had just been revving up to give me.
I told her that I met my birthmother and though she had a pleasant expression on her face I could feel underlying tension. She wanted to know what my room looked like and encouraged me to buy new clothes if the ones I had made me stick out.
Sidney and I both knew that our visit had come to an end when both Nicholas and Toryn approached us. “I promise that I’ll visit again as soon as I can.”
“You’d better.” She gave me a quick hug and waved goodbye as she slipped back into the house. It was no surprise to discover Tony had come to tell me goodbye as well. I didn’t see Johnny but figured he must still be angry, or newly angry if he’d been filled in on my latest brilliant scene.
“I’ll see you back at the house,” Toryn told me.
“You’re not riding with us?”
“I’ll find my own way back.” He jogged out toward the mountain. Nicholas had walked over to a big black truck while I’d watched Toryn run off and I had to jog to catch up. He opened my door for me, and I climbed inside. When he got in on his side, he turned on the radio and adjusted the volume loud enough that I would have to raise my voice to be heard above it.
We were almost back to the big gypsy mansion when he turned it down, and I tensed up. “You’ll want to change your clothes.”
“I know you’re angry with me and it would really help if you would just yell at me and get it over with.”
“Maybe it would.” I gripped the armrest and wondered if he would turn into a werewolf when he got really angry. He pulled into a parking spot and turned off the truck. “I’m not sure what I should be the most angry about. Should I start with the fact that every time I leave you alone you somehow end up with Toryn? Or maybe I should just focus on your display of public rejection? I never knew it was possible to love someone so much, and at the same time-” he cut himself off with a sigh.
“That explosive temper of yours will not be used on my mother. Try to remember as you are serving my family that I love them, if that matters to you.” He got out of the truck and went into the big house.
Brea came out of the house as I was climbing out of the truck. She grabbed my right bicep and led me back into the house. I was in trouble.
I didn’t see Nicholas when she led me through the main entrance or the hallway. “I cannot believe on top of everything you’ve done, you broke another rule. You knew you weren’t supposed to leave the house.”
We reached the hallway where my room was located. “You need to pack up a few things. You’ll have to stay on at Nicholas’ house in case you are needed to serve them during the night.” She threw open my door and released me to start going through the drawers. “Everything in here is khaki.” She pulled out a red button up short sleeved blouse and a pair of khaki pants and threw them at me. “Put those on. Now, when you are serving them lose your attitude. It is an honor to get to serve the family. Understand?”
“It’s not going to work.”
She shoved a handful of clothes into a bag and pushed it into my hands. “Try.” I went into the bathroom and changed into the outfit she’d picked out and when I came back out Isabeau had joined Brea and they were both waiting for me.
“Nicholas has four sisters and s-, I mean, five brothers.” She hurried on. “His grandparents live with them too and they are very old school when it comes to manners and respect. His father is very strict as well.”
I would be serving fourteen people? Well, at least I’d have no free time to spend with Brynn.
“Pay attention, Piper. You cannot be released from their service until every member of the family gives you their pardon.” Brea buttoned my top button. “Put your hair up and take off any makeup you have on.” Isabeau didn’t give me the chance to obey. She started doing my hair while Brea went and got a hot towel out of the bathroom and wiped off every speck of makeup I had on my face.
Once they were both done, they stood back and looked me over. “Okay, you’ll do. Let’s go, you’re hours late.” Brea held her hand up to Isabeau. “I’ll take her.”
“Good luck,” Isabeau said and I was relieved that she could still have a kind thought for me. Brea didn’t slow down the pace as we went through the house, but I didn’t miss the scene of Minerva on her knees crying in front of Seraph who was helping her up onto her feet near the ballroom. Brea pushed me out the exit.
We took a right off the main road. Nicholas was waiting outside for us and when we reached him Brea gave me a scolding look and left. The father who had been glaring at me when I’d given out my punishment opened the front door. “Oh good, the Marime that is too good for my son has arrived.”
“Don’t call her that.” I had only arrived and already I had caused a stare off that just watching made me have to go to the bathroom.